Continued on Page 7

Continued on Page 7

Today’s issue of PakistanObserver carries a 2-PageSpecial Report ‘Celebrat-ing 41 years of Growth &Excellence’ on NationalDay of United Arab Emir-ates, on page 10 & 11.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Prime MinisterRaja Pervez Ashraf on Satur-day said that the first electedgovernment was going tocomplete its tenure, whichwas a good omen, and willhave far-reaching impact onthe country’s politics anddemocracy.

Speaking to a privatenews channel, Ashraf saidthat elections will be held onstipulated time and the datewill be announced in consul-tation with the leader of theopposition in the NationalAssembly.

He hoped that like ap-pointing the chief electioncommissioner with consen-sus, both the governmentand the opposition will keep

Completing tenure will have far-reaching impact

Polls date in consultationwith opposition: Raja

Continued on Page 7

working for further strength-ening the democratic system.

About the creation ofSouth Punjab province, theprime minister said that it wasnot a political slogan for elec-tion campaign but a genuinedemand of the people of theregion.

He said the governmenthad taken all possible stepsand formed a commission forthe creation of new prov-inces. Hurdles should not becreated by any stakeholderon the issue, he added.

Commenting on the deci-sion of Lahore High Courtregarding construction ofthe Kalabagh Dam, the pre-mier said that Pakistan was afederation of four units andall such important projectsshould be initiated with con-

sensus.He said that the issue

was being raised by ‘somepeople’ at a time when elec-tions were just round the cor-ner. “But those people haddone nothing when they werein power for long periods oftime,” he added.

The prime minister saidthat the three provincial as-semblies had passed resolu-tions with consensus againstthe dam’s construction anddiscussions on the issue,which creates hatred, shouldbe avoided. The project cannot be launched with an ex-ecutive or judicial order, headded.

Replying to a questionabout government’s borrow-

LONDON—The United Statesmust prepare for a time whenit no longer is at war with alQaeda and when sweepinglegal powers ushered in afterthe September 11, 2001 at-tacks come to an end, thePentagon’s top lawyer said.

The address by Penta-gon general counsel JehJohnson marked the first timea senior US official publiclyraised the possibility of anend to the so-called “war onterror,” launched by formerpresident George W. Bush inthe aftermath of the 9/11 at-tacks on New York and Wash-ington.

With the US military cam-

US mulling end to waragainst al-Qaeda

paign against al Qaeda nowentering its 12th year, “wemust also ask ourselves: howwill this conflict end?”Johnson said Thursday inremarks delivered at the Ox-ford Union in Britain.

The terror network, whichis under steady pressure,eventually will become soweak that it would no longerwill make sense to maintain alegal framework for all-outwar, Johnson said, accordingto a text released by the Pen-tagon.

“I do believe that on thepresent course, there willcome a tipping point — a tip-ping point at which so many

of the leaders and operativesof al Qaeda and its affiliateshave been killed or cap-tured, and the group is nolonger able to attempt orlaunch a strategic attackagainst the United States,such that al Qaeda as weknow it, the organization thatour Congress authorized themilitary to pursue in 2001,has been effectively de-stroyed,” he said.

It would then fall to lawenforcement and intelligenceagencies to go after alQaeda’s remnants, saidJohnson, a long-time politi-cal ally of President BarackObama.—INP

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Pakistan MuslimLeague-Nawaz chief MianMuhammad Nawaz Sharifhas said that the party’s mani-festo is not based upon slo-gans but it expressed ‘prac-tical reality’.

Addressing a meeting ofPML-N’s manifesto commit-tee here on Saturday, NawazShairf said that the crack-down against the ‘extortion’,

PML-N policy states practical realitywhich was collected in thename of toll tax, was startedin his tenure.

He said that for bringingdevelopment and prosperityin the country there is a needto make most use of energysources and to ensure secureenvironment for theinvestors.Nawaz said thatthe PML-N’s manifesto ex-pressed determination thatthe party is ready to makePakistan a model of develop-

ment and prosperity.Chief Minister Shahbaz

Sharif, Ishaq Dar, Iqbal ZafarJhagra, Parvaiz Rasheed,Humayun Akhtar, ShahidKhaqan Abbasi, TariqAzeem, Marvi Memon andother party leaders werepresent in the meeting.

The meeting discussedvarious proposals on educa-tion, health, price hike, unem-ployment, load sheddingand foreign affairs.

South WaziristanMehsud, Ahmadzais

clash imminent

Continued on Page 7

Pak-France jointcommission

reviews Afghansituation

RAWALPINDI—Second meet-ing of Joint Security Commis-sion of Pakistan and Francewas held in Rawalpindiwhich reviewed the situationin Afghanistan and theprogress towards containingmilitancy and insurgency.

Defense Secretary AsifYasin Malik led the Pakistanidelegation while the Frenchside was headed by its Sec-retary General for Defenseand National SecurityFrancis Delon.Both the sides

Two Pak-bornbrothers held

in FloridaMIAMI—Two Pakistan-bornbrothers living in Floridahave been arrested oncharges of providing sup-port to terrorists and con-spiring to use a weapon ofmass destruction within theUnited States, authoritiessaid.

The men were charged ina grand jury indictment an-nounced by the U.S. Attor-ney for the Southern Districtof Florida.—Online

Continued on Page 7

Pakistan wantsdemolition ofillegal JewishsettlementsUNITED NATIONS—At theUnited Nations Pakistanhas called for an end toillegal settlements on theoccupied territories forprogress towards MiddleEast peace.

Speaking at the UNGeneral Assembly‚Pakistan’s permanentrepresentative AmbassadorMasood Khan said thePalestinian’s success ingetting non-memberobserver state status

US hails PakMFN statusto India WASHINGTON—The UShas welcomed Pakistan’sdecision to extend themost-favoured nationstatus to India and com-mended its recent moves toexpand its economic co-operation with neighbours.

“The United Stateswelcomed the Governmentof Pakistan’s plans toextend most-favoured-nation status to India by

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Continued on Page 7

CIA operateddrone kills

four in SWAWANA—Yet another droneattack in South Waziristanhas killed four people whilethree reportedly injured.

Sources said the attacktargeted a house located inthe Sheen Warsak areawherein it fired two missiles.They feared that the deathtoll in the incident may surge.

It is to be noted that a USdrone strike on Thursdaykilled three people and in-jured four people. Thereseems no respite in the as-saults despite government’s

Continued on Page 7

TARIQ SAEED

PESHAWAR—Mehsud andAhmad Zai tribes ofWaziristan agencies are re-ported to be flexing theirmuscles against each otherin the back drop of attack onpro-government Talibancommander Mullah Nazir

and comrades a few daysback.

While the top leadershipof Tehreek-e-Taliban Paki-stan including its slain headBaitullah Mehsud and theTTP chief HakimullahMehsud hailed from

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

ABU DHABI—Affectivelydealing with any futurethreat of closure of Strait ofHormuz in case of any con-flict in the region, UnitedArab Emirates has opened upon Indian Ocean to supplyoil to Asian markets withoutany hindrance.

Commissioned in Julylast, a 400-kms oil pipelinewas laid from Abu Dhabi toFujairah, EngineerMohammed Saif Al Afkham,Head of Fujairah Municipal-ity said while talking to visit-

UAE bypasses Strait of HormuzOpens up on Indian Ocean tosupply oil to Asian markets

ing mediamen in Fujairahwhich is one of the sevenprincipalities of the UAE. Oilis now being supplied toAsian countries includingPakistan, he said.

Facilities in the port arebeing expanded to equip itwith the most modern gad-gets and standards to pro-vide excellent services tothe visiting ships. Fujairahwill get tremendous boostin economic activities withthis facility, he said.

Replying to a question,Mohammed Saif AfkhamABU DHABI: Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of

Foreign Trade, briefing foreign mediamen.

LIAQAT TOOR

ABU DHABI—Enjoyingvery cordial relations withPakistan, UAE will stand byPakistan in hours of trial.

Briefing over 70 journal-ists hailing from differentcountries here Dr. AnwarGargash, Minister of Statefor Foreign Affairs of theUAE said UAE has stoodwith Pakistan on Malala is-sue as Abu Dhabi is for pro-tecting rights of women andeducation for them to playrole in the society positively.

Answering a question,he said Pakistan is critical toPakistan for resolution ofAfghan problem as Pakistanis affected by this issue. Asfar as exit of US-led Nato

UAE to stand by Pakistan

Continued on Page 7

forces in Afghanistan after2014, he said there will be dif-ficult situation and the peacecan return through processof reconciliation and joint ef-forts.

Afghanistan will be a testcase for every one and UAEwill play its positive role inbringing peace in the region.He said jihadist elements,

RAZA NAQVI

ATTOCK—The 544th birthanniversary celebrations ofthe Baba Guru Nanak, spiri-tual leader of Sikh religion,concluded with the ritual“Bhog” at Gurdawara SiriPunja Sahab Hasanabdal onSaturday. The concludingceremony was attended bythousands of Sikh yatreesincluding 2700 Indian Sikhyatrees also.

The yatrees recited theirsacred book Guru GaranthSahab and performed otherrituals. Evacuee TrustBoard officials supervised

the birthday celebrationsafter the concluding cer-emony.

Sikh yatrees and partyleaders talking to newsmanexpressed their sat isfac-tion over the arrangementsmade for them here atGurdawara. They said theyenjoyed full religious free-dom. “Our Gurdawara arewell kept and renovated forwhich we are thankful toGovernment of Pakistanand special ly ChairmanEvacuee Trust Board SyedAsif Hashmi.”

The yatrees were pro-vided boarding, messing,

medical and banking facili-ties.

“The people of Pakistanare loving and caring andbecause of it we felt nostrangeness and no homesickness.” They said this allwas beyond of our expec-tations and imagination.

The Indian Sikh yatreeswill proceed back by localtrains. On the occasionelaborate security arrange-ments were made. As manyas one thousand police per-sonnel were deployed while17 walk through gates and42 CCTV cameras were in-stalled.

QUETTA: Relatives of the persons killed in Railways ac-cident mourn the death of dear ones at Civil Hospital.

HASSANABDAL: Sikh yatrees performing their religious rituals at Gurdwara Panja Sahib to mark the birthanniversary of Baba Guru Nanik.

LARKANA: Members of Sindh Art Welfare Association holding rally to mark the WorldAIDS Day.

NAZIR SIYAL/AGENCIES

QUETTA/LARKANA—There isan alarming situation to in-crease in the number of pa-tients suffering from HIV andAIDS in Balochistan as com-pared to cases reported in pre-vious year. “The number ofpatients suffering from HIVand AIDS has been mountedto between 400 to 500 com-pared to the 321 patients re-ported in 2011 “‘said the healthpractitioners and representa-tives of NGOs working on pre-vention of HIV andAIDs during a consultativeworkshop held under the ae-gis of UNHCR on the eve ofWorld AIDS Day here.

Meanwhile, our corre-spondent from Lrkana re-ported that a large number of

civil society representativesand health professionals par-ticipated in the awarenesswalk on International HIV/AIDS Day arranged by theMehran Welfare Trust(MWT) and other NGOs andCBOs on Saturday. Partici-pants carrying the banners,placards chanted sloganscreating HIV/AIDS aware-ness. The walk was startedfrom Chandka Medical Hos-pital and ended at the PressClub. Ghazi Social WelfareAssociation, Bright Educa-tional Society, CBOs, ScoutGroups, students and busi-ness community also partici-pated in the rally.

Speaking on the occa-sion, the speakers told par-ticipants that 34.2 millionpeople were suffering from

HIV/AIDS including 30.7 mil-lion youth, 16.7 million femaleand 3.4 million are childrenupto 15 year of age. PanjalSangi said that 1.7 milliondied every year due to theHIV/AIDS, while 9,574 casesare registered of HIV/AIDSin Pakistan and 0.2 million aresuffering from this deadlydesease he said.

He further said that 8,682cases had been registered inSindh and 5252 are young, 60children and 163 women suf-fering from HIV/AIDS, while182 had died due to thisdesease. On the occasion,CMC Medical Superinten-dent Dr. Afsar Bhutto alsospoke about the health is-sues and told gathering thatthe treatment is free in CMChospital Larkana.

Awareness walk about HIV/AIDS in Larkana

Alarming rise in HIV,AIDS cases in Balochistan

Int’l Day forabolition of

slavery tomorrowSTAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—InternationalDay for the Abolition of Sla-very will be observed on De-cember 2 to remind peoplethat modern slavery worksagainst human rights. TheInternational Day for theAbolition of Slavery is fo-cussed on eradicating con-temporary forms of slavery,such as trafficking in per-sons, the worst forms of childlabour, forced marriage, andthe forced recruitment of chil-dren for use in armed conflict.

Many people use the In-ternational Day for the Aboli-tion of Slavery as an opportu-nity to share their perspectivein writings through poetry,opinion pieces, interviews,feature articles, short storiesand other published material.Classrooms may review thehistory of slave trade, its evo-lution and changes it has un-dergone through to moderntimes. Students may also learnabout the negative impacts ofslavery on society.

Online, print and broad-cast media promote the daythrough news, debates, fo-rums, and talks about modernday slave trade and why it isa serious human rights issue.Political leaders, includingsenators and those with min-isterial responsibilities, alsotake the time to urge the pub-lic to work together in eradi-cating any form of slavery inmodern society. Flyers, post-ers, leaflets, newsletters aboutabolishing slavery and slavetrade are also distributedthroughout universities andin public areas on this day.

GUJRANWALA: Relatives demanding recovery of allegedly missing persons during a demonstration on Saturday.

Guru Nanak birthcelebrations conclude

UAF toarrange GREtest on Dec 16

OUR CORRESPONDENT

FAISALABAD—University ofAgriculture Faisalabad willarrange GRE (Subject) typetest in 16 disciplines as thesesubjects are not available onthe NTS website. A spokes-man of the UAF told here thatthese subjects include AgriEntomology, Agri Engineer-ing, Food Technology, Hor-ticulture, Agronomy, Bio-technology, Soil Science,Plant Pathology, Crop Physi-ology, Poultry Science,Theriogenology, Pharmacol-ogy, Parasitology, Physiol-ogy, Livestock Managementand Animal Nutrition.

The candidates who arewilling to appear in the saidtest must submit a bankdraft or bank receipt of Rs1200 from the NBP/HBL uni-versity branches in favourof Treasurer, UAF up to De-cember 05, 2012. The test willbe held on December 16(Monday) at 10:00 a.m in thelecture rooms of the Facultyof Agriculture, UAF. Thecandidates should bringtheir original computerizedID cards at the time of test.

GHB reviewsCultural Melaarrangements

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—A meeting of theCulture Committee ofGandhara Hindko Board(GHB) was held here withmember executive, Zia-ul-HaqSarhadi in the chair. The meet-ing reviewed arrangementsfor the proposed “GandharaCultural Mela” announced byProvincial Minister for Sportsand Culture, Aqil Shah. Thosewho attended were includedDr. Salahuddin, AhmadNadim Awan, Saeed Paris andSikandar Hayat.

Presiding over the meet-ing, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi di-rected for making arrange-ments for the success andpresentation of betterprogrammes during theevent. The participants of themeeting presented their pointof view and proposals re-garding different events ofthe cultural mela.

The cultural mela, he saidwill be comprised of culturalexhibition including display offolk dances and music ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa. Theevent will be proved a grandmela of all regional languages,particularly of Hindkowan.

Woman arrestedfor killinghusband

OUR CORRESPONDENT

SARGODHA—Police on Sat-urday arrested a woman forallegedly killing her husbandtwo weeks back. Accordingto Cantonment Police,Muhammad Bhatti (60), anemployee of the PublicWorks Department (PWD)Colony, had died. His wifetold the people that he haddied of cardiac arrest. But,rumours spread that hisdeath was not natural. Thepolice, on suspicion, arrestedhis wife, neighbour IftikharShah and Babar Masih forkilling him.

1,038 upliftprojects being

completedOUR CORRESPONDENT

FAISALABAD—Over 1,038 de-velopment projects are beingcompleted in Faisalabad dis-trict during the current finan-cial year under the AnnualDevelopment Program whichwill entail a huge expense ofRs 9,330 million. This wasstated by Acting DCOWaheed Akhtar Ansari whileaddressing a joint meeting ofthe heads of various depart-ments of the City-Districtgovernment here.

He said that out of thesedevelopment projects, majorschemes had already beencompleted while the heads ofdepartments had been di-rected to accomplish the re-maining developmentprojects before the end ofJanuary 2013. EDO (Finance& Planning) Muhammd AyubKhan informed the meetingthat under the Annual Devel-opment Program, 176 devel-opment projects would beexecuted with a total cost ofRs 2,667 million and addedthat so far 71 schemes underthis head have been com-pleted which involved expen-diture of Rs 1,367 million.

Similarly, 269 develop-ment projects are being com-pleted with cost of Rs 2,020million out of Tide Grantwhile 240 schemes have beenstarted with Rs 900 milliongrant of MPAs. ManagingDirector WASA Syed ZahidAziz informed the Meetingthat 9 water supply and sew-erage schemes are being un-dertaken by utilizing thefunds of Rs 528 million andadded that over 93 percentwork of these schemes hasbeen completed while 2 newwould be undertaken by uti-lizing an amount of Rs.100million.

SHER GONDAL

MANDI BAHAUDDIN—Ad-dressing a press conferencehere, former Amir Jamat-i-Islami and president MilliYakjehti Council Qazi HussainAhmed appealed to wholenation to cast vote in favor ofhonest, trustworthy and com-petent candidates in the up-coming elections. This wasthe only democratic way tobring a positive change in thecountry, he stressed. He saidroot cause of all ills in the coun-try was alliance with US andif the government quit the al-liance, violence, unrest and

terrorism in the country willcome to an end.

Qazi called upon the rulersto dissociate from US allianceto save the future of the nationand restoring peace in the re-gion. On a question, he said hisparty had not made any deci-sion to form alliance with anypolitical party so far. However,if the party leadership deemedit necessary, they would preferto do it with any party thatagreed to execute manifesto ofJI, he elaborated. To anotherquestion, he accused govern-ment for on-going killing anddeteriorating law and order situ-ation in Karachi.

He said after coming topower, his party would frameforeign policy according toteachings of Islam. He said USwar was not against terrorism;it was rather aimed at disunit-ing Muslims. If elections werenot held up to 18 March or at-tempt was made to delay them,agitation would start acrossthe country which would bedisastrous for the country.

Earlier he addressed Jumacongregation at MadniMosque and said Quran wasa book for guidance of Mus-lims and life of ProphetMuhammad PBUH) was theirrole model.

Qazi urges people to votefor honest candidates

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Me-teorological Department(PMD) on Saturday forecastcold and dry weather for mostparts of Punjab andIslamabad during the next 24hours. According to the syn-optic situation, continentalair would prevail over mostparts of the country. InBalochistan and KhyberPakhtunkhwa, mainly coldand dry weather is expectedin most parts during next 24hours.

The weather will remaindry in most parts of Sindhduring next 24 hours. In Kash-mir, mainly cold and dryweather is expected in mostparts, however, light rain withsnowfall over the hills islikely at one or two placesduring the next 24 hours. InGilgit-Baltistan, isolated lightrain with snowfall over thehills is expected during next24 hours.

The lowest minimum tem-peratures recorded duringlast 24 hours were Skardu -06 C, Astore -05, Hunza -04,Gilgit, Gupis, Parachinar andRawalakot -03, Quetta -02and Chitral -01C. The rainfallrecorded during last 24 hourswas Kotli 07 mm. The localmeteorological departmentforecast mainly dry weatherwith mist in the morning forthe provincial capital duringthe next 24 hours.

Synoptic situation:yesterday’s westerly wave

GB hills toreceive snowfall

over Kashmir and adjoiningareas has moved eastward.The weather pundits saidthat mainly dry weather isexpected over most parts ofthe country however iso-lated rain with snowfall overthe hills is expected overGilgit-Baltistan. Mist may beobserved over the plain ar-eas of Punjab.

The maximum and mini-mum temperature was re-corded in the city as 22 and 7degrees celsius respectively.The Multan Met office has

forecast partly cloudyweather with chances of mistin the morning for city andits suburbs during the next24 hours. On Saturday, themaximum and minimum tem-perature was recorded as 24degrees and 8 degrees centi-grade, respectively. Humiditywas recorded 86 per cent at 8am and 38 per cent at 5 pm.

In Balochistan andKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, mainlycold and dry weather is ex-pected in most parts duringnext 24 hours. The weather willremain dry in most parts ofSindh during next 24 hours. InKashmir, mainly cold.—APP

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—Chief Justice ofPeshawar High Court Mr Jus-tice Dost Muhammad Khanhas said that it has been ashame that Pakistan is the 7thmost corrupt country in theworld despite the fact thatseveral institutions are work-ing to eliminate the menace.He was addressing a cer-emony held to award certifi-cates to the judicial officersat Judicial Academy here onSaturday. He expressed hissurprise that corruption wasat its peak in state institutionsdespite presence of NAB,police and other anti corrup-

Pakistan being 7th most corruption country is a shame: PHC CJ

Despite NAB, FIA state organs institutional graft on peaktion departments includingFIA. The Chief Justice said theonly way left to get rid of thismenace was rule of law in thecountry. He also announcedto launch FM Radio broad-casts from Judicial Academyto guide the people about ac-cess to justice.

Agencies listing detain-ees, KP govt tells court: Thelaw-enforcement and intelli-gence agencies have beenfinalising the lists of thepeople in their custody inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa andthe adjoining Federally Ad-ministered Tribal Areas toseparate militants from ordi-nary suspects, Deputy Attor-

ney General Muzamil Khantold a Peshawar High Courtbench here. The informationwas shared with Chief Jus-tice Dost Mohammad Khanand Justice Waqar AhmadSeth during the hearing intoaround 110 cases of enforceddisappearances. After theassurance by the DAG thatthe said lists would be pro-vided to the court in near fu-ture, the hearing was ad-journed to Jan 15, 2013.

The DAG said the listingof detainees by the law-en-forcement and intelligenceagencies would help disposeof scores of petitions relatedto missing persons. Earlier this

month, the court had directedthe federal and KhyberPakhtunkhwa governments toconvene the meetings of law-enforcement and intelligenceagencies and submit lists ofdetainees in their custody tothe court. When the benchtook up for hearing the caseson Thursday, the DAG re-quested it to adjourn the hear-ing into the cases, saying law-enforcement and intelligenceagencies had been holdingmeetings to decide the fate ofdetainees in their custody.

He said final lists of thesaid detainees would be pro-duced before the court byDec 18, the date fixed for hear-

ing into several cases. MrMuzamil Khan said oncethese lists were prepared, itwould clarify the situation andseveral cases could be dis-posed of then. The benchobserved that dozens of othermissing person cases hadbeen fixed for hearing on Dec18 and therefore, the cases inquestion would be heard onJan 15. It directed the DAG toensure that the detainees wereproperly categorised.

Meanwhile, two of thepetitioners have claimed thattheir missing relatives wereallegedly killed in custodyand they had received theirbodies. One of the petition-

ers, Samiullah, informed thebench that his 45-year-oldbrother, Niaz Wali, had beenmissing since Jan 7, 2010, fromEkka Ghund area in MohmandAgency and to the best of hisinformation that he waspicked up by the officials an-swerable to the political agent.He said while the present pe-tition was pending; he hadreceived information from of-ficials of Khazana police sta-tion that the body of hisbrother was found at a de-serted place. The petitionerrequested the bench that ashis brother was no longeralive and therefore, he wantedto withdraw the petition.

Reforms in political system stressedOur Correspondent

SIALKOT—Federal Minister for Na-tional Regulation and Services DrFirdous Ashiq Awan has stressed theneed for introducing reforms in politi-cal system of the country to strengthennational institutions and democraticnorms. Addressing a meeting of locallawyers at a local hotel on Saturday, sheurged the lawyers to devote their ener-gies and capabilities for providingspeedy justice to the poor. She said the

government was making some necessary legislations toensure speedy justice for masses in the country. Therewould be no democratic values without strengthening theinstitutions, she said and added that existing political sys-tem of the country was in dire need of political reforms,which would definitely ensure rule of law. The Ministersaid that a big positive change in the masses’ aptitudecould also be brought in by promoting positive demo-cratic norms and values in the society. She said that law-yers also felt the pulse of the society. Dr Firdous said thePPP was promoting durable democracy in the country andnobody would be allowed to derail the process. She gavea cheque of Rs 5 million to President Sialkot DBA ShahidMir Advocate. Earlier our correspondent from Quetta re-ported that the Foundation Day of the Pakistan People’sParty (PPP) was observed in the provincial capital. A cer-emony organized by PPP Balochistan was held at QuettaPress Club premises that was addressed by the provincialpresident of the party, Mir Sadiq Umrani and other partyleaders including Syed Iqbal Shah, Sar Buland KhanJogezai, Anayatullah Kakar, Mohayyuddin, MuhammadWaqas, Abdullah Jan, Kalsoom Iftikhar and others.

Struggle for rights of poor emphasizedOur Correspondent

FAISALABAD—Federal Minister for Po-litical Affairs Maula Bakhsh Chandiohas said the PPP is a philosophy andstruggle for the rights of the poor and itwill continue to serve the masses de-spite of various conspiracies. In a tele-phonic address to the participants ofPeoples Labour Bureau function inGhulam Muhammad Abad to mark the46th foundation day of PakistanPeople’s Party, he said that Shaheed

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a visionary leader and epoch mak-ing personality who worked for the poor who were de-prived of their fundamental rights. He said the PPP leader-ship had proved that it was one of the best political partiesin Pakistan that had deep roots among people across thecountry. He said the PPP was still enjoying masses’ sup-port and its leadership had credit to strengthen democraticorder through much needed reconciliatory policies. He saidthe PPP would make a clean sweep in the upcoming gen-eral elections because of its excellent performance on allfronts. He said that PPP workers were adhering to the ba-sic philosophy of PPP by diverting all resources for thebetterment of the deprived segments. Earlier, Naseer AhmadKhan Divisional president People’s Labour Bureau andLal Husain Rashid Divisional secretary of Bureau in theiraddresses also paid glowing tributes to the vision ofShaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Earlier, State Minister for In-formation and Broadcasting, Syed Sumsam Bukhari hassaid that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) always supportedfreedom of expression, independence of media, rule of lawand condemned any hostility against journalists.

Displacement causes AIDS, HIV’s spreadStaff Reporter

PESHAWAR—Experts at the World AIDSDay seminar at the Sheikh Zayed IslamicCentre, University of Peshawar havetermed displacement and economic vul-nerability as the main reasons behindthe spread of Acquired Immunity Defi-ciency Syndrome (AIDS). They saidoverseas Pakistanis are the prime car-rier of Human Immune Deficiency Virus(HIV), and once they come back to Pa-kistan, they transmit it to their wives.

Several Afghans within the system are also suffering fromthe disease and are transmitting it to others in Pakistan.They said women are the silent victim of the disease in thecountry. The disease is being transmitted among the lovedones whom we care the most, and called for getting to zerofor new cases in Pakistan as per this year’s slogan. ViceChancellor University of Peshawar Prof. Dr. Qibla Ayazsaid prevalence of AIDS in the country is due to the per-sonal interacting process with the people in world. Theworld has become globalized, and that is why some dis-eases which were not known in this region are found herenowadays owing to the frequent travelling and existenceof heterogeneous societies, he added. The seminar wasarranged by Shiekh Zayed Islamic Centre University ofPeshawar with the support Directorate of Health ServicesFATA, UNICEF and UNAIDS. Federal Minister for Stateand Frontier Region Engineer Shaukatullah was the chiefguest of the day. Addressing the public health issues inPakistan is part of the millennium development goals, saidMr. Osama the outgoing country director for UNAIDS inPakistan. He added extra marital relations is not the solereason for spread of the disease, in fact use of injectabledrugs and transfusion of unsafe blood is the main cause incountries like Pakistan.

RAHMATULLAH KHAN

P E S H A W A R — K h y b e rPukhtunkhwa outrightly re-jected the verdict of LahoreHigh Court (LHC) directingthe federal government forthe construction of contro-versial Kalabagh Dam. Theconstruction of KalabaghDam is a matter of life anddeath for the people ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, there-fore, we reject the decision,”stated Mian IftikharHussein, the KhyberPukhtunwa Minister for In-formation during a pressconference here at CMannexe on Saturday. He alsodemanded of the SupremeCourt of Pakistan for takingsuo moto action of the deci-sion to settle the matter foronce and ever.

The verdict of LHC forthe construction of dis-puted dam is tantamount to

destabilize and harm prevail-ing unity and harmonyamong the federating units.He said that after 18th Con-stitutional Amendment, nosuch dam could be con-structed without the permis-sion of the province con-cerned. He said that the caseof the construction of dis-puted dam had already beenrejected by provinces whilepassing resolutions againstit. The decision, the spokes-man of Khyber Pukhtunkhwagovernment said was notonly unconstitutional andagainst the norms of parlia-mentary form of governmentand appealed the judiciarynot to raise such disputedissues, which could endan-ger the stability of Pakistan.

The Kala Bagh Dam,Mian Iftikhar Hussain in-formed had been remaineddisputed since 1953, addingthe founder of Awami Na-

tional Party (ANP) late AbdulGhaffar Khan, popularlyknown as Bacha Khan hadalso rejected it. The verdictof LHC, he said was to ap-pease a particular group inPunjab, who are bent uponto irrigate the agriculturallands of that province at costof rendering the lands ofSindh barren and convertingof the fertile areas ofCharsadda, Nowshera andother districts of KhyberPakhtunkhwa into lake. Aspecific bunch, he allegedthat was hatching conspiracyagainst small provinces ofthe country and not propos-ing or letting the construc-tion of alternate dams. Healso attributed delay in con-struction of Basha andKatzara Dams as part of thesame conspiracy.

He said that such ele-ments were anti-state andenemies of the stability of the

ANP govt outrightly rejects LHC verdictcountry. He said that largestprovince, but majority ofPunabis were opposed to thedam, adding that they areaware of the negative effectsof the project on the stabilityof the state. In response to aquery, he said that KhyberPakhtunkhwa had alwaysrendered sacrifices for thestrengthening of federationand the construction ofGhazi Barotha Project, whichrendered dozens of KhyberPakhtunkhwa villages driedto benefit Punjab. He alsocalled for payment of sharein the net-hydel project paidto Punjab on the power sta-tion established on canal digout from the project.

He said they respectedthe judiciary, which he addedhad got independence in thewake of a historic movementcarried out by the nation in-cluding lawyers and politicalworkers.

Peshawar: Provincial Informational Minister MianIftikhar Hussain addressing a Press conference.

BHURBAN: A view of the first Inter Provincial Coordination Committee meeting titled‘Saving Mothers in Communities’.

One absenteeteacher

sacked, 13suspendedM ZAFAR ANSARI

TOBA TEK SINGH—Ateacher has been dismissedand 13, including schoolheadmaster, suspnded forremaining absent from duty.The irresponsible attitude ofthe 13 teachers led to theirsuspension and an inquiryhas been ordered againstthem. It is stated that theGovernment Primary School,Chak No 302 GB, teacherSakhawat Ali was a habitualabsent teacher, therefore,Deputy District Officer Edu-cation Chaudhry Asghar Alitook action against him anddismissed him from service.

Meanwhile, ChaudhryAmjad Warraich of PakistanNational Muslim League,talking to media, said that thegovernment by its wrongpoliies had brought the coun-try at the brink of disasterand a lot of people in thecountry have committed sui-cide due to poverty. He fur-ther said that increasing Pe-troleum and CNG prices haddestroyed the lives ofpeople. There is no hope forany good from the presentrulers.

PESHAWAR: Residents of Chitral demanding opening of Lowari Tunnel for four hours daily during a protest demonstration.

KBD construction matter of life and death for KP people: Iftikhar

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—Low pressureof gas with decrease in tem-perature has irked the citi-zens of Peshawar besides af-fecting the commercial activi-ties. According to details,residents of different locali-ties of Peshawar includingDilazak Road, Pajagi Road,Faqeerabad and CharsaddaRoad have to face problemsin cooking meal and to keepthem warm in intense coldweather. The dwellers of thesaid areas complained that ittakes hours to cook the meal.

They said that their chil-dren were suffering seasonaldiseases due to chillyweather as gas heaters failedto function due to low pres-sure. The students and em-ployees also get late toschools and offices as ittakes a long to prepare break-

Gas low pressurewoeful for consumers

fast and often they have toleave without taking break-fast.

Meanwhile, hotel andtandoor owners were alsoforced to use fuel wood andLPG to continue their busi-ness which cost them morethan the earning. The citi-zens have demanded the au-thorities concerned to takesolid steps to mend the situ-ation otherwise they wouldmove to streets to hold pro-tests .

Lahore: City District gov-ernment and Transport De-partment during a specialdrive challaned 59 vehiclesand impounded 14 others forovercharging and using sub-standard gas cylinders. Spe-cial teams during inspectionon city roads also cancelled13 route permits and 15 ve-hicles declared unfit fortransportation.

BASHIR AHMAD RAHMANI

HAFIZABAD—Speakers at apublic gathering stressed theneed for creating culture oftolerance to eradicate sectar-ian hatred and extremism fromthe society by educating themasses. They said that Islamtaught us tolerance and for-bearance and it is thereforeimperative for all of us to cre-ate atmosphere of tolerance.They also stressed the needfor mitigating emotionalthinking by creating aware-ness among the massestrough the Ulema, membersof civil society and media.

The meeting was orga-nized by DPO HafizabadMuhammad Waqas Nazir tothank the Ulema of allschools of thought, DistrictAdministration, Licensees ofdifferent Muharram proces-sions, office bearers of DBAand traders organizationsand media for extending theirpractical cooperation in main-

Culture of tolerance stressedtaining traditional peace dur-ing the Ashura-e-Muharram.

The DPO called upon themto continue their efforts to cre-ate atmosphere of Muslimsbrotherhood by moulding themindset of emotional peoplefor maintaining sectarian har-mony throughout the year.The DPO has also soughttheir suggestions to improvesecurity arrangements in futureand pinpoint loopholes, if any.***

A sum of Rs. 16 millionwould be spent on the miss-ing facilities in the schoolsunder the Education SectorReform, Acting DCO SohailAhmad Khan said here. Hehas directed the DistrictMonitoring Officer AbdulHafeez Bhatti to prepare com-prehensive report regardingthe missing facilities in Govt.Primary School Burj Sarishta.***

In order to improve hy-gienic conditions in the DHQHospital Hafizabad all the

worn out and obsolete bedsheets, blankets, mattress,towels etc. were today de-stroyed by setting them onfire under the supervision ofMS Dr. Irshad Ullah Chathaand Deputy Nursing Super-intendent Zahida.***

The Vanike Tarar policehave arrested notorious drugpeddlers Muhammad Ashrafand Tahira Begum from KoloTarar and have recovered 500grams heroin from them.

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—Khyber Medi-cal University has an-nounced Bio Ethics Forumbesides starting diplomaand Master courses in BioEthics in Peshawar near fu-ture. The announcementwas made by Vice Chancel-lor Khyber Medical Univer-sity Prof Dr. MuhammadHafeezullah while address-ing the concluding sessionof the two day Bio Ethicsworkshop held here underthe auspices of KMU.

Director Academics

Workshops on clinical bio ethicsKMU Prof Dr. ShadMuhammad and DirectorResearch Prof Dr. MukhtiarZaman Afridi, Director Cen-ter for Bio Ethics & CultureSindh Institute of Urology& Transplant, Prof Dr.Farhat Muazam were also inattendance.

Speaking on the occa-sion, Prof Dr. Hafeezullahsaid that KMU has initiatedBio Ethics workshops forthe doctors and researchscholars of the provincewhich has yielded positiveresults so far.

He said that ethical

education was integral partof our religion and traditionand its importance cannotbe ruled out in medical sci-ences. He also said that theinitiative of holding theseworkshops would be ex-tended to other f ields aswell adding that new seriesof workshops titled clinicalbio ethics would be initi-ated soon given success-ful completion of bio eth-ics in the research sector.In the end, he thanked thepart icipants and distr ib-uted cert if icates amongthem.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

QUETTA—Additional Secre-tary Election Commission ofPakistan (ECP), MohammadAfzal Khan has urged thewomen folk to ensure theirparticipation in the upcom-ing general elections 2013.He was addressing a consul-tative session on “Enhanc-ing women participation ingeneral election” jointly or-ganized by the ECP andUNW here at Civil Secre-tariat. “We would neithercompromise nor ignoring thewomen folk that counts over50 percent of the country fortheir role in the upcomingelections,” Mr Khan saidadding ECP has suggested

ECP wants maximum womenparticipation in upcoming polls

various amendment in theconstitutional aimed at en-hance the women participa-tion in the polls.

He noted that consultationwith the federal and provincialgovernment was being donefor the provision of foolproofsecurity and privacy of thewomen so that maximum turnout should be achieved in elec-tions. District elections Com-missioners and large numberof women representing theNGOS and civil society fromacross the province partici-pated in the event. PakistanMuslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) earlier termed ElectionCommission’s proposal of atleast ten per cent women’svotes in the coming general

elections impracticable. Talk-ing to newsmen PML-Q presi-dent Chaudhry ShujaatHussain said deliberationsover an interim governmenthad not yet been initiated.

He said that the ECshould also have operationalauthority. The EC had unani-mously approved a draft billproviding for re-poll on poll-ing stations where less than10 per cent of women voteswere polled. The draft billmeant to increase womenparticipation in the electoralprocess and to prevent cer-tain groups and parties en-tering into agreement re-straining women of a particu-lar area from exercising theirright to vote.

Palestine: UN fallsshort of expectationsIN a move that is widely being hailed both by Palestinians and their

sympathizers, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted onThursday to admit Palestine as a non-member observer state, which is

being described as a victory for Palestinians and a diplomatic defeat forIsrael and its benefactor, the United States. The elevation of the status fromobserver to a non-member state would gain access to Palestinians to UNagencies and international bodies most significantly the InternationalCriminal Court, where it could ask for an investigation of Israeli actions.

There is joy in Palestine and in Pakistan too as it is being viewed as anencouraging development and a step forward in the longstanding struggleof Palestinians to seek a nationhood status. Observers point out that thestatus of “non-member state” - emphasis on the “state” puts Palestine onthe same level of diplomatic recognition as the Vatican, which is technicallya sovereign entity. The most important aspect of the development is thatthe resolution granting virtual sovereign status to Palestine wasoverwhelmingly approved by a majority of 138 in favour to 9 against and41 abstentions. The yes votes for the resolution included those of the keycountries like France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and Ireland, aswell as Japan and New Zealand, which speaks volumes about growingdiplomatic support for the cause of Palestinian people. However, despiteall this, we believe that the UN resolution falls short of the expectations, asit would have no meaningful impact on the ground realities. Israel continuesto be in occupation of Palestinian lands, it persists with construction ifillegal Zionist settlements, bombs and kills Palestinians at will andPalestinian refugees would still be languishing here and there. The supportof the international community would not mean much if it does not lead torealization of the birthrights of Palestinian people. There are other enormouschallenges both internal and externally driven for Palestinians - they don’tcontrol their borders, airspace or trade, they have separate and competinggovernments in Gaza and the West Bank, and they have no unified army orpolice. We hope the world would concretise its support to help Palestiniansbecome a truly independent and sovereign state.

IMF for morerupee devaluation

PAKISTAN rupee is fast losing its value and experts fear that itsparity with dollar would cross the mark of one hundred in the next

year. There are also reports that the IMF is recommending for moreexchange rate flexibility, which effectively means more depreciation ofrupee against dollar.

The sharp decline that the value of the rupee has witnessed duringthe last four and a half years is more than the aggregate of the last fiftyyears, which reflects on poor financial management. As against this, wesaw superb economic management during the previous Government whenthe rupee-dollar parity remained around 58 for consecutive eight years.Economic managers have their own queer logic to justify their inabilityto halt erosion in the worth of the rupee as they have been telling us allalong that it would help push our exports without realizing that it alsomakes imports costlier and as a consequence make things hard for thedomestic consumers. There are hardly any signs that the devaluation hashelped increase exports. One of the major causes of the deterioratingvalue of rupee against dollar is the alarming dimension of the country’scurrent account deficit. The record devaluation of the Pakistani rupee hasbrought the economic growth to a halt and various important areas of theeconomy largely dependent on imports have experienced an unmanageableincrease in their cost of production. The 45 per cent depreciation of rupeeagainst dollar has given birth to suspicions among the business class, asthe future of the country looks quite bleak. IMF has its own agenda but itis for our economic managers to demonstrate resilience and address thechallenges through innovative approaches.

Jobless youth topromote crimes

INTERNATIONAL financial crisis and recession have caused hardshipto working classes world over and a report by the International Labour

Organisation (ILO) says that there are around 75 million unemployed youthaccounting for 12.7 percent of the global youth labour force. The report “Global Employment Trends 2012” warns that the high youth unemploy-ment is likely to cause long-term consequences like future wages and po-litical system.

Since the summer of 2011, the global economic growth deceleratedas uncertainty spread beyond advanced economies, which shadows theprospect of strong job creation. In Pakistan the situation is getting evenworse as the population is increasing and energy crisis and law and orderhave not only brought down the new investment in industrial sector toalmost zero but also many industries have closed down. As a resulteducated youths are running from pillar to post to get some jobs but theyare unable to find any on merit. Few jobs, that are available in governmentdepartments, are being doled out purely on political consideration creatingheart burning and frustration. Our political leadership is never tired ofmaking claims of young labour force in Pakistan but never cared to createopportunities for them. We would warn that with no jobs and pressure offamilies for finding some source of living would certainly promote crimesof all sorts among the youth. Many such stories have been reported thatyouth were indulging in killings and robberies and others have joined themilitant groups and made suicide bombers. The unemployment crisis canbe overcome only if job creation for young people is made the key priorityin policy making and private sector investment is facilitated.

Multiple tasks of social policy

If you feed peoplejust withrevolutionaryslogans they willlisten today, they willlisten tomorrow, theywill listen the dayafter tomorrow, buton the fourth daythey will say ‘To hellwith you!’

Pakistan has a very poor recordof social policy. Had therebeen one former East Pakistan

would not have separated from theother wing. West Pakistanis espe-cially we in the Punjab are strongon centrist polices and have no timefor what we consider as time wast-ing devices. Punjabis have had achequered reputation in governingcircles. As a Punjabi my concernsis with their abrasiveness. While theworld moves on Punjabis and Pa-kistani governance system [even itseducation system] has no concernfor value driven and or instrumen-tal driven social policy. Socialpolicy must deal with four majorconcerns-distribution, protection,production and reproduction. It willbe fair to say that the requirementis for redistributive effects of eco-nomic policy, protecting peoplefrom the vagaries of the market andthe changing circumstances of theage, and we may concentrate onthese two and leave the other twovariables for another day.

The only program for socialpolicy is the Benazir Income sup-port program [BISP] and that toohas limited coverage. It has beencriticized for the wrong reasons. Myonly concern is that the universalcoverage in Pakistan requires thatthe other programs would be re-duced as Pakistan does not have therequired financial resources. Sinceonly one aspect out of four has beenmade operative in Pakistan theremay be some difficulty in its eco-

ImplementLevesonReport

We agree with Lord JusticeLeveson: a free press isone of the safeguards of

our democracy. Where we partcompany with the learned judge,whose report on the ethics of ourindustry was published the otherday, is in his belief that either ofthese two bulwarks of British lib-erty would be served by a regula-tory body for newspapers that isunderpinned by legislation.

We do not doubt that he is anx-ious to avoid state control of thepress; and he maintained at hisnews conference, where he took noquestions, that it would be “unfair”to characterise what he was propos-ing as statutory regulation. But thisis either sophistry or naivety on thejudge’s part, since he has no ideawhat a Bill to underpin a new inde-pendent regulatory frameworkwould look like when it emergedfrom Parliament. How would it bedrafted? How would the incentivesand penalties for publications beframed? Could a definition of thepublic interest be bolted on? Inother words, what is to stop MPsamending it now and in the futureso that it no longer resembles thebenign legislative vehicle envis-aged by the judge?

These crucial points wererecognised and understood byDavid Cameron in his response tothe report. When he set up the in-quiry last summer, the Prime Min-ister said the status quo was nolonger an option, so he cannot havebeen surprised to discover that thejudge took him at his word. And MrCameron – whose Government wascleared of allegations that itcolluded with the Murdoch mediaempire to fast-track its abortiveBSkyB takeover – could havetaken the easier route and gonealong with the recommendation ofstatutory intervention.

That he chose not to – and hastaken a stand on an important mat-ter of principle – is to his greatcredit. As he told the Commons:“For the first time we would havecrossed the Rubicon of writing el-ements of press regulation into thelaw of the land. We should bewary of any legislation that hasthe potential to infringe freespeech and a free press… and thinkvery, very carefully before cross-ing this line.”

Mr Cameron’s difficulty now isthat neither his deputy, Nick Clegg– despite describing himself as aliberal – nor Ed Miliband, theLabour leader, shares this view.They want to set out a timetable forthe implementation of a new regu-latory body for the press that is in-dependent of politicians and theindustry but based on statute, a po-sition that has substantial supportin Parliament. As cross-party talksbegan last night to find a way for-ward, it was ominous to hear MrMiliband imply that they were notabout whether to implementLeveson on an agreed basis, butabout how and when to change thelaw. It will be hard, though it shouldnot be impossible, to reconcilethese positions, and it is essentialthat such discussions are conductedin an open-minded way. The pressmust also show humility and doeverything in its power to enableagreement to be reached.

The all-party talks offer somebreathing space and a chance forclearer thinking. There are manygood ideas put forward in the report– for instance, the proposal of cheap,effective arbitration to help victimsget swift redress to their complaints– and these should form the basis ofthe new press regulation. Lord Jus-tice Leveson states: “By far the bestoption would be for all publishersto choose to sign up to a satisfactoryself-regulatory regime and, in orderto persuade them to do so, certainincentives are required.” This is in-deed the best option. The industrymust act quickly to set up an inde-pendent regulatory body that fulfilsthe principles put forward byLeveson. If it does that, then MrCameron, Mr Clegg, Mr Milibandand Parliament should be able tostay on the right side of theRubicon. — The Telegraph

MEDIA WATCH

Nikita KhrushchevSoviet statesman

nomic sustainability.This may lead to infla-tion and stagnationand may ultimatelyleave the poor worseoff. Pakistan’s infla-tion is galloping at themoment. The poorwould be worse offand my survey, indica-tive though it might

be, proves the point. The reasons forthis inflation may be different andmay not be entirely on the social wel-fare program. Nevertheless it willhave some impact. Just take two as-pect-productivist and distributive as-pects of this intervention. If one goesfor the productivist policy then thepoliticians would be aggrieved by it.This would encounter political oppo-sition, producing political opposition.

This would undermine thegrowth objective. A policy regimefocused on protection would fail onboth grounds and unable to copewith the population changes and itsdemography. Developing countriesare more inclined to distributivewhile the developed countries aremore focused on productive ele-ments. This is now euphemisticallycalled social investment and workforce actions. China does not mincewords but goes for both kinds ofpolicies. It has a strong bias on‘smart’ technologies. These smarttechnologies are meant for provid-ing distribution through an employ-ment effort in the rural areas. Thisis unique by itself and the Politburotakes care of the dissidents to itspolicies. China could afford to dothis for the villages where thesesmart technologies were imple-mented for it has no economic nice-ties to cater for. Its market is largeenough and its entrepreneurs stickto the policy that is given.

But what is Pakistan’s politicalparty’s ideology and how are theycompatible with economic structures.

I have been arguing that only oneparty had some kind of ideology theothers are merely asset gatherers andtherefore corrupt to the core. The in-dividuals do asset formation and getaway with it. In Pakistan to date noone has been convicted of corruption.State elites [different from politicalelites] are motivated by thoughts onnation building, self sufficiency, so-cial cohesion, socialism, solidarity, ormutual responsibility in the normalcourse of things yet when they areinvolved in selfish pursuits the out-come is very different.

The matter is further com-pounded by the electronic media thatare not well versed with the socialpolicy aspects. Confusion then reignsas the public at large tends to acceptthe actions that the media conveys.The opinions may be well foundedor otherwise and occasionally theyborder on the ignorance side. Theonly option out of this is the avail-ability of the act of Torts, where anything malicious is then given a roughtreatment through a court of law. Thepress has been against this act as theydo not want to be held accountable.In social terms what it means is thatthere is an imbalance between powerand responsibility.

Social policy is all about empow-ering citizens and not, as usually doneto pacify them. BISP is, since it islimited in scope, is held to be for thepacification of such citizens as areunder the poverty line. The numbersare much more than the beneficiaries.The country’s poor would be well offif this was allowed to become acountervailing effort and every yearthe poor that were excluded werebrought in. In a country where thesocial policy is almost non-existentand where if there are any policiesthese are almost based on opinionswhere equity in public policy is neverunder consideration, the solutionsbecome limited. What impact doesthis social policy have on the macro

economics of the country? Macroeconomics gives special attention togrowth and structural changes, as in-struments for affecting change forthe poor. However fashionable di-rections from the WB/ADB havebeen such that they do not allowthese policies to be articulated forlong and modify these policies, theirintent not being known, but thatleaves everything in a blind alley andnot even half done. So the effortthose shifts to reducing the twinmenace of inflation and deficits. Un-employment is left hanging in thebalance. This will come to the foresooner or later when some policieshave to be definitely altered to meetthe wishes of some powerful baronfrom the west.

What is then to be done? Wellfor one living in this country I wouldexpect that decisions would be takenby the powers that be in this coun-try and for the betterment of thiscountry and its people rather thanbe dictated by the morons who bringout all kinds of statistics to provetheir point. Statistics are meant forjustification by liars. Pakistan has todo well by its people if democracyis to thrive. It has to be even handedand Pakistani policy makers can nolonger be blind. There are two kindsof blindness in the system. One iswhat the WB/ADB gives us anddenies us the right to make decisionsabout our own selves.

The other is when we do makeour own decisions and we knowthat these are not in keeping with-equity, efficiency, and efficacy.The three ‘Es’ will determine theend result in a democracy. Thetragedy is that democratic valuesare not known to the majority. Thematter is made much worse whenthe self anointed wise cranks jointhe ranks of the powerful. Thepolicy offices are full of intrigu-ers irrespective as to whether theyare from Harvard or wherever.

The government borrowingfrom commercial banks during the first quarter of the cur-

rent fiscal year surpassed budgetaryprojections - Rs 546 billion duringJuly-September 2012, up by 16 per-cent against the budgetary projectionof Rs 484 billion. Total borrowingfrom scheduled banks in July-Sep-tember 2011 was Rs 223 billionwhich surged to Rs 564 billion forthe same period of the current fiscalyear, reflecting an increase of 152percent.

The government’s heavy reli-ance on borrowing from bankingsystem is causing a negative impacton the growth, particularly depriv-ing private sector of the much-needed funds for investment. Inter-est payments on domestic and for-eign debts have been on the rise dur-ing the current fiscal year due toreckless bank borrowing by the gov-ernment. The interest payment ondomestic and foreign debts stood atRs 313 billion during July-Septem-ber 2012 which is 72 percent higherthan Rs 181 billion for the same pe-riod last year. Interest payments ondomestic loans rose to Rs 299 bil-lion in the first quarter of the cur-rent fiscal year against Rs 169 bil-lion for the same period last year.According to fiscal operation statis-tics for the first quarter (yet to bereleased), the fiscal deficit is goingto be around 1.2 percent of GDP orRs 282 billion.

The government’s unabated bor-rowing to meet burgeoning budget-

Austerity, not reckless borrowingsary deficit is drowning the economy.One of the major weaknesses of eco-nomic governance is uncheckedwasteful spending on monstrous gov-ernment machinery and inefficientPSEs. Unwillingness to collect taxesfrom the rich and mighty is worsen-ing plight of the poor. Our foreigndebt is going to be US $75 billion in2015 and domestic debt Rs 12 tril-lion if curative measures and toughdecisions are not taken in time. Thepolicy of appeasement towards taxevaders, money launderers and plun-derers of national wealth, if not dis-continued, will push the country to acomplete disaster. The shameless in-dulgence of rulers and bureaucrats inwasteful expenditure - when half ofthe population of the country is fac-ing malnutrition - is simply criminal.

The word ‘austerity’ is not in thedictionary of politicians in power,high-level civil-military bureaucratsand public office holders. The tradi-tion of living beyond means - ournational addiction - has rendered Pa-kistanis a nation with the beggar’sbowl. When foreign lenders see thelifestyle of our ruling elite, they im-mediately show indignation - it ishard to believe for them that the rul-ers of a nation living on borrowedfunds have such flamboyant ways ofspending. Today’s Pakistan repre-sents a state where a trio of civil-mili-tary bureaucrats, politicians and busi-nessmen is very affluent, but the gov-ernment is on the brink of bankruptcy.This state of affairs is the direct out-come of government’s policies allow-ing free hand to forces of loot, cor-ruption and terrorism.

One of the major weaknesses ofgovernance in Pakistan is uncheckedwasteful spending and reluctance tocollect taxes from the rich and mighty.

The worsening plight of the poor isnot due to scarcity of resources-aspropagated by the rulers to shiftblame on others-but is due to theirown lavish expenses and their medio-cre bureaucracy. Wasteful spendingout of taxes collected from the poorand unwillingness to harness the realpotential of Rs 8 trillion by taxing therich is playing havoc with economyas well as the socio-economic fabricof society. Behind the present chaoticsocio-economic and political situa-tion in Pakistan, amongst other fac-tors, is an ever widening gulf betweenthe rich and the poor. It is shockingthat with every passing day, more andmore people are being pushed belowthe poverty line - their total numberis now not less than 60 million in acountry where rulers unashamedlywaste billions of rupees on their per-sonal comfort and so-called security.

All said and done, nothing willchange in Pakistan unless rulers startliving within their means.Unashamedly, they are not ready tosurrender extraordinary perks andprivileges enjoyed by them at the costof taxpayers’ money. In a democraticset-up, responsibility towards peoplewho vote for parliament and account-ability are interconnected. The con-cept of modern egalitarian stateemerges from the sovereign right ofthe Parliament to levy taxes [Article77 of the Constitution of Pakistan] butat the same time it has to spend thesame for public welfare rather thanfor personal comfort and self-aggrandisement [Article 3 of the Con-stitution of Pakistan]. This secondpart of democracy is completelymissing in Pakistan.

When half of the population ofthe country is facing malnutrition, theshameless indulgence of rulers and

bureaucrats in wasteful expenditurecontinues unchecked. Look at theirgaudy lifestyle at a time whenpeople are committing suicide dueto starvation and unemployment.The grim truth of Pakistan is the ten-dency on the part of the rulers andtheir lackeys to indulge in self-de-ception, self-praise and self-perpetu-ation during critical times withoutrealising how disastrous these actscan be. This is certainly a ruinousand suicidal path.

We cannot come out of debt-en-slavement, which is the main causeof our subjugation, unless we firstbecome an economically self-reli-ant nation for which taxing eachaccording to his ability and givingeach according to his work, as en-shrined in Article 3 of the Constitu-tion, is a prerequisite. All forms ofexploitations are to be reduced, ifnot fully eliminated. For this, thestarting point should be a completechange in the style of governance -the President, Prime Minister, min-isters, parliamentarians, heads ofpolitical parties and high-rankinggovernment officials start living atthe average man’s level. The pala-tial government residences shouldbe vacated and converted into placesof public utilities. The rich andmighty should start paying theirtaxes and repatriate all their foreignassets. We can take a great economicleap forward if consensus is reachedon these points without prosecutinganyone. We need truth and recon-ciliation at this critical juncturerather than creating further chaosand commotion leading to a horriblecivil war.—The writers, lawyers andpartners of Huzaima & Ikram areAdjunct Professors at LUMS.

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Voice of the People

Obama must offer Iran a ‘grand nuke deal’

For Iran, the nuclear crisis hasbecome the most important national security and foreign

policy challenge since the Iran-Iraqwar in the 1980s. The internationalpressure has shaken the foundation ofits relations regionally, and with West-ern and Eastern powers. And yet Iranhas not relinquished its uranium en-richment rights under the Non Prolif-eration Treaty, and instead has becomemore resolute and defiant. With bothsides scoring such high points, thisduel could be interpreted as a win-wingame, with the West squeezing Iranas never before and Iran’s nuclear pro-gram continuing on. I would suggest,however, it is really a lose-lose one,with a trajectory headed toward a vio-lent endgame. This, though, can beavoided with a grand deal.

It’s encouraging that Iranian Presi-dent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recentlystated that the now politicised disputeover Iran’s nuclear program should beresolved by direct talks between Iranand the United States. This is a majorshift in the Iranian president’s under-standing. When I visited Mr.Ahmadinejad in 2005 as a possiblecandidate to work for the foreign min-istry, we discussed Iran-US relations

and the role of the US on the nuclearfile. At that time, he disagreed withmy recommendation to bolster dia-logue with the West – including theUS – to resolve the nuclear dilemma.He saw enrichment as a technical, le-gal issue, a legitimate right for Iranunder the Non Proliferation Treaty. Icautioned that for the West, it is nei-ther a legal nor technical issue, but apolitical one, which requires directtalks with the US to be resolved.Whether his recent comments are amatter of consensus within Iran, how-ever, remains a big question.

Another question is whether Presi-dent Obama will be able to orchestratea “real engagement” with Iran – incontrast to his first term where he ap-plied devastating unilateral and inter-national sanctions, pressure, covertoperations, and an intelligence war.Those measures only contributed tofurther tensions and a thickening of thewall of mistrust between the two na-tions – wiping any chance of rap-prochement off the political map. Inthe second term, it is time for theObama administration to offer Iran a“grand deal,” where dual-track diplo-macy is supported by constructive ac-tions to prove his sincerity. Such astrategy needs to be drafted and imple-mented wisely, in both substance andstyle, to prevent previous failures andbring a real change to US-Iran rela-

The battle for the survival of theState of Pakistan, internally under threat from the extremist

forces may now have reached a criti-cal stage. The twin debacles of lackof political mobilization by the poli-ticians and the reluctance by our mili-tary to utilize its offensive capabilitymay for the time being have tilted therelative balance in favor of the ex-tremist forces. Our military strategistsmay also have missed the plot; withtheir strategic minds occupied pre-venting ‘Indian encirclement’ theforces of extremism may have uti-lized the ensuing favorable conditionsto shift the balance of relative capa-bilities entirely in their favor. Thanksto military inaction not only have theyre-emerged in Swat, they have alsoregrouped and consolidated theirstrength in almost all the provincesor so it seems; and if the press re-ports are to be believed TPP is nowthreatening to open a new theater ofwar in Karachi.

Is this the end point of our mili-tary strategy? Was it not supposed toannihilate the TTP’s ability to wagewar against us? Militaries all over the

Why postpone military operation?world trade time only for reaching ameaningful and purposeful end. Notto hand over the strategic ascendancyto the enemy and allow it to re-fit,re-organize, re-group and consoli-date. Thus far all that the military hasmanaged to do is lose the battle oftime and space and with winters on ithas if not shut down entirely, willmake the possibility of launching anymilitary operation at least very diffi-cult in near future. This is no strat-egy, this is a strategic blunder. Mys-tifying as it is all our efforts and meth-ods to destroy and defeat the enemyfor now are put on hold.

If anything the military opera-tion would have added to the mili-tary prestige in the eyes of the pub-lic that being on the receiving endof this war expects a national armyto fight for a national cause. But thetime for that has passed; at least fornow. If the military action has beenpostponed to allow favorable con-ditions to hold national electionsthan it is exactly the opposite condi-tions that the TPP and its followersaim for; violent, anarchic and disor-derly and these may actually be theprevalent conditions when we comeclose to the time of elections. Seenin this context the postponement ofthe military operation looks like yetanother strategic mistake committed

Education: Thirdeye of manM BAQA QAZI

In Pakistani society, Education canplay an important role towards po-litical stability, economic develop-ment and social progress. The un-der-developed education system ofPakistan has created many evils inthe country. According to most ofthe social scientists and experts, poorrole of education system is criticalfactor of political instability, eco-nomic upheavals and social disor-ganization. Nevertheless, vital roleand significance of education sys-tem is largely neglected in Pakistanunveiling a plethora of problems andchallenges.

Education system of Pakistan islacking enough funds for installingproper infrastructure development.Second, there are many parallel edu-cation systems which whip up dis-crimination among the people.Third, there is lack of creative andpractical education which could pro-vide the power for research andmodernism in the society. Fourth,education system is unable to meetproperly to students to make themtrue human beings who can promoteand protect the society. And fifth,faculty of teachers is lacking prop-erly towards its duties. Having theseproblems prevailed how can educa-tion call “the third eye of man” inPakistan society?

A problematic education systemcould not make Pakistan strong likeother countries. The government andcivil must play their parts to promotethe quality of education. And “theslogan of free education” should beprevailing in the Pakistan, whichprovides equal opportunities to alland makes the students true humanbeings. It is a time, governmentshould take rapid step to save thelife of people of Pakistan throughimplementation of proper policies.—Karachi

A look onsecurityRIDAH ZAFAR

The law and order situation of Pa-kistan seems to be at stake. But thisdoes not simply mean that means ofcommunication should be blocked.The pathetic condition of our coun-try is because of us. We are respon-sible for that. The chief JusticeIftikhar Chaudary gave some secu-rity plans for Muharamm. Out ofwhich one of them was to jam themobile services. I have a questionfrom CJ that did he really think, ifmobile networks would be blockedhe can stop terrorism? How is itpossible? The terrorists would in-vade anywhere at any time. Eventhe security of 9th Moharamm istotally a failure.

There have been blasts inKarachi and D I Khan. I request thegovernment on behalf of youth;please do not make the scenarioworst. We want to bring somethingproductive for our future. By clos-ing universities, schools and col-leges we cannot save our future.In fact, there should be some al-ternatives for all these events.Traffic jams, mobile networks jamand then blasts, it is not helpingany one of us. This is really ruin-ing our self-image. We cannotmeet the challenges of the newworld if all these problems arehovering on us! Do something fastto get rid all those problems thatare hurdles in our education.—Rawalpindi

Mobile SIMsRASHID ORAKZAI

Pakistan is facing a war like situa-tion, not just in the Tribal belt orBaluchistan, but in settled areas likeKarachi. With an incompetent ex-ecutive and an intelligence cum se-curity apparatus bogged with cor-ruption and conflict of interest, ter-rorism thrives and criminals hold atransom lives and security of citizens.The civil and armed bureaucracy inthis country have failed miserablyto protect citizens of Pakistan fromthe cancer of terrorism. Unregistered

Inactive PoliceMUBASHIR MAHMOOD

Mobile snatching, dacoity, extortion, kidnap for ransom has become very common in Karachi. LawEnforcement Agencies (LEA) have failed to stop these crimes. Target killing in the metropolitan

city is also going on which is also unstoppable. When target killers and murders do not kill anyone thenno one is killed but police has done nothing in this regard. Recently a friend of mine faced this menace;he was coming out from his office in Clifton near Boat Basin when mobile snatchers took away hismobile, cash, watch and credit cards. He went to Clifton Police Station near Park Towers to register aFIR. Police constable advised him to write an application in Urdu. It is good that Urdu is given prefer-ence but I hope that translator are present in police stations if anyone writes application in English sothat he/she can translate it into Urdu. My friend told me that policeman does not ask him about any-thing regarding mobile snatching incident. He even doesn’t bother to ask that how were the mobilesnatchers looks, which mobile they took away, how much cash was in purse. It is disappointing frompolice but very understandable in Karachi where police has shown in many cases that they are incom-petent. I suggest IG Sindh Fayyaz Leghari to take notice of these issues and direct strict actions againstall those police station which have failed to perform in recent years.—Karachi

Views From Abroad

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by our military. Is it not time to ques-tion our military originated nationalsecurity policies and the threat theypose to our national security?

In theory, we are told that Indiaplans to encircle us and thus wield-ing and sustaining our strategic as-sets (non state actors) is an opera-tional necessity. But has this policynot contributed in creating a muchavoidable new proxy war theater inand around Afghanistan. Our militaryoriginated Afghanistan policy is onlya small component of the militaryliked, propagated and continuedlarger Indian centric policy. The tac-tical component of this policy; battlesbeing fought against the extremistson western front are only a cover-upto the actual and vital strategic com-ponent i.e. depriving India encircle-ment of the State of Pakistan . Withsuch strategic aim our Afghan policyis likely to remain extremely milita-rized and can contribute only in es-calating the proxy wars being foughton the western front. To avoid this, itmay actually be the right time thatthis policy exchanged hands and theownership decidedly handed over tothe civilian leadership.

The strategic success on west-ern front will only come if wechange the manner in which we con-duct not only our politics but war-

cell phones are used by criminals andterrorists for terrorism, kidnappingand extortion. However billions ofdollars in revenue have blinded themanagements of these cellular com-panies and the corrupt civil and po-litical establishment to take steps toprevent this abuse.

It seems that lives of citizens ofPakistan is the least of priority for rul-ing elite. Pakistan is perhaps the solecountry in the world, where cellularcompanies offer more attractivepackages on pre-paid cellular con-nections than on post paid mobilepackages. In Karachi and other partsof Pakistan, where terrorism thrives,mobile cell SIMs are available evenat Pan Shops, without any verifica-tion. We have an extra ordinary se-curity crisis in this country and ur-gent steps need to be taken to en-sure that cellular phones are notabused for communication and ter-rorism activities that have led tothousands of fatalities, far more thanthe fatalities in 9-11 tragedy.—New York, US

Support womenjoining PoliceRASHMINA YOUSAFZAI

It is commonly believed that the de-partment of police in Pakistan ismainly dominated by male segmentof the society. This beliefe is verystrong in nature, as the women in oursociety are not ready to join this de-partment as a profession. There aremany reasons for such approach asmost of our young women are tiltedto be doctors, engineers, etc. So ifsuch a situation prevails where thesociety is not ready to accept anyprofession then it is the duty of boththe government and the communityto make things clear. Without thesupport of society, government is notin any position to complete any taskeffectively.

A lot of women in our societyare educated and want to join dif-ferent professions. It is very impor-tant to do different healthy effortsfor improving the overall environ-ment of police department. The po-lice department in Pakistan paysvery less attention to their properadvertisement at the national level,and as a result the mindsets at thesocietal level never changes. It isvery important to know that a lot ofwomen after competing in CSS ex-ams have joined the police depart-ment as a profession. Such womencan be utilized as role models forother women, with in our society.

Many educated women havealso joined the police departmentafter taking provincial level competi-tive exams. This is a beginning of anew start where a lot of educatedwomen are becoming the part of thisdepartment. The police departmentmust concentrate in building theirpositive image with in the society,by initiating welcoming steps within the institution. The governmentmust also play an important role inkeeping this department away frompolitical spheres, so that they canwork properly and independently.The male dominance must also bekept under serious consideration,and different reforms must be intro-duced that should give women achance to exercise their powers. Bydoing such we will be able to por-tray a pleasant picture of this depart-ment with in our society.

The female students in collagesand universities must also be encour-aged through a proper channel so thatthey can become the part of this de-partment with their own willingness.—Islamabad

What it means?SYED MUZAMMIL HUSSAIN

General condition of Pakistan is veryuncertain. Every institution is runningin an unappreciable way. Unfortu-nately if this process continues, thenthe fate of the country can’t be savedfrom destruction.

Today the problem I want to dis-cuss is that, the system of the Paki-stan Post which is badly affected. Nodoubt advanced technology is mainhurdle in the way of Postal system.Of Pakistan, however importance androle of this system can’t be ignored.It can be led to further enhancement

Time to replace OIC

Among all those present at theD-8 summit, Goodluck EbeleAzikiwe Jonathan, the Presi-

dent of Nigeria was no doubt the mostvibrant, most lively and the most en-ergetic leader whose presence addeda new colour of hope and optimismto the D8 summit at Islamabad in thelast week of this November. The ob-jectives of the D8 organization in-clude promoting trade and economiccooperation amongst its members,improving member states’ position inthe global economy, diversifying andcreating new avenues for them in in-ternational trade relations, enhancingtheir participation in decision-mak-ing at the global level, and improv-ing the standards of living of peoplein the eight member-countries.D i f -ferent political analyst in Pakistan are

of the view that the D-8has all guts to replaceOIC, which has proveditself a blob of shame onthe face of the Muslimcommunity because ofits inactive , dormantand sluggish role. Themain aim of Organiza-tion of Islamic Confer-ence was to bind the

member countries under the one um-brella in order to solve the entire prob-lems. With its 57 member counties,OIC is still the second largest orga-nization after the UN. Though its ob-jective was to preserve Islamic socialand economics values and promotetrade and bilateral cooperation amongthe member countries but it could donothing but hold meetings on regularbasis. If the OIC were serious in re-solving the issues which are under-mining the whole of Muslim coun-tries, it could have concentrated upononly one issue, i.e., the menace of ter-rorism. Terrorism is like a wildfire;it never stays where it starts from. Thewildfire of terrorism which oncestarted from Afghanistan has nowcompletely enwrapped the once

peaceful and prosperous society ofPakistan and certainly silently butrapidly it would engulf the whole ofMuslim world.

What to talk of economic valuesand promotion of trade and bilateralcooperation, the OIC has not beencourageous in taking even the initialsteps necessary for crushing down themenace of terrorism. The role of OIChas ever been that of a deaf and dumbobserver. It always remained crimi-nally silent. Be it Iraq, Iran, Afghani-stan, Tunis, Libya or Pakistan, onealways finds the OIC in a state ofoblivion. Even today when Israel isplaying with the lives of innocentPalestinians by brutally slaughteringhelpless women and children, theOIC appears nowhere on the scene.The Muslim world does not needsuch a pathetic and lethargic organi-zation which claims to be the repre-sentative of 57 Muslim countries.

The only sad aspect of the sum-mit of the Developing-8 was that itwas not attended by the prime minis-ter of Bangladesh Mrs.HaseenaWajid. According to the media reportsshe had formally informed the Paki-stani government through the

Bangladeshi foreign office that shewould not be attending the summit.The media reports are connectingher regret to Bangladeshi ForeignMinister Dipu Moni’s demand fora formal apology from Pakistan forthe alleged genocide and atrocitiescommitted by Pak army during the1971 Liberation War.

This demand was made whenPakistan’s foreign minister HinaRabbani Khar’s was on her visit toBangladesh in the second week ofNovember. Replying to this de-mand, Hina Rabbani had said,“Since 1974, Pakistan in many oc-casions have already regretted forthe 1971. It’s time to look forwardfor the progress of the two nations.”Whatever be the situation, Pakistanand Bangladesh are two brothercountries. They have so many thingsin common which would never letthem get detached. The membercountries of the D-8 must play theirrole in bringing these two countriescloser. Efforts done with sincerityand a strong will always bear fruitand the reason for failure of OIC isthat it lacks both these precioustraits; the will and sincerity.

tions. It also requires Iran to accom-modate such policy by taking appro-priate steps to facilitate the trend. Icannot agree more with Obama whendays after his re-election he said:“There should be a way in which they[Iran] can enjoy peaceful nuclearpower while still meeting their inter-national obligations and providingclear assurances to the internationalcommunity that they’re not pursuinga nuclear weapon.” The following is aroadmap to realize that goal:

The negotiating countries knownas P5+1 and Iran have two immediateways to cool down tensions and war-mongering: (1) Iran can agree to halt20-percent enrichment and cap it at 5percent in return for partial removalof sanctions – such as European uni-lateral sanctions on Iranian oil andIran’s central bank; or (2) the P5+1can get more inspections, taking ad-vantage of Iranian legislation passedby Parliament that permits the govern-ment to implement “Additional Pro-tocol” inspections and safeguards inreturn for the West recognizing Iran’slegitimate right to enrichment.

If Iran and the P5+1 agreed to thissecond option, that would greatly easethe resolution of outstanding techni-cal issues between the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA) andIran. A next step should be a realistic,comprehensive package for solving

fare as well. Clearly there havebeen individual instances in thepast where military leaders havecrossed the line and behaved bothunprofessionally and illegitimatelywith respect to proper subordina-tion to civilian authority. Toachieve strategic success Pakistan’smilitary like any military in theworld must revert to a traditionaladvisory role (excluding policy ad-vocacy) to the civilian authority.

Military success will culminateinto political success only when themilitary will start executing civiliandecisions; even those with which itmay fundamentally disagree. Thecivilian leadership on its part mustalso desist from interfering in themilitary system. This it can do bystarting to stop promoting and giv-ing extensions to senior militaryleadership based only on personalloyalties. Military leaders are alsoexpected to demonstrate the sol-dierly honour and moral uprightnessto deflect any such methods/attemptto win over their personal loyalties.Any General that benefits from sucha civilian grant may not be expectedto morally lead our military instru-ment of the State that lives and fightsonly to ensure State survival.—The writer, a retired Lt Col, is adefence analyst.

and it should not be left like PakistanRailway and other institutions.

I quote here an example ofSadiqabad area of Rawalpindi whichis thickly populated,. There is a PostOffice near Eik Meenar Masjid onService Road, catering needs and re-quirements of Dhok Paracha, DhokKashmirian and even Kurri Road.Yesterday I was astonished to seethat letter box was missing outsidethe Post Office, thus making usersof the Postal System to drop theirletters in Odd hours. I asked a num-ber of shopkeepers about the miss-ing letter box, but they were unableto inform about it.

I request the Postal Authoritiesto reverse their decision of droppingthe facility of letter box immediately.This will surely show their sinceritywith the department and people of thearea alike.—Islamabad

How beautifulare we?LUBNA UMAR

Born with an inherent desire to beloved and admired, human beingshave always attached great signifi-cance to beauty to satiate that innerneed. The prototypal concept ofbeauty or attractiveness is associ-ated with the physical aspect of thehuman form for which we spendtime, energy and resources toachieve. There may be two reasonsfor this, one that shopping for goodclothes, shoes accessories, makeupetc is a relatively easier and inter-esting task for most people and sec-ondly that it is considered the onlymeans of appearing attractive toothers. This inherent desire to at-tain attractiveness can also be seenas a means of enhancing ones pub-lic face. But there is much more towhat meets the eye where beautyis concerned.

Looking at the conceptual struc-ture underlying the beauty frame onecomes across a much deeper, posi-tive and permanent aspect of beautythat is more fulfilling and enrichingin comparison to the surface struc-ture. Physical beauty is not only hav-ing good looks, but having a person-ality to go along with it as well. Ac-cording to various studies the exter-nal beauty of a person can be en-hanced through training. This physi-cal attribute is referred to as ‘dy-namic physical attractiveness’ whichcan be interpreted as the expressionof one’s personality, physical grace,and body language.

It is a phenomenon where people,despite lacking in natural beauty canstill appear beautiful and be classedas attractive. Thus, the beauty thatimpacts others is an amalgam ofmany things. According to a studythose people were found to be moreattractive who had the ability to ex-press spontaneous emotions (particu-larly positive emotions), which is in-dicative of the fact that what we con-stitute within us is what shall bearimpact upon our without.

Static beauty without dynamismis like a beautifully decorated cakebut without its necessary sweetness.The busy and mismanaged life thatwe lead these days leaves us with verylittle energy to delve into the depthof the matter. Running to competewith others in the race of brands tocloak our exteriors we leave our in-sides bare, unadorned,unembellished, unrefined, untamed,undisciplined, wild, spoilt and starv-ing for all the wrong things. In short,ignorant from reality!

External beauty is ephemeralwhile the beauty of our inside is ourreality that would define us as whowe actually are. Beautiful or ugly!This is something that we need toponder upon and ask ourselves howbeautiful we really are. What are wedoing to adorn our souls?—Islamabad

the nuclear standoff. Such a pack-age should ensure Iran’s maximumlevel of transparency and coopera-tion with the IAEA and guarantee“no breakout” in Iran’s nuclear pro-gram. The P5+1 should reciprocateby recognizing Iran’s right to enrich-ment under the Non-ProliferationTreaty and gradually lift sanctions.

Simultaneously, direct talksbetween Iran and the US on broaderissues are essential. And Tehran andWashington must also agree on acomprehensive agenda forreconciliation. That agenda mustinclude all bilateral, regional, andinternational issues – demonstratingthe “entire game plan” whileimplementing it in phases. Thecontinuation of the economic andcovert war against Iran wouldfurther radicalise its behaviour andshrink the manoeuvrability ofIranian decision makers tocompromise. Ultimately the USwould be forced to enter a third warin the Middle East – one that wouldbe disastrous for the US, Iran, theregion, and beyond. Thereforediplomatic progress is a must, not achoice. The writer is a researchscholar at Princeton’s WoodrowWilson School and a formerspokesman for Iran’s nuclearnegotiators.—Courtesy: TheChristian Science Monitor

S Hossein Mousavian

The little boy watched an oldman walking towards hisgrandfather and himself.

“Good morning!” said his grandfa-ther. “Mornin,” said the other oldman stiffly as he walked by. “Youdon’t like him, do yougrandad?”“No!” growled his grand-father vehemently.

“Then why did you wish him agood morning?” “Because that’s the

civil, polite thing to do son!” “To yourenemies also?” “Yeah.” “To God?”“God’s not my enemy?” “But you dothe same things to God, don’t yougrandad?”

“What things?” “You mouththose prayers when you don’t meana single word!” “For how long haveyou been watching me, you lil’ ras-cal?” “You sing those hymns becauseyou have to!” “I love the tunes.” “Andyou love your voice, grandad. Don’tyou?” “Yes grandson, I do.”

“Like you loved saying goodmorning?” “That’s the right thing todo.” “To say something withoutmeaning it?” The little boy and hisgrandfather walked down the road in

silence. The little boy felt him tightenhis grip and he wondered why. “Letsgo back,” said his grandfather gruffly.“Sure,” said the little fellow and theyboth turned around.

The little boy had to run to keeppace with his grandfather’s suddengiant strides. He watched as hisgrandfather caught up with the oldman they had just passed. He watchedas his grandfather caught the other oldman in a bear hug.

“Good morning,” wept his grand-father. “Good morning,” cried theother old man as he hugged the littleboy’s grandfather back. Both the oldmen were sobbing. “Let’s go,” saidthe grandfather. “Sure,” said the little

Empty words..!boy, “where?” “To church,” said thegrandfather. “You want to pray?”asked the little boy, “ or you wantto sing?”

“No,” smiled the grandfather,“I want to talk to God.” The littleboy, looked back at the other oldman, as he stood at the steps of atemple. He had not entered yet, butwas looking back at the man whohad just hugged him. There waslove in his eyes.

The little fellow looked up intothe sky and smiled at Someone whosmiled back at him. “Good morn-ing!” they said to each other andlaughed together.—Email:bobsbanter@gmail.com

Ali Sukhanver Email:alisukhanver@hotmail.com

Muhammad Ali EhsanEmail:muhammadaliehsan1@hotmail.com

JOHN V WHITBECK

THE UN General Assembly hasnow voted, by 138 votes to 9,with 41 abstentions and 5 no-shows, to recognize the exist-

ence as a state “of the State of Pales-tine on the Palestinian Territory occu-pied since 1967.” The “no” votes werecast by Israel, the United States,Canada, the Czech Republic, theMarshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru,Palau and Panama. The Marshall Is-lands, Micronesia and Palau, all formercomponents of the US Trust Territoryof the Pacific Islands, are “freely asso-ciated states” of the United States,with US zip/postal codes and “Com-pacts of Free Association,” which re-quire them to be guided by the UnitedStates in their foreign relations. Theymore closely resemble territories of theUnited States than genuine sovereignstates – rather like the Cook Islandsand Niue, “freely associated states”of New Zealand, which make no claimto sovereign statehood and are not UNmember states. They snuck into theUN in the flood of new members con-sequent upon the dissolutions of theSoviet Union and Yugoslavia, whenthe previous standards for admissionwere effectively ignored.

Nauru, a tiny island of 10,000people in the central Pacific has, sincethe exhaustion of the phosphate de-posits which briefly made it the coun-try with the world’s highest per capitalincome, had virtually no sources ofincome other than marketing its UNvotes (reliably joining the United

States in voting against Palestine) anddiplomatic recognitions (joining Rus-sia, Nicaragua and Venezuela in rec-ognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia)and housing in tents aspiring illegalimmigrants who had been hoping toreach Australia. It is a sad place, anisland with no beaches, with theworld’s highest obesity rate, and noreal alternative to diplomatic prostitu-tion. Accordingly, only three “real”states joined Israel and the UnitedStates in voting against Palestine andthe Two-State solution: Canada, the

World has spoken loud and clear A second-term democracy agendaCzech Republic and Panama. Theymust make their own excuses.

In population terms, the opponentsof Palestine represent approximately 5percent of the world’s population, 370million over 7 billion, and, of those, theUnited States accounts for 314 million.It follows that countries with less thanone percent of the world’s populationsupported the United States in thisvote. The 41 states abstaining intoday’s vote were Albania, Andorra,Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia& Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon,Colombia, Congo (DRC), Croatia, Es-tonia, Fiji, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti,Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,

Macedonia, Malawi, Monaco,Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands,Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Poland,

Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, Samoa,San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia,Slovenia, South Korea, Togo, Tonga,the United Kingdom and Vanuatu.

It is worth noting (and a bit puz-zling) that 15 of these states (Albania,Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria,Congo (DRC), Hungary, Malawi,Mongolia, Montenegro, Papua NewGuinea, Paraguay, Poland, Romania,Rwanda, Togo and Vanuatu) have ex-tended diplomatic recognition to theState of Palestine, although most ofthe formerly communist states of east-

ern Europe did so when they had com-munist governments. They have beenmore than balanced out by the 27states, which have not yet recognizedthe State of Palestine but which votedin favor of Palestine: Armenia, Aus-tria, Belgium, Denmark, Eritrea, Fin-land, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Ja-maica, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Nor-way, Portugal, St. Kitts & Nevis, St.Lucia, Solomon Islands, South Sudan,Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad& Tobago and Tuvalu.

Five states did not vote: Equato-rial Guinea, Kiribati, Liberia, Madagas-car and Ukraine. Kiribati is no surprise.

For economic reasons, it is the onlyUN member state, which does notmaintain a permanent mission in New

York. These “Eastern” states havepassed from domination by one em-pire to domination by another empirewithout ever daring to fully assert theirindependence. That said, all except theCzech Republic did at least dare toabstain. It may take some time forthe results of this vote to be fully di-gested. In the best of all possibleworlds, one might hope that the UnitedStates would finally recognize that, onthe issue of Palestine, it is totally di-vorced.

—Courtesy Arab News

DAVID J KRAMER & ARCHPUDDINGTON

AS he develops his second-term foreign policy agenda,President Obama should include a prudently imple-

mented strategy to expand freedom’sreach to those parts of the globewhere fear and repression prevail. Byembracing support for freedom, thepresident would advance Americaninterests and burnish his legacy as aleader who achieved major change

for the United States and the world.To date, the president has been un-even on the exercise of U.S. power topromote democratic change. Obamaspoke eloquently at the State Depart-ment and at the United Nations lastyear about the vital role democracyplays in a peaceful world. After theArab movements began, he recog-nized that the embrace of democracyby Arab societies is essential to thedevelopment of peace and prosper-ity in the region. During the 2012campaign, Obama repeatedly de-clared his commitment to the causeof global freedom.

On the other hand, Obama’s con-viction that he could find ways toforge productive, “win-win” relationswith enemies of freedom led to the “re-set” initiative with Russia that in-cluded playing down the rampant vio-lation of democratic standards and hu-man rights under Vladi-mir Putin andignoring the pleas of Iran’s belea-guered Green Movement in 2009.Obama administration officials seemedto believe, at least initially, that theburden of pressuring authoritarianregimes to change should not beshouldered entirely by the UnitedStates, and they looked to regionalpowers such as Brazil or South Africato take on human rights and democ-racy challenges. Shifting the burdenhas not worked. We have learned,rather, that if the United States doesnot take the lead in pressuring repres-sive powers, the job won’t get done.

While the president has often

characterized himself as a foreignpolicy realist, experience has shownthat the support of freedom and thenational interest are often mutually re-inforcing. Here are policy challengeswhere the administration’s support ofdemocratic principles could make a dif-ference: China. China has one of theworld’s largest populations of politi-cal prisoners and leads the world indeveloping sophisticated methods ofcensorship. With a new leadershiptaking control in Beijing at a time ofgrowing labor, ethnic and social un-rest, now is the time to remind those in

authority that a government’s globalreputation is earned through respectfor freedom of thought and free insti-tutions; to press China publicly to re-lease political prisoners; to speak out

when Beijing extends its methods ofcontrol beyond its borders; and to in-sist that international human rightsbodies stop ignoring China’s repres-sive domestic practices.

Russia. Putin has displayed hiscontempt for American ideals, and therights of Russia’s citizens, in myriadways. Confronted with domestic op-position against whom he launched abrutal crackdown Putin accused Wash-ington of bankrolling regime changeand expelled the U.S. Agency for In-

ternational Development. Facing a de-cline in popularity, he furthermarginalized independent media, in-cluding U.S. broadcasting services.

Abroad, Russia unapologeticallybacks Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, contributing to a death toll ap-proaching 40,000, as well as Belarusandictator Alexander Lukashenko. TheObama administration should demon-strate its revulsion by supporting sanc-tions on Russian officials responsiblefor gross human rights abuses, whichthe House passed Nov. 16. The presi-dent should also have regular contact

with forward-looking members of theopposition and beef up U.S. foreignbroadcasting, especially as Putin triesto tighten the flow of information onTV and the Internet.

Syria. Last year, the administrationproperly joined the campaign to pre-vent an atrocity in Libya through en-forcement of a no-fly zone.

If the president is serious aboutavoiding a repeat of the kinds of atroci-ties that Rwanda and Bosnia endured,he should rethink his hands-off ap-proach toward Syria by instituting ano-fly zone and more active supportfor liberal-minded figures among theanti-Assad opposition. —Courtesy - Washington Post

JAMES TRAUB

THE United States is ready to start talking to the Taliban about a peace dealagain. But nothing’s going to happenwithout Pakistan. Earlier this week, I

talked to Salahuddin Rabbani, head ofAfghanistan’s High Peace Council. Rabbaniwas in Washington to brief administrationofficials on talks he had just held in Islamabadwith Pakistani leaders. Rabbani had asked thePakistanis to release four senior Taliban offi-cials whom they had imprisoned, apparentlyfor the crime of holding peace talks withoutIslamabad’s approval. Security officials hadreleased one of them, as well as nine lower-level figures. Afterwards, Gen. Ashraf Kayani,Pakistani’s military chief of staff and ultimateauthority on national security issues, hadflown to Kabul to conduct further talks withAfghan President Hamid Karzai. Rabbani toldme that he was “cautiously optimistic” thatthe Pakistanis had decided to stop obstruct-ing negotiations.

If this is as meaningful as Rabbani hopes,it would be very welcome news for PresidentBarack Obama, who is ardently hoping toleave behind the messes he inherited in theIslamic world in order to get on with the for-ward-looking business of pivoting to Asia,promoting climate change, signing free-tradeagreements, and so on. He has already com-pleted Phase One of this act of strategic extri-cation by removing American troops fromAsia. Phase Two will be completed by theend of 2014, when American and NATO troopswill end their combat mission in Afghanistan.Obama and his team are now deciding justhow quickly those troops should leave, andhow many should be left behind in order totrain and support Afghan forces and to carryout counterterrorism missions. No matter whatthe outcome of that debate, Obama’s hopesmay rest on Pakistan’s calculations and theTaliban’s.

Karzai established the High Peace Coun-cil two years ago, with the goal of reachingout to current and former militant leaders. Heappointed Burhanuddin Rabbani, a formerjihadi leader and president of Afghanistan,as its first chairman. In September 2011, at atime when elements of the Taliban had beguntalking to to American envoys in Germanyand Qatar, Rabbani was assassinated by asuicide bomber, presumably dispatched by

Extrication Negotiations

Why the other four, all of which have extended diplomatic recognition to the State ofPalestine, failed to push any of the three buttons is a mystery. The European Union vote was14 “yes”, 1 “no” and 12 abstentions. Aside from Germany, The Netherlands and the United

Kingdom, all of the old “Western” members voted for Palestine. All ten of the new “Eastern”members (the three Baltic states, formerly part of the USSR, the six former members of the

Warsaw Pact and Slovenia) abstained or, in one case, voted against Palestine.

hard-line elements seeking to sabotage thenascent talks. This past April, Karzai choseRabbani’s 41-year-old son, Salahuddin, then

serving as ambassador to Turkey, to replacehis father. Salahuddin, a bespectacled, soft-spoken, Westernized figure, is new to this

brutal game; when we met at his hotel in Wash-ington, he asked if I was the same James Traubwho had taught his class at Columbia’s Schoolof International Public Affairs in 2008. (I was.)

Rabbani and his colleagues have had in-formal contacts with a range of current andformer Taliban figures, and he says that he is

convinced that most want to stop fighting.“The reports we have are that the Taliban lead-ership is now discussing the logic of con-

tinuing the military campaign,” he says. Oncethe United States and Afghanistan signed theStrategic Partnership Agreement last May

pledging a long-term U.S. role, including anongoing military presence, Rabbani says, theTaliban concluded that they could no longerwait for the end of 2014 and then march onKabul. Of course, that may be over-optimis-tic. The fighting in Afghanistan shows nosigns of abating. Mullah Omar, the leader of

the so-called Quetta Shura, may not blesssuch talks. Hardline or rogue factions, likethe Haqqanis, may undermine any effort atnegotiations. But it’s a proposition that hasto be tested. And this requires U.S. and, ofcourse, Pakistani support.

Meanwhile, White House policy on Af-ghanistan has given far more emphasis towinning battlefield victories in order to forcethe Taliban to negotiate from a position ofweakness than to ending hostilities throughnegotiations. U.S. talks with the Taliban endedlast March when the Taliban walked out, claim-ing that Washington kept changing its posi-tion. U.S. diplomats, working with officials inQatar, have tried to work out a deal to releasefive militants from Guantanamo in exchangefor an American soldier believed to be held inPakistan. U.S. officials made a new offer inJune, and they are still waiting to hear a re-sponse from the Taliban.

One figure involved with administrationpolicy in the region says that, since the U.S.election, White House officials seem to haveembraced the need for a political end-game.This may in turn effect the ongoing negotia-tions with the Taliban. American diplomats,says this figure, “may actually take yes for ananswer.” Rabbani says that he received un-equivocal support for his efforts from Ameri-can officials.

The real wild card is Islamabad. In 2010,Pakistani forces arrested Mullah Baradar, theTaliban’s second-in-command, who had be-

gun exploring talks with Afghans. That sentan unmistakable message: Negotiations willgo forward only on Pakistan’s terms. Paki-stani intelligence still has deep ties with theAfghan Taliban, and wants to ensure that thecountry retains its influence in anyreconfigured Afghanistan. Pakistan has a long

history of pulling out the rug from negotia-tions, and this could prove to be yet anotherfeint, designed to buy time until the battle-field odds became more favorable to theTaliban. But maybe it’s not. The Taliban hasbecome almost as dire a menace to Pakistanas it is to Afghanistan; and Kayani is said tohave recognized that the country’s economyis in disastrous condition. Warming relationswith India may also have blunted Pakistaniparanoia about Indian ambitions in CentralAsia. Rabbani said that Pakistan has prom-ised to release Mullah Baradar and the othertwo detainees; he is now waiting to see ifthey make good.

Pakistani officials also vowed to sign ajoint statement asking the United Nations toremove several key figures from a list of ter-rorists, and to permit them to travel outsidethe country for talks. Preliminary discussionsmight then take place in Doha. Any eventualdeal would almost certainly involve a power-sharing arrangement which could give theTaliban political control over portions of thecountry’s south and east, as well as impunityfor the militants. That would be ugly — espe-cially for any woman in Taliban-dominatedregions — but it’s a deal I think the UnitedStates could live with. And it would give thegovernment in Kabul the time and breathingspace to slowly extend its authority and —who knows? — maybe even deepen its legiti-macy.

And if it all falls apart? A senior U.S. gov-ernment official I spoke to insisted that Af-ghanistan is making a transition, howeverhaltingly, towards economic self-sufficiency,while the Afghan Army’s “capacity to fightand defend their country seems increasinglyprovable.” Though he hopes for an Afghan-led peace deal, he says, the country shouldremain “politically intact” even without one.But American optimism on Afghanistan hasproved to be misplaced time and time again.The effort to bring “good governance” toAfghans in Kabul and in key provinces haslargely failed which is one reason why theTaliban could reasonably believe that theywill win in the long run. A report publishedover the summer by the Center for Strategicand International Studies predicts that “evenunder optimistic conditions, insurgents willdominate important areas in the east andsouth, and islands in other parts of the coun-try.” —Courtsey - Foreign Policy

If that’s true, then the argument for some kind of political deal which recognizes this reality is all the stron-ger. (The CSIS report asserts that this will never happen.) The American imperial venture in Afghanistan has

largely failed. The nation-building effort has come to grief not because such things are inherently impossible, butbecause habits and institutions develop over generations, not months. Afghan reality has proved to be far more

refractory than America’s military and civilian planners ever understood. It has been a very expensive, and verypainful, learning process.

Such an initiative would mark a change in course for Obama but could enhance hishistorical reputation. After all, those presidents who fought the forces of tyranny FDR,

Truman, Reagan are remembered as among the greatest of our national leaders. Read morefrom Opinions: The Post’s View: Targeting Russia’s offenders David J. Kramer: Will Obamastand up against Putin’s abuses? Fred Hiatt: Following the Stalinist recipe in Russia McCain,

Lieberman and Graham: The risks of inaction in Syria.

RAJEEV SHARMA

INDIA and China will have the 16th roundof talks on their boundary dispute on December 3 and 4 against the backdrop of aserious passport controversy. The two

Asian giants have not made much progress intheir previous rounds of talks and neither sidewill be expecting any concrete deliverables fromthe upcoming round between India’s NationalSecurity Advisor Shivshankar Menon andChinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo. Thatsaid the upcoming round of talks in Beijingmay well be different from previous meetingsas the two sides may for the first time agree tocreate a progress report on the boundary talksunder the Special Representatives’ mechanismwhich started in 2003. This in itself won’t be anotable achievement as the two SRs (Menonand Dai) would be presenting the jointly de-

vised report to their respective governments.Menon made a significant remark ahead of

the boundary talks noting that, “We are in theprocess of agreeing on a framework to settlethe boundary and the next step, hopefully thethird stage, is to actually agree on a boundary.Right now we are at the second stage.” Theborder talks will be held close on the heels of

the recent passport dispute between the twocountries. China recently began issuing pass-ports that included a map showing all the ar-eas that China claims as part of the Chinesestate. This included, Arunachal Pradesh andAksai Chin, the disputed areas between China

and India.Last week, in response, the Indian embassy

in Beijing started a new practice of stamping thenew Chinese passports with a map of Indiashowing Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin asIndian territories. The Chinese government hasso far printed over a million such e-passports.On November 26, Menon appeared at an elite

gathering of diplomats and strategic analysts inNew Delhi. The event was hosted by the lead-ing Indian think tank Observer Research Foun-dation (ORF). I asked Menon about his thoughtson the passport maps controversy. Menon,who’s a career diplomat and not a politician de-

spite his ministerial status in the government,sought to downplay the controversy: “I thinkyou need to see these things in some perspec-tive. We do have differences on where theboundary lies. We are discussing them. We havemade progress in dealing with that… What haschanged? Chinese have a view on where theboundary lies which is why we are having dis-

cussions on the boundary because we havedifferences on where the boundary is. The Chi-nese chose to put a watermark on their pass-ports which shows the boundaries as they seeit. We show our boundary as we see it on visasthat we issue. So, what has changed? On our

documents, we continue to show what we re-gard as our boundary; they show their claimson their documents.” Interestingly, Menon’sboss, External Affairs Minister SalmanKhurshid’s, reaction on the issue was muchstronger. Khurshid, a politician, had describedthe Chinese move as “unacceptable.”

It is not India alone that has rebuffed Chinaover the passport map row, with other nationslike Vietnam and the Philippines also stronglyprotesting Beijing’s new passports. Vietnamtoo has followed in India’s footsteps and hasstarted issuing visas on separate visa sheetsstapled to the new Chinese passports. TheVietnamese authorities have lodged a formalprotest with the Chinese embassy in Vietnamafter new e-passports issued by China havedepicted a map showing disputed territories inSouth China Sea as falling under Chinese sov-ereignty. —Courtesy - TD.

India, China to Hold Borders Talks Amid Passport Row

The development shows that China is increasingly getting a tit-for-tat response from its neighbors and Indiais not alone in rebuffing Beijing as China continues to push the envelope over the boundary dispute. It remains to

be seen whether the new Chinese leadership will continue with such policies.

Pakistan wantsdemolition ofillegal Jewishsettlements

From Page 1should not incur anyreprisals.

He hoped that the newstatus for the long-suffering Palestinianswould pave the way forPalestine’s recognition asfull member.

Regarding Israel’s ille-gal settlements on Palestin-ian territories‚ Pakistan am-bassador said the activitywill create hurdles for a two-state solution and in real-ization of peace in the re-gion.

He called upon Israel tofreeze all settlement activityin line with the Quartet roadmap. He warned that any de-viation from two-state solu-tion would have unpredict-able and disastrous conse-quences. —NNI

US hails Pak MFNstatus to India

From Page 1the end of the year,” the USState Department said in astatement at the conclusionof the US-Pakistan Eco-nomic and Finance WorkingGroup meeting, which wasCo-Chaired by the DeputySecretary of State ThomasNides and the Pak FinanceMinister, Dr Abdul HafeezShaikh.

“The United States com-mended Pakistan’s recent ef-forts to expand economic co-operation with itsneighbours.

Both sides discussedways to improve trade andtransit with Afghanistan andthe Central Asian republics,citing the importance of en-hanced trade for the region’sstability and prosperity,”said the State Department at

the conclusion of the work-ing group meeting that fo-cused on expanding bilateraleconomic engagement, par-ticularly in the areas of tradeand investment.

Both sides committed tobroadening private sectorties between their two coun-tries, the State Departmentsaid.

“Nides highlighted theUS government’s many ini-tiatives in this area includinga Pakistan investment confer-ence in London hosted by theOffice of the US Trade Rep-resentative in October, thelaunch of the Pakistan Pri-vate Investment Initiative,and a series of conferencesand virtual meetings devotedto training and mentoringPakistan’s entrepreneurs,” it

said.In other meetings, senior

State Department officialsand USAID AdministratorRajiv Shah also highlightedthe positive results of ongo-ing civilian assistance pro-grams in Pakistan, includingsignificant contributions insectors critical to economicgrowth such as the additionof more than 400 MW of ca-pacity to Pakistan’s powergrid and the construction ofover 650 km of roads to date.

“Both sides agreed thatPakistan’s prosperity is predi-cated on energy sector re-form; the United States wel-comed Pakistan’s commit-ment to undertake the reformsneeded to attract greater in-vestment,” the State Depart-ment said.—Online

Israel expands settlementsannoying US

From Page 1The development came

in response to the Pales-tinians’ historic successin being recognised as anon-member state at theUnited Nations.

During the landmarkvote in New York the UNGeneral Assembly over-whelmingly backed a reso-lution recognising Pales-tine within the 1967 bordersas a non-member observers ta te .

The news report addedthat the decision was a ma-jor diplomatic coup for thePalestinians but a stingingslap in the face for Israel,which had lobbied hard toprevent it, arguing that itwould cripple peace hopes.

The development camein response to the Palestin-ians’ historic success inbeing recognised as a non-member state at the UnitedNations.

During the landmarkvote in New York on Thurs-

day, the UN General As-sembly overwhelminglybacked a resolutionrecognising Palest inewithin the 1967 borders asa non-member observers ta te .

The news report addedthat the decision was a ma-jor diplomatic coup for thePalestinians but a stingingslap in the face for Israel,which had lobbied hard toprevent it, arguing that itwould cripple peace hopes.

Some of the construc-tion would be in a highlycontentious area of theWest Bank known as E1, acorridor that runs betweenthe easternmost edge ofannexed Jerusalem and theMaaleh Adumim sett le-ment, as per the BBC re-port .

Palest inians bi t terlyoppose the E1 project, asit effectively cuts the oc-cupied West Bank in two

north to south and makesthe creation of a viable Pal-estinian state highly prob-lematic.

The Palestinians wantannexed east Jerusalem ascapital of their promised,future state and vigorouslyoppose expansion plansfor Maaleh Adumim, whichlies five kilometres from thecity’s eastern edge.

Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu dis-missed the UN vote as “ameaningless decision thatwill not change anything onthe ground,” and saidpeace could only be foundin “direct negotiat ions. . .And not in one-sided UNdecisions.”

But he also warned thatby going to the UN, thePalest inians had “vio-lated” previous agree-ments with Israel, such asthe 1993 Oslo Accords, andthat his country would “actaccordingly.” —Online

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs & Gilgit-Baltistan and President PPP Punjab Mian ManzoorAhmad Wattoo addressing a reception hosted by ex-Deputy Speaker National Assembly and Federal Minister HajiMuhammad Nawaz Khokhar. Advisor to Prime Minister on Human Rights Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar is also present.

BBWU enters partnershipwith US varsity

COURT NOTICE

In the Court of Hamid AliTulla Civil Judge

Malakwal.Mohammad Saeed AftabVs Naveed Aftab etcSuit for Permanent Injunc-tion.Memo.Mohammad Waheed AftabS/o Aftab Ahmad CasteSayed R/o Malakwal TehsilMalakwal Dist MandiBahauddin

Whereas the servicesof above mentioned re-spondents is not possiblethrough ordinary means,therefore, he is directed toattend this court personallyor through his council on10-12-12. Otherwise the exparty proceedings shall betaken against him.

Given under my handand seal of the Court.

Sd/-Civil Judge Malakwal

Bhutto gave voice to poor,down-trodden: Wattoo

CIA operateddrone kills four

in SWAFrom Page 1

stance in a local court that ithas evolved a strategy to haltthese.

Experts say that the at-tacks, that have been caus-ing high number of casual-ties, will continue until Paki-stan government distancesitself from the war on terror-ism.

Bin Laden’s close aidekilled

According to officialsources, close associate ofdeceased Usama bin Laden,namely Abdul RahmanAziman Yemeni has beenkilled in the attack.—INP

Pak-FranceFrom Page 1

discussed strategies for mak-ing efforts to attain peace inthe region and Afghanistan.Contributions made by boththe countries for stability inthe region also came underdiscussion during the meet-ing.

The two countries vowed

ing, Ashraf said, “There is abig difference in perceptionand the reality.” The federalgovernment has contained itsexpenditures, while the prov-inces have increased theirs,said the PM, adding that theprovinces are now gettingmore funds under the 7th NFCAward.

“Despite inflation, thegovernment’s expenditureshave increased just by sevenper cent,” he said.

Lauding performance of hisgovernment, the prime ministersaid the country was import-ing wheat when came intopower, but now he said, thecommodity was being ex-ported, earning foreign ex-change.

The added the governmenthas provided food security tothe people of the country.

Polls dateFrom Page 1

to continue engagementsand endeavors to assisteach other in the realm ofpeace and security.

It was decided to sched-ule the next meeting of thesecurity commission duringthe first half of next year inParis. —NNI

Mehsud, AhmadzaisFrom Page 1

Mehsud tribe , Mullah Nazir, who heads his own groupof Taliban, belongs to AhmadZai tribe.

Taking strong exceptionto the attack on Mullah Nazirthe Ahmad Zai tribe haswarned the Mehsuds to leavethe Wazir area in SouthWaziristan agency within fourday or be ready to face sternaction.

Known pro-governmentmilitant commander andchief of his own faction ofTaliban Maulvi Nazir aliasMullah Nazir, it may be re-called, was seriously injuredand his six comrades werekilled in a suicide explosionin South Waziristan agencyThursday morning. His more

than a dozen other comradesalso sustained serious inju-ries in the blast that was car-ried out by a suicide bomberriding a motor bike inRustam bazar of SWA head-quarters Wana. The attackon Mullah Nazir and hiscomrades is believed tohave been planned by theTTP militants against whomthe former has been activesince long.

A local tribal Jirga ofAhmad Zai Wazir tribe heldon Saturday in Wana SouthWaziristan agency gavedead line of December 5 tothe Mehsuds to vacate theregion failing which theAhmad Zai would come intoaction against them.

UAE to stand by PakistanFrom Page 1

who have hijacked Islam,have also impacted Pakistannegatively. UAE will con-tinue to play its constructiverole for peace in the region.

He said UAE has becomea progressive country whichhas developed constructiveand cordial relations not onlywith the neighbouring coun-tries but also with states inEurope, Far East and Africa.India is the biggest tradingpartner with lot of its workingforce in UAE. Similarly, due tolook east policy, UAE has alsobecome big trading partnerswith China, Australia, Malay-sia and Singapore.

Explaining the process ofArab Spring, he said first phasehas passed when the young-sters were on the streets whilethe second phase is going onwhere the youngsters havebeen marginalized andorganised political partieshave taken over. According tohim, it will not end here as inthe third phase some new situ-ation will emerge.He said UAEhas been facing challenges inforeign policy as Iran is a goodtrading partner but its nuclearpolicy and revolution are amatter of concern for us. Hesaid Iran as a state is easy todeal but as revolutionary state,

it can impact us also.Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi,

Minister of Trade in her com-prehensive briefing on foreigntrade said, Pakistan is impor-tant for UAE as recently shealong with other dignitariesvisited Pakistan and interactedwith Pakistani authorities. Thevisit was very successful.UAE also participated in ExpoPakistan. UAE can not ignorePakistan. There is paradigmshift as UAE has successfullyshifted to non-oil sector forrevenue generation as atpresent 64% revenue is com-ing from non-oil sector.

Mohammed OmarAbdullah, Under-Secretary ofthe Department of EconomicDevelopment in his briefingsaid UAE has made a roadmapand vision 2030. Under the vi-sion, UAE will be progressingin non-oil sector as depen-dence on oil will be reduced.UAE has thousands of foreigncompanies working in UAEtaking part in its prosperity.

Meanwhile, UAE hasturned into a gala as NationalDay is being celebrated today(2nd December). Cities havebeen given a beautiful look andthe citizens along with foreignexpatriates will participate in abig way in these celebrations.

Opens up onIndian Ocean

From Page 1said, “Fujairah port is not athreat to any other port in thearea as every port has its ownstrength and weakness. UAEis mostly supplying its oil toAsian markets.” Fujairah portis located on the Eastern Sea-board of the UAE on IndianOcean about 70 nautical milesfrom the Strait of Hormuz.

Mediamen who were hereon the invitation of NationalMedia Council of the UAE tosee the country undergoingtremendous changes and itspreparations to celebrate 41stNational Day were taken toBurj Khalifa in Dubai, the tall-est building in the worldwhich has become a populardestination for tourists.

They also visited Masdarcity located near Abu Dhabiairport which is working toensure sustainability in energysector. A 10-medawatt solarpower unit was functioninghere. In different research unitsand laboratories, young scien-tists and researchers wereworking on pilot projects tomeet the future demands of thegrowing UAE.

The mediamen also vis-ited Emirates Palace Hotelwhich is a touch of class withgrandeur look.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Minister forKashmir Affair and GilgitBaltistan and President PPPPunjab Mian ManzoorAhmad Wattoo has said thatShaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhuttogave voice to the poor anddown-trodden segments ofthe society. He said this whileaddressing a reception hostedby former Speaker NationalAssembly and Federal Min-ister Haji Muhammad NawazKhokhar and Advisor to PrimeMinister on Human Rights

Mustafa Nawaz Khokharhere. Wattoo said that ZulfikarAli Bhutto, the founder ofPPP, first time sensed the mis-eries of the poor people ofPakistan and formed the PPPto provide the poor a platform.He said that the daughter ofthe Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, hadscarified her life in struggle forthe right of the poor peopleand to accomplish the missionof her father.

President Asif Ali Zardariand co-chairman PPP with hispolitical wisdom and policy ofreconciliation provided a

great strength to the countryand the people of Pakistan.“When there was a completeuncertainty and lawlessnessthroughout the country afterthe assassination of our greatleader Benazir Bhutto, he notonly brought the countryback to stability, but invitedall political parties to joinhands He put the countrysuccessfully back on the trackof democracy and prosperity.By the grace of Allah Al-mighty, the parliament is go-ing to complete its constitu-tional terms first time in thehistory of Pakistan”.

ISLAMABAD—Benazir BhuttoWomen University Peshawar(SBBWU) and SouthernMethodist University, Dallas,USA have reached an agree-ment for partnership betweenthe two universities.

Javed Azam, managingDirector of DevelopmentGroup International, a con-sulting and management firmin Falls, said their efforts, ini-tiatives and expertise in co-operation with the SouthernMethodist University, a Dal-las based top ranked univer-sity has led to the approval ofa cooperative agreement.

Javed Azam mentioned

the significance of this projectfor the capacity enhancementof SBBWU and its Psychol-ogy faculty and as model inthe academic industry in Pa-kistan, as inspired by Dr.Farhana Jehangir, Vice Chan-cellor of the University.

The objectives detailedas priorities for the SBBWUinclude development andimplementation of faculty andstudent exchange programs;academic collaboration in-cluding curriculum develop-ment, teaching and profes-sional development for thefaculty members.

In addition, strengthening

the research capabilities offaculty and graduate studentsthrough advanced researchtraining and creation of a Psy-chology Research Center isproposed.The center willserve a variety of functionsto promote world class re-search, hosting a library,awarding small research andtravel grants and sponsoringtwo annual research confer-ences in Pakistan. The agree-ment will also assist in build-ing the capacity of the exist-ing psych clinic in Peshawarby expanding clinical’ abilityto provide effective assess-ment and treatment.—NNI

BEIRUT—Syrian jets bombedrebel-held areas of Damascus onSaturday, residents said, as theopposition indicated it couldaccept an international peace-keeping force if PresidentBashar al-Assad is forced frompower.

Warplanes attacked theDamascus suburbs of KafarSouseh and Darraya, accordingto the Syrian Observatory forHuman Rights, an opposition-linked group. The air strikes fol-low intensified rebel activity inthe capital, Assad’s seat ofpower, as well as successfulstormings of government mili-tary bases in recent weeks.“Syrian regular forces are try-ing to control the areas sur-

rounding the capital,” the Obser-vatory said. Bombings targeteda continuous arc of rebel pres-ence in the capital’s outer dis-tricts from the northeast to thesouthwest.

Activists reported clashesand air strikes in the provincesof Homs, Deir al-Zor, Idlib andin Aleppo, where they said 14rebel fighters were killed duringan assault on an army base in thetown of Khanasser early on Sat-urday.

It is difficult to verify suchreports due to government re-strictions on media access toSyria.

Syria’s Internet connec-tions began working again onSaturday after a two-day black-

out, the worst communicationsoutage in the 20-month-old up-rising against Assad in which40,000 people have been killedand hundreds of thousandsforced to flee the country.Opposition umbrella group theSyrian National Coalition mightallow an international peace-keeping force into Syria if Assadand his allies leave power, coa-lition spokesman Walid al-Bunni said on Saturday.

Some opposition membershave argued against interna-tional troops, saying their ar-rival could serve as a rallyingcall for Assad loyalists in anarea near the Mediterraneanwhere many of his minorityAlawite sect live.—AP

Syria rebels bombed asopposition open to peacekeepers

WAZIRABAD—Minister for In-formation and BroadcastingQamar Zaman Kaira has said theCouncil of Common Interests(CCI) will decide disputed issueslike the Kalabagh Dam.

Talking to media persons atan annual funfair of the MuslimHands Educational Complex hereon Saturday, Kaira said that thePPP respected the judiciary as de-mocracy was incomplete withoutan independent judiciary.

He said that the CCI wasformed to decide the disputedmatters among the provinces andit had been strengthened under the18th Amendment. If the CCI failsto decide any issue, then it will bediscussed in the Parliament, headded.

Kaira said when the PakistanPeoples Party came to power the

CCI to decide issues likeKalabagh Dam: Kaira

country was facing multiple prob-lems, many of them had now beenresolved.

Responding to a question, hesaid the government had asked allthe journalist organisations, in-cluding the Pakistan FederalUnion of Journalists, to suggestways for the security of journal-ists.

He said that the security-re-lated incidents with journalistsshould be properly addressed.Senior journalist Hamid Mir him-self has refused security he, added.Replying to another question, theminister said that the PPP wouldcontest next elections in alliancewith the PML-Q. He said thatPML-N chief had advisedShahbaz Sharif not to use foul lan-guage against President Asif AliZardari.He also criticised Oppo-

WASHINGTON —WatergateJudge John J. Sirica aided theprosecution in pursuing theWhite House connection to theDemocratic headquartersbreak-in by providing the spe-cial prosecutor informationfrom a probation report inwhich one of the burglars saidhe was acting under ordersfrom top Nixon administrationofficials, according to once-se-cret documents released Fridayby the National Archives.

One newly public tran-script of an in-chambers meet-ing between Sirica, the U.S.District Court judge in chargeof the case, and then-SpecialProsecutor Archibald Cox inJuly 1973 shows the judge re-vealed secret probation reports

US govt releases once-secret Watergate filesindicating that E. Howard Hunthad cited orders from officialshigh up in the Nixon adminis-tration. Several of Hunt’s co-defendants had previously de-nied any White House involve-ment in court testimony, andSirica told Cox and other pros-ecutors that he felt the new in-formation “seemed to me sig-nificant.”

The government releasedmore than 850 pages from theWatergate political scandal, pro-viding new insights on privi-leged legal conversations andprison evaluations of several ofthe burglars in the case. A fed-eral judge had decided earlierthis month to unseal some ma-terial, but other records still re-main off limits. The files do not

appear to provide any signifi-cant new revelations in the 40-year-old case that led to the res-ignation of President RichardNixon and criminal prosecu-tions of many of his top WhiteHouse and political aides. Butthe files provide useful contextfor historians, revealing behind-the-scenes deliberations bySirica, the U.S. District Courtjudge in charge of the case,along with prosecutors and de-fense lawyers.

The documents stem fromthe prosecution of five defen-dants arrested during the June1972 Watergate break-in andtwo men, Hunt and G. GordonLiddy, who were charged as theburglary team’s supervisors. Allseven men were convicted.

In the conversations be-tween Cox and Sirica, the spe-cial prosecutor agreed with thejudge’s concerns that the pro-bation report should be sealedand thanked him for the infor-mation. Cox promised that histeam would not divulge the newinformation unless they feltthere was a prosecutorial needand returned for a hearing tomake it public. “Unless wecame back,” Cox told Sirica,“we wouldn’t reveal it.”

Former Nixon White Houselawyer John Dean, who coop-erated with prosecutors and tes-tified against Nixon during anexplosive congressional hearingin June 1973, said Friday afterreviewing some of the newlyreleased files that he believed

Sirica “was very aggressivefor a judge, even more thanthe White House was awareof at the time. No one in theNixon White House knewexactly where he was com-ing from.” Dean added thatwhile Sirica’s investigativezeal was well-known, hisdealings with Cox and otherprosecutors were “eye-open-ing.”

U.S. District JudgeRoyce Lamberth ordered thefiles unsealed earlier thismonth after a request fromLuke Nichter, a professorat Texas A&M University-Central Texas. Nichterwrote Lamberth in 2009asking for release of the ma-terials. —AP

sition Leader in the National As-sembly Ch Nisar for using foullanguage against the President.Earlier, addressing the ceremony,the Information Minister appreci-ated the Muslim Hands Networkfor helping the deserving peoplein Muslim countries.He said thateducation was the only way toprogress. The nations, havingknowledge and education, canrule the world, he added.Citing examples of Oxford andCambridge, he said these univer-sities were missionery schools ear-lier, but none of the Muslim reli-gious schools (Madrassas) had be-come such big universities.

He said that the people do-nated generously for charity inPakistan, but it could be more ben-eficial for society if it waschannelised.—APP

Police bustrobbers gangStaff ReporterLAHORE—Two robbers includ-ing a proclaimed offender werekilled while another managed toflee in exchange of fire withpolice in the wee hours of Sat-urday. The police arrested fourmembers of inter-provincial rob-bers and recovered snatchedmotorcycles and arms from theirpossession. According to DSPCIA Riaz Shah, the police raid-ing party on a tip off regardingpresence of robbers conductedraid at a house in Tibi City areaof Lahore. The robbers startedfiring at police and tried to flee.In retaliatory fire of law enforc-ers, two robbers including a pro-claimed offender Kashif aliasHero and Ahsan Shah werekilled while their one cohort tak-ing advantage of the darknessmanaged to escape.

Huge cache ofexplosives seizedPISHIN —The Frontier Corps(FC) conducted a sting operationin Balochistan’s district Pishinand recovered explosives andother equipments used in bomb-making. According to thesources, the action was carriedout in Pishin where 210 kilo-grams of explosives, 76 deto-nators, five time-devices, 20-yard wires and five fuses havebeen seized from a house. Themiscreants holed up there fledthe scene as soon as theycaught sight of the troops. Thesources said the miscreants areinvolved in the terrorist activi-ties and the efforts are beingmade for their arrest.—NNI

Air servicesfrom Quetta nowQUETTA—Pakistan Interna-tional Airlines announced that bymid-December they would launchair services between Quetta, capi-tal of Baluchistan, and Kandaharcity. The service would help en-hance trade and minimize trans-portation problems of those liv-ing in southern Kandahar prov-ince. PIA is expected to launchtwo flights per week betweenKandahar and Quetta. —Online

Four booked indrug caseLAHORE—Four persons ac-cused of the poisonous medicineincidents that took lives of 21people were remanded to policeon Saturday. The accused wereremanded for a period of fourdays to investigate them for theincidents that caused sealing ofseveral drug stores and puttingmany lives at risk. Accordingto a report released by thehealth authorities, the medicinedid not have any poisonous sub-stance, rather its overdosecaused the deaths. —INP

WASHINGTON—The UnitedStates is open to bilateral talksabout Iran’s nuclear program ifTehran is “ever ready,” US Secre-tary of State Hillary Clinton hassaid. Responding to a question,Clinton called Iran the hardest is-sue she has dealt with as secretaryof state “because of the dangers thatits behavior already poses and thegeometrically greater danger thata nuclear-armed Iran would pose.”The United States and its allies sus-pect Iran of seeking to developnuclear arms under cover of its ci-vilian atomic program. Iran deniesthis, saying its program is forpeaceful purposes such as powergeneration and producing medicalisotopes.

Under a “two track” policy, theUnited States and other major pow-ers have sought to negotiate a dip-

lomatic solution while graduallyincreasing economic sanctionsagainst Iran to try to force it to cometo terms.

Speaking to a group of offi-cials, experts and diplomats fromthe United States and the MiddleEast, Clinton stressed that theObama administration is preparedfor bilateral talks with Iran.

For now, Clinton said Wash-ington is working with membersof the so-called P5+1 group ofmajor powers - Britain, China,France, Germany, Russia and theUnited States - to resume talks withIran about its nuclear program. “Weare working on the P5+1 and mak-ing our willingness known that weare ready to have a bilateral dis-cussion if they are every ready toengage,” said Clinton, who has saidshe plans to step down as secre-

tary of state next year. While giv-ing no details, Clinton said theP5+1 was trying to craft a proposalto Iran “that does make it clear weare running out of time. We havegot to get serious; here are issueswe are willing to discuss with youbut we expect reciprocity.”In Oc-tober, diplomats had said they wereconsidering asking Iran for stricterlimits on its nuclear program inexchange for an easing of sanctionsin a long-shot approach aimed atyielding a solution that has eludedthem for a decade. One optioncould be for each side to put moreon the table - both in terms of de-mands and possible rewards - thanin previous meetings in a bid tobreak the stalemate despitedeep skepticism about thechances of a breakthrough anytime soon.—AP

US open to bilateral Iran talks: ClintonSTAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—On the direc-tives of Prime Minister RajaPervez Ashraf, officials ofPrime Minister’s InspectionCommission (PMIC) raided thedispensaries of parliamentHouse and Parliament Lodgesand confiscated the entirerecord.

According to sources, aninquiry into the alleged corrup-tion in the funds of the dispen-saries has also been ordered.

Prime Minister Raja PervezAshraf, on the complaints of themembers of the parliament, or-dered Chairman of the inspec-tion commission, Nawab SherWaseer to hold an inquiry into

the alleged corruption.It is pertinent to mention thatdispensaries of the parliamentlodges and Parliament Houseare given Rs70 million formedicines and other medical fa-cilities. The concerned officialsof the dispensaries, temperingwith the bills, have allegedlydone corruption in the purchaseof the medicines. When con-tacted, Chairman of the inspec-tion commission, Nawab SherWaseer confirmed the informa-tion, saying the inquiry wouldbe fair and strict action wouldbe taken against the responsiblepersons. He said that the inspec-tion commission had confis-cated record of the dispensariesand the inquiry was underway.

PMIC seizes record ofParliament, Lodges dispensaries

Missouri couplewins half of $587mPowerball lottery

DEARBORN, Missouri—A Mis-souri couple who won half of arecord $587.5 million Powerballjackpot said on Friday they planto stay put in their rural com-munity, but know their lives willbe changed.

“I think we’ll have a goodChristmas,” Cindy Hill said at anews conference where she andher husband, Mark Hill, werepresented as winners of the jack-pot by the Missouri Lottery.

Cindy Hill, 51, is a formeroffice manager who got laid offin 2010. Mark Hill, 52, was amechanic for Hillshire Brands,a food company, but has nowquit his job.

They have three grown sonsand a 6-year-old daughteradopted from China who wereamong about 25 relatives at thenews conference, held in thegymnasium of the high schoolwhere they were sweethearts inthe 1970s.

Cindy Hill first learned ofthe winning ticket on Thursdaywhen she checked her numbersat the Trex Mart in Dearborn, acommunity of about 500 people30 miles north of Kansas City.She then called Mark Hill fromher car. They had bought fivetickets.

“I think I’m going to have aheart attack,” she told him. Hetold her to meet him at hismother’s house so he couldcheck the numbers for himself.“He said this is the ‘Show MeState,’ show me.”—AP

OGRA decidesto increase

natural gas priceISLAMABAD—The Oil and GasRegulatory Authority (OGRA)Saturday decided to increasethe price of natural gas.

As per details, OGRA hasapproved hike in gas tariff forSui Northern Gas Company(SNGPL) by Rs31.12/mmbtuand Rs28.28 for Sui SouthernGas Company (SSGC).

OGRA conducted separateproceedings regarding in-crease in gas price in Lahore,Karachi and Islamabad. Fol-lowing increase in the price,SNGPL consumers will facehike of Rs9.87 and gas pricefor SSGC consumers will goup by Rs6.14 per mmbtu.

A summary has also beenforwarded to the PetroleumMinis t ry for approval ,sources said.—INP

RAWALPINDI—Foreign MinisterHina Rabbani Khar will leave forBrussels with an official delega-tion on two-day visit on Monday,Dec 03 to attend North AtlanticCouncil meeting.

According to foreign officesources, Hina Rabbani Khar willbe accompanied by Chief of ArmyStaff (COAS) General AshfaqParvez Kayani and Foreign Sec-retary Jalil Abbas Jilani.

Foreign Minister Khar isscheduled to meet US Secretaryof State Hillary Clinton in Brus-sels Tuesday to hold discussions

GAZA—One of six Palestin-ians shot and wounded by Is-raeli troops while protesting atthe Gaza Strip boundary fencedied on Saturday, hospital of-ficials said.

The fortified fence and a300-metre-deep zone on thePalestinian side - on which Is-rael has regularly fired since2009 with the declared aim ofkeeping gunmen and infiltra-tors away from the border -have been a testing ground forthe November 21 truce thatended an eight-day surge inGaza fighting.

Gaza’s Hamas governmenthas said the Egyptian-brokeredceasefire would put an end tothe Israeli no-go zone, allow-ing Palestinian farmers back totheir land there.

Israel has said it wouldback off if Palestinians did notthreaten to strike across the

One Palestinian diesof Israeli firing

boundary.Asked about Friday’s

shootings near the southerntown of Rafah, an Israeli mili-tary spokeswoman said Pales-tinians had come up to thefence to vandalize it.

Soldiers warned themaway, and when that did notdeter them, shot at their legs,she said.

Palestinians described theincident as a demonstration,saying that six people werewounded by the Israeli gunfire.One of them, a 21-year-oldman, died on Saturday, hospi-tal officials in Gaza said.

Islamist Hamas remainshostile to the Jewish state buthas on at least one occasionsent police to evacuate suchprotests since the ceasefire,saying it sought both to shoreup the truce and prevent Pal-estinian casualties. —Reuters

on bilateral relations, and ex-change views on the way forwardto achieve common objectives ofpeace and stability in the region.

The agenda of Pak-US Stra-tegic Dialogues will also bebrought into discussion, the FOspokesman added.

US State Departmentspokesperson Victoria Nulandsaid that ties between the twosides, a year after the cross- bor-der NATO raid in which 24 Pa-kistani soldiers were killed arenow on a firmer footing, but stilla lot of work is to be done.

“When we are in Brussels nextweek - I think it’s on Tuesday(December 4), the Secretary(Clinton) will have a chance tomeet with Foreign Minister Kharon Tuesday.

The foreign minister will bein Brussels; I think she’s brief-ing the North Atlantic Councilas well on Tuesday,” Nulandadded. During her stay inBrussels, the Foreign Ministerwill hold discussions with herBelgian counterpart DidierReynders on Pakistan-Belgiumbilateral relations. —INP

Hina , Kayani to attendNorth Atlantic Council meeting

Gul-e-DawoodiinauguratedStaff ReporterLAHORE—Punjab Chief Minis-ter Muhammad Shahbaz Sharifhas said that if the direction isright, and there is a spirit of hardwork and commitment, allhurdles in the way of progress ofPakistan can be removed and themotherland made a garden offlowers. He said that we havemade Lahore a beautiful city byintroducing modern system ofcleanliness and promoting horti-culture. He said that the way gar-bage has been removed from theprovincial metropolis, similarly,the politicians can clear the dirtof political system jointly andhurdles can be removed. He saidthat holding of flowers exhibitionis a welcoming step due to whichbeautiful environment has beenmade available to the citizens.

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—Six Sindh Assem-bly members have sent in theirresignations to the Speaker af-ter they failed to file affidavitswith the Election Commissionproving they were not dual na-tionals.

The Speaker of Sindh As-sembly has accepted their res-ignations.

Among those who filed theirresignations are Sindh Ministerfor Finance Murad Ali Shah,Sindh IT Minister Raza Haroon,Sindh Minister for SportsMohammad Ali Shah, and Min-

6 members of SindhAssembly resign

ister for Technical Educationand Mines and Minerals SadiqMemon, in addition to SindhAssembly members AskariTaqvi and Abdul Moiz Siddiqui.

Haroon and Mohammad AliShah belong to the MuttahidaQaumi Movement while MuradAli Shah and Sadiq Memon aremembers of the ruling PakistanPeople’s Party.

The Election Commissionof Pakistan’s deadline to file af-fidavits expired on Friday, No-vember 30. As many as 16 law-makers from the national andprovincial assemblies had failedto file their affidavits.

Landslide kills 12,including eightsoldiers in AJK

ISLAMABAD—At least 12people have been killed, includ-ing eight Pakistani soldiers, andnine people are missing afterbeing hit by landslides in themountainous Kashmir region,officials said on Saturday.

A military rescue operationswung into action after heavysnows on Friday triggered twolandslides at a remote outpost inthe Kel area of Azad Kashmirnear the de facto border withIndia. “Three bodies of sol-diers were recovered yesterday.The dead bodies of five soldiersincluding a captain and four ci-vilians have been recovered to-day (Saturday),” said a state-ment by the military.

Musharraffavours martiallaw to resolve

Karachi problemKARACHI—All Pakistan Mus-lim League (APML) Chief AndFormer president PervezMusharraf has said the armsproblem in Karachi can be re-solved with the imposition ofmartial law.

In an interview Musharrafsuggested that an Army Lt. Gen-eral should be made the martiallaw administrator.

“The military should notcome in the front and the Rang-ers under the Army General actto free the city from weapons,”former military ruler said.

The Supreme Court and thegovernment should extend fullsupport to the military,Musharraf said. —NNI

Russia says Westpushing

democracy with‘iron and blood’

MOSCOW—Russian ForeignMinister Sergei Lavrov accusedWestern states on Saturday of try-ing to advance democracy abroadthrough “iron and blood”, de-fending Moscow’s refusal to joinnations seeking the exit of Syr-ian President Bashar al-Assad.

Echoing comments made byVladimir Putin, Lavrov madehis sharply-worded address to aforeign and defense policy coun-cil meeting.—AP

DEARBORN, Missouri: The Hill family holds an oversized check presented by Missouri Lottery director May Scheve (R)during a news conference at the North Platte High School.

MEDITATION can be extremely effective at preventing winter ailments like cold and flu, according

to a new research. Adults who meditatedor did moderately intense exercise, suchas a brisk walk, for eight weeks sufferedfewer colds than thosewho did nothing, accord-ing to a study from theUniversity ofWisconsin?Madison.

Previous research hasfound that mindfulnessmeditation may improvemood, decrease stress, andboost immune function.Some of the earliest refer-ences to meditation arefound in the Hindu Vedas.Around the 6th to 5th cen-turies BCE, other forms ofmeditation developed inTaoist China and BuddhistIndia. The new study di-vided 149 people into threegroups. One performedmindful meditation, a typeof meditation that essentially involves fo-cusing the mind on the present, the DailyMail reported.

Another group jogged regularly foreight weeks while the third group did noth-ing. The researchers then followed thehealth of the volunteers through the win-ter from September to May, although theydidn‘t check whether or not people carriedon exercising or meditating after theeight?week period. The participants wereobserved for cold and flu symptoms suchas a runny nose, stuffiness, sneezing, andsore throat.

Nasal wash samples were collected and

Meditation can stave offcold and flu: Study

analysed three days after the symptomsbegan. The study, found that meditatorsmissed 76 per cent fewer days of workfrom September through to May thanthose who did nothing. Those who hadexercised missed 48 per cent fewer days

during this period. In addi-tion, mindful meditation canreduce the duration or se-verity of acute respiratoryinfections such by up to 50per cent, and exercise by upto 40 per cent.

According to thewebsite Scientific America,those who had exercised ormeditated suffered for anaverage of five days; coldsof participants in the con-trol group lasted eight. Inaddition, tests confirmedthat the self-reported lengthof colds correlated with thelevel of antibodies in thebody, which indicate thepresence of a virus. “Noth-ing has previously been

shown to prevent acute respiratory in-fections,” said lead author Dr BruceBarrett, a family medicine doctor and as-sociate professor at the University.

“A lot of previous information sug-gested that meditation and exercisemight have prevention benefits, but nohigh-quality, randomised trial had beendone,” Barrett said. “Flu shots are par-tially effective, but only work for threestrains of flu each year. The apparent40 to 50 per cent benefit of mindful-ness training is a very important find-ing, as is the apparent 30 to 40 per centbenefit of exercise training.

ISLAMABAD—The incidents ofthreatening phone calls are onthe rise as surge has been wit-nessed in cases registered un-der Telegraph Act in variouspolice stations of the federalcapital. Police said that over 20cases of threatening calls have

been lodged in last seven days,most of which happens due toillegal and urregistered SIMsavailable in the market. Ac-cording to details, three casesof similar nature were regis-tered in different police sta-tions the other day.—INP

Threatening phone calls

SHARAFAT KAZMI

ISLAMABAD—Capital Devel-opment Authority (CDA) de-velopment work in sector I-11 would be expedited as, allthe adverse possession willbe vacated by the end ofDecember this year, This wasdecided at a meeting chairedby Member Estate ShaistaSohail and participated bythe representatives OfKhyber Pakhtoonkhwa Ad-ministration, UNHCR, ICT,Police & and other relevantgovernment organizations.

Meeting was briefedabout the chronic issues re-

lated to Sector I-11, which arereal hindrance in the devel-opment of this sector.

Most important of all arethe Slums in this area whichare not only barrier in thedevelopment work but alsocause multiple problems inthe Federal Capital. It wasagreed that all these KatchiAbadis would be demol-ished by the end of Decem-ber,2012.

Meeting was also ap-praised that developmentwork of stalled Sector is thepriority area of CDA Man-agement and according to thedirections of Chairman, CDA

Syed Tahir Shahbaz, a com-prehensive strategy hasbeen formulated to vacateCDA lands from adversepossessions and remove allthe hurdles in the develop-ment of Stalled sector.

Member Estate ShaistaSohail said that CDA needscooperation of the con-cerned departments so thatthe lands can be vacated andpossession could be handedover to allotees developmentmay be carried out at fasterpace. Representatives of dif-ferent formations admiredCDA’s efforts and assuredCDA their full cooperation.

Illegal possessions insector I-11 to be vacated

ISLAMABAD: Birth place of Jesus Christ being depicted at a stall, Christmas Bazaar,in connection with Christmas celebrations organized by PODA.

ISLAMABAD—Personnel ofIslamabad Traffic Police (ITP)made their department proudwhen they returned the lostcash to its actual owner after

finding a wallet from DhokKala Khan area.

Assistant Sub-InspectorShafqat Ali and head constableSabtain Haider of Eagle Squad

were on patrol duty in DhokKala Khan and found a walletfrom the area having 20,000Saudi Riyals and other impor-tant documents in it.—INP

It’s better to be firstthan it is to be better.

— Al Ries, Jack Trout

AMANULLAH KHAN

KARACHI—Lack of specificresearch about the ground reali-ties of trade and investment be-tween India and Pakistan is oneprime factor in formulating longterm strategies by Pakistan’sbusiness community. There isneed for institutionalized re-search conducted by the Cham-bers and Associations since atpresent, individual companiesand industries are going solo inthe business dealings with In-dian counterparts.

The trade bodies as well asvarious think-tanks in Pakistanhave seldom done any extensivejoint studies to ascertain theground realities of trading andinvesting in India.” This wasstated by Majyd Aziz, FormerPresident Karachi Chamber ofCommerce and Industry at theSPDI Consultative Meeting ontrade normalization and FDIprospects for India and Pakistanheld in Karachi.

Indo-Pak trade needs extensiveresearch by trade bodies

Majyd Aziz, said that whilediscussing the lucrative or po-tentially favorable sectors at-tracting Pakistani investment inIndia, one has to be realisticsince there cannot be prescrip-tive solutions across the board.However, one has to realize thatthere would be talk of invest-ment, there would be trips un-dertaken, there would be ex-change of information, and moreimportantly, there would be in-tense discussions among poten-tial joint venture partners. Eco-nomic integration is the guidingbeacon but there has to be posi-tive but calculated efforts madeto achieve the objectives.

It has been seen that the Pa-kistani textile manufacturershave generally based most oftheir thinking on successes ofthe various exhibitions that areheld in India where Pakistanparticipation is prominent.However, no institutional re-search has been conducted todetermine the market dynamics

of other Indian cities besides thethree or four major cities.

Majyd Aziz also cautionedthat one cannot deny that thedark clouds of animosity, dis-trust, and religious discrimina-tion would blow away over-night. The core issue of Kash-mir keeps the fire burning. Thenthere is the perennial water is-sue, Siachen, Sir Creek, 26/11,Balochistan, and the Indian in-fluence in Afghanistan that allcould and have kept trade andinvestment hostage over the pastmany decades. Equally unfortu-nate our political statementsemanating out of some cornersthat negatively impact the liber-alization process. He advocatedthe imperative need to make aparadigm shift from an aggres-sive mentality to a mercantileway of thinking if trade and in-vestment is to increase to $ sixbillion as envisaged by both thegovernments and if true liberal-ization of trade and investmentbecomes a reality.

AMANULLAH KHAN

KARACHI—The public sectororganizations due to poor per-formance costing at least Rs500billion a year weighing heavilyon the national economy.

On the other the banks andfinancial institutions are show-ing much better performanceafter the de-nationalization set-ting a good example for the gov-ernment to privatize the publicsector organizations in order toavoid uncalled for liabilities tothe tune of Rs500 billion annu-ally, said S M Muneer, a promi-nent business leader whilespeaking at a reception by ABLAsset Management Company(AAMC) in honour of KATImembers here at a local hotel.

Muneer said that PIA, Pa-

Public sector organizations lossesrunning over Rs500b a year

Privatized financial sector performs outstandinglykistan Steel and other public sec-tor organizations are incurringhuge monetary losses to the na-tional exchequer and eitherprivatized or given to the teamof professional managers in-stead of political appointees.

He praised the performanceof AAMC under the bright lead-ership of its Chairman ShaikhMukhtar Ahmed. ChairmanIbrahim Group, Shailh MukhtarAhmed said that risk businessshould be liberalised and free ofany restriction or time bound.He said that ABL AMC hasachieved this position throughits best possible service to itscustomers.

Chairman KATI,Mohammad Zubair Chhayawhile praising the ABL AMCperformance advised the KATI

members and industrialists toinvest their funds in AMC forbetter yields and protection ofthe hard earned money.

Farid Ahmed Khan, CEOAAMC, Farid while comment-ing on the performance of thefinancial sector in Pakistan, hassaid that ABL Asset Manage-ment Company has become oneof the largest fund managerswith volume crossing well overRs100 billion of foreign and lo-cal investors.

He said that this distinctionhas been achieved by the AAMCby virtue of its liberal fund man-agement schemes offered to theinvestors as they do not have anytime restriction or blockedmoney.

He said that customers areContinued on Page 14

DR ABDUL GHAFOORAND MANAN ASLAM

HALAL is an Arabicword meaning lawfulor permitted. Haram is

the opposite of halal, whichmeans unlawful or prohibited.The terms of halal and haramare universal which apply toall walks of life. Here, theseterms will be used only in re-lation to food products andespecially to meat products.However some things are inbetween of halal and haramwhich need some further clari-fication to categorize them.Such items are often referredto as mashbooh, which means

Potential of Halal Food exports from Pakistandoubtful or questionable.

The halal products are mov-ing into mainstream internationalfood business and their demandis steadily increasing. Pakistan,being a Muslim country, can as-sume a leadership role in globalhalal food market provided properstrategies and operation mecha-nism are put in place. Demand forhalal foods is increasing, not onlyin Muslim countries but non Mus-lim countries as well due to theirwell recognized and accepted ben-efits. Halal consumers market ortrade is growing fast in the world.According to Pew Forum on Re-ligious and Public life, the esti-mated total Muslim population in2010 has become 1.8 billion

which constitutes 28% of the to-tal Global Population of 6.8 bil-lion. Of them, over 60% live inAsia, one fifth in the Middle Eastand North Africa. Some 400-600million Muslims live as minori-ties in other regions. In Europe,there are an estimated 38.1 mil-lion Muslims. One million live inCanada whereas estimated 8 mil-lion Muslims live in United States.

Pakistan is blessed with con-siderable livestock resource po-tential, manpower and strategiclocation. Conceptually, being aMuslim country, Pakistan is con-sidered in a more advantageousposition to tap growing halal mar-ket. Livestock products producedin the country have competitive

price edge and predominantly al-most organically grown. HencePakistan can serve as halalKitchen of the World. But inciden-tally Pakistan has no presence, asyet, in the halal economy whichessentially caters to the faith needsof Muslim consumers worldwide.The local food manufacturers lackawareness about the magnitude ofglobal halal market. They need tocatch up with missed opportuni-ties inherent in growing globalhalal market worth of billion ofUS dollars.

Pakistani meat industry is se-verely handicapped compared totheir Brazilian, Australian andeven Indian competitors. Despitehaving the eighth largest herd of

cattle and the third largest herd ofgoats in the world, Pakistan’s ani-mal population is very scattered,which makes procurement of theanimals for the abattoir an expen-sive campaign. But perhaps thesingle biggest challenge is regu-latory: meat importing nationshave strict health codes for thesafety of the meat, including a re-quirement to be able to trace themeat of any diseased animal downto the exact location that it camefrom, so that the entire herd it wasa part of can be slaughtered. Thistraceability is something that Pa-kistani herds lack, because thegovernment has not yet investedin tracking and cataloguing thecountry’s animal population.

Other major challenges forPakistan in becoming the globalhalal hub for meat and its prod-ucts are increasing competitionfrom countries in the region, lacksthe capability and technical knowhow in processing, storing, trans-porting and marketing of meat andits products, domestic demand formeat and inadequate surplus forexport, week or nonexistent cer-tification system in the country, in-adequate regulatory mechanism orback up to monitor the production,processing and animal husbandrypractices in the country, lack oftraining and capacity building pro-grams for farmers, farm manag-ers, slaughter man and dairy pro-cessors.

The above mentioned issuescan be tackled by establishing ef-fective supply chain of meat andother products in the country.Starting with suppliers, the verystart of this exercise can be assuredof organic in nature by minimumor standard use of raw material ormedicines. Further farmers maybe linked in this chain in moreeffective way by educating themto rear their herd on scientificlines. Moreover, market agentscan be sought to furnish effectivemarketing campaigns to get maxi-mum returns. This all process inturn may develop a supply chainin Pakistan where all stakehold-ers will be interconnected not toeach other but also to demands

and requirements of interna-tional buyers. Ensuring halalcomponent we may captureMuslim market and may enterin other high standard interna-tional meat markets.

Sensitizing the importanceof emerging benefits and poten-tial of halal food exports fromPakistan, the Government hastaken some productive steps inthe right direction by develop-ing halal product’s testing andcertification facilities and settingup free zones in the country topromote halal products. In thiscontext, the Pakistan halal In-dustry Research Centre has re-cently established the very firstContinued on Page 14

PM Raja Pervez Ashraf meeting with Jo Lunder, Group CEO of VimpelCom, parent company of Mobilink. Ahmed AbouDoma, Group CEO of Orascom Telecom, Robert Conway, Chief International Affairs Officer, VimpelCom and RashidKhan, President and CEO of Mobilink were also present.

Pakistan todouble food

exports to UAEDUBAI—Pakistan is working ona strategy to double the size ofits exports of grains, fresh fruitsand vegetables, and canned fooditems from 500 million to 1 bil-lion to UAE as there is hugepotential for growth in the coun-try.

Ambassador Jamil AhmedKhan, who inaugurated the Pa-kistani pavilion at Sial 2012 saidthat the UAE is currently im-porting products worth around5 billion, out of which 500 mil-lion are Pakistani exports thatcan be raised up to 1 billion eas-ily by establishing the country’sbrands in the region.

“The UAE is the biggestmarket for Pakistani products inthe region, as our rice, freshfruits and vegetables, cannedfood items and spices are highlypopular here.” He said that theUAE is an important regionalhub but Pakistani exporters havenot benefited from opportunitiesavailable here.

Khan welcomed at the Pa-kistan pavil ion the chiefguest, Shaikh Mansour binZayed Al Nahyan, DeputyPrime Minister, Minister forPresidential Affairs andChairman of Abu Dhabi FoodControl Authority, and otherofficials. Shaikh Mansourtook keen interest in organicfood and herbal drinks on dis-play.—INP

WASHINGTON—US DeputySecretary of State Thomas R.Nides and Pakistan FinanceMinister Dr. Abdul HafeezShaikh co-chaired the US Paki-stan Economic and FinanceWorking Group in Washington,on Friday. The working groupfocused on expanding bilateraleconomic engagement, particu-larly in the areas of trade andinvestment.

Both sides committed tobroadening private sector tiesbetween their two countries.Deputy Secretary Nides high-lighted the U.S. Government’smany initiatives in this area, in-cluding a Pakistan investmentconference in London hosted bythe Office of the U.S. TradeRepresentative in October, thelaunch of the Pakistan PrivateInvestment Initiative, and a se-ries of conferences and virtualmeetings devoted to training andmentoring Pakistan’s entrepre-

Hafeez for trade insteadof aid at Pak-US meeting

neurs.Finance Minister Hafeez

Shaikh During the meeting ap-preciated the US economic part-nership with Pakistan and saidit would be vital for bilateralrelations on long term basis.

He also lauded Washingtons role in realizing EuropeanUnion preferential programmefor Pakistani exports. He saidthat Pakistan is negotiating withUS to increase trade instead ofaid.

In other meetings, seniorState Department officials andUSAID Administrator RajivShah also highlighted the posi-tive results of ongoing civilianassistance programs in Pakistan,including significant contribu-tions in sectors critical to eco-nomic growth, such as the addi-tion of more than 400 MW ofcapacity to Pakistan’s powergrid and the construction of over650 km of roads to date. Both

sides agreed that Pakistan’sprosperity is predicated on en-ergy sector reform; the UnitedStates welcomed Pakistan’scommitment to undertake thereforms needed to attract greaterinvestment.

The United States com-mended Pakistan’s recent effortsto expand economic cooperationwith its neighbors. Both sidesdiscussed ways to improve tradeand transit with Afghanistan andthe Central Asian republics, cit-ing the importance of enhancedtrade for the region’s stabilityand prosperity. The UnitedStates welcomed the Govern-ment of Pakistan’s plans to ex-tend most-favored-nation statusto India by the end of the year.

The U.S. delegation in-cluded senior representativesfrom the Department of State,USAID, the Office of the U.S.Trade Representative, and theNational Security Staff.—INP

AMANULLAH KHAN

KARACHI—MD PIAMuhammad Junaid Yunus hassaid that overcrowding atJeddah Hajj Terminal where80,000 to 100,000 passengersarrive at the same time for theirreturn journey to other coun-tries through 74 different inter-national airlines was the causeof initial delays in departuresof flights due to securitychecks, immigration formali-ties etc. Besides, as per Saudilaw an airline may be penalizedand is not allowed to take offwithout the booked flight pas-

Delay in Haj flights due to securitychecks, overcrowding: MD PIA

senger.On the successful accom-

plishment of post Hajj opera-tions, MD PIA appreciated theairline employees for smoothtraveling arrangements forabout 100,000 Hujjaj withoutany major problem throughsheer team work in this megaoperation.

It was made possible onlybecause of the dedication andwhole-heartedly efforts byeach member of the team tomake this operation a success.He congratulated the employ-ees on their success and forContinued on Page 14

Pakistan pavilion toshowcase leadingbrands at Oman

MUSCAT—The Trade Develop-ment Authority of Pakistan(TDAP) is presenting leadingbrands from the food and hos-pitality industries collectively asa pavilion in the upcoming Food& Hotel Oman 2012.

The 7th international exhi-bition of food & beverage,food processing technology,kitchen & catering equipment,packaging systems, hotel sup-plies and related services, or-ganized by pioneer and lead-ing exhibitions and confer-ences organiser Omanexpo,will be staged from December3 to 5 at the Oman Interna-tional Exhibition Centre.

TDAP will bring in variousprincipal well-known interna-tional companies such as ShanFoods, Matco Rice Processing,Naurus Pvt Ltd, Khan RiceMills, Emirates Food Industries,Reem Rice Mills Pvt Ltd, QasimYounas Intl Pvt Ltd, Faisal Fab-rics Ltd and Khalid Rice Millswith the objective of establish-ing ties for future brand partner-ship as well as play a significantrole in boosting Oman-Pakistanbilateral trade activities.

Adil Qayyum, CEO ofSME Promotions Pvt Ltd andOmanexpo representative forthe Pakistan market said “TheSultanate of Oman and Paki-stan presently have good rela-tions.

RegistrationsuspendedStaff ReporterISLAMABAD—The Securi-ties and Exchange Commis-sion of Pakistan (SECP) hassuspended the registration ofHum Securities Limited,corporate member ofPakistan MercantileExchange Limited (PMEX).According to SECP’s order,the brokerage company wasex-member of Karachi StockExchange (KSE) and sold itsmembership in May 2012, asa result a large number ofcomplaints amounting to Rs16 million were lodged byinvestors against thebrokerage company, whichassured the KSE a numberof times that it would settleand pay all the claims.However, despite constantfollow up by the commissionand lapse of considerabletime, a large number ofcomplaints still remainedunresolved. The brokeragecompany was in financialdistress for over a certainperiod.

Import of pulsesdownStaff ReporterKARACHI—Import of pulsesdeclined by 52 percent or$19.279 million in Octoberthis year, as importers areexpecting bumper crop in thecoming season. In October2011, pulses were over-imported as the local crophad been damaged by thecold frost, resulting in apanic like situation in thecountry for commodity’sshortage, said a leadingimporter, Anis Majeed. Thecountry imported $18.050million in October this fiscalyear as compared to thecommodity’s import of$37.329 million in Oct lastfiscal year, showing a declineof 51.65 percent or $19.279million, according toPakistan Bureau of Statistics.

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—Pakistan is impor-tant to Microsoft in the world asthere are huge opportunities inPakistan due to huge population,computer users and significantdeveloper community, whichshows its plan to introduce Urduas a language option on Win-dows 8.

This was stated byMicrosoft North Africa, EastMediterranean and PakistanBusiness Group Lead SherifMorsi. Microsoft has lunched

Pakistan important to MicrosoftWindows 8 in Pakistan sametime it unveiled it in other partof the world. Whenever we haveupgraded offers we want tomake sure these are available inPakistan also so that consumershere can benefit from such of-fers timely.

Pakistan is also big in termsof PC shipments, which presentsus with a huge opportunity withcurrent installed base, he said.The number internet users are onthe rise besides people are veryavid having advanced laptop,Tablet PCs and Smartphones,

Morsi said.Pakistani developers can

build and develop applicationsfor Windows 8 because theGMaps developed by a Pakistanideveloper has the highest num-ber of downloads in Middle Eastand Africa region.

Popcorn Time is one of thehit movie-based apps devel-oped by Pakistani developersand Microsoft anticipated thatmore developers in the coun-try will make the differencethrough its platform across theworld.

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—The overall foodand beverage trade in Pakistanhas surged to $ 6 billion during2011. Keeping in view the po-tential in the food sector of Pa-kistan a German companyMULTIVAC has started opera-tions in Pakistan.

The company moves themarket with innovative packag-ing solutions, individual con-sultation and exceptional ser-vice. Said Amir Sotoudeh, MDMULTIVAC Middle East.

German company startsoperations in Pakistan

The company manufac-tures machines for the packag-ing of fresh or processed food,sterile goods and other medi-cal products, today the com-pany has a worldwide organi-zation with more than 3,300employees in 55 countries, headded.

We want to facilitate foodsector of Pakistan with betterpackaging facilities in sectorsespecially ready-to-eat meal,fresh and frozen meat, seafoodand bakery products, he furthersaid.

ExemptingCNG filling

stationsSTAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—Traders have de-manded the government to exemptcompressed natural gas (CNG) fill-ing stations from outages as fre-quent closures is hampering socialand economic life, creating a lot ofproblems for them. MehmoodHamid, president of the All Paki-stan Organization of Small Trad-ers and Cottage Industries(APOST&CI) Karachi chapter,said that the Oil and Gas Regula-tory Authority (Ogra) is safeguard-ing the interests of oil and gas ty-coons instead of people.

The closure of CNG fillingstations in the economic hubmeans an unannounced strike aspublic transport runs on CNG,he said. The government shouldend gas outages and exempt thegas filling stations of at leastKarachi, he said. Hamid re-quested the government to takedecisions in the national inter-ests, keeping in view the plightof the poor Pakistanis.

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Masood Kausar talking to the visiting Chineseinvestors who called on him under leadership of Gao Xiqing, President, Chinese InvestmentCorporation. (Story on Page 14)

Cotton marketstableStaff ReporterKARACHI—Fine lint remainedin focus with firm trading amidstable spot rate with higherdemand of all grades, traders atthe Karachi Cotton Association(KCA) said. The KCA kept thespot rate unchanged at Rs 5,850per maund, floor brokers said.During the trading session, themills made deals for all grades tostrengthen their long positions inanticipation of grade issue in thenext coming trading sessions.The spinners in Punjab and Sindhstations bought all grades onback of yarn orders from local aswell as from foreign buyers, theyadded. General buyers boughtlint of all grades on competitiveprice around Rs 5,675 per maundin Punjab stations while in Sindhstations, buyers made deals at Rs5,550 per maund, brokers added.Buyers with less liquidity inSindh and Punjab stations madedeals for lint of all grades oncompetitive prices at around Rs5,250 per maund and Rs 5,375per maund.

China car marketmay require‘Two Fords’

DETROIT—Six years ago, the“One Ford” mantra saved FordMotor Co from collapse. Now,Chief Executive Alan Mulally’sunified global product strategyis facing a formidable test: win-ning over first-time Chinesebuyers such as Zhang Haifeng.

The 42-year-old teacher hasseen his pay jump 27-fold overthe last two decades, as Chinaexpanded its compulsory educa-tion system. After studying hisoptions for a year, Zhang inApril paid 70,000 yuan($11,200) for his first car - Gen-eral Motors Co’s (GM) Baojun630 sedan.

“In the end, I thoughtBaojun was the most cost-effec-tive, and best suited for ordinarypeople like me,” he said.—Newswire

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Samsung Electron-ics has signed an MoU (Memo-randum of Understanding) withTEVTA (Technical Educationand Vocational Training Author-ity) to establish four labs inLahore. This ‘hands-on’ labtraining will enable students togain the necessary experienceand technical skill to seek em-ployment opportunities.

According to the MOU,Samsung Pakistan will provideelectronic products to TEVTAexclusively for educational andtraining purposes. The studentsat TEVTA will be deemed com-

Samsung, TEVTAsign MoU

petent to use these products bythe TEVTA faculty. SamsungPakistan will also from time totime provide further assistanceby teaching and training the fac-ulty at TEVTA by conductingspecialized workshops andseminars. Further to this, de-tailed technical training manu-als shall also be provided to thestaff to enrich the teaching ex-perience.

TEVTA’s objectives are fo-cused on establishing a produc-tive workforce by developingstandardized technical educationand vocational training to be atpar with globally competitiveworkforces.

PIA getsBARS

certificationSTAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—The national air-line has bagged the Basic Avia-tion Risk Standard (BARS) cer-tification.

Flight Safety Foundation, awell-known international bodyworking for the promotion of avia-tion safety, has published a stan-dard called BARS based on SafetyManagement System (SMS) Phi-losophy, which is quickly gainingrecognition around the world asmore and more airlines are sub-scribing to it.

‘PIA undertook the initiativeof BARS Certification Audit inAugust 2012 and has success-fully cleared this audit withoutany audit nonconformity. Clear-ing an Operation Safety Auditwith Zero finding shows that oursystems are in compliance withthe requirements of internationalsafety standards,’ an officialsaid.

PIA has been maintainingIOSA (IATA OperationalSafety Audit) Certificationsince 2006 and now by beingBARS Certified the nationalairline can confidently movingforward towards the right direc-tion.

Earlier, PIA cleared Euro-pean Union (EU) safety audit inAugust.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—ZONG andAskari Bank have announcedthe launch of ‘Timepey’, a tech-nology-based branchless bank-ing service that will make avail-able a range of banking servicesto just about everyone, with re-markable convenience and effi-ciency. Aimed particularly at theover 90% Pakistanis who do nothave bank accounts, Timepey isset to give a new meaning alto-gether to financial inclusion.

Timepey users will be ableto pay utility bills, transfermoney to specified recipientsanywhere in the country, depositand withdraw cash and carry outaccount transfers. User conve-nience has been kept as the fore-most consideration in develop-ing this new service. Users donot have to be ZONG custom-ers or even be mobile phone sub-

New convenient way ofbranchless banking introduced

scribers. As such the service of-fers complete flexibility to any-one who wishes to avail essen-tial financial services withoutthe need to open a bank account.

Speaking at the launchevent, the CEO of ZONG, FanYunjun said, “The launch of theTimepey branchless bankingservice is truly a major devel-opment that will benefit millionsof people. This use of moderntechnology to provide efficient,secure and convenient financialservices to the public also has astrong corporate social respon-sibility angle, as the service willresult in several socio-economicbenefits, particularly for the lowand middle income segments, asfor rural and peri-urban seg-ments of society, who are gen-erally not reached by traditionalbanking. This service is effec-tively a paradigm shift with far-reaching impact.”

Cotton productionmay touch 150m

bales markSTAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—The total cottonproduction is likely to touch 150million bales mark this year toprovide the textile sector withsustainable stocks for fiscal out-put, industry sources said.

Cotton supplies to marketsare starting from Dec 1 [today]which the textile sector estimateabout 150 million bales, theysaid, adding that the crop reportis due on December 3.

Last year the cotton yieldwas about 148 million bales de-spite torrential rains that hit theproduction severely, said a lead-ing trader Naseem Usman, add-ing that the cotton crop was alsohit by rain this year in Rajanpur,Punjab.

However, the country’s im-port of cotton has also surged7.62 percent or $11.645 millionduring July-Oct period of thecurrent fiscal year to $164.489million as compared to thecommodity’s import during thesame period of last fiscal yearof $152.844 million, accordingto official figures.

Import of cotton has beenmade to the size of 1.5 millionbales from July to October,mainly from India, Brazil,America and South Africa be-cause of the low prices of thecommodity on the world mar-kets, cotton brokers said.

Pakistan’s export of cottonfell by 29.05 percent or $22.983million in July-Oct period of thecurrent fiscal year to $57.507million as compared to thecommodity’s export of $80.490million during the same periodof last fiscal year, Pakistan Bu-reau of Statistics (PBS) indi-cated.

Usman said the country’syield for this season is promis-ing as it is expected to surpassthe last season’s growth of 148million bales. He said the cot-ton price on the local market ishovering between Rs5,600 permaund and Rs6000 per maund.

It depends on the quality ofcotton, the best one is a littleexpensive, he said, adding thatthe cotton imported from Indiais also available at the same ratebut its quality is far better.

Shippingactivity at PQ

KARACHI—One ship arrived atPort to offload containers atQICT on 30th November, 2012.Berth occupancy was main-tained at 57% at the Port Satur-day where a total of four shipsnamely M.V KPS-I Alican Bey- Powership, M.V Thor Inde-pendence, M.V Cape Flores,M.V Mare Atlantlcum, M.VMSC Clementina, M.T GlobalPeace, M.T Sidra Ras Laffan,M.V Sai Enternity, are currentlyoccupying berths to load/offloadcement, wheat, furnace oil, ce-ment, containers, palm oil.

Cargo handling operationswere carried out smoothly at thePort where a cargo volume63346 tonnes comprising 42440tonnes import, 20906 export and(2760) tues was handled at thePort during last 24 hours.

M.V Mare Atlanticumsailed on Friday afternoon. M.VThor Independence, M.V OapeFlores, M.T Sidra Ras Laffan,M.T Global Peace sailed on Sat-urday morning. M.T Azalea Gal-axy at LCT. M.T AL Marzooahat FOTCO, M.T Harsanadi atEVTL arrive on 1st Decem-ber.—APP

halal certification and assuranceprogram in the country. It isthrough this program that all que-ries of Pakistani exporters will becatered to, with halal certificationadvisory for both food and nonfood products.

The government is initiatingthe process of getting Pakistanapproved as meat exporter in halalFood importing countries, as thereis a vast potential for exports ofvalue-added chicken products tothe European Union (EU) and theGCC countries. The Punjab Ag-riculture and Meat Company(PAMCO) has contacted interna-tionally recognized certificationbody and for e- tagging and trace-ability at production level. Thepoultry industry and the govern-ment would need to play their duerole without which no significantmeat products export can takeplace.

In nutshell, it is concludedthat there is a need to establish

local halal food certificationsystem especially for meat inPakistan strictly bounded by Is-lamic traditions and principlesto ensure complete adherenceto Shariah requirements and Pa-kistan potential to become ahub of global Halal food pros-ecution as being 100% halalproduction base and will enjoydirect access to millions of con-sumers in Middle East, CentralAsia and South East Asiancountries. In this regard, bothpublic and private sectors willhave to work jointly by shar-ing responsibilities and mutualcoordination.

This in turn will lead to a situ-ation in the country which will en-sure welfare for all stakeholdersby ensuring food security and rais-ing income level. This will alsopromote a positive image of Pa-kistan in the international commu-nity.—Email:sirfmanan@yahoo. com

PotentialFrom Page 13

STAFF REPORTER

P E S H A W A R — K h y b e rPakhtunkhwa Governor, Barris-ter Masood Kausar has wel-comed Chinese investors tolaunch entrepreneurships in theprovince and also in Fata region.

Talking to the visiting Presi-dent of Chinese Investment Cor-poration, Gao Xiqing who ac-companied by a seven memberdelegation of Chinese investorscalled on him at Governor’sHouse, Nathiagali which is afamous tourism resort.

The Governor also highlyappreciated the enthusiastic ap-proach of the distinguishedguests and stressed the need todevelop working mechanism inshape of coordination groups toensure materialization of theproposals.

A delegation of leading in-

Chinese businessmenasked to invest in KP

dustrialists from the provinceand Fata, led by the President ofthe KP Chamber of Commerceand Industries, Dr MuhammadYousuf Sarwar, former presidentof the chamber, Afan Aziz, AmirFarooq Khan, Raza Quli Khanand Khalid Quli Khan were pre-

sented in the meeting.The prospects for hydro

power generation, exploration,processing and development ofminerals wealth including oiland promotion of automobileindustries were the focal pointsof discussion.

Additional Chief Secretary,Fata, Dr Tashfin Khan and theChairman, Sarhad DevelopmentAuthority, Waqar Ayub werealso present on the occasion andbriefed the delegates.

Barrister Masood Kausar ap-

preciated the keen interest of in-vestors from both sides and saidthat their spirit of cooperation re-flects their sincere approach to-wards their common interests andassured that every possible sup-port and cooperation for ensuringsmooth flow on workable propos-als will be extended to them.

Beyond doubt, he added,like elsewhere in Pakistan, thepeople of the province and Fata,both in their official and privatecapacities are always excited toavail opportunities from theirChinese brethren for promotionof economic activities in theirrespective areas.

Dr Muhammad YousufSarwar and his colleagues high-lighted and stressed launchingjoint investment in hydel powergeneration, mineral develop-ment and promotion of automo-bile sectors.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—CEO NADRATechnologies Limited (NTL),Tariq Malik has unveiled therebranded look of NTL at Re-gional Head Office.Islamabad. Addressing thelaunching ceremony, he statedthat the new logo and slogan“Glocally Yours” is notmerely a slogan but contem-porary successful businessapproach.

NTL, a corporate body ofNADRA, was established in2003 to provide Identity Man-agement Solution to private,public, local and Internationalclients, with vision to spreadprosperity and security, allover the globe.

Malik stressed and appre-ciated the use of innovationsthat lead to dynamic, progres-sive and sustainable organiza-tional status of NTL.

He said “The new brand ispurportedly a three-dimen-sional. NTL has a great glo-bal vision and immaculate un-derstanding of grass root is-sues; therefore we are local

NTL rebrands to int’l identity

and International players andchampions. Besides how tech-nically and mechanically weare sound, we possess qualityhuman resource that can bepart of any winning team inthe world. Not only cost ef-fective solution come from us,respect and understand all thecultural idiosyncrasies.”

In addition to providingbusiness to business solu-tions, NTL presently is alsorendering Identity Manage-ment Solutions nationwide by

not only facilitating but alsosecuring its consumers, hesaid.

Tariq Malik said “NTL’se-sahulat is the biggest suc-cess so far, which is provid-ing all the consumer servicesof branchless banking to itsusers and even promoting em-ployment across the countryat the most cost effective ratesalong with security in the re-motest areas of Pakistan. Ithas proved to be a role modelfor the private.

Chairman NADRA Tariq Malik Unveiling the logo of NADRATechnologies Limited.

allowed to withdraw theirmoney without losing ben-efits. Farid said that custom-ers are being offered 25 percent tax advantage on its fundschemes. He pointed out thatABL AMC offers ABL CashFund, ABL T-Bil ls , PIB,TFCs and Stock Fundschemes besides Islamic In-come and Daily Cash andCapital Protected Scheme forthe investors.

He further informed thatthere is no minimum balanceis required in any of the ABLAMC scheme while financingcould also be availed fromABL against funds in ABLAMC. He informed that ABLAMC is also contemplating tointroduce two new instru-ments named Foreign Cur-rency Fund and Gold fund. Hementioned that ABL AMC issubsidiary of Allied Bankregulated by Security and Ex-change Commission of Paki-stan and provides servicesthrough countrywide networkof Allied Bank.

Public sectorFrom Page 13

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—The FederalBoard of Revenue (FBR) hasissued new Sales Tax Registra-tion Form/Application (STR-1)under the Income Tax Rules of2002.

In this regard, the FBR is-sued a notification, proposingamendments to the Income TaxRules, 2002. The FBR has given15 days to stakeholders to sub-mit their comments. After thisperiod, the board said, the noti-fication would be published inthe official gazette.

Sources said that the FBRtried to issue similar registrationforms for income tax as well assales tax applicants to bring uni-

New ST registrationforms issued

formity in the filing of particu-lars by taxpayers. The FBR is-sued TRF-01 and STR-1 formsunder proposed amendments inthe Income Tax Rules, 2002.

A tax expert was of the viewthat apparently, there was ananomaly in the new SRO.

For the first time, he said,Sales Tax Registration form/ap-plication was inducted in theIncome Tax Rules, 2002.

He said that it seemed thatthe FBR was trying to issueSales Tax Registration Form/Application (STR-1) under In-come Tax Rules, instead of SalesTax Rules. The Sales Tax Reg-istration Form/Application(STR-1) should be introducedunder the relevant sales tax law.

Turkish Ambassador MustafaBabur Hizlan addressingbusiness community.

TurkishAmbassador wants

Karkey PowerPlant issue settled

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—The TurkishAmbassador to Pakistan,Mustafa Babur Hizlan visitedIslamabad Chamber of Com-merce and Industry (ICCI) foraddressing business community

of Federal Capital. Matters ofmutual interest and bilateral re-lations came under discussionduring the meeting.

Turkish Ambassador saidthat there were a lot of similari-ties that could be drawn in manyareas between Pakistan and Tur-key for improving the trade tiesbetween the two countries asthat there is no example of thedeep love held between Paki-stani and the Turkish people. Hesaid that it is high time to trans-late the gains of the excellentbrotherly relations between thetwo countries for qualitative up-gradation in our bilateral eco-nomic and commercial ties.

He underscored the impor-tance of strengthening rail and airconnectivity to further boost co-operation between the two coun-tries and said that there is direneed for greater number of flightsof the Turkish Airlines to desti-nations in Pakistan as well as PIAshould also increase its flights toTurkey.

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

MULTAN—Multan Chamberof Commerce & Industry(MCCI) President MuhammadKhan Saddozai has welcomedthe Lahore High Court remarkson Kalabagh Dam and calledfor its early construction, term-ing it the only long-term solu-tion to end power shortage andsave the country from devastat-ing floods.

In a statement Saddozai saidthat Kalabagh Dam is not onlythe most viable cheaper powergeneration project but its pre-liminary work had already beencompleted. Kalabagh Dam is

MCCI hails LHCremarks on KBD

indispensable for the progress ofthe country and all those whowere opposing its constructionwere enemies and playing withthe country’s future.

Only because of thegovernment’s silence over thisdam, the country is sufferinghuge financial loss annuallywhich can be saved by con-structing the dam, he said.Muhammad Khan Saddozaisaid that the governmentshould constitute a team ofexperts that should convinceall the provinces that KalabaghDam was necessary for theprogress and prosperity of thecountry.

He said that experts had al-ready said that the dam wouldpose no threat to Nowshera, asthe city was 150 feet above thewater level.

Kalabagh Dam is not onlybeneficial to Punjab but it willbe more helpful in erasing thepoverty from KhyberPakhtunkhwa because it wouldhelp irrigate 800,000 acres thatis located 100-150 feet abovethe level of Indus River, hesaid adding that this land couldonly be used for cultivation ifthe river level is raised, whichis possible only if KalabaghDam project will be com-pleted.

extra ordinary efforts during thisentire operation day and night.

Meanwhile PIA Hajj Opera-tion 2012 completed successfullywith 85 percent post hajj flightsfrom Jeddah arriving on time.Last Hajj Flight PK-3662 arrivedin Quetta early Friday morning.PIA has brought back about100,000 Hajjis to Pakistan.

PIA has carried 83000Hujjaj through 196 flights to Pa-kistan. 1989 Hajjis were flownback to Rangoon by 4 Charteredflights while over 15000 Hajjistravelled through scheduleflights.

The airline’s 21 hajj flightsbrought back 10353 hajjis toKarachi, 17385 through 35flights to Islamabad, 16783through 34 flights to Lahore and13,973 Hajjis to Peshawarthrough 43 post hajj flights.PIAcarried back 13275 hajjis toQuetta by 41 Post-Hajj flights,7,006 Hajjis to Multan by 14flights and 3,491 Hajjis toSialkot by 07 Post-Hajj Flights.

DelaysFrom Page 13

Riceexports yield

economic boostSTAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—Basmati Rice ex-ports from Pakistan during thisfiscal year (July 2012 to 28thNovember 2012) has reached160,000 tonnes amounting toUS$ 152 Million, whereas Non-Basmati rice exports during Julyto October 2012 have crossedUS$ 188 Million. This statementwas given by Jawed Ali Ghori,Chairman Rice Exporters Asso-ciation of Pakistan (REAP).

He apprised that Pakistanirice exporters are in a toughcompetition with India andMyanmar (Burma) who haveincreased their exports and dueto some other problems, riceexports from Pakistan are to-wards a decline of 49 percent inBasmati rice and 7 percent inNon Basmati rice as comparedto the same period in last year.

Ghori informed that rice ex-ports to Philippines have alreadybeen commenced and he is hope-ful that this year it will be in-creased. As with the efforts ofMinistry of Commerce, Govern-ment of Pakistan and Trade De-velopment Authority of Pakistan(TDAP), a high profile delega-tion of Philippines will visit Pa-kistan in December 2012.

Dry fruitprices up

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—With arrival ofwinter, the prices of dry fruitshave touched a new peak inwholesale and retail markets, asall items of these fruits exceptpine nut (Chilgoza) registered a30 percent increase.

According to a survey, theprices of all items of these fruitsregistered a phenomenal in-crease except pine nut withslight decline in rate due to highproduction.

According to wholesalers inthe open market, dry fruits haveattributed to low production andimports of most of dry fruitsfrom other countries are the ba-sic reason behind the increasingprices.

Dry fruits include dates, apri-cot, peaches, almond, currants, pinenut, peanuts, pistachios and manymore. Almond and peanut are themost favourite and their demandis higher than others. Most of thesefruits are grown in mountainousand hilly areas of KhyberPakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu andKashmir (AJK), Balochistan andFata.

However, with the increas-ing demand, dealers and shop-keepers have also raised theprices of dry fruits manifold andtheir buying has become only adesire for the common man. Thepoor cannot afford most of dryfruits because their prices arebeyond their reach, but peanutsare the most popular item amongthem as their rates are compara-tively low and affordable.

According to survey, the pea-nut is only being available at a rea-sonable rate of Rs140 per kilogram.It was also revealed that the pricesof pine nut have also declined fromRs 2,200 per kg to Rs 1,600 perkg, while peanuts rates have goneup with 30 percent increase, whichis being sold at Rs180 per kg.

Picture on Page 13

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Cement prices haveincreased by Rs5 per 50 kg bagto Rs440-445 in different locali-ties of the country. Cementmanufacturers claimed that hikein cement prices is due to recentclimb in coal prices, which haveregistered a jump of around 10per cent over the last threeweeks.

Cement industry expertssaid that during FY12, cementprices have followed an upwardtrajectory and posted an increaseof 9 per cent.

Moreover, the Lahore HighCourt ordered the constructionof much delayed and debatedKalabagh Dam (KBD), in lightof the decision of the Councilof Common Interests (CCI).Experts remain skeptical on theproject, considering the associ-

Cement price soarsby Rs 5 per bag

ated political grievances, but ifconstruction kicks off, theproject would require 8-10 mil-lion tons of cement over a pe-riod of 6-7 years. With theirclose proximity to the proposedconstruction site, they believethat MLCF, PIOC, DGKC andBWCL would emerge as themajor beneficiaries if the KDBgets the green light.

The profi ts of cementcompanies have increasedseven times in FY12 to Rs16billion or $168 million due torobust increase in cementprices that witnessed a growthof 26 per cent. Interestingly,out of 10 companies whichhave announced their full yearresults, only one has postedlosses in FY12 whereas lasttime almost 50 per cent of thecement companies were inlosses.

Dollar downversus rupee

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—The dollar slumpedagainst the rupee in the interbankmarket, dealers said. It began theday’s trading at Rs 96.60 for buy-ing, dipped by three paisas andclosed at Rs 96.57 for buying andRs 96.62 for selling. The euroincreased against the local cur-rency as it initiated the day’s trad-ing at Rs 125.36 for buying, rose13 paisas and closed at Rs 125.49for buying and Rs 125.69 for sell-ing. The British pound endedslightly up versus the rupee as itstarted the day’s trading at Rs154.70 for buying, increased twopaisas and closed at Rs 154.72for buying and Rs 154.92 for sell-ing.

The dollar posted gainsagainst the rupee, dealers said.It opened the day’s trading at Rs97 for buying, gained 30 paisasand closed at Rs 97.30 for buy-ing and Rs 97.7 for selling.

KARACHI: Siraj Kassam Teli, Chairmen BMG and former President KCCI presenting crest to guest of honour VenodKumar at inauguration ceremony of INTEXPO Pakistan 2012.

John Park, MD Samsung Pakistan and Arif Saeed, Chair-man TEVTA, exchanging the document of an agreement toprovide Samsung products to TEVTA exclusively for educa-tional and training purposes.

Border dispute resolution KHARTOUM—A top South Sudanese of-ficial arrived in Sudan on Saturday to dis-cuss how to set up a demilitarised borderzone, a condition for resuming oil exports,in the first direct talks between theneighbours since new tensions broke outlast month. The African countries agreedat talks in Ethiopia in September to endhostilities and restart oil exports - includ-ing creating the buffer zone - after comingclose to war in April, the worst violence

since South Sudan seceded last year. South Sudan had shutdown its oil production of 350,000 barrels a day in Januaryafter tensions over pipeline fees escalated. But the neighbourshave been unable to agree how to withdraw their armies fromthe disputed border, a step both had said was necessary toresume oil exports from landlocked South Sudan throughSudanese pipelines. “I came here from Juba to activate thejoint cooperation agreements signed between the two coun-tries in Addis Ababa for the benefit of the two people,” PaganAmum, South Sudan’s chief negotiator, told reporters atKhartoum airport. He said he had brought a letter from SouthSudan’s President Salva Kiir for his Sudanese counterpartOmar Hassan al-Bashir. Sudan’s top negotiator Idris Abdel-Qadir said it was in the interest of both countries to breakthe deadlock. “We welcome the visit of our brother Pa-gan in Khartoum and, as our brother Pagan said, the aimof his visit is to implement the cooperation agreements,”he said. Security officials from both countries will meetfrom Monday in Khartoum to discuss setting up thedemilitarised zone.—Reuters

Rousseff vetoes oil royalties billBRASILIA—President Dilma Rousseffon Saturday vetoed parts of a contro-versial royalties bill that pit Brazil’s oil-producing states against the rest of thecountry in a battle over future oil wealth.Seeking a compromise on perhaps themost divisive issues to arise during hernearly two-year-old presidency,Rousseff vetoed clauses that wouldslash income for Brazil’s main oil states,including Rio de Janeiro. Her veto

changes the bill so that producer states continue to re-ceive royalties on output from existing oil concessions.She signed most of the rest of the bill as passed earlier thismonth by Congress, redistributing royalties from all futureoil concessions so that non-producing states get a greatershare. Announcing the veto Friday afternoon, GleisiHoffmann, Rousseff’s chief of staff, said the president’sveto sought to “fully protect existing contracts” whileensuring the bill’s intent to redistribute Brazil’s growingoil wealth. The legislation, approved with the overwhelm-ing support of states with no oil production, is an effort tospread oil revenues more evenly nationwide as massivenew offshore oil discoveries near Rio de Janeiro and othersouth-eastern states begin producing in the coming years.The new discoveries, if developed successfully, could cata-pult Brazil into the ranks of the world’s top petroleum pro-ducers. Rousseff’s changes also mandate that all royaltiesfrom future production contracts be used to fund educa-tional programs.—Reuters

Mursi aide joins oppositionCAIRO—A top aide to Egypt’s Presi-dent Mohamed Mursi, who quit whenthe leader issued a decree expanding hispowers, has joined the country’s big-gest opposition movement, a senioropposition figure said on Saturday.Samir Morkos was Mursi’s adviser onthe transition to democracy and the onlyChristian in the Islamist leader’s team.He is one of at least two presidentialadvisers to have stepped down since

Mursi issued the decree on November 22 that made hisdecisions immune to legal challenge. The president’s op-ponents see the move as a power grab that threatensEgypt’s nascent democracy. Morkos only learned the de-tails of the decree when it was read out on state television,he told the London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaperthis week. Without waiting for Mursi to approve his resig-nation, Morkos joined the National Salvation Front “andis now sitting beside me in a meeting,” opposition leaderAhmed Saed told Reuters. Morkos did not answer phonecalls seeking comment. The Front has led calls for protestsagainst the decree and tens of thousands gathered for arally in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Saturday, some chanting“The people want to bring down the regime”. The opposi-tion movement, which includes former Arab League ChiefAmr Moussa and opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei,has called for broader civil disobedience to fight what itdescribes as an attempt to “kidnap Egypt from itspeople”.—Reuters

Putin is healthyMOSCOW—Vladimir Putin is in goodhealth, his chief of staff said on Fridayafter Japanese media said Prime MinisterYoshihiko Noda had postponed a visit toMoscow next month because the Russianpresident had a health problem. A formerKGB officer who enjoys vast authority inRussia, Putin has long cultivated a tough-guy image, and health issues could dam-age that. His condition though has beenquestioned in some media since he was

seen limping at a summit in September. Three Russian gov-ernment sources told Reuters late in October that Putin, whobegan a six-year term in May and turned 60 last month, wassuffering from back trouble, but the Kremlin has dismissedtalk that he had a serious back problem. Putin’s health troublesstem from a recent judo bout, Belarussian President AlexanderLukashenko said this week. Then on Friday Japanese newsagencies Kyodo and Jiji reported that Prime Minister Nodatalked about the delay of a visit planned for December in ameeting with municipal officials on the northern island ofHokkaido. “It’s about (President Putin’s) health problem. Thisis not something that can easily be made public,” Jiji citedone of the officials as quoting Noda as saying. But Putin’schief of staff Sergei Ivanov denied there was any problem.“Please don’t worry, don’t be concerned. Everything is inorder with his health,” Putin’s said in Vienna, according tostate-run Russian news agency RIA.—Reuters

UN defeat disappoints IsraelJERUSALEM—The margin of Israel’s de-feat in a U.N. vote that granted de-factostatehood to Palestine has disappointedIsraeli political leaders, whose attemptson Saturday to play down the result couldnot disguise its significance. The UnitedNations General Assembly voted onThursday to upgrade the Palestinians’status in the world body, making them a“non-member state”. There were exter-nal factors, but it is hard not to see this

as a total failure for our diplomacy which will obviouslyhave consequences,” said a senior official who declined tobe named. Government spokesman Mark Regev said thatalthough Israel was “disappointed” by the vote, it was notsurprised. “The General Assembly can resemble the theatreof the absurd, which once a year automatically approvesludicrous, anti-Israeli resolutions.—Reuters

KUWAIT—Kuwait holds aparliamentary election onSaturday overshadowed byan opposition boycott, pro-tests over a change to thevoting rules and a festeringpolitical crisis in the U.S.-al-lied oil producer. Kuwaitiscarry banners and chant slo-gans, as they call for a voterboycott, in Kuwait City. Theelection will be the secondthis year in the Gulf Arabstate, where a series of as-semblies have collapsed un-der the weight of a powerstruggle between electedMPs and the cabinet, ap-pointed by the prime minis-ter who is chosen by the emir.

Tens of thousands ofKuwaiti activists marchedon Friday, urging people notto vote in protest against thechange to electoral ruleswhich they say will skew theoutcome in favour of pro-government candidates. Op-position figures have al-ready said they will not standbecause of the change, or-dered in October by theemir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, whosefamily has ruled for 250 yearsand dominates the cabinet.

Past turnouts have beenaround 60-80 percent, butanalysts said the numberscould be low this time, giventhe boycott and widespreadexhaustion after thecountry’s long string of elec-tions.

“Voter apathy is to be ex-

Kuwaitis vote in poll hit by opposition boycott, protestspected, after all this is notonly the second parliamen-

tary election of 2012, butelections were also held in1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2006,2008, and 2009. Election fa-tigue is understandable,”

IHS Global Insight analystJamie Ingram wrote in a note.

Organisers of Saturday’smarch said it was the largestin Kuwait’s history and a signof deep public discontentwith changes to the voting

system. “The (opposition)movement in Kuwait is not

like the Arab Spring move-ment. It is not against theruler,” former MP Mubarak al-Walaan said after the march.

“It is about keeping to

the constitution and theconstitutional rules. The au-

thorities must protect theconstitution.” The emir usedemergency powers to cutthe number of votes per citi-zen to one from four, saying

the change would fix aflawed system and maintainsecurity and stability. Hesaid his decree was consti-tutional.

The opposition, a dispar-ate collection of Islamists,liberals and populist politi-cians, argue the change hittheir ability to form alliances.In the past, candidates havecalled on their supporters tocast their additional ballotsfor allies. They say such in-formal affiliations are crucialin a country where politicalparties are banned.

The opposition wonaround two-thirds of the 50-seat National Assembly inFebruary and formed a blocthat put pressure on the gov-ernment, forcing two minis-ters from office. That parlia-ment was dissolved after aJune court ruling, in the lat-est stage in a political stand-off which has stalled invest-ment programmes and frozenreforms in the country.

The government saysopposition lawmakers usedparliament to settle scoresrather than helping pass lawsneeded for economic devel-opment. Opposition politi-cians accuse the governmentof mismanagement and havecalled for an elected cabinet.

Kuwait’s parliament haslegislative powers and theability to question ministers.But the emir’s Al-Sabah fam-ily holds important levers ofpower.—Reuters

Kuwaitis carry banners, chanting slogans, as they call for a voter boycott, in Kuwait City.

LOS ANGELES—An actresswho said she was duped intoappearing in an anti-Islam filmthat stoked violent protestsagainst the United Statesacross the Muslim world loston Friday her second legalbid to force the video offYouTube. Denying a requestby actress Cindy Lee Garciafor a court order requiring thepopular online video site toremove the crudely made 13-minute clip, a federal judgefound she was unlikely toprevail on her claims of copy-right infringement.

U.S. District JudgeMichael Fitzgerald of SantaClara, California, also can-celed a December 3 hearinghe had previously set for oral

Judge refuses anti-Muslimfilm off YouTube

arguments over Garcia’s re-quest. Garcia’s lawyer, CrisArmenta, told Reuters sheplanned to appeal the deci-sion. The lawsuit, filed in Sep-tember, names YouTube andits parent company GoogleInc as defendants, along withthe film’s producer.

A previous motion byGarcia for a temporary re-straining order againstYouTube’s continued post-ing of the video was rejectedby a Los Angeles CountySuperior Court judge. Garcia’scase was the first known civillitigation stemming from thevideo, billed as a film trailer,which depicts the ProphetMohammad as a fool and asexual deviant.—Reuters

Yemen says ithas arrested

Al-Qaida leaderSANAA—Yemen’s InteriorMinistry says police have ar-rested an al-Qaida leader whois one of the country’s mostwanted fugitives.

The ministry, in a state-ment late Saturday, saidSuleiman Hassan MohammedMurshed Awad was arrestedin Zinjibar, the capital ofsouthern Abyan province,once an al-Qaida hotbed. It didnot say when he was arrested.Awad, also known as AbuOsama al-Abi, was “one of themost dangerous criminal ele-ments in al-Qaida who is in-volved in killing security menand joining others in terroristattacks on foreign targets inSanaa.”

Washington, which con-siders Yemen’s al-Qaidabranch the group’s most dan-gerous offshoot, helpedYemeni troops with airpowerand advisers last summer. Theoffensive drove al-Qaida mili-tants out of southern cities,including Zinjibar.—AP

Singapore tosend 29 driversback to China

SINGAPORE—Singapore willdeport 29 mainland Chinesebus drivers for taking part ina brief strike this week andcharge a fifth suspect overthe rare bout of industrial ac-tion in the tightly regulatedAsian financial centre. “Thestrike was planned and pre-meditated.

It disrupted our publictransport, which is an essen-tial service, and posed a threatto public order,” the Minis-try of Home Affairs and Min-istry of Manpower said in astatement on Saturday.

The walkout was the firstmajor strike in more than 25years in Singapore, which hasan ethnic Chinese majorityand no minimum wage. Thewealthy city-state prohibitsworkers in public transportand other essential servicesfrom going on strike withoutgiving notice 14 days in ad-vance. In the peaceful protestover pay disparities and con-ditions at their dormitories,171 Chinese drivers did notgo to work on Monday and88 did not report on Tuesday.All but a few returned to dutyon Wednesday after officialsfrom the Chinese embassyspoke with them on Tuesdayevening.

“These bus drivers whopersisted in the strike wereabsent on either or both daysof the illegal strike without rea-son. Some had medical certifi-cates, but notwithstandingthis, there is evidence of theirinvolvement in the strike,” thestatement said. Four Chinesedrivers were charged incourt on Thursday with in-stigating the strike. Courtdocuments showed the al-leged ringleader incited hiscolleagues in an online mes-sage titled “The insults andhumiliation suffered bySingapore drivers”.—Ap

DHAKA—Chief Justice MdMuzammel Hossain on Sat-urday said independent andcompetent judiciary is a mustfor the democracy, rule oflaw and development of thecountry. “Our modern judi-ciary has been greatly enjoy-ing people’s confidence. Wecannot conceive democracy,rule of law and desired de-velopment of the countryunless there is an indepen-dent and competent judi-ciary,” the chief justice said.

He was speaking at aninaugural programme of anational inception workshopof Judicial Strengthening

Independent judiciary mustfor democracy: CJ BD

(JUST) Project at a city ho-tel. The chief justice said thehuge backlog of cases is in-tercepting people from theiraccess to the justice.

“The huge backlog ofcases is slowly overwhelm-ing the justice delivery sys-tem causing further delay inthe disposal of the cases andundermining access to jus-tice,” he added. In an earlierprogramme, chief justice hadsaid about 21,32,046 caseswere found pending on Janu-ary 1, 2012, in all courts andtribunals, including the Su-preme Court ofBangladesh.—Star

DOHA—At Saturdayprayers in Qatar’s mostpopular mosque, the imamdiscussed the civil war inSyria, the unrest in Egyptand the U.N. endorsementof an independent state ofPalestine. Not a word aboutclimate change, eventhough the Middle Easternnation of Qatar is hosting aU.N. conference wherenearly 200 countries are try-ing to forge a joint plan tofight global warming, whichclimate activists say is thegreatest modern challengeto mankind.

“Unfortunately the Araband Islamic countries havepolitical and economic prob-lems,” said Adham Hassan,a worshipper from Jordanstreaming out of the al-Khatabb mosque in Doha.“Islam calls for the protec-tion of the environment, butthe Muslim countries aremostly poor and they didn’tcause pollution and aren’taffected by climate change.”Of six mosques contactedby The Associated Press inthe Qatari capital, only oneincluded an environmentalmessage in the Fridayprayers, telling those in at-tendance to plant trees,

First time Doha Imam shedslight on world affairs

shun extravagance and con-serve water and electricity.

The Quran, Islam’s holybook, is filled with more than1,500 verses to nature andEarth. Yet the voice of Islamicleaders is missing from theglobal dialogue on warming.That disappoints Muslimenvironmental activists, whobelieve the powerful pull ofIslam could be the ideal wayto change behavior in bothpoor countries, where manypeople’s main source of in-formation is the mosque, andin some wealthy countrieslike Qatar where Islam re-mains important even asrapid growth has made it theworld’s top per capita emit-ter of carbon dioxide.

“It’s absolutely frustrat-ing,” said Fazlun Khalid,founder of the U.K.-basedIslamic Foundation for Ecol-ogy and Environmental Sci-ences, which overseesprojects around the worldthat use Islamic teachings tocombat problems rangingfrom deforestation to over-fishing.

“We get very little sup-port from Muslims,” he said.“They don’t connect. Wehave to wake them up to thefact their existence is threat-

ened by their own behavior.Modernity and the economicdevelopment paradigm isabout dominating nature. Is-lam, as you are aware, is sub-mission to the will of the cre-ator. We need to remind our-selves that we have to sub-mit.”

As the annual U.N. cli-mate conference neared itshalfway point in Doha, theusual splits opened up be-tween rich and poor nationsover how to divide the bur-den — and financial cost —of protecting the world fromoverheating. U.N. climatechief Christiana Figueres la-mented that she didn’t see“much public interest, sup-port, for governments to takeon more ambitious and morecourageous decisions.”

“Each one of us needs toassume responsibility. It’s notjust about domestic govern-ments,” she said. The talksare aimed at limiting the levelof warming to 2 degrees C (3.6F), compared to temperaturesbefore the industrial revolu-tion. So the main focus is tocut the emissions of green-house gases that a vast ma-jority of climate scientists sayis to blame for the rising tem-peratures.—Reuters

WASHINGTON—The Obamaadministration sought Satur-day to direct Israel and thePalestinians back toward di-rect peace talks, even as thetwo sides and much of theworld seemed to be ignoringthe U.S. attempts at leader-ship on a Mideast peace strat-egy. Secretary of State HillaryRodham Clinton met seniorIsraeli and Palestinian offi-cials Saturday, with each sidelocked in a pattern of actionsthat the United States hadexpressly warned against:the Palestinians winning U.N.recognition of their claim to astate on Thursday and theIsraelis retaliating Saturdayby approving 3,000 newhomes on Israeli-occupiedterritory.

The administration hascampaigned for nearly twoyears to prevent the Palestin-ian action at the United Na-tions, fearful it would angerIsrael so much that the re-sumption of direct talks be-tween the Jewish state andPalestinians would be impos-sible. The administration re-mains concerned as well thatstatehood could mean Inter-national Criminal Court actionagainst Israeli soldiers fortheir conduct in Palestinian ordisputed territory — a sce-nario Washington believeswould greatly debilitate peacehopes. “We have to convincePalestinians that direct nego-tiations with Israel representnot just the best but the onlypath to the independent statethey deserve,” Clinton saidSaturday night in a speech at

US bid to havePalestinians-Israelis talk

the Saban Center for MiddleEast Policy in Washington.“America supports the goalof a Palestinian state, livingside by side in peace and se-curity with Israel. But thisweek’s vote at the U.N. won’tbring Palestinians any closer,and it may bring new chal-lenges for the United Nationssystem and for Israel.”

Most of the world’s gov-ernments brushed aside Is-raeli and American concerns,with U.N. member states vot-ing 138-9 to recognize Pales-tine as a nonmember observerstate and grant it the mostsignificant upgrade in diplo-matic status in its more thansix-decades of conflict withIsrael.

The United States insiststhat the result has changednothing on the ground, but itis struggling to shift the fo-cus to where it believesprogress on an Israeli-Pales-tinian peace deal is possible.Clinton said Israel, too,needed to reach out to mod-erate Palestinians and “helpthose committed to peace todeliver for their people in thehere and now” at a time whenthe U.S. is hoping that a frag-ile cease-fire Egypt sealedlast week between the Jew-ish state and Hamas willprove durable. On Israel’ssettlement announcementFriday, she said “these activi-ties set back the cause of anegotiated peace.”

The Obama administra-tion has almost nothing toshow for four years of media-tion efforts.—Reuters

SEOUL—North Korea is tocarry out its second rocketlaunch of 2012 as its youthfulleader Kim Jong-un flexes hismuscles a year after hisfather’s death, in a move thatwill likely heighten diplomatictensions and draw criticismfrom Washington.

North Korea’s state newsagency announced the deci-sion to launch another spacesatellite on Saturday, just aday after Kim met a senior del-egation from China’s Commu-nist Party in the North Koreancapital of Pyongyang.

China, under new leader-ship, is North Korea’s onlymajor political backer and hascontinually urged peace onthe Korean peninsula, wherethe North and South remaintechnically at war after an ar-mistice, rather than a peacetreaty, ended the 1950-53 con-flict. No comment on theplanned launch was immedi-ately available from Beijing’sforeign ministry.

Seoul’s foreign ministrysaid in a statement that themove was a “grave provoca-tion”. Japan’s Kyodo newsagency said Prime MinisterYoshihiko Noda had orderedministries to be on alert for thelaunch.

“North Korea wants to tellChina that it is an independent

NK plans new rocket launchas power assertion

state by staging the rocketlaunch and it wants to see ifthe United States will drop itshostile policies,” said ChangYong-seok, a senior researcherat the Institute for Peace Af-fairs at Seoul National Univer-sity.

North Korea is bannedfrom conducting missile ornuclear-related activities un-der United Nations resolu-tions imposed after Pyongyang carried out nuclear tests,although it says its rockets areused to put satellites into or-bit for peaceful purposes.Washington and Seoul be-lieve the isolated, impover-ished state is testing long-range missile technology withthe aim of developing an in-tercontinental ballistic missilecapable of carrying a nuclearwarhead.

The April test was con-demned by the United Na-tions, although taking actionagainst the North is hard asChina refuses to endorse fur-ther sanctions againstPyongyang. North Korea isalready one of the mostheavily sanctioned states onearth thanks to its nuclearprogramme. Pyongyang hasfew tools to pressure the out-side world to take it seriouslydue to its diplomatic isolationand its puny economy.—AP

Chavez doingwell in Cuba:Venezuela VPC A R A C A S —Venezue lanPresident Hugo Chavez isdoing well as he receivesmedical treatment in Cuba,Vice President NicolasMaduro said on Thursday,despite a two-week absencefrom public view that hasraised fresh doubts abouthis health.

Chavez, 58, said in a let-ter to parliament on Tuesdayhe was returning to Havanafor “hyperbaric oxygen-ation,” which is used to treatbone decay caused by radia-tion therapy. The presidenthas undergone three canceroperations in Cuba sincemid-2011. No images werepublished of his departurefrom Caracas or of his arrivalon the communist-led island,fueling speculation amongmany Venezuelans aboutwhether the latest twist wasnormal post-radiation treat-ment, or a more seriousdownturn.

“They are carrying outtherapies to strengthen hishealth even more. The presi-dent is good, he is very good,and he is going to get muchbetter,” Maduro told a meet-ing with workers that wasbroadcast live by Venezu-elan state TV. The usuallygarrulous socialist leaderhas made few public appear-ances since winning a newsix-year term in an electionin October. His campaignwas more subdued thanusual, and he said afterwardthat radiation therapy hadleft him exhausted.—AP

BIPIN DANIOBSERVER

CORRESPONDENT

MUMBAI—Cricket Associa-tion for the Blind in India(CABI), which is hosting thefirst ever Twenty20 World Cupfor the blind people is still shortof 1.5 crore for the mega event.This was revealed by Mr.Nagesh. S, the president of theTwenty20 committee.

Speaking exclusively overhis mobile from Bangalore, hesaid, “the total budget for theT-20 World Cup is Rs. 6 croreand we could manage balancein cash and kind. We have madeseveral requests to the Indiancricket board, but so far theynot responded”.

“The BCCI is the richestgoverning body and we needtheir support”, the general sec-retary, G. K. Mahantesh said.

Interestingly, Yuvraj Singhand Harbhajan Singh, the

We too can play cricket, sayscaptain of India’s blind team

members of the present TeamIndia have been waiting for theNo Objection Certificate (NOC)from the BCCI to support theevent. “We met these players inSri Lanka during the last iCCWorld Twenty20 and sought theirsupport”, the secretary added.

“Saurav Ganguly has beenchosen as Brass Ambassador forthe tournament and former play-ers, like Syed Kirmani andB.S.Chandrasekhar have beenhelping us to host the event suc-cessfully”, he added.

Chandra, the polio-affectedIndian player has always beenhelping for the noble cause andsupport from Yuvi, who has re-covered from recent cancer ill-ness, can boost the players tempo,the organisers felt.

“Eight foreign teams (Aus-tralia, South Africa, Bangaldesh,Sri Lanka, England, West Indies,Pakistan and Nepal) have arrivedin India for the 13-day tourna-ment”, Shekar Naik, the captain

of the Indian blind team said.“Only the two umpires having100 % vision will be on fieldof play”, the captain, who isclassified in B3 category (par-tial vision upto 6 meters),added. “Each team will havefour players, totally blind (B1category), 3 players partial (B2cateogy vision upto 3 meters)and 4 players (B3) cateogy willbe allowed on the field of play”,he explained.

“The totally blind playerswill be assisted by the partiallyvisioned players as runnerswhile batting”. Four Indianumpires and four foreign um-pires will officiate in the tour-nament. “We want to show tothe world that we too can playthe game”, the captain signedoff. The blind cricket associa-tions from Australia, England,South Africa and possibly Pa-kistan are affiliated with theirnational cricket boards, sadly,the BCCI is yet to recognise it.

LAHORE: Prize winners of the Chief of Naval Staff Golf Championship with Admiral M Asif Sandila, Chief of Naval Staff.

SPORTS REPORTER

LAHORE—World knownwrestler from Japan AntonioInoki now MouhammadHussain in collaboration withthe Punjab Government will beestablishing first internationalfreestyle wrestling academy atLahore.

This announcement wasmade by Rana MashoodAhmed Khan, chief organisersports and Deputy SpeakerPunjab and Inoki at a press con-ference here on Saturday.Usman Anwar, Director Gen-eral Sports and Youth AffairsPunjab was also present on theoccasion along with 10 otherJapanese wrestlers who wouldbe taking part in the Sports andPeace Festival Wrestling to-morrow, Sunday at Nationalstadium under lights. Inokisaid that he would deliverpeace message from Pakistanthrough the successful holdingof wrestling event . “ By hav-ing world’s best grapllers in ac-tion in Lahore I will be promot-ing the freestyle game in Paki-stan,” said Inoki.

“The Pakistan wrestlers offull of talent and all they needis proper training. I will dig outthe talent and provide themfreestyle training to the selectedwrestlers so that they wouldcompete at international level,”he added.

“I have been to Pakistan onfour occasions during the pe-riod from 1976 to 1984. Now I

was being asked not to visit Pa-kistan because of security threatsbut I have deep attachment withPakistan so I said that I wouldlike to see for myself that howmuch dangerous this country is,”he maintained.

“ But everything is good hereand we are enjoying our stay “.He further stated that he has re-

ceived great love and hostilityfrom Pakistan people and alsowelcomed the Punjabgovernment’s announcement ofestablishing a freestyle academywhich he would fully patronize.

Rana Mashood Ahmed Khanhighlighted the vision of ChiefMinister Mian Shahbaz Sharifwhich is a step forward in the

revival of international sports inPakistan. As part of the 60 yearsrelations of Pakistan and Japan,Inoki is here with a team of 10wrestlers to showcase the brightand positive image of the coun-try. He is also accompanied byJapanese media and some oftheir family members.

Rana Mashood also saidthat the academy would be es-tablished once its proper planand layout is made.

The visiting wrestlerswould lock horns in a freestylewrestling at the NationalHockey Stadium on December2 at 5 pm. Nasir Bholu, one ofthe great wrestler of his timeand member of Bholu familywould also be among theguests during the entire activ-ity. Rana Mashood informedthat Pakistan wrestler would betrained by under Inoki’s exper-tise and they would competewith Japanese wrestlers duringtheir next visit.

Earlier, Inoki and the teamof 10 wrestlers visited thegraves of Akram Pahlwan andJhara Pahlwan at Mohni Road.He offered fateha and prayedfor the departed souls for eter-nal peace. Inoki also adopted 13years old nephew of Jhara forfreestyle wrestling training. Hesaid that he will make Jhara’snaphew one of the best freestylewrestler of the world.

In the morning Inoki andhis team was accorded a warmreception at the Lahore airportand a large corps of journalistalso covered his arrival.

Inoki, Punjab Govt to establishfreestyle wrestling academy

LAHORE: Renowned international wrestler Antonio Inokiwho is now Muhammad Hussain after embracing Islam dur-ing a Press conference.

PERTH—Pace spearhead DaleSteyn rediscovered his best formto bowl South Africa into a com-manding position on the secondday of the third and final Testagainst Australia atthe WACAGround on Saturday.

Steyn’s four-wicket haulhelped decimate the Australianfirst innings and hand his side a62-run lead, before Proteas bats-men Graeme Smith and HashimAmla ripped the match awayfrom the home side.

Skipper Smith and Amlashared in a thrilling 178-run

stand for the second wicket atalmost seven runs an over as thetourists took a stranglehold onthe top ranking in Test cricket.

At stumps, South Africawere 230 for two in their sec-ond innings, representing anoverall lead of 292 runs witheight wickets left and three daysstill to play.

Amla was on 99 from just84 balls with his 18th Test cen-tury beckoning, while JacquesKallis, dropped on three byNathan Lyon from the bowlingof Mitchell Starc, was on 17.

The highest successful runchase at the WACA is SouthAfrica’s 414 for four in 2008.

Smith fell for 84 late in theday, brilliantly caught by a div-ing Lyon at deep square leg offMitchell Starc to end a devas-tating partnership in just 25.3overs with Amla. Defending just225 after winning the toss andelecting to bat on the openingday, the Proteas rallied behindthe fast bowling of Steyn to routthe home side for 163 off 53.1overs.

Steyn had barely been a fac-

tor in the series, with just fivewickets in the first two Tests, buttore through the Australian toporder to finish with four for 40off 16 overs.

Having already claimed thewicket of opener Ed Cowan fora first-ball duck late on the firstday, he devastated the home sidein the first 30 minutes on Satur-day. The home side resumed at33 for two and collapsed dra-matically.

In his first over of the day,Steyn removed careless openerDavid Warner, caught behind for13 when he slashed at a widedelivery, despite the Australianasking for the decision to be re-viewed. Steyn then removednight watchman Lyon three ballslater for seven, caught at gullyby Faf du Plessis.

Champion batsman RickyPonting strode to the crease tohuge applause in his farewellTest, but lasted just over 15 min-utes before being trapped lbw byVernon Philander (2-55) forfour, another Australian decisionreview failing. —APP/AFP

3rd Test: Steyn, Amla lead SouthAfrican fightback against Australia

PERTH: Hashim Amla turns the ball towards leg during Australia vs South Africa 3rd Teston Saturday.

South Africa 1st innings 225Australia 1st inningsWarner c Villiers b Steyn . 13Cowan c Kallis b Steyn ..... 0Watson lbw b Philander ... 10Lyon c du Plessis b Steyn .. 7Ponting lbw b Philander .... 4Clarke de Villiers b Steyn .. 5Hussey c Smith b Morkel 12Wade b Peterson .............. 68Hastings b Peterson ......... 32Johnson b Peterson ............ 7Starc not out ....................... 0Extras (lb 5) ....................... 5Total (all out) ................. 163Fall of wickets 1-3, 2-18, 3-34, 4-35, 5-43, 6-45, 7-100, 8-140, 9-162, 10-163Bowling ............. O-M-R-WSteyn .................... 16-4-40-4Philander .............. 16-0-55-2Morkel ................. 13-6-19-1Peterson .............. 8.1-1-44-3South Africa 2nd inningsPetersen c & b Johnson .... 23Smith c Lyon b Starc ....... 84Amla not out .................... 99Kallis not out ................... 17Extras (lb 6, w 1) ............... 7Total (2 wickets) ........... 230Fall of wickets 1-28, 2-206Bowling ............. O-M-R-WStarc ..................... 10-0-76-1Watson ................... 5-2-17-0Johnson .................. 7-0-35-1Hastings ................. 8-0-47-0Lyon ....................... 7-1-38-0Hussey ................... 1-0-11-0

Tariq clinchesCNS Amateur Golf

ChampionshipSALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Tariq Mehmood ofPakistan Navy played outstand-ing game and has won the Chiefof Naval Staff Amateur GolfChampionship contested here atthe Royal Palm Golf Course.

On the final day of this threedays event, Tariq Mehmood didwonders for him as he forcefullyand gallantly stoppedGhazanfar’s march to victory andthrough solid play he wiped outthe overnight deficit of eightstrokes and then in a playoff withGhazanfar he went on to birdiethe first playoff hole and stamphis name on the Chief of NavalStaff Trophy.

While Tariq was composedand in control over the final eigh-teen holes and in particular theclosing three holes, the overnightleader and dominant one over thepast two rounds found his put-ting touch and feel rebel againsthim and he was made to look likea novice and a competitor in to-tal disarray.

Earlier in the morning whenthe Championship startedGhazanfar looked radiant and hismarch on the first hole reflectedthe walk of a proud winner butthen nature has its own ways ofpassing the final judgement andas the holes were played appar-ent was Tariq’s superiority andby the end of the first nine holesthe stroke deficit was down fromeight to four strokes and on theback nine the slide for Ghazanfarpicked up pace and on the lastthree holes Ghazanfar facilitatedhis rivals victory march by threeputting the last three holes.

The die had been cast and onthe first playoff hole Tariq lookedbrilliant and in a mood to kill andthat is what he did bringing loudcheers from his fans and support-ers and in the process capturingthe trophy.

Netherlands trouncePak in Champions

Trophy openerME L B O U R N E—Pakistan’sdream start to the ChampionsTrophy turned into a nightmareas they fell 3-1 to the Nether-lands, while Germany downedNew Zealand 3-2 on Saturday.

Despite being underdogs,Pakistan took it right up to thehighly-fancied Dutch outfit,scoring the opening goal of thePool B match.

But the Netherlands’ disci-pline and overall superiorityshone through, scoring the lastthree goals of the game.

Pakistani coach AkhtarRasool Chaudhry said there wasmuch to like about the team’sefforts given the inexperienceamong his players.

“I think both teams playedwell. Our midfield played muchbetter but our forwards missedtoo many chances. I think wewill improve in the nextmatches,” he said.

“My team is on the way up,we are building our team anddeveloping a good team. This isa start and I hope in one year wewill have a very good team.”

Pakistan did the majority ofthe early attacking, howeverthey were unable to generategenuine shots on goal.—AFP

LAHORE—Multan steamrolledQuetta by 10 wickets in their firstGroup A Faysal Bank T-20 Cupmatch at the Gaddafi Stadium inLahore. After putting Quetta in,Multan’s fast bowlers, AbdurRauf and Mohammad Irfan,struck thrice in the first threeovers to reduce Quetta to 16 for3. The situation got worse forQuetta with the introduction ofspin in the sixth over as left-armspinner Zulfiqar Babar struckwith this second ball. Babar con-tinued his stranglehold as hepicked up two more wickets offconsecutive balls in his secondover and finished with incrediblefigures of 4-2-3-2. Irfan, whocame back tobowl the seven-teenth over,cleaned up thetail as Quettawere bowled outfor 72. In re-sponse, it tookMultan’s open-ers Zain Abbasand SohaibMaqsood just 11overs to over-haul the target.

L a h o r eEagles beatHyderabad: Buoyed byopener Imran Farhat’s secondT20 century, Lahore Eaglesscored a comfortable 58-runwin over Hyderabad. Farhat,who remained unbeaten on 100off 58 balls, launched an attackwith his opening partnerTaufeeq Umar, who scored 65,to bring up the team’s 100 inthe sixth over.

The two batsmen put up168 runs for the opening standwhich set-up the base for theteam’s 224-run total.Hyderabad remained on tracktill the halfway stage as openerSharjeel Khan single-handedlyfought on. Sharjeel remainedunbeaten on 103, an inningslaced with eight sixes and fiveboundaries, but didn’t receive

support from the rest of the cast.For Lahore, Asif Raza andJunaid Zia were botheconomical and picked up twowickets apiece.

Sialkot beat Islamabad:Defending champions Sialkotcompleted a commanding eight-wicket win over Islamabad intheir first match. Islamabad, whochose to bat, struggled to forcethe pace and lost regular wicketsfrom the start. Fast bowler UmaidAsif was the pick of the bowlers,picking up three wickets for 21runs while Navel-ul-Hasanpicked up two as Islamabad wererestricted to 122. In response,Imran Nazir scored a quick half-

century and was out after takingthe team only 19 short of the tar-get in the thirteenth over. ShoaibMalik and Haris Sohail, bothstayed unbeaten on 21, and com-pleted the chase without any fur-ther hiccup.

Karachi Dolphins beatPeshawar: Shahid Afridi ledKarachi Dolphins to a 40-run winagainst Peshawar with a half-cen-tury that lifted the team from aslump in the middle to a strongtotal of 164. Karachi Dolphinslost their first wicket off the firstball, but Shahzaib Hasan attackedwith a flurry of boundary hits toscore a quick 33 off 14 balls. Butthree wickets went down for sixruns slowing the Dolphins down.But Afridi held one end togetherand stayed on the crease till thenineteenth over to ensure the

team got to a decent total.Peshawar stumbled early in thechase when they were reduced to20 for 4 in the fifth over, but a68-run stand between IftikharAhmed and Akbar Badshah res-urrected hopes of a fight back.However, once Afridi removedthe half-centurion Iftikhar,Peshawar collapsed and were allout for 124.

Bahawalpur beatRawalpindi: Opener ImranullahAslam’s quick-fire 89 off 53 ballshelped Bahawalpur beatRawalpindi by 19 runs. Aslam at-tacked from the start by dispatch-ing Yasir Arafat for five fours inthe third over of the match. He

went on to hit 12boundaries andtwo sixes in totalbefore falling inthe nineteenthover and helpedthem post 173.Rawalpindi fal-tered at the startas they lostopener Awais Ziaoff the fourth ballfor a duck.Naved Malik andBabar Naeemkept them in the

hunt, with Malik scoring 51 from22 balls, with nine fours and asix. But his dismissal triggered amiddle-order collapse andRawalpindi managed 154. Siddiqwas the pick of the Bahawalpurbowlers finishing with figures of3 for 22.

Lahore Lions beat KarachiZebras: Soon after being ap-pointed the captain, MohammadHafeez scored a half-century tohelp Lahore Lions beat KarachiZebras by seven wickets. Chas-ing 142, the strong Lions teamwas not put under any pressureat any stage and even though theylost their openers with the scoreon 60, Hafeez and Umar Akmalused their experience and re-mained in control. The two bats-men shared a 67-run stand whichcame off 47 balls. —Agencies

Faysal Bank T-20 Cup

Multan start with 10-wicket win

MEDITATION can be extremely effective at preventing winter ailments like cold and flu, according

to a new research. Adults who meditatedor did moderately intense exercise, suchas a brisk walk, for eightweeks suffered fewercolds than those who didnothing, according to astudy from the Universityof Wisconsin?Madison.

Previous research hasfound that mindfulnessmeditation may improvemood, decrease stress,and boost immune func-tion. Some of the earliestreferences to meditationare found in the HinduVedas.

Around the 6th to 5thcenturies BCE, other formsof meditation developed inTaoist China and BuddhistIndia. The new study di-vided 149 people intothree groups. One per-formed mindful meditation, a type of medi-tation that essentially involves focusingthe mind on the present, the Daily Mailreported.

Another group jogged regularly foreight weeks while the third group did noth-ing. The researchers then followed thehealth of the volunteers through the win-ter from September to May, although theydidn‘t check whether or not people car-ried on exercising or meditating after theeight?week period. The participants wereobserved for cold and flu symptoms suchas a runny nose, stuffiness, sneezing, and

sore throat.Nasal wash samples were collected and

analysed three days after the symptomsbegan. The study, found that meditatorsmissed 76 per cent fewer days of work from

September through to Maythan those who did nothing.Those who had exercisedmissed 48 per cent fewerdays during this period. Inaddition, mindful meditationcan reduce the duration orseverity of acute respiratoryinfections such by up to 50per cent, and exercise by upto 40 per cent.

According to thewebsite ScientificAmerica, those who hadexercised or meditatedsuffered for an average offive days; colds of partici-pants in the control grouplasted eight. In addition,tests confirmed that theself-reported length ofcolds correlated with the

level of antibodies in the body, whichindicate the presence of a virus.

“Nothing has previously beenshown to prevent acute respiratory in-fections,” said lead author Dr BruceBarrett, a family medicine doctor and as-sociate professor at the University.

“A lot of previous informationsuggested that meditation and exer-cise might have prevention benefits,but no high-quality, randomised trialhad been done,” Barret t said. “Flushots are partially effective, but onlywork for three strains of flu each year.

Meditation can stave offcold and flu: Study

KARACHI: Rangers soldiers patrolling the streets during operation against the members of a defunct organization in Manghopir area.

KARACHI: Oxford University Press launched book “Law in a World of Change”.Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was presented book on the occa-sion— PO Photo by Imran Gillani

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—Chief Justice ofPakistan (CJP) Justice IftikharMuhammad Chaudhry haslauded the contribution of lateJustice Sabihuddin Ahmed tothe jurisprudence of Pakistanthrough his logical and in-sightful judgements.

He was speaking as chiefguest at the launching cer-emony of ‘Law in a World ofChange: Selected Essays inmemory of JusticeSabihuddin Ahmed’ here onSaturday.

The CJP said that thebook is a timely and befitting

CJP launches ‘Selected Essays inmemory of late Justice Sabih’

tribute to an icon for thebench-bar community.

“Let me acknowledge andlaud the hard work done bythe editors of the book, Bar-rister Kazim Hassan, Barris-ter Nausheen Ahmed, MsSanaa Ahmed and BarristerSalahuddin Ahmed in bring-ing out the edition. This vol-ume of essays has been con-tributed by eminent scholarsranging from the judges ofthe Supreme Court of Paki-stan to practicing lawyers,academicians and humanrights activists, both fromPakistan and abroad.

This volume seeks not

only paying tribute to lateJustice Sabihuddin Ahmedabout how he had influencedPakistani jurisprudence butalso advanced the march formuch needed legal academicdiscussions and debates inPakistan, covering issues likeindependence of judiciary,doctrine of basic structureunder Constitution of Paki-stan, post-2007 transforma-tion and future course of theSupreme Court of Pakistan,dawn of constitutionalism inPakistan, reformatory con-cept of punishment in theadministration of justice, ju-dicial activism and restraint.

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—A grand opera-tion launched by Rangers inManghopir area of Karachiearly Saturday morning ledto the unearthing of an ex-plosive manufacturing fac-tory, arrest of some key ter-rorists and recovery of hugecache of weapons.

The operation contin-ued for more than six hoursand 200 personnel stormedinto the factory and tookinto possession large stockof ammunition. An allegedsuspect, said to be an activ-ist of a banned outfit , isamong the six suspectsnabbed from the scene. Theoperation was overseen bysenior officers through he-licopter.

Sindh Rangers termedthe action a big success andare awaiting clues from vari-

Rangers operation

Explosives factory unearthed,terrorists arrested

ous terrorists arrested.Manghopir is said to be thestronghold of terrorists andhas had involvement invarious incidents in theprovince.

Rangers have arrestedmore than 100 suspect,some of whom were re-leased after interrogation.

Meanwhile, the dwell-ers of Manghopir localityheld protest demonstrationagainst the operation anddemanded release of the in-nocent residents. It shouldbe mentioned that Karachihas long been witnessingan unending violence withgory incidents of targetedkillings taking place ondaily basis which has ad-versely irked the citizensbesides affecting trade ac-tivities.

On the other hand un-abated targeted killing and

violence continued to claiminnocent lives in the city astwo more people were killedand several others injuredin violent incidents here onSaturday. According to de-tails, unknown miscreantsthrew two bodies stuffed ingunny bags near Meethadararea of Karachi and man-aged to flee.

Police said that theslained were subjected totorture before being killed.The bodies were shifted toCivil Hospital Karachi formedico-legal formalitieswhere identity of the de-ceased was yet to be con-firmed.

Firing incidents contin-ued in different areas of thecity during which eight per-sons sustained wounds.The injured were shifted todifferent hospitals of con-cerned areas.

Former PM ChMuhammad Ali’sdeath anniversary

observedSTAFF REPORTER

K A R A C H I — D e a t hanniversary of former PrimeMinister ChaudhryMuhammad Ali was markedhere on Saturday. ChaudhryMuhammad Ali was born onJuly 15, 1905 at Jalandhar. Heattained his M. Sc. degree in1927 from the University ofPunjab. During the drafting ofthe partition plan, ChaudhryMuhammad Ali was one of thetwo secretaries to the PartitionCouncil, presided over by LordMountbatten. In 1951, hebecame the Finance Minister andin 1955, Prime Minister of thecountry. Under his leadership theConstituent Assembly adoptedthe 1956 constitution of theIslamic Republic of Pakistan. Hedied on December 01, 1980.

Seminar to motivatehandicapped people

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—In order to cel-ebrate the International Day ofHandicapped people, the De-partment of Special Education,University of Karachi, is orga-nizing a seminar on ‘Remov-ing barrier to create an inclu-sive and accessible society forall’ on December 3 at 10:00 amin the Arts Auditorium. Univer-sity of Karachi Vice Chancel-lor, Prof. Dr M Qaiser will pre-side over the event.

Monthly newsletterof Dept of MassCommunication

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—The Departmentof Mass Communication,University of Karachi, haspublished its English monthlynewsletter ‘Media Mirror’. AUniversity spokesman said onSaturday that the newslettercontains the Department’sacademic and extra curricularactivities and articles relatedto education and media.

38 criminalsshifted fromHyderabadto Karachi

KARACHI—Thirty eight pris-oners allegedly involved inheinous crimes and terroristactivities have been shiftedfrom Hyderabad to Karachiafter three and a half month.

The shifted prisoners areaffiliated with variousbanned groups which in-cluded Tehreek e Taliban,Lashkar e Jhangvi and SipahSahaba. They were shiftedfrom Central Jail Karachi toHyderabad in August.

Akram Lahori of bannedLashkar e Jhangvi is alsoone of the prisoners whowere shifted in August fromKarachi to Hyderabad due toa terror threat in the me-tropolis.

On the orders of IG Jail,the prisoners have beenshifted back to Karachi.—INP

MQM publicgathering today

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—MQM founderand leader Altaf Hussain willaddress a huge public gath-ering today, at JinnahGround Azizabad, at 3pm.

The gathering will also beattended by all wings of theMQM including, all office bear-ers, workers, members of printand electronic media, reporters,journalists, intellectuals etc.

The MQM Central Co-ordination Committee hasappealed to the dignitaries,traders, industrialists, busi-nessmen, labour, peasants,women, civil societylabourers, the middleclass,lower class, upper class andbelievers of all sects, andreligions, to come and at-tend the gathering in largenumbers.

KARACHI—Leadings edu-cators, artists, athletes, ce-lebrities and media joinedhands with the SpecialChildren’s Educational Insti-tute (SCEI) here at an eventheld in connection with theInternational Day for Per-sons with Intellectual Chal-lenges.

The SCEI, in a statementhere on Saturday, said that theevent was aimed at promot-ing social change. It said thatthere were prominent speak-ers, art exhibits, interactivestalls, Sunflowers VocationalCentre products, and com-

Need for social acceptance ofspecial children highlighted

munity service awards givento youth during the event.

The aim was to create ac-ceptance in the society byshowcasing the talents andpotential of these childrenover the years and theprogrammes and facilities thatare required by them day today, it added. During theevent, there was a special pre-sentation on the ‘CuddleProject’, which is an initiativeto collaborate with schools toconduct workshops to createunderstanding of develop-mental disabilities throughlive experiences.

The workshops consist ofa series of activities that stu-dents do while being fittedwith specially designed toolsthat limit some of their visual,perceptual and fine motorabilities.

Once students experiencethese difficulties they gain abetter sense of what it feelslike to have limitations thuscreating empathy rather thansympathy.

“ think that social changeis a direct result of how we raiseour children. If we want tochange the way society dealswith persons with disabilities

we have to change the wayour children see them”, saidSaima Haq, SCEI Principal.That is why I strongly believethat an initiative such as TheCuddle Project, if carried outin collaboration with our lo-cal schools will change oursociety because it is an exer-cise that creates empathy”,she added.

The SCEI event was at-tended by prominent educa-tors, artists, celebrities and starsportsmen, including formerPakistan cricket captain ZaheerAbbas and hockey legendIslahuddin Siddiqui.—APPKARACHI: Hindu women weeping at the site of the demolished Dolly Temple in

Garden Area.

KARACHI: President Awami Muslim League Sheikh Rashid Ahmad called on Pir SahabPagaro at Raja House

YOUNGER adults who suffered astroke were often smokers or hadabused drugs or alcohol, according to

a U.S. study that looked at over 1,000 pa-tients.

Strokes are often thought of as a condi-tion of the elderly, but re-searchers said long-termchanges in the heart, arter-ies or and blood as a resultof drug abuse or heavydrinking may put users athigher-than-average riskearlier in life.

“Substance abuse iscommon in young adults ex-periencing a stroke,” wrotelead researcher Brett Kisselafrom the University of Cin-cinnati in the journal Stroke.

“Patients aged youngerthan 55 years who experi-ence a stroke should be rou-tinely screened and coun-seled regarding substanceabuse.”

It’s also possible that some drugs, par-ticularly cocaine and methamphetamines,may trigger a stroke more immediately, ac-cording to S Andrew Josephson, a neurolo-gist from the University of California, SanFrancisco, who has studied drug use andstroke but was not involved in the study.

“We know that even with vascular riskfactors that are prevalent - smoking, highblood pressure... most people still don’t havea stroke until they’re older,” he added.

“When a young person has a stroke, it isprobably much more likely that the cause oftheir stroke is something other than tradi-

Drug, alcohol abusetied to early-life strokes

tional risk factors.”According to the U.S. Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, close to800,000 people in the United States havea stroke every year, and they are the mostcommon cause of serious long-term dis-

ability.One study of 2007 data

found that almost five per-cent of people who had astroke that year were be-tween ages 18 and 44.

The current study in-volved people from GreaterCincinnati and Northern Ken-tucky who’d had a stroke be-fore they hit 55.

The researchers re-viewed medical charts forblood or urine test results ofother records of substanceabuse for close to 1,200stroke patients.

In 2005, the most recentyear covered, just over halfof young adults who suffered

a stroke were smokers at the time, and onein five used illicit drugs, including mari-juana and cocaine.

Thirteen percent of people had useddrugs or alcohol within 24 hours of theirstoke.

“The rate of substance abuse, particu-larly illicit drug abuse, is almost certainlyan underestimate because toxicology screenswere not obtained on all patients,” saidSteven Kittner, a professor of neurology atthe University of Maryland School of Medi-cine in Baltimore who also wasn’t part ofthe research.

LAHORE: Gardeners busy in arranging plants and seasonal flowers for preparation of annual flower show at Jilani Park.

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Pakistan MuslimLeague-Nawaz (PML-N) Presi-dent Muhammad Nawaz SharifSaturday said the PML-N is de-termined to make Pakistan amodel of development and pros-perity and the party’s manifestowould provide a clear road mapin this regard.

“The PML-N’s manifesto isnot based upon mere slogansrather it is reflection of practicalsteps and realities,” he said whileaddressing a meeting of thePML-N’s manifesto committeehere at Model Town today.

Among others, the meetingwas attended by Punjab ChiefMinister Muhammad ShahbazSharif, Senator Ishaq Dar, IqbalZafar Jhagra, Sartaj Aziz, Sena-tor Parvaiz Rasheed, HumayunAkhtar Khan, Shahid KhaqanAbbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, TariqAzeem, Marvi Memon, Ch.Jaffer Iqbal and other party lead-ers. The meeting discussed vari-ous proposals on education,health, price hike, unemploy-ment, load shedding and foreignaffairs.

Nawaz called for makingproper use of energy resources toachieve the goal of developmentand prosperity in the country. Healso said that environment con-ducive to investment is a must togenerate more and more employ-ment opportunities apart fromachieving the goal of economicdevelopment. He said the PML-N would devote all out energiesfor bringing economic turnaround in the country, if voted topower. He said the PML-N mani-festo for the next elections envis-ages revolutionary measures forprogress and public welfare. Hevowed to the take the country outof darkness and into light.

He said that crackdownagainst the ‘extortion’, whichwas collected in the name of tolltax, was initiated in the tenure ofPML-N. He made it clear thePML-N did not believe in poli-tics of allegations but the con-structive criticism.

Sharing views on education,sources said the participants be-lieve that education must becomenumber one national prioritysince it is the key driver of eco-nomic and social progress.

They said, education is also

the greatest single equalizer ofsociety and mass education canhelp to solve most of our prob-lems.

An educated, technologicaladvanced and progressive soci-ety is the aspiration of all thepeople of Pakistan. About health

sector, the PML-N think tank systhere can be no development andwithout a healthy nation. Paki-stan has lagged behind other de-veloping countries in terms of itssocial development. They saidthe PML-N remains committedto social sector development and,inter-alia, pursues the policy ofproviding quality health care toall citizens in all parts of thecountry.

Meanwhile, Punjab ChiefMinister Mian Shahbaz Sharif onSaturday said that people should

reject the corrupt and plundererleaders in upcoming general elec-tions as the Punjab governmentbelieved on development of thecountry and to do service tomasses. Shahbaz Sharif said thiswhile talking to MPAs from dif-ferent districts of the province

who called on him here Saturday.He said that incompetent andcorrupt current rulers of the fed-eral government had made mas-sive corruption in every sectorand project which created vastchallenges for the country.

He said that Punjab govern-ment had made record develop-ment and progress in the provinceby removing corruption of previ-ous corrupt government, addingthat his government had promotedtransparent system in the country.Shahabaz Sharif said that interna-

tional institutions had also appre-ciated the development and trans-parent system promoted by thePunjab government. He urged thenation to reject corrupt and incom-petent rulers in the upcoming gen-eral elections.

LAHORE: PML-N President Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif chairing Party manifesto com-mittee meeting. Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Secretary GeneralIqbal Zafar Jhagra, Sartaj Aziz, Ishaq Dar, Maryam Nawaz and others also present.

Nawaz set to build Pakas development model

LAHORE: Federal Minister for National Heritage and Integration Samina Khalid Ghurkilistening to the complaints of people in her Constituency.

LAHORE—President of the Pa-kistan Medical and DentalCouncil (PMDC) Prof SyedSibit Ul Hasnain on Saturdaydisclosed that 70 per cent fe-male students did not practiceafter becoming doctor.

Speaking as chief guest ata “White Coat Day “ ceremonyof Shaikh Khalifa Bin ZayedAl-Nahyan Medical and DentalCollege here, he said that ac-cording to PMDC data, the re-maining 30 per cent joined themedical profession and only 10per cent pursued higher studies.

He called upon the parentsand in-laws of lady doctors, inthe larger national interest andfor the welfare of society, to al-low their daughters and daugh-ters-in-law to practice or join the

medical profession because thenation spent billions of rupees ontheir education.

He said that the PMDC hadliberalised its decades-old policyon merit to promote qualitymedical education in the coun-try with public-private sectorpartnership. He said that 76medical and dental collegeswere registered in the country in2007 which as a result of pru-dent polices of PMDC, havenow swelled to 125 with an ad-dition of 25,000 new beds.

Prof Syed Sibit Ul Hasnainsaid that PMDC had computer-ised faculties of all medical anddental colleges and both self-fi-nanced Agha Khan Medical Col-lege and Shakih Khalifa BinZayed Al-Nahyan were adjudged

the best medical institutions inthe country equipped with thelatest medical gadgets and excel-lent faculties.

About academic achieve-ments of the newly admitted firstyear medical students, he said,“They are the best of the bestbecause only 90 students got ad-mission on merit out of a total of3500 applicants.” He called uponthe new students to inculcate thesprit of “the best of the best hu-man being” as well if theywanted to earn good repute infuture in the medical profession.He said the patient-doctor rate inPakistan was very low comparedto other underdeveloped coun-tries across the globe and thecountry needed at least 6,500 newdoctors every year.

Former SZH Chairman andDean Prof Dr Anwaar A Khan,Dr Zafar Iqbal Chauhdary, ProfAyyaz Ali Khan, Prof Saluat,Prof Ajmal Hussain Naqvi, ProfMuhammad Usman Khan andother senior faculty memberswere also present.

Earlier, Principal, Chair-man and Dean SZH Prof ZafaqIqbal in his welcome addressadvised the students to pursuequality eduction and learn fromtheir high-profile teaching fac-ulty.

He said that new studentswere lucky to have obtained ad-mission to the college on meritwhich he claimed was the bestin the country in terms of edu-cation and practical under oneroof.—APP

‘70pc girls dislike practiceafter obtaining MBBS degrees’

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Two robbers includ-ing a proclaimed offender werekilled while another managed toflee in exchange of fire with po-lice in the wee hours of Satur-day.

The police arrested fourmembers of inter-provincial rob-bers and recovered snatched mo-torcycles and arms from theirpossession.

According to DSP CIA RiazShah, the police raiding party ona tip off regarding presence ofrobbers conducted raid at a

house in Tibi City area ofLahore.

The robbers started firing atpolice and tried to flee. In retal-iatory fire of law enforcers, tworobbers including a proclaimedoffender Kashif alias Hero andAhsan Shah were killed whiletheir one cohort taking advan-tage of the darkness managed toescape.

Police said that deceasedKashif hailing from BadamiBagh Pulli was wanted by vari-ous police stations for his in-volvement in murder of fourpeople in Shahdara as a profes-

sional killer and injuring sevenothers in Tibi City. Besides, hewas also involved in kidnappingfor ransom.

Meanwhile, anti-motorcyclelifting staff arrested four mem-bers of robbers gang and recov-ered 22 snatched motorcycles,arms and mobile phones fromtheir possession.

The nabbed gang headed byTahir Sunaira in the preliminaryinterrogation has admittedsnatching 250 motorcycles fromthe citizens. The detained cul-prits were wanted in more than40 cases.

Police bust robbers gang,two killed in encounter

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Punjab Universityhas awarded 03 PhD degrees tothe scholars in which NighatRizvi D/o Syed Nazir Ali Rizviin the subject of Zoology afterapproval of her thesis entitled“Toxicity of Organ phosphorousand Synthetic Pyrethroid Insec-ticide Mixtures on the Biochemi-cal Components of Stored GrainPest, Rhyzopertha Dominica”,Riffat Jabeen D/o MuhammadRafiq in the subject of Sociologyafter approval of her thesis en-titled “Marital Conflict: Nature,Sources, Consequences andRemedies’’ and Abdul Majeed S/o Abdul Samad in the subject ofEducation after approval of his

PU awards PhD degrees

BA, BSc regulationsamended

thesis entitled “Kashmir KayQadeem Musalmano KayNizam-E-Taleem Ka TehqeeqiJaiza”.The Vice Chancellor has ap-proved the following recommen-dations of the chairman of thecommittee constituted by him inresponse to resolve the queriesraised by the office of the Con-troller of Examinations regardingthe stoppage of appearance of aPrivate/External degree candi-date in B.A/BSc examinationfrom 2014.

Now, a candidate, who wantsto appear as privately in BSc ex-amination with the combinationof subjects having no practicalportion will be allowed. Now, acandidate, who wants to appear

as a private/External degree can-didate in B.A Examination withthe subjects (Elective and op-tional) having practical will notbe allowed. Now, a candidate,who has already passed B.A ex-aminations will be allowed toappear in additional subject/sonly having no practical portion.

Further, that if a student hasappeared and passed in of BScexamination as a regular studentand he/she wants to sit in addi-tional subject/s of B.Sc standardinvolving practical work, he/shewill be allowed to appear in ad-ditional subject/s on producing acertificate from the Principal ofa recognized/affiliated collegethat he/she is completed the prac-tical work.

Results announcedSTAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—PU ExaminationsDepartment has declared the re-sults of MA Economics, Part-II,annual exam 2012 and MSc Sta-tistics, Part-II, annual exam 2012.Detailed results are also availableat PU website www.pu.edu.pk.

Shahbazinaugurates

Gul-e-DawoodiexhibitionSTAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Punjab Chief Minis-ter Muhammad Shahbaz Sharifhas said that if the direction isright, and there is a spirit of hardwork and commitment, allhurdles in the way of progress ofPakistan can be removed and themotherland made a garden offlowers. He said that we havemade Lahore a beautiful city byintroducing modern system ofcleanliness and promoting horti-culture.

He said that the way garbagehas been removed from the pro-vincial metropolis, similarly, thepoliticians can clear the dirt ofpolitical system jointly andhurdles can be removed. He saidthat holding of flowers exhibitionis a welcoming step due to whichbeautiful environment has beenmade available to the citizens. Heexpressed these views while talk-ing to media after inauguratingthe Gul-e-Dawoodi exhibition atJillani Park (Race Course) hereSaturday.

CIA Police arrest3 terrorists

LAHORE—Crime InvestigationAgency (CIA) police have ar-rested three terrorists near Minar-e-Pakistan on Saturday.

According to police, a spe-cial team of CIA Police con-ducted a raid at Minar-e-Pakistanarea and arrested the accused andrecovered 7 Kg explosive mate-rial, four hand grenades, a rifleand Rs 150,000 in cash and bul-lets from their possession.

The terrorists were identifiedas Arshid Ali, Umer Zaib andAmjad who belong to bannedoutfits, the police added.—APP