Ep26december2013

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Killing of labourers in IHK fake encounter

Indian Col among6 faces court martial

SRINAGAR—The Indian Armyon Wednesday decided to indictsix army personnel includingtwo officers for killing threelabourers in a ‘fake encounterwith militants’ three years agoin Indian-held Kashmir.

According to Indian mediareports, the decision oflaunching the case in a militarycourt against six Indian officials,including a colonel, has beentaken after completion of amilitary-level probe of the fakeclash in Kashmir.

Three labourers were killed

in Machil Village of northernKashmir’s Kapwara district inApril, 2010. A case was regis-tered by the local police againstnine Indian army personnel andtwo local residents, whoclaimed that three ‘Pakistaniterrorists’ were killed in theencounter.

Colonel DK Pathania, Ma-jor Upinder and four other per-sonnel would face court martialfor the fake encounter that tookplace along the heavilymilitarised Line of Control(LoC) with Pakistan, reports

quoting Indian army spokesmansaid.

The incident at the time trig-gered riots across the IndianOccupied Kashmir leading tothe deaths of 123 people. Hun-dreds were reportedly woundedin the riots while thousands ofKashmiri youth were detainedas well.

Brigadier Sanga, a seniorarmy officer, led a separate mili-tary-level investigation into theincident.

Pro-liberation groups havebeen fighting Indian forces in

Indian Occupied Kashmir since1989 for the region’s indepen-dence or incorporation with Pa-kistan, in a conflict that hasclaimed tens of thousands oflives.

Rights groups claim that atleast 10,000 people have gonemissing in the 24-year-old un-rest. More than 6,000 unnamedgraves have also been discov-ered in Occupied Kashmir,which according to rights groupsused by Indian troops to dumpdead bodies of Kashmiris killedin fake encounters.—AP

ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain along with Federal Minister for InformationPervaiz Rashid cutting the cake to mark 137th birthday celebrations of Quaid-e-AzamMohammad Ali Jinnah at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Wednesday.—APP photo

Quaid’s birth anniversary at Aiwan-e-Sadr

Let us renew pledge to workfor Quaid’s vision: Mamnoon

Commitment of nation to overcome challenges;Students enthral audience with national songsLIAQAT TOOR

ISLAMABAD—Great resilienceof the people of Pakistan andunfaltering commitment to vi-sion of Quaid-i-AzamMohammad Ali Jinnah will putthe country on path of stabilityand progress.

“Let us pledge that we willwork, individually as well ascollectively, to make Pakistan apeaceful, progressive and pros-perous state”, said President

Mamnoon Hussain while ad-dressing a first- ever ceremonyon birthday celebration of theQuaid at Aiwan-e-Sadr onWednesday.

Information MinisterPervaiz Rashid, senior officialsfrom ministries, students fromvarious institutions, writers andartists attended the festivity.

By following Quaid‘s mes-sage of “Unity , Faith and Dis-cipline”, Pakistan can be rid ofdifferent issues including terror-

ism and extremism, he said. “His thought and vision is

as relevant to us as it was somesix decades ago. Indeed, theneed for following his path andto adhere to the principles ofUnity, Faith and Discipline wasnever as great as it is today”, headded.

Mamnoon Hussain said itwas an occasion to rejoice andto reaffirm the commitment to

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First-ever birthday celebrationof Quaid at Aiwan-e-Sadr

Highest seat to be madecentre for nationalactivities: President

LIAQAT TOOR

ISLAMABAD—A first- ever cel-ebration of birthday of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnahwas held at Aiwan-e-Sadr onWednesday to pay great tributesto the founder of the nation andto radiate a message to the na-tion that the Quaid and his teach-ings should be held in high es-teem, admiration and reverenceat the highest level of the gov-ernment.

Talking to mediapersons af-ter the birthday function of theQuaid, President MamnoonHussain said Aiwan-e-Sadr willbe made a centre of nationallevel activities on literature, edu-cation, health, inter-faith har-mony and socio- economic de-velopment.

Such programmes are beingheld and will further be planned,he said. Information MinisterPervaiz Rashid was present onthe occasion.

Kakul cadetsassume duty atQuaid’s mazar

IRFAN ALIGI

KARACHI—The 138th birth an-niversary of Founder of Paki-stan, the Great Leader (Quaid-iAzam) Mohammad Ali Jinnahwas commemorated with na-tional fervour.

An impressive ceremony ofchange of ‘Guards’ was held atthe mausoleum of Great Leader.Thousands of citizens from fourprovinces, Gilgi-Baltistan andAzad Kashmere witnessed thatprestigious change of guardsceremony.

A smartly turned out contin-gent of Cadets from the PakistanMilitary Academy (PMA),Kakul mounted ceremonialguard at the Quaid’s mauso-

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ZUBAIR QURESHI

ISLAMABAD—On the strongprotest registered by the policegroup, the government hastemporarily shelved the pro-posals to bring three key po-lice forces under the adminis-trative control of the DistrictManagement Group (DMG).

Officers of the Police Ser-vice of Pakistan (PSP) had re-cently warned the governmentagainst any such move. Ac-cording to details, the provin-cial government of the Punjab

DMG-police standoff prevented

Proposals to clip police powers temporarily shelvedis considering to set up a spe-cial force for the newly con-structed Ring Road. The 85-kmlong, 6-lane Ring Road is amega project which is half com-plete and the provincial govern-ment is mulling a separate po-lice force to streamline traffic onthis giant road. According to asource in Punjab Police, thePunjab Home Department hadsent a proposal to the Chief Min-ister secretariat suggesting thatthe force created for the projectshould be brought under the con-trol of the District Administra-

tion, in other words the Dis-trict Management Group.

Another proposal has alsobeen moved suggesting theprovincial government shouldplace an important policewing, Elite Force under theadministrative control of therespective district. If ap-proved, the police chief of therespective district, the DPO,will not be able to move thisimportant force in any emer-gent situation. Besides, thedistrict government has onlyone utility for this important

Pak wantscooperation, not

confrontationwith India PR

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Shunning con-frontational policies, Informa-tion Minister Senator PervaizRashid said on Wednesday Pa-kistan wants an atmosphere ofpeace and stability in the regionfor development and wellbeingof the people.

Talking to mediapersons af-ter birthday function of theQuaid at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the Min-ister while responding to a ques-tion on the recent meeting ofDGMOs of Pakistan and Indiain Lahore, the Minister said

wing i.e. to place them with theministers for security duties,said the official.

According to the police of-ficials the third proposal whichwas all the more agonizing andtook the entire force by surprise,was that the Prime Minister’sproposed Counter-TerrorismForce be given an independentstatus and retired army officersshould be inducted in this forceinstead of the police officers.The Home department of therespected province would con-trol the special force.

Nawaz richest parliamentarian,ECP releases details of assets

ISLAMABAD—The ElectionCommission of Pakistan (ECP)on Wednesday released detailsof assets declared by membersof the National Assembly, withPrime Minister Nawaz Sharifbeing the richest lawmaker hav-ing declared assets worthRs.1.824 billion. MehmoodKhan Achakzai, the chairman ofPakhtunkhwa Milli AwamiParty, takes the last place in thecategory of party heads, havingthe least amount of assets, withonly Rs.0.5 million cash. Ac-

cording to details issued by theECP, the prime minister alsoowns 1,754 kanal land and fourvehicles.

The PTI chairman ImranKhan owns assets amounting toRs.20.96 million. The total assetsdeclared by JUI-F chief MaulanaFazlur Rehman are worthRs29.06 million. While the assetsdeclared by PML-Q leader ChPervaiz Elahi stand at 197.09million. AML chief SheikhRasheed Ahmed has assets worthRs41.8 million. Opposition

leader in the National AssemblySyed Khurshid Shah has Rs26.09million worth of assets.

The assets declared by Pa-kistan People’s Party (PPP)leader Amin Fahim include 306acres of agricultural land held byhis wife and children in Hala,five bungalows in DefenceKarachi worth Rs63 million, afarmhouse in Rawal TownRawalpindi worth Rs13.6 mil-lion, jewellery Rs4.8 million andfurniture worth Rs3.8 million.

“According to our informa-tion the Punjab governmenthad advised the Prime Minis-ter Secretariat to keep the con-ventional police force out of theaffairs of the proposed counter-terrorism force. The proposalwent on to say the retired armyofficers would independentlyrun the force and police was notallowed even to investigate,”said the official.

These proposals amountednot only to clip the powers ofthe police force but also meant

Muslim Brotherhooddeclared terrorist group

CAIRO—Egypt’s military-in-stalled government declared theMuslim Brotherhood of oustedpresident Mohamed Morsi a“terrorist” group Wednesday,banning all its activities, includ-ing demonstrations, ministerssaid after a cabinet meeting.

Deputy prime ministerHossam Eissa said the move-ment has been declared a “ter-rorist” group and social solidar-ity minister Ahmed al-Borei saidthe government would ban all its

activities, including “protests.”The decision is likely to ac-

celerate a crackdown on themovement that has killed morethan 1,000 people, mostly Islam-ists, in street clashes and impris-oned thousands since Morsi’soverthrow by the military in July.

It comes a day after a sui-cide car bombing of a police sta-tion killed 15 people, in an at-tack condemned by the Broth-erhood and claimed by an alQaeda-inspired group based in

the restive Sinai Peninsula.Morsi’s supporters, who

continue to organise near-dailydemonstrations demanding hisreinstatement, insist they arecommitted to peaceful protest.

Eissa said the government de-cided to “punish according to thelaw whoever belongs to this groupor remains its member” after thedecision was adopted. Egypt willnotify Arab countries who signeda 1998 anti-terrorism treaty of thedecision, he added. —AP

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LAHORE—Punjab Chief Min-ister Muhammad ShahbazSharif has re-gretted thatdue to energycrisis, eco-nomic andtrade activitieshave sloweddown in thecountry.

He wastalking to a delegation of Indianenergy experts, here Wednesday

Govt to overcome powershortage: Shahbaz

led by Pawind Parweet Badal.He said, government was deter-mined to overcome shortage ofelectricity and measures are be-ing taken for this purpose.

He said that special incen-tives were being offered to lo-cal and foreign investors to in-vest in energy sector.

The Chief Minister said thatthere were vast opportunities ofsetting up biomass, biogas andsmall hydel projects for genera-

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DUBAI—Actress Veena Malikand businessman Asad BashirKhan Khattak tied the knot onWednesday. The couple hadtheir Nikah ceremony in Dubai.

Actress Veena Malikties the knot

Asad Bashir Khan Khattak,who runs businesses in Dubaiand US, is theson of VeenaM a l i k ’ sfather’s friend.“I’m more thanhappy today, Ithink I’m thehappiest girl inthe world,”Veena Malikbriefly told a private news chan-nel outside the court, claimingthat this is an arranged marriage.

“Destiny just plays its part,we were destined to be there onthis particular day,” she said.Veena Malik avoided sharingfurther details, but said “you willjust get to know the details verysoon.”

The actress further saidthat Asad had promised her awhite wedding in the US. Asadsaid their parents wanted themto get married as soon as pos-sible.

He added that weddingfunctions would be held inDubai, US and Pakistan. —INP

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Two rocketshit US embassyin KabulKABUL—Two rockets fired bythe Taliban struck the UnitedStates Embassy in Kabulshortly before dawn onWednesday, sending hundredsof American diplomats and aidworkers based at the missionscrambling into fortifiedbunkers to start their Christ-mas Day, the embassy said.

There were no reports ofcasualties at the embassy. ButAfghan officials said thatanother two rockets hit otherparts of the city and that threepolice officers were woundedwhen one of the rockets, whichhad not exploded on impact,detonated as they were tryingto defuse it. The other rocket,which did explode on impact,did not cause any casualties orinflict significant damage, saidGen. Zaher Zaher, the policechief of Kabul.

PM, UN chiefdiscuss South

Sudan’s securitysituation

UNITED NATIONS—The UNSecretary General Ban Ki Moonin a telephonic conversationwith Prime MinisterMohammad Nawaz Sharif hasdiscussed the overall securitysituation in South Sudan.

The conversation was partof UN Secretary General’s con-tacts with world leaders, seek-ing their support to bolster thecapacity of UN peace-keepingmission in South Sudan.

The UN peacekeeping mis-sion in that country is assignedto protect civilians from theworsening violence which hasso far displaced tens of thousandof people.

Some forty five thousandpeople are now seeking protec-tion at the United Nations Mis-sion in South Sudan.

The UN Secretary Generalis endeavoring to add five thou-

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Christians celebrateChristmas amid

tight security

ISLAMABAD—Like other partsof the globe, the Christian com-munity in Pakistan celebratedthe holy festival of Christmaswith religious zeal and enthusi-asm amidst tight security.

Christians started their cel-ebrations at midnight by sing-ing hymns and offering prayers.The day started with specialprayers at Churches. They alsoprayed for peace and harmonyin the country.

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Armed menkidnap eightcoal miners

QUETTA—A group of armedmen kidnapped eight coal minersfrom Shahrag area of Harnai dis-trict, about 167 kilometers fromQuetta, in the early hours ofWednesday. They were sleepingin their makeshift camp near thecoalfield when a group of armedmen besieged their camp and kid-napped them at gun point. “Initialinvestigation suggests that one ofthe Baloch separatist groups hadkidnapped these coalminers.

“The coalminers belongedto Khyber-Pakhtunkwa and amanhunt has been initiated in thearea,” a senior official said.

He added that Baloch sepa-ratist groups often kidnap coalminers in order to bar miningcompanies from extracting coaland other resources.

A couple of years ago,Baloch separatist groups hadwarned the companies not tocarry out any project inBalochistan, threatening to targetthe companies if they engaged insuch activities.—Online

Shujaat for APCon country’seconomic crisisSTAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Pakistan MuslimLeague-Quaid (PML-Q)President Chaudhry ShujaatHussain Wednesday urged theprime minister to call an allparties conference to deal withcountry’s economic crisis.

“We have becomeeconomically frail,” ChaudhryShujaat Hussain noted whileaddressing a ceremony held onthe occasion of Quaid - e -Azam’s birth anniversary here.

The PML-Q chief said thatpolls were rigged in the pastand feared that it wouldhappen in the future too. Hetermed the holding of protestsand sit-ins as the democraticright of everyone.

Shujaat said that his partyis the one founded by Quaid eAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

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4th ODI: Hafeez,Ajmal steerPakistan to seriesclinching winABU DHABI—MohammadHafeez notched his third

hundred of the serieswhile off-spinner SaeedAjmal grabbed fourwickets to help Pakistanbeat Sri Lanka by eightwickets in the fourthone-day international on

Wednesday.Hafeez finished with 113

not out for his ninth one-dayhundred as Pakistan knockedoff their modest 226-run target

in the 42nd over to take anunbeatable 3-1 lead ahead ofFriday’s fifth and final match.

Pakistan had restricted SriLanka to 225 all out in 48.5overs with Ajmal (4-39) andpaceman Umar Gul (3-37)sharing the spoils.

Hafeez, who hit hundreds in

Earlier story on Sports Page

SHER GONDAL

MANDI BAHAUDDIN/PESHAWAR—Chrismas cel-ebrations started in MandiBahauddin district onWednesday. In this connec-tion a function was held atTMA Hall. Besides membersof Christian Community gov-ernment officials includingTMO Tahir Sandu, RevenueOfficer TMA Mirza AshrafBeg, and Media persons par-ticipated in the function.

To start with Chrismascake was cut that was fol-lowed by collective prayer forprosperity, peace and stabil-ity in the country. Addressingthe function Christians pas-tors and local leaders stressedthe need to create harmonyamong followers of all the re-ligions.

They said minorities inour country were being madetarget of terrorism and dis-crimination against them was

Christmas celebrationson rise. They said people be-longing to minorities were notsafe in the country. This trend,he said could be controlled withforging brotherhood amongpeople belonging to differentreligions.

The true spirits of Christmaslies in the fact that you forgivethose who have done you harmand help those who are less for-tunate. While celebrating Christ-mas we should not forget the lessprivileged ones, they added.

The speakers included Pas-tor Yaqoob, Chriatian local lead-ers Shamoul, Taj Mahmud, Wil-liam Sajid, Munawar Gill, andAtif Rafique. Speaking on theoccasion the TMO said Chris-tians are our brothers and wecongratulate them on the eve ofChrismas. He said Muslims jointhem in celebrations ofChrismas and wish them happi-ness.

He said Government underleadership of Nawaz Sharif wasstriving for their welfare and

providing them equal opportu-nities in walk of life.APP adds: The Christians com-munity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwaand Federally AdministeredTribal Areas (FATA) on Wednes-day celebrated Christmas with apledge to work for progress, de-velopment of Pakistan and peacein the society. Main congregations wereheld in Saint John Cathedral andMichel Catholic, Peshawarwhere need of tolerance, interfaith harmony and co-existencein society was emphasised in theChristmas sermon. The churches were decoratedwith lighting and buntings look-ing very festive look. Christmastrees were also decorated in theChristian households and giftswere also exchanged.

Christmas packages werealso distributed among poorChristians on this occasion.Special security arrangementswere made at the churcheswhere close circuit cameras and

walk through gates were in-stalled. Special services werealso offered for victims of AllSaints Church bombing atPeshawar.

Interim President ofAwami National Party whilecongratulating the Christiancommunity on their holy oc-casion, said sacrifices andstruggle of the Christianscommunity for progress anddevelopment of country is nothide from any one eye. Hesaid Christian community hadrendered outstanding perfor-mance in every sectors espe-cially in health and educationand worked hard for establish-ment of peace and non vio-lence in the society. The KP Governor andChief Minister also congratu-lated the Christian commu-nity on their holy occasion ofChristmas and expressed thehope that they would continuetheir role for progress and de-velopment of Pakistan.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

MANDI BAHAUDDIN: Dis-trict Officer Coordination ChMuhammad Afzal Warriach ina meeting with fertilizersdealers and shopkeepers fixedprices of fertilizers under Sec-tion 3 of Punjab Essential Ar-ticles Control Act 1973.

On this occasion DO Ag-riculture and Deputy Control-ler Agriculture was alsopresent. Renewed rates werefixed as under: Local Ureafifty KG bag for Rs 1800, Im-ported NFML 50 KG bag forRs 1650.

The DOC directed shop-keepers to display the rates inbold letters at vantage pointsin front of their shops. Pur-chasers should be givenproper receipts and no oneshould violate fixed rates.

He said these rates wouldbe implemented from todayand any one found involved

Fertilizers prices fixedovercharging would be pun-ished, he warned.

Meanwhile, District andSessions Judge Ikram Suhailvisited District Jail and re-leased 11 under trial prison-ers involved in minor crimi-nal cases on personal suretybonds.Senior Civil Judge AhmedKamran and SuperintendentJail Muhammad Akram ac-companied him. He inspectedprisoners’ barracks andchecked cleanliness. He metprisoners and inquired theirproblems.

He visited jail cook houseand tested food and expressedsatisfaction over its stan-dard.

He then went of jail hos-pital and checked availabilityof medicines and other medi-cal facilities in the hospital.He enquired patients abouttheir health and prayed fortheir speedy recovery.

MULTAN—With remarkablechanges in lifestyle, advance-ment in technology and fastermeans of communication fortransport purposes, the use ofindividual’s eco-friendlycheaper transport “bicycle” ison rapid decline.

The declining use of bi-cycles in our lives have not onlyincreased intra-city transportcongestion but also deprivedcitizens of a healthier physicalactivity. There are morethan one billion bicycles in usein the world. Netherlands iscalled the country of cyclists as99 percent population use it andthe average distance cycled byper person is nearly 2.5kilometre in a day.

After Netherlands, Den-mark with 80.1 percent, Ger-

Bicycles losing ground; depriving publicof physical exercise in daily life

many with 75.8 %,Sweden with63.7 %, Norway with 60.7 %,Finland with 60.4%, Japan with56.9 %, Switzerland with 48.8%, Belgium with 48 % andChina with 37 % are the leadingcountries in use of bicycle bycitizens.

The first bicycle was usedby German citizen Karl VonDrais in 1818. Karl Drasisworked on device which henamed as “Laufmaschine”which means a running ma-chine. It was made of wood. Anindividual have to push feet onground to ensure the movementof the machine. Later on, after40 years, Pierre and ErnestMichaux, the father and son, in-troduced pedals in the machineand this machine resembled thetoday’s bicycle.

In Pakistan, there was a timewhen presence of bicycle wasinevitable in any house but nowthe situation has changed be-cause of use of motorcycles.

Though, motorcycles raisedcitizens’ expenses but also de-prived them of a healthy physi-cal activity.

In America, citizens use bi-cycles for keeping them fit whilePakistani citizens have entirelyignored its benefits for health.

Muhammad Faisal, a dealerof bicycle at Shaheen Market(Multan) talking to APP saidthere was nearly 60 percent de-crease in sale of bicycles. Heinformed that he used to sellnearly 700 bicycles in a monthon average but now the sale hasreduced to nearly 300 bicycles.

He informed that a large

number of bicycle-mechanicshave switched to other businessas they found no future in repair-ing of bicycles.

Talking about cause of lowsales of bicycles, Faisal said thatmotorcycles were being pro-vided to citizens by differentdealers on easy instalmentswhich attracted the users. Hehowever added that the sale ofkids’ bicycles was good still butthe adults were reluctant to usebicycles because of low statussymbol. According to sources inbicycle industrial units, the saleof bicycles had dropped signifi-cantly. However they are reluc-tant to share production figures.

Dr Fakharul Islam ofNishtar Hospital told that thatone hour cycling burned 600calories and the users felt posi-

tive about themselves.Noted local journalist

Hameedul Hassan, using bi-cycle for last 25 years, statedthat mystery of his fitness wascontinous use to bicycle. Headded that he used to covernearly 20 kilometre distance aday. He added that he has notfallen prey to problems relatedto blood pressure, diabetes orother diseases.Now his friendsare convincing him to start us-ing motorcycle.

Civil society workerJameel Ahmed (ChairmanTPO), who is concerned aboutthe rising pollution, wantspeople to return back to use ofbicycle, which will evidentlysave precious foreign ex-change spent on import ofpetrol.—APP

Man killed ascar hits

motorcycleSWAT—A man was killed andanother injured when an overspeeding vehicle hit a motor-cycle here on Wednesday.

Police said that the accidenttook place at Saidu Sharif Roadof Swat where an over speedingcar rammed a motorcycle carry-ing two persons.

One of the motorcyclistswas killed on the spot while theother sustained serious woundswho was rushed to local hospi-tal for treatment.

The driver responsible foraccident managed to escapefrom the scene and police regis-tering a case, started search forhim.—INP

ISLAMABAD—19th death anni-versary of noted Urdu poetessParveen Shakir’s death anniver-sary will be observed on Thurs-day. Parveen Shakir, 42, waskilled in a road accident on De-cember 26, in 1994.

Quran Khawani will be heldon the occasion and prayers willbe offered for peace and eternaljoy of the departed soul. Promi-nent literary figures will also layfloral wreaths on the grave oflate poetess at the H-8 Grave-yard.

Thereafter a function will beheld in Lahore at 4 p.m.bythePakistan Post Office to inaugu-rate the commemorative stampbeing brought out by the Paki-stan Post.

Born on November 24, 1952in Karachi, she was a noted Urdupoetess, teacher and a civil ser-vant. She did her master in En-glish Literature and Linguisticsfrom Karachi University.

She was a professor atKarachi University and TrinityCollege, Connecticut, USA, for9 years before joining the Civil

Parveen Shakir’s 19thdeath anniversary today

Commemorative stamp to be brought outService, where she served in theCustoms department. In 1986,she was appointed second sec-retary, CBR in Islamabad.

In 1990, she taught at Trin-

ity College, Connecticut, USA,and then did her masters in pub-lic administration at HarvardUniversity in 1991. She marriedNaseer Ali, a doctor by profes-sion, whom she later divorced.

She is survived by her son, SyedMurad Ali.

Her unique honor was thatwhen she appeared in the Cen-tral Superior Services Examina-tion in 1982, there was a ques-tion on her poetry in Urdu lit-erature paper.

Her poetry was a breath offresh air in Urdu poetry. Sheused the first person femininepronoun, which is rarely used inUrdu poetry even by female po-ets. The feminine perspective oflove and the associated socialproblems were her theme. Crit-ics compare her poetry to thatof Iranian poet ForoughFarrokhzad.

Her first book, Khushboo,won the Adamjee Award. Latershe was awarded the Pride ofPerformance.

Upon her death, the ParveenShakir Trust was established byher close friend, Parveen QadirAgha.

The Parveen Shakir Trustorganizes a yearly function andgives out the Aks-e-Khushboaward.—Online

GUL HAMAAD FAROOQI

CHITRAL—A day long seminaron mobilization of maximumparticipation of women in localgovernment election held was atRural Community DevelopmentProgram (RCDP) Chitral in col-laboration with StrengtheningParticipatory Organization(SPO).

Former director informationYousuf Shahzad was chief gueston the occasion while the cer-emony was presided over byM.I. Khan Sarhadi advocateformer district Zakat Chairman.Engineer Temour Shah Coordi-nator RCDP briefed the partici-pants about importance of par-ticipation of women in localgovernment election and howthey can change the system.

He stressed upon the minor-ity women participants from

Participation of womenin LB polls urged

Kalash community to must par-ticipate in upcoming local gov-ernment election and play vitalrole in development of your ar-eas.

Highlighting objectives ofthe seminar Temour Shah saidthat most of our women folk arebarred from casting their votebut you must raise voice againstit because this is your constitu-tional right to cast your vote infavor of suitable candidate aswell as you also can participateas woman candidate.

Director information YousufShahzad highlighted importanceof women participation in localgovernment system. He empha-sized on women folk to mustcontest upcoming election onwomen seat as general coun-cilor. Women have 33% quotain any election he added.

Brining positive changes in

the country women must shouldto come forward whose popula-tion is more than half of totalpopulation. Muhammad IsmailKhan Sarhadi advocate briefedthe women folk on legal pointof view that this is their legalright to participate in any elec-tion.

The speakers highly hailedthis informative seminar andstressed upon for its continua-tion for creating awarenessamong the women folk espe-cially women from minority(Kalash). Kashmala Afroz asmall baby presented poem.Those who spoke on the occa-sion were FazalAhmad, BibiNasreen, Nadia Gul , AminaBibi, Tasmia Iqbal and KowakiKalash. A large number ofwomen folk from all segmentsand different valleys participatedin the seminar.

QUETTA—The Quetta Devel-opment Authority (QDA)Wednesday suspended its threeofficials including two directorsover charges of corruption.

According to QDA sources,the three officials of the author-

Three QDA officials suspendedity were removed from theirpositions for alleged involve-ment in issuing fake allotmentletters in Hazar Gunji scheme.

The cases of the suspendedofficials will be referred to anti-corruption court for probe, the

authority sources said. Mean-while, QDA has also decided totake action against is former di-rector state commercial for mis-appropriation in developmentprojects during his time in of-fice.—INP Ban lifted on

edu of class-fouremployees

PESHAWAR—The PeshawarUniversity lifted the ban on edu-cation of serving class four em-ployees on Wednesday.

The Peshawar Universityadministration had imposed banon education of the employeesof low grades serving in the uni-versity some three months ago.A statement released by the uni-versity administration said thatall employees of grade three andfour are free to get educationalong with duty which will helpin enhancing their professionalskills besides institutional pro-motion.

The university employeesworking in and under grade fourhave lauded the administrationfor its decision and said that itwill help them to move aheadinstead of remaining on samepost and position.—INP

Free medicalcamps held in

Orakzai AgencyHANGU—Political Administra-tion in collaboration withOrakzai Scouts here Wednesdayorganized free medical camps toensure provision of free medi-cal camps to people of far flungareas at their doorsteps.

Assistant Political AgentLower Orakzai Agency, MowazKhan told that these camps wereheld at Mushti Mela, Jhalka,Mailaa and Kalaya.

He said that highly qualifiedteam of medical professionalsexamined 2100 patients of chestand ophthalmic diseases.

He said that diagnostic testswere conducted besides givingfree medicines to deserving andpoor patients while serious pa-tients were referred to Kohat andPeshawar hospitals.

Locals of the area appreci-ated the endeavours of politicaladministration and suggestedmore camps in future. Comman-dant Orakzai Scouts, Col.Rizwan Maqbool was alsopresent on the occasion.—APP

LEAs seize hugeweapons cachefrom Karachibound vehicle

MASTUNG—Law enforcementagencies recovered a hugecache of arms and ammunitionfrom a Karachi-bound pickupduring checking at Kirdgap areaof Mastung district on Wednes-day.

Deputy CommissionerMastung Mehrab Shah saidthat LEAs officials stopped aToyota pickup at the checkpost and recovered as many as62 AK 47 r if les(Kalashnikov), 30 pistols,bullets, two telescopes andtwo silencers from its hiddencavities.

He said the seized weaponswere being smuggles to Karachi.However, driver of the vehiclemanaged to escape.

Mastung Levies registereda case after taking the vehicleinto custody.—APP

Arrangements forShaheed BB’s

death anniversaryLARKANA—Pakistan PeoplesParty (PPP) Women WingLarkana Division will set up areception camp in Garhi KhudaBakhsh on the occasion of the6th death anniversary of assas-sinated chairperson of PPP andformer premier ShaheedMohtarma Benazir Bhutto.

This was decided in PPPPWomen Wing meeting, held hereWednesday, in connection withthe sixth death anniversary ofShaheed Benazir Bhutto.

Divisional President PPP(Women Wing) Larkana andformer Sindh minister forWomen Development Depart-ment Ms Tauqeer FatimaBhutto, presided over the meet-ing. The meeting discussed andfinalised the arrangements forthe 6th death anniversary ofShaheed Benazir Bhutto.

It was also decided that theparty leaders and workers fromvarious parts of the country willparticipate in the death anniver-sary programmes.

Ms Tauqeer Fatima saidthat the workers of PPP WomenWing from Larkana Divisionwill perform their duties as vol-unteers in Garhi Khuda BakhshBhutto on December 27,2013.—APP

HYDERABAD: Christian performing their religious rituals at Saint Jan Arif Church during the Christmas celebrations.

HYDERABAD: PPP workers attending condolence reference for Shaheed BB.

CHINIOT: A view of long queue of vehicles at CNG station for refuelling.

PESHAWAR—The people ofKhyber Pakthunkhwa andFata like elsewhere in thecountry, celebrated the137th birth anniversary ofFather of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad AliJinnah with national spiritand enthusiasm onWednesday.

On this occasion,people renewed theirpledge to strictly adhere toQuaid e Azam’s golden prin-ciples of Unity, Faith andDiscipline and will tirelesslyin their respective profes-sions to make Pakistan astronger, developed anddemocratic welfare-state.

Today is a public holi-day and national flag is be-ing hoisted at all the gov-ernment buildings in all ma-

KP, FATA people celebrate Quaid’s birthday with national enthusiasmjor cities of KhyberPakthunkhwa and Fata asmark of respect and to payhomage to the great leaderwho had changed the courseof history and world geogra-phy through purely consti-tutional and peacefulstruggle.

The day dawned withspecial prayers in mosquesfor eternal peace of the de-parted soul of Quaid-e-AzamMuhammad Ali Jinnah andprosperity, peace and devel-opment of Pakistan and lib-eration of muslims occupiedterritories.

In his message on thisimportant occasion, theKhyber Pakhtunkhwa Gover-nor, Engineer Shaukatullahwhile conveying the Quaid-e-Azam’s message of hope,

courage and confidence tothe nation has stressed toreiterate the commitment toadhere to his principles ofunity, faith and discipline;maintain unflinching unity intheir ranks and make moreproductive, constructive andfruitful contributions for en-suring overall national integ-rity, security, developmentand prosperity of the coun-try.

Meanwhile, a number ofpolitical, social, cultural andeducational organisationshave organized differentprogrammes to mark this mo-mentous occasion in a befit-ting manner. In this connec-tion, a declamation conteston topic of the personalityand struggle of Quaid eAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

for the creation of Pakistanwas held at Greenwich Pub-lic School Charsdda RoadPeshawar where speakersthrew light on the life andpolitical struggle of Father ofthe Nation. The function waspresided over by PrincipalNasir Ahmed Khan and wasattended by students andparents besides elites of theCity in large number.

Paras Ejaz, a 9th gradestudent said that Quaid eAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnahwas a great statesman whocreated a separate homelandfor the Muslims of SouthAsia through a peaceful andconstitutional struggle.“Quaid-e-Azam stood forconstitutionalism, rule of law,respect for human rights, andequality and his slogan of

‘Unity, Faith and Discipline’had inspired the Muslims ofthe subcontinent to achievePakistan.” He said Mr. Jinnahhad desired that all citizenshould have equal opportu-nities of education, health,progress, freedom, justiceand fair play and it a high timeto strictly follow his prin-ciples to address issues facedby the country’s today.

Haris Khan, a 5th classstudent said Quaid e Azamwas a principled and far-sighted statesman and evenhis opponents had acknowl-edged his flawless and exem-plary character.

“Our beloved Quaid hadnot only led the freedomstruggle to its successfulcompletion but also tookpractical steps to determine

basic contours of polity andgood governance.” Histhoughts and ideas are stillbeacon of light for the na-tion, Khan added.

The other speakers paidhomage to Father of theNation’s constant and un-bendable courage that hadresulted the creation of Paki-stan on world map on August14, 1947. They said thebest tributes to Quaid e Azamon his 137th birth anniver-sary are that every personshould work hard in theirown selected fields and pro-fessions to make Pakistan aprogressive and developedmulsims welfare state.

The PAF Fazaia DegreeCollege Peshawar also cel-ebrated the birthday ofQuaid e Azam with national

enthusiasm. A function washeld in this connection atPAF Fazaia College Peshawarwhere headmistress of theJunior Section, Maimoonawas the chief guest on theoccasion. Principal of theCollege Air Commodore(retd) Shakeel Pervez andHeadmistress of SeniorSchool Section Mrs SabaMansoor were also presenton the occasion.

Students from Junior andSenior school sections andcollege all participated. Na-tional songs and tableauswere presented which wereapplauded by the audience.

Musawir of Class 9th,Walid of 10th and boys fromthe college sung nationalsongs. Students of juniorschool also presented tab-

leaus based on the life ofQuaid-e-Azam MuhammadAli Jinnah.

TV and Radio channelsare presenting specialprogrammes on the life,struggle and achievementsof the Quaid-e-Azam, whilethe newspapers havebrought out special supple-ments to highlight this mo-mentous day.

Similarly, special func-tions were also held at allthe agency headquarters ofFata where national songsand debate competitionsamong students held.

The befitting way to paytribute to Quaid-e- AzamMuhammad Ali Jinnah is toforge unity, work hard forprogress and prosperity ofthe country.—APP

CommissionerB’pur reviews BB

bridge’s workKHANPUR—CommissionerBahawalpur Capt (R)Asadullah Khan on Wednes-day visited Chachran Sharifand reviewed the pace ofunder construction BenazirShaheed bridge over RiverIndus.

Project Director NHAHusnain Ali briefed the Com-missioner about the bridgeproject at FWO camp office.

He said that work on twophases of bridge project wasin progress which include N-5 Chachran approach roadand shuttering of bridge onRiver Indus while tenders forphase-III of the project hasbeen invited which would beopened on December 31.

The Commissioner ex-pressed satisfaction over thepace of construction work onbridge and said that he wouldpresent a report in this regardto the Chief MinisterPunjab.—APP

HYDERABAD: Relatives of missing persons march to Press Club as they participate in a rally organized by Voice ofBaloch Missing Persons taking them to Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD: PML (N) Leaders Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Zafar Ali Shah, Tariq Azeem, Siddiq-ul-Farooq and others cutting the cake during a ceremony to celebrate the birthday ofQuaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at PML (N)Secretariat.—PO photo by Sultan Bashir

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—The KhyberPakhtunkhwa Governor, En-gineer Shaukatullah has saidthat the government is ac-tively engaged in improvingquality of socio-economicuplift services both in theprovince and FATA.“Whether it is education orhealth sector or economicdevelopment activities, thereis tremendous scope for mak-ing useful contribution toserve the humanity”, headded.

Addressing annual din-ner of the Rotary Club Inter-national; a non governmentorganization at Governor’sHouse, Peshawar on theGovernor appreciated the or-ganization for its supportwhich it has been renderingfrom time to time to the gov-ernment in its efforts to helpthe people in their hour ofneeds.

The ceremony was also

Govt to improve quality ofsocio-economic uplift services

addressed by provincial min-ister for Health, Mr. ShaukatYousafzai, Vice Chancellor ofKhyber Medical University,Prof. Dr. Hafeezullah and ex-President of the Club, Prof.Dr. Zafar Iqbal while USAbased renowned heart phy-sician, Prof. Dr. Naeem Khan;a member of the club intro-duced a new initiative titled;“Association of PakistaniDescent (origin) Cardiolo-gists of North America”.

The Governor while ap-preciating the humanitarianservices which the RotaryClub International has beenrendering especially men-tioned its role and servicestowards eradication of thecurse of “Polio” and con-gratulated the members forbeing part of this worthwhileorganization.

He also lauded the rolewhich the organization hadbeen rendering towards tak-ing care of the IDPs and theflood affected people of the

province in particular. Healso extended special felici-tations to Dr. Naeem Khan forhis spirit and thrust to makemore useful contribution to-wards well being of the suf-fering humanity in his homecountry, Pakistan.

Provincial Minister forHealth, Mr. ShaukatYousafzai while addressingthe ceremony especiallymentioned the importance ofthe role and contribution ofoverseas Pakistanis towardseconomic well being of thepeople and the country andwished them to be more effi-cient and generous in futureas well.

“A number of overseasPakistani doctors are alreadyin contact with the govern-ment who are desirous to helpin strengthening the healthsystem in the province andwe would provide themample opportunities to con-tribute purposefully”, hesaid.

Rich potentialISLAMABAD—Governor PunjabChaudhry Muhammad Sarwar on Tues-day said that rich potential is availablein Pakistan to make progress in everyfield of life. He said that there is nodearth of talent in this country, addingthat there is only need to utilize the po-tential in a proper manner. He said thatPakistan had gained the GeneralizedScheme of Preferences (GSP) plus sta-tus due the support of the Europeanmembers of the Parliament and Inta Com-

mittee. He said that Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharifand Chief Minister Punjab are very keen to take this coun-try forward in every field of life. Governor Punjab said thatevery parliamentarian should develop communication withthe members of the European Parliament so that better im-age of the country could be promoted in a befitting manner.He urged philanthropists and Overseas Pakistanis to comeforward and play role for the people of this country. Reply-ing to a question he said that water filtration plants hadconstructed in different parts of the Punjab to provide cleandrinking water facility to the masses. Chaudhry MuhammadSarwar urged philanthropists and Overseas Pakistanis tospend the money on the welfare schemes so that the com-mon man could avail the benefit and make the progress forthis country. He said that Chief Minister Punjab ShahbazSharif had initiated several development projects includingclean drinking water so that the people could avail basicnecessities of life at their doorsteps. To another questionhe said that there is need to develop national consensus toconstruct dams in the country. He said, “It is the responsi-bility of all the think-tank and provincial governments totake measures for the construction of dams to meet thewater requirement and produce cheap electricity for thecountry.”—APP

Minorities enjoy rightsISLAMABAD—Federal Minister for Portsand Shipping, Kamran Michael onWednesday said that minorities are en-joying their rights in Pakistan and per-forming due role in the society. Helauded the steps of the Pakistan Mus-lim League Nawaz (PML-N) governmentfor providing foolproof security to theminorities so that they could celebratetheir traditional festival in a befittingmanner. He said that Punjab governmenthad started a scheme of “Sasta Bazar”

to provide commodities at affordable prices on Christmasday. Federal Minister appreciated the PML-N governmentfor helping the deserving and poor people. Expressing hisheartfelt greetings on the happy occasion, he said thatPakistan had made special arrangements for the peoplebelonging to minorities to celebrate the day with zeal andfervor. Kamran Michael said that Founder of PakistanQuaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had also worked forthe rights of the minorities. Replying to a question he saidthat minorities had special quota for obtaining jobs inPakistan. It is pertinent to mention here that addressing aceremony held to celebrate Christmas on another day,Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the minority groupsare enjoying equal rights in Pakistan. He said that somemisguided people are creating a chaos in the country atthe pretext of religion. PM said that the minorities haverendered laudable services for the country’s prosperityand defense. He commended the role and services of mi-nority communities in Pakistan Army, bureaucracy, judi-ciary and parliament. The prime minister said misleadingpeople do not attach any importance to the mosque, templeor church.—APP

NAZIR SIYAL

LARKANA—Chief MinisterSindh Syed Qaim Ali Shahpresided over a high levelmeeting to review the ar-rangements and finalized theprogram for 6th Martyrdomanniversary of slain Chair-person PPP Shaheed BenazirBhutto to be observed on27th December 2013 here atCircuit House Larkana onWednesday.

Chief Minster SindhSyed Qaim Ali Shah also vis-ited the Garhi Khuda BuxBhutto and laid floral wreathon mazar of founder PPPShaheed Zulifqar Ali Bhuttoand offered Fateha for thepeace of departed soul.

He was accompanied bySpeaker Sindh AssemblyAgha Siraj Durani, Provin-cial Minster ManzoorHussain Wassan, MNAMuhammad Ayaz Soomro,MPA Muhammad AliBhutto , MPA KhursheedAhmed Junejo and other lo-cal PPP leaders.

Syed Qaim Ali Shah vis-ited the mazar of former PrimeMinster of Pakistan andSlain Chairperson PPPShaheed Benazir Bhutto,late Begum Nusrat Bhutto,Shaheed Mir MurtazaBhutto and ShaheedShahnawaz Bhutto andplaced floral wreaths on theirgraves and offered thefateha for the peace of de-parted souls.

Talking to media men

Qaim reviews programmefor BB’s anniversary

Syed Qaim Ali Shah saidthat all set to hold local bod-ies election in time in Sindh,nomination papers for up-coming local bodies electionwill be provided from 26thDecember 2013 in Sindh, itwill cause the disturbancesdue to death anniversary ofShaheed Benazir Bhutto tobe held on 27TH December2013, adding that electioncommission should havechanged date of nominationforms however Sindh gov-ernment has taken preven-tive measures to avoid therigging.

He said that Local Bod-ies election will be held onparties bases on transparentand fair manner, in this re-gard PPP has prepared it selffor the forthcoming election.

While, CM Sindh Shahsaid law and order situationis better as compared topast, adding l bodies elec-tion will be carried out inSindh in time with free, fairand transparent manner sothat masses could exercisethe vote of vote to elect theirrepresentatives.

Chief Minster Sindh di-rected to concerned officialscomplete ongoing develop-ment works at Garhi KhudaBux Bhutto and ensures theavailability of all required fa-cilities to masses throngingat mausoleum of ShaheedBenazir Bhutto to pay herglowing tribute on her greatsacrifice for sack of democ-racy and country.

SHER GONDAL

MANDI BAHAUDDIN—Ex-servicemen paid homage toQuaid-e-Azam MuhammadAli Jinnah on his 137th birthanniversary for creating Pa-kistan as homeland for Mus-lims of South Asia where citi-zens belonging to all religionscould lead their lives withpeace and enjoy equal rights.

They held a meeting inthis connection under ar-rangement of Pakistan ex-servicemen Society. Veteranssaid it was a long struggle forfreedom that led to emer-gence of Pakistan.

They regretted that aftercreation of Pakistan aspira-tions of Pakistanis were notfulfilled. Referring to goingon turmoil’s they said all ma-jor parties are in power butthey were battling for morepowers and strength to pro-mote their self interests.

For this they were usingtactics of holding sit-in, pro-

Ex-servicemen payhomage to Quaid

tests that engage all securityforces for their protection.They public is left on themercy of God.

They are busy in causingdivision among the public onthe basis of religion, prov-inces, cast etc which had re-sulted into terrorism and sui-cidal attack which are mainreasons for insecurity in thecountry. The rulers are get-ting rich and their bank ac-counts inside and outside thecountry are swelling.

They had virtually forgot-ten the vision of our Quaid andtheir self centered policies werebringing hunger to the public.Only two classes of the peoplethat are rich and the poor areleft and middle class had beeneliminated. They said theywere part of armed forces andthey would defend Quaid, sPakistan on the perils of theirlives. They urged the rulers tofollow the vision of the Quidand bring prosperity and sta-bility in the country.

Strengthening Pak-UAE tiesISLAMABAD—Speaker National Assem-bly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Wednesday saidthat frequent parliamentary exchangesbetween Pakistan and the United ArabEmirates would help further strengthen-ing ties between the two countries. In ameeting with Mohammad Ahmad Al Mur,Speaker of Majlis Watani Itihadi, Houseof the Federal National Council UAE atDubai, the Speaker NA said Pakistan andUnited Arab Emirates enjoyed close fra-

ternal relations which were deep rooted in shared history,culture, and heritage, said a press release. He said Pakistanileadership and its people valued its bond of fraternity andlook forward to expand cooperation with UAE in all fields.The Speaker of the National Assembly invited the Speakerof Majlis Watani Itihadi to visit Pakistan along with someparliamentarians which was accepted. Mohammad AhmadAl Mur said that visit of Pakistan was always a pleasingmoment for him. Paying tribute to the founding father ofPakistan, the Speaker said that Quaid-e-Azam MohammadAli Jinnah was a great visionary leader who envisionedPakistan to be a moderate, democratic, peaceful and pros-perous country. He said that the present government wasmoving in the right direction and would succeed in restor-ing peace and tranquility in the country. Commenting onthe radicalism, Mohammad Ahmad Al Mur said that noMuslim was better than the other. “When ProphetMuhammad (peace be upon him) himself said “I do notknow how Allah will receive me, then how can someonemake judgment about others,” he added. He said that dif-ference of opinion was `sunna’ and moderation is spirit ofIslam. The Speaker of Majlis Watani Itihadi said that Paki-stan held bright future keeping in view its vast natural andhuman potential. He opined that Pakistan would becomeone of the leading countries in the Muslim World by intro-ducing reforms according to the world’s best practices.Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said the Pakistani leadership and itspeople acknowledged UAE’s contributions and coopera-tion for the development of Pakistan.—APP

GH O T K I—Sindh FoodMinister Jam MehtabHussain on Wednesdaysuspended seven food in-spectors over misappro-priation charges.

Talking to media personshere, Jam Mehtab Hussainsaid that the seven food in-spectors were removed fromtheir posts after they were

Jam Mehtab suspends 7 food inspectorsfound guilty in corruption inthe department.

He said that cases of sus-pended corrupt officials havebeen referred to NationalAccountability Bureau(NAB) and anti-corruptiondepartment. Jam Mehtab saidthat investigation against adeputy director, a districtfood controller and 23 food

inspectors allegedly in-volved in corruption, wasunderway.

The provincial ministerclaimed that out of Rs6.6 mil-lion plundered amount of thefood ministry, Rs40 millionhave been recovered whilethe remaining will also berecollected from the ac-cused.—INP

Women shot deadBASHIR AHMAD REHMANI

HAFIZABAD—A young mar-ried woman was shot at andkilled on-the-spot by hercousin in Garhi AwanHafizabad today.

According to policesource, deceased Khadija D/o Malik Muhammad Youniswas married to Faisal inNowshera Virkan recently butdue to her strained relationswith her in-laws she returnedto her parents house aboutfifteen days back.

ISLAMABAD—Mainly coldand dry weather is expectedin most parts of the countryduring the next 24 hours.

However‚ upper parts ofthe country will remain un-der the grip of cold for nexttwo to three days.

Light rain with chances oflight snowfall over the hillsis expected at isolated placesof Malakand division andGilgit-Baltistan.

Cold and dry weather isexpected in most parts ofKhyber- Pakhtunkhwa dur-ing next 24 hrs, however lightrain with snowfall over thehills is expected at isolatedplaces of Hazara divisions.Dry weather likely over mostparts however light rain/snow is expected in Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir. Ear-

Cold‚ dry weather expectedin most parts of country

lier, Pakistan MeteorologicalDepartment (PMD) forecast

isolated rain with snowfallover the hills in Malakand,Hazara, Rawalpindi divisions,Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The Karachi Met Office onWednesday forecast a dryweather with cool or cold nightand hazy morning in the me-tropolis during the next 24hours. It said the minimum tem-perature is expected to remainin the range between 09 and 11degrees centigrade.—APP

SCBA presidentcalls on CS

QUETTA—President Su-preme Court Bar Association,Kamran Murtaza called onChief Secretary BalochistanBabar Yaqoob FatehMohammad here at Civil sec-retariat on Wednesday.

CS facilitated AdvocateKamran Murtaza for assum-ing office of SCBA presi-dent and hoped he wouldwork for the welfare oflawyers’ fraternity andwork for early disposal ofthe case of people incourts .

SCBA president on theoccasion said that judiciarywas playing its pivotal rolefor the prompt justice to thelitigants knocking the door ofcourts for resolution of thelegal issues.—APP

Dar to benefit fromprivate sector input

AFTER taking a number of bold steps for reforming the ailingeconomy, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has restructured the Economic Advisory Council with a view to getting private sector in-

put in policy formulation and implementation. The composition of theCouncil is broad-based as it includes towering personalities from differ-ent fields with relevant background and knowledge, which means thatthey would be in a position to make meaningful contribution to addresseconomic woes of the people and the process of economic development.

It is unfortunate that even after 67 years of independence, Pakistan isstill confronted with problems and crises of fundamental nature and couldnot achieve the desired pace of growth because of lack of interest andcommitment on the part of successive governments and inconsistency inpolicies. No doubt, in the past too, some Governments and leaders initi-ated prudent policies but regrettably these were abandoned as soon asthey departed from the scene. There is also a legitimate perception thatpolicies are generally framed by bureaucrats while sitting in cozy officesand these are mostly detached from the ground realities and therefore, donot produce the desired or intended results. Policies are directed at differ-ent segments of the society and they can yield positive results only ifinput from people of varied background is sought. The kinds of problemsfacing the economy at the moment demand out-of-box solutions so as toaddressing the ills and make a quantum jump but for understandable rea-sons bureaucracy is not ready to go for innovations and prefer hackneyedapproach. Therefore, constitution of Advisory Council consisting of peopleof repute and integrity would surely make a difference but for this tohappen the Government will have to allow the Council to play a proactiverole. Advisory committees, councils and consultants are there almost inevery sphere of life / Ministries but they are seldom allowed to play theirrole. We would, therefore, urge the Government and especially the Fi-nance Minister to hold regular consultative brainstorming sessions withmembers of the Council on economic issues. Every member should knowwell in advance what is the agenda so that he can make his contributionand once there is consensus the policies should be pursued in letter andspirit, ignoring ifs and buts from vested interests.

Give peace a chancein the Subcontinent

DGMOs of Pakistan and India on Tuesday reiterated the resolve andcommitment of both sides to revitalize existing mechanisms for en-

suring ceasefire, peace and tranquillity on the Line of Control [LoC].Coming at the end of a year that saw an unprecedented number of cross-border violations since the 2003 ceasefire agreement came into place, themeeting between the two senior officers is a positive development andwould help in overcoming issues that lead to exchange of fire and tensionbetween the two armies.

At the end of the meeting, a joint statement emphasised their commit-ment to maintain the sanctity and ceasefire on the LoC and agreed to re-energise existing mechanisms. It was a step forward that the two sidesdeveloped a consensus to make Hotline Contact between the two DGMOsmore effective and result oriented and that two flag meetings betweenBrigade commanders will be held on the LoC in the near future to sort outthe issues at the local level. On the face of it, the agreement may be seenas a small step but it reflects the mindset and input of the armies andpolitical leadership who are serious to overcome misunderstandings. Theatmosphere in which the meeting took place after fourteen years showsthat in the days to come similar more initiatives may come to build trust.We are sure that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif whose priority is to bringpeace in the subcontinent will be satisfied because it was he who pro-posed the DGMOs face to face meeting to his Indian counterpart Dr.Manmohan Singh in New York. Because of animosity between the twomajor neighbours, lot of blood has been shed and time has come to givepeace a chance in the subcontinent. No doubt there are a number of out-standing issues between the two countries and it is the foremost responsi-bility of the political leadership to resolve them on the negotiating tableinstead of suspending dialogue under one pretext or the other. Therefore,we would impress upon the leadership in both the countries to build trust,resolve the lingering issues and cooperate with each other to fight pov-erty, which is our real enemy.

Rising number ofrapes of minors

PUNJAB Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif Tuesday took notice ofthe alleged rape of a minor girl in Lahore, seeking a report from Po-

lice while ordering for the immediate arrest of the culprit. According toreports, a drunken landlord allegedly raped the five year old daughter ofhis tenant and escaped from the scene after committing the crime.

Media reports suggest an increase in the number of rape of minors indifferent parts of the country especially in areas of Wadera culture. Thereported incidents are just tip of the iceberg as most of the poor peoplenever dare to lodge a report for fear of life and other reprisals as well asbecause of issues of honour and reputation. Ironically, even the reportedcases are not taken to the logical conclusion by the corrupt and inefficientpolice and judicial system. In September, a five year old girl was repeat-edly molested and thrown outside Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Lahore butpolice is still clueless about perpetrators of the crime. Such an attitude onthe part of the administration, police and the judiciary discourages peopleespecially victims and their families and encourages mentally sick peopleto commit such crimes. Therefore, while appreciating the Punjab CM fortaking notice of the incident, we would urge him to ensure that thesecases are probed thoroughly and culprits not only apprehended but metedout exemplary punishments. The Government as well as the civil societyshould also ponder over the causes of such a phenomenon and take reme-dial steps. We believe that the culture of Westernisation, erosion of Is-lamic and oriental culture and overall brutalisation of the society havemuch to do with this deteriorating state of affairs. Strengthening of ourcultural moorings, quick and inexpensive dispensation of justice and awardof deterrent punishments can surely make a difference.

Profit vs people’s health

Death of anarmsmakerEVERYTHING that is com

plicated is useless; everything useful is simple.” That

was the motto of a man who de-signed one of the most popular‘gadgets’ of the modern world, aphilosophy that would heartily havebeen endorsed by many contempo-rary innovators. But MikhailTimofeyevich Kalashnikov was noSteve Jobs or Eric Schmidt. His in-vention, the Avtomat Kalashnikovamodel 1947, the notorious AK-47,has killed more people than anyother firearm in human history.

Born in a collective farm in Si-beria in 1919, the Russian arms en-thusiast, who passed away on Mon-day, invented the assault rifle for theprotection of his motherland. “Ihave no regrets and bear no respon-sibility for how politicians haveused it,” he once remarked. “I amsad that it is used by terrorists. Iwould prefer to have invented amachine that people like farmerscould use, like a lawnmower.”Kalashnikov designed the weapontowards the end of World War II,but it was rarely ever used for theprotection of the former SovietUnion. The authorities outsourcedproduction of the weapon to fran-chises in its satellite states in East-ern Europe and to regimes in Chinaand North Korea. During the ColdWar, AK-47s were exported to guer-rillas waging war against colonialregimes and later even to terroriststaking on established governments.Fans and users of the deadlyweapon have venerated it over theyears. Osama bin Laden was pho-tographed with the assault rifle,Afghans have weaved its designsin their carpets, the Mozambiquenational flag features an AK-47with a bayonet attached to the bar-rel, and American rap singers haveglorified the weapon. Kalashnikovonce claimed that even Americansoldiers dumped their M16 rifles inVietnam, picking up AK-47s fromopponents felled in skirmishes. Theinventor of the deadliest and mostpopular weapon in human history,however, never gained financiallyfrom his rifle. Though he was be-stowed with many prestigiousawards by the erstwhile Soviet rul-ers and the present Russian regime,Kalashnikov led a simple life in theUrals. The weapons designer, whoalso wrote poems, always aspiredto be a poet; perhaps modern his-tory would have been different hadhe pursued his literary ambitions.— Khaleej Times

*****

Growingnumber of

obesechildren

THERE is a serious need forparents in the UAE to weighthe benefits of providing their

children with gadgets against thelong-term damage they cause. Thelatest findings by Unicef regardingthe rising levels of obesity in chil-dren in the UAE validate this ap-proach. With one in three childrenbeing found to be obese due to aninactive lifestyle, the cause for con-cern cannot be ignored. Irrespectiveof the modern concepts of parenting— from helicopter to snowploughand all other styles in between —the fact is that modern parents takean inordinate and misplaced pridein their children’s ability to masterthe workings of ipads andsmartphones.

While technology and digitalnativisation have their place in achild’s life, they cannot replace theimportance of the fundamentalbuilding blocks of growth and all-round development — activelifestyle, outdoor activities, healthyfood and a robust spirit of inquiryabout the world around them. Assuch, the efforts of Unicef, in col-laborating with the Ministry of Edu-cation, to launch a pilot phase withpublic schools in Dubai to monitorand improve the lifestyles of chil-dren is a great start to stem the tideof obesity. With the unflattering dis-tinction of being the eighth mostinactive country in the world, theUAE should embark on vigorous,as well as rigorous, campaigns totackle obesity, inactivity and junkfood indulgences in children. Afterall, today’s poor statistics of theyoung are tomorrow’s unwantedproblems. — Gulf News

MEDIA WATCH

A TV advertisement campaignis dinned in our mind thesedays that says ‘Use Safe Milk

free from all kinds of adulterations’by multinational companies estab-lished with the sole purpose of mo-nopolizing the milk market for mint-ing money, which is the purpose ofcapitalism through democraticcorporatecracy. The entire world hasbecome victim of this malice of foodadulteration; morality and honestyhave been thrown to winds, corrup-tion is ruling the roost and nobodyis that clean as they are stating.

Today all the ills and curses thatafflict human degeneration are anundesirable gift forced upon man-kind by the capitalist world market.Open market economy, global vil-lage and WTO have been the won-der throwing their tentacles into ourfood by launched GM technology infood production, substituting natu-ral food items by synthetic ones.Whatever agro-based food items areproduced and marketed from GMlinked seeds is harmful for certainareas due to environmental reasonand hazardous in its impact on hu-man organism. Laws exist to pun-ish the food adulterators but enforce-ment of law has been compromiseddue to glittering dollar.

Take for example recent case ofpublic uproar in US and West againstextraction of fossil earth depositsthat are harming the ecology of theworld. RT TV program disclosedthat many honourableCongressmen’s pockets have beenfilled by the vested interest groupsto win favour and sabotage move-ment to legislate and block thisharmful business of exploiting re-

sources which are needed tofeed ever growing worldpopulation.What a shame, this is what

we call emancipation ofpeople where democracy andcapitalism flourishes hand in

glove to promote loot and plunder ofstate coffers. Now the world knowsthat it was corruption that motivatedthe 9/11 plot that was launched tocolonize oil and mineral resources ofMiddle East and Central and SouthAsia by George W. Bush & coteriethat led to an unending war on terrordue to which the US defense budgethas multiplied three times what it wasin 1999. The people have no say tostop all this in their own countrywhile US claims to be a Tarzan ofthe world and keeps pushing its ownpeople into bondage again.

An Urdu daily reported the otherday that another case of temperingwith food stuff in Pakistan. Govern-ment officials raided one of leadingdairy food company milk plant inLahore and found that Vanaspati Gheewas used in milk production. So theysealed the factory and strangely themanagement when asked about thisincident came out owning this factsaying that they use this oil and fertil-izer to develop fat into milk obviouslywithout public having a clue about theprocedures for the production of milkin Pakistan that is causing a numberof diseases. This is by far not the firstcase and the practice of Pakistani milkproducers of tampering with widelyadvertised brands of milk, which hasbeen reported before.

Previously there have been reportsthat some of these big names procuredmilk from vendors who mix 80% wa-ter plus 20% milk and add urea and aparticular brand of Vanaspati Ghee andthen stir this to make a liquid whichbecomes yellowish; then they putchemical used in nails polish remover(Rangkaat) to make it white again andthat is then transported to factories

where it is chilled by these producersto further process and sell it under therebrand name. The company immedi-ately refuted that its product wasbanned and that if it was supposedto be milk. They stated that it hasnever been marketed under the nameof “milk” while on the contrary ispacked and marketed like othertetrapak milk products. This is an-other case that shows how importantand strict regulations of the food mar-ket is starting from a clear definitionof what ‘Milk’ is and taking care thatconsumers are not fooled by confus-ing marketing tricks.

It won’t be out of place to men-tion that many years back a case wasfiled in Lahore High Court by a icecream making company against an-other multinational ice cream makeras not produced from milk and fatsas defined in pure food rules 1965,rather made from vegetable oil. TheSingle bench of High Court orderbanned the sale of Ice Cream, themultinational company chose to goin appeal before a division bench ofLahore High Court that amended thisorder and allowed both companies touse vegetable oil in ice cream. Formerchallenged the decision before Su-preme Court which suspended theorder of the division bench of HighCourt in 1999. It can only happen inPakistan I think that latter is openlyselling and advertising their variouskinds of products and selling in mil-lions without any check by law en-forcement departments against theSupreme Court judgment.

When in a similar case of infantmilk from China was found adulter-ated in US containing ingredients ofMelamine powder in 2007, the UScancelled the import of milk powderfrom China. The Chinese governmentheld an inquiry and in 3 days foundout the facts and owner of companywas put before firing squad to avoidfuture bad name for Chinese prod-ucts. Will this ever happen in Paki-

A weak Pakistan suits India

BHARAT detested the ‘’two-nation theory” ever since itsconception and was bent

upon disproving it, as this theory ul-timately gave birth to Pakistan. In-dia took advantage of the absurdshape of moth eaten Pakistan, inwhich East Pakistan was separatedfrom the western wing by 1000miles of Indian Territory and withno land corridor to link the two prov-inces. There were plans as old as1947 to agitate the minds of theBengalis so that the first blow to the“two-nation theory” could be deliv-ered in the form of severingPakistan’s eastern wing in a matterof one generation from the time ofindependence. A strong Pakistan -the envisioned fort of Islam - did notsuit India, former Soviet Union andIsrael, which viewed Pakistan as afuture threat to their ideologies.

In order to hide their crimesagainst the Muslims of Bengal dur-ing the British rule in India, Indiansworked upon a systematic plan towash off the memories of the pre-partition days and to put the entireresponsibility of impoverishment ofEast Pakistan on the rulers of WestPakistan. They took full advantageof their geographical contiguity andsucceeded in winning over promi-nent Bengali figures of their choiceand also made good use of the af-fluent Hindu population in that prov-ince. They exploited East Pakistan’sdifferences in language, dress, hab-its, food and culture from other prov-

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— Nelson MandelaS African statesman

stan where already a large amountof population is suffering from mal-nutrition and bad healthcare? In Pa-kistan we don’t care for the healthof our people or the name of ourcountry or our products.

In a globalised world andglobalised market with all kinds ofexperiments like genetically pro-duced food, synthetic food and soon there is dire need to define whata product has to be like and how theparameters of health care have to beobserved. Once this is defined itsimplementation has to be checkedand Chinese example of executingthe one who is tempering with foodstuff is an option that surely works.But even 30 years before peoplewere there who did not apply thestrict rules. An effort at that time wasprotecting organisations, civil soci-ety to protect the interests of con-sumers in Pakistan.

Pakistan has a fast growingpopulation that is characterized bygrowing poverty and because of thisby malnutrition and food insecurity.Children die or are imparted in theirphysical and intellectual develop-ment because they don’t get enoughfood, the wrong food or food that ishazardous for their health. Adulter-ated milk and other food items are,therefore, endangering the health ofthe Pakistani population even thatpart of the population that is not poorbut is sold hazardous food for highprices. It is the responsibility of thegovernment to prevent food adul-teration and it is the responsibilityof the civil society and media topressurize the government to fulfillits responsibility, but media is ignor-ing this in frenzy of receiving com-mercial advertisement. Food adul-teration is a crime and should beprosecuted and punished as such, asthe Chinese example has shown.God bless Pakistan.—The writer is Karachi-basedsenior columnist.

inces of Pakistan and subtlyconvinced them that their cul-tural links were with WestBengal and not with West Pa-kistan. They took 24 years towean away the people of EastPakistan from the concept of

united Pakistan and to make themlook towards India – their erstwhiletormentors - to help them gain inde-pendence.

The agitation in East Pakistanprovided a fertile ground for India tolaunch a well-orchestrated propa-ganda to weaken and break up theprovince from West Pakistan. Theyestablished early links with Bengalis,trained them and used them as can-non fodder to wear down the Paki-stani troops. The nine months insur-gency was fully supported by the In-dian Army and their support to therebels was well known to the worldpowers. Having failed to realise theirobjective through the Mukti Bahini,the Indian Army decided to step in ata time when the small contingent ofPakistan Army had been exhaustedand suffered from immense tactical,operational and logistic problems.

East Pakistan grew up as a mis-led nation easily swayed by theHindu brainwashing. Their emo-tional nature saw Indian Hindus astheir saviours against their pre-sup-posed ‘West Pakistani Masters’. Thisis where they blundered and demon-strated political naivety and unaware-ness. The misled emotional Bengalipolitical leaders exploited the pov-erty and illiteracy of the masses ofEast Pakistan. Matiur Rehman in hisbook “Bangladesh Today, An Indict-ment and a Lament, aptly puts acrossthe point. ‘What made both externalconspiracy and aggression possiblewas the existence within of a group

of people led by Mujibur Rehmanwho were prepared to sell theircountry’s independence’.

India and the Hindus residing informer East Pakistan sowed the seedsof destruction of East Pakistan andthe self-serving politicians of Paki-stan nurtured the crop. The circum-stances between 1948 and 1971 ap-pearing on the political canvas ofPakistan placed a shallow politicaland military leadership in the saddleduring the 1971 crisis, which couldnot save the sinking ship. While thesinking could be delayed but the fi-nal outcome was inevitable. It is gen-erally believed that prolonging thewar by another fortnight or so andallowing the United Nations to findsome workable solution could avoidthe premature surrender and thus savethe honour of Pakistan Army. Unfor-tunately, we as a nation have failedto carry out true and objective analy-sis of losing East Pakistan. HamoodurRehman Commission Report that hadascertained the military causes of thedebacle remained a hidden documenttill as late as 31 December 2000.

General Yahya Khan’s ill-fatedtwo and a half-year rule from March1969 to December 1971 hastenedthe process of fragmentation of Pa-kistan. Sheikh Mujibur Rehman andZA Bhutto worked hard to make theIndian game plan of amputating Pa-kistan succeed. Mujib dulypatronised by India misled the oth-erwise loyal people of East Paki-stan from the concept of united Pa-kistan. Bengali nationalism that hadpeaked in the wake of postpone-ment of National Assembly inau-gural session scheduled for 3rdMarch 1971 could not be reined indespite concerted efforts by themilitary regime to assuage their ag-

gravated feelings. Sowing of seedsof conspiracy to its final flower-ing in 1971 had been leavened bythe creed of Bengali nationalism.The military crackdown on 25March led to parting of ways andfrom that time onwards; the gulfbetween the two wings kept wid-ening till the tenuous chordsnapped in December 1971.

It was irony of fate that the verypeople who were in the vanguardof Pakistan Movement took up armsto destroy the very country, whichthey themselves had helped to cre-ate. The people of East Bengal ac-cepted India, from whose shacklesfreedom was achieved in August1947 after such a long struggle, as asaviour and a mentor. Mujib starteda witch-hunt against so-called col-laborators. It didn’t take long for thepeople of Bangladesh to realize thatthey were duped. A military coupled by Maj Farooq and Maj Rashidkilled Mujib and his 23 family mem-bers and dumped their bodies in amass grave in August 1975.

Instead of taking revenge fromthose who had killed her father andfamily members, Hasina Wajidchose to persecute Jamaat-e-Islamimembers who had remained loyalto the concept of one Pakistan tillthe very end. Hanging aged Jamaatchief Abdul Quader Molla on du-bious charges of rape and massmurder after 42 years has saddenedeveryone in Pakistan and broughtthe rampaging Islamists inBangladesh on the streets. Theyassert that it was a political mur-der and will be avenged. Hasina’sdays in power are numbered andthe countdown has begun.—The writer, a retired Brig, isdefence analyst and researcher.

Resentment is likedrinking poison andthen hoping it willkill your enemies.

Ali Ashraf KhanEmail:[email protected]

Asif Haroon RajaEmail: [email protected]

Voice of the People

Havocs ofSheesha smoking

SARA RIZVI

Initially, sheesha was banned inLahore as per health issues, now itis the turn and time for Karachitesto get rid of their hazardous habit.It has been seen that after passingstrict law and orders against pro-motion and sale of sheesha inKarachi; some cafes of Defence,Tariq Road and M. Ali Society etc.are still involved in the same busi-ness. Even though, raids were doneby Media and caught people redhanded. It didn’t work too.

According to the sheesha sell-ers, it’s their business; it’s theirway of earning, it is demand of thepeople, especially youngsters. Weshould nor forget that there is al-ways a moral and ethical and le-gal base to start any business; anda business which spoils the healthand future not only of some un-wise youngsters but that of thewhole nation, should not only bediscouraged but completelybanned. It is also the responsibil-ity of the government and its lawenforcing agencies.—Via email

*****SAGHER ARBAB

Sheesha smoking is bannedthroughout the country but it is eas-ily accessible to youth. The use ofSheesha in youth is most commonin Pakistan. Owing to its healthhazardousness, it was banned bythe government and therefore, allSheesha Clubs were closed downin Pakistan. However, with the pas-sage of time, casual attitude of thelaw enforcing agencies and withweakening of the writ of the gov-ernment, the miscreants and antiPakistan forces re-started thedeadly game and the youth wereattracted to it in the name of fash-ion at the cost of their heath andfuture prospects. The SheeshaClubs have been opened again insome areas of Islamabad,Rawalpindi and many other big cit-ies of the country. The menace ison its way to the small towns andeven the rural areas.

Oblivious of the future of theirown generations, some corrupt andunmindful of the havocs of the evilspreading due to their sheer negli-gence or corrupt deeds, the leadersand the law enforcers are instru-mental in the promotion of themenace. Police is involved in thiscrime and take bribes from theowners of Sheesha Clubs. They donot take prompt action against theseClubs. The concerned governmentdepartments, local administrationsand the men in authority are re-quested to take action against theclub owners and the police officialinvolved in that crime.—Via email

Pinning hope withDGMOs meeting

ABU HASAN

The people of Azad Kashmir wel-come the DGMOs meeting of Pa-kistan and India. The skirmishes atthe Line of Control are a source ofconcern and one of the major prob-lems they are facing.

The UNMOGIP officials arewitness to it. Frequent uprootingand displacements of local popula-tion because of cross-border shell-ing halts life and pace of workamongst residents which affectschildren’s schooling, patients cureand business activity round clock.

Mend the polarized societyMALIK ATIF MAHMOOD MAJOKA

Surge in sectarianism has caused great concern among all sections of Pakistani society including theoverseas Pakistanis. Any division in the name of religion in a country, which was founded on ideo-

logical basis, may hit its very foundation. The incident in Rawalpindi reflects the inefficiency and inca-pacity of weakened state institutions. Political and religious leaders are playing the part of fire fightersyet no one is seriously making any effort to know cause of the fire. Steps like imposition of curfew,suspension and transfer of police officers have been taken to cool down the situation for sometime. Theresponse is a typical eyewash strategy that has been the favourite of ruling classes in a security state.Another worn out strategy is to seek help from religious elements to curb sectarianism. Codes of con-ducts are being formalized and getting signed from all sides and schools of thought. This apologeticattitude of state reveals inability and incapacity of institutions of the State. Political parties are bewil-dered over the situation as to what course of action might be taken in order to put things back on track.The matter is of rule of law for which states determination and commitment is required; whereas thestate is depending on the same myopic religious leaders who in one way or the other are actually respon-sible for sectarianism. State policy of denial and apathy has led the country to a stage where places ofworship are being desecrated; people are being killed in broad day light in the name of faith. Once avery inclusive and tolerant society has now been transformed into a highly volatile and intolerant one.The very fabric of Pakistani society is at stake and Nero’s of present day are playing flutes. Pakistanistate negotiates and seeks peace through supplications. Matters of law and order and state authority areleft to the patrons of militants. Party Political interests are prevailing over national interests. Politicalloyalties are often preferred over competence; cracks in state institutions are evident. Phenomenon ofreligiosity has fractured the society on ideological lines. What were said to be routine religious events inthe past, now bring every thing to a halt. Shrinking writ of the state is openly challenged by bannedoutfits. Proscribed organizations have been emboldened by the lack of effective response from the con-cerned state institutions. Any armed conflict between rival factions in a country, which is a haven forillegal arm trade, may cast serious consequences for the very existence of state. Situation is a result oflong denial on the part of state. Media has a very strong role to play by educating masses. Educationsystem may also be cleansed from exclusivist thoughts. Pakistan needs to concrete on practical action tocurb the menace of sectarianism, which must come in shape of multi-pronged strategy to contain andeliminate it. It would therefore be the foremost requirement of the day to take difficult extraordinarydecisions to cope with the extraordinarily overgrown polarization in the Pakistani society.—Melbourne, Australia

The Mideast’s unlikely allies

ON Dec. 15, Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former Saudi intelligence chief, drew a harsh

portrait of American weakness,unreliability and poor judgment in theMiddle East. His speech was likelycheered as vigorously in Jerusalemas it was in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.Although neither side will say so pub-licly, these Middle Eastern rivalsseem to agree more with each otherthan with Washington these days.

Israel and the Gulf states sharea deep suspicion about the interimnuclear deal with Iran. Both tend tobelieve that the United States has lostinfluence in the Middle East andabandoned its willingness to useforce. As a result they increasinglydoubt America’s commitment totheir security. While Israel and theGulf states may be equally unhappywith American policy, they shouldnot expect to impact the next phaseof negotiations with Iran just by be-moaning President Obama. UnlessIsrael and its Gulf neighbours starttalking — and more importantly —working together, they will continueto miss an opportunity to offer a vi-able alternative.

The Obama administration hastried to match this criticism by reaf-firming its commitment to the secu-rity of its allies (this was a consistentfocus during my four years workingon the president’s national securitystaff). On Dec. 7, Defence SecretaryChuck Hagel itemized American’slong-term defence commitments in

the Gulf at the Manama Dialogue, aregional security forum attended bymany Gulf leaders. The same day inWashington, at the BrookingsInstitution’s Saban Forum, Mr.Obama reasserted that security coop-eration between the United States andIsrael “has never been stronger.”These statements reflect a five-yearrecord of close military collaboration.So why aren’t Israel and the Gulfstates convinced?

For Israel, no level of security as-sistance seems capable of overcom-ing its anxiety that the United Stateswill ultimately accept a nuclear Iranrather than initiate a military strikeagainst Iran’s nuclear facilities if thediplomatic process falls apart or Irandevelops the capability and know-how to produce nuclear weapons inshort order. Mr. Obama has acknowl-edged that Israel should not be ex-pected to contract out its security. Andyet he is hoping Mr. Netanyahu willdo just that by foregoing a militarystrike and trusting America to preventIran from obtaining a nuclear weaponthrough sanctions-backed diplomacyand force, if necessary.

The Gulf states have long fearedbeing sold out by America to theirPersian rivals, especially since thepresident first proposed engagementwith Iran in 2009. The interim nuclearagreement with Iran has only in-flamed those anxieties. They worrythe West will accept a long-term dealthat only addresses Iran’s nuclear pro-gram but ignores Iran’s ability tosponsor terrorism and sow sectarianviolence from Lebanon and Syria toBahrain, Iraq and Yemen — threats

Views From Abroad

the Gulf states view as existential.In the eyes of both Israel and the

Gulf states, the United States is acountry thousands of miles away,where the people are weary of war,legislators are cutting defence bud-gets and leaders regularly expounda shift toward Asia. But Iran and itsproxies are on their doorstep. Ameri-can military deployments, exercisesand sales cannot overcome this fun-damental imbalance of proximityand vulnerability. They also seem torealize that America’s regional part-ners have few options available nowthat Mr. Obama has called his playand the broader international com-munity supports the diplomatic trackwith Iran. Would Israel really riskinternational isolation through a dan-gerous military strike at the momentthe West seems ready to embraceIran? Would the Gulf states reallystart buying Chinese military hard-ware and relying on the RussianNavy to protect their ports?

There is another way out of thisimpasse for leaders in Jerusalem,Riyadh and Abu Dhabi: start work-ing together to lay an alternativefoundation for security in the MiddleEast. As unnatural as it may seem,they should sit down together anddevelop a series of actions that theywill undertake jointly, take the pro-posal to Washington and offer it inexchange for firmer commitmentsfrom the United States. For example,the Gulf states could advance Israeli-Palestinian negotiations by spellingout a process for normalizing rela-tions with Israel, publicly embrac-ing the outcome of Secretary of State

Ben Fishman

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THE articles, columns andletters are published on thesepages in good faith. However,the contents of these writingsmay not necessarily match theviews of the newspaper.

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Let there be peace

IN his article titled ‘Saudi Arabiawill go it alone’ published under‘Views from Abroad’ in Pakistan

Observer, Dec. 19, Mohammed BinNawaf Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, pres-ently serving as Saudi Arabia’s am-bassador to United Kingdom andIreland, has expressed his utter dis-appointment over the conduct ofWestern partners in relation to Syriaand Iran. Saudi Arabia had expectedtough action including punitivestrikes by its strategic partners, thewestern countries, on Syrian gov-ernment forces as well as substan-tial increase in aid to the opponentsof the regime.

As a matter of fact, because ofcrossing of red lines set by US Presi-dent Barack Obama by way of al-leged use of chemical weapons bySyrian regime, France, Britain andthe United States seemed all set tolaunch punitive strikes against Syria,with France even announcing theprobable date of attack. However,defeat of resolution at the British par-liament in line with the public senti-ment which was against foreign in-terventions by British forces, and re-membering the ouster of Tony Blairfrom 10, Downing Street because ofinvasion of Iraq on fabricatedgrounds, the British Prime Ministerdid not dare pursue his plans of at-tacking Syria and this put a damp-ener on France which cancelled itsattack plans and US President BarackObama, who had been doing sometough talking against Syria, also sortof came back from the brink andshelved his plans to launch punitivestrikes against Syria. Also due to op-position by Russia and China, theWestern powers could not manage toget a UN Security Council resolutionpaving the way for the attack.

While the use of chemical weap-ons in Syria on a limited scale wasproved, it could not be establishedwith certainty that this was the workof the Syrian regime. It was also ar-gued that Syrian regime, whichseemed to be winning the waragainst the rebels simply by usingconventional weapons had no rea-son to use chemical weapons and

thus invite wrath of the internationalcommunity. Even the use of com-mon sense would suggest that itwould most likely be the work of theSyrian opposition which would re-sort to chemical attacks in order todrag the international communityinto the conflict and it would not betoo difficult for the resourceful sup-porters of the Syrian opposition tostage-manage such an incident.

In the meantime, through Russianpersuasion, the Syrian regime agreedto surrender its chemical weaponsarsenal for destruction and this alsosort of deflated the attack plansagainst Syria. Alongside the abovedevelopment, Western countries arealso getting worried about Jihadisand al Qaeda elements gainingstrength in Syria. They are fearfulof the the possibility of weapons andother aid supplied to Syrian opposi-tion ending up in the hands of theseextremists; hence they do not seemto be too keen any more to continuetheir military and other aid to theSyrian opposition.

Another reason for this stancecould be the desire of the Westerncountries to keep the two sidesevenly-matched so as to prolong theconflict, creating a situation whereboth sides do maximum damage toeach other, much like what is hap-pening in Iraq.

Obviously, Saudis are as furi-ous over this development becausethey were anticipating a quick un-seating of Bashar al Assad andtakeover of Syria by the opposi-tion, thus expanding Saudi (Sunni)influence in the region. On the Iranfront as well, there is a huge disap-pointment for Saudi Arabia, themain financier for anti-Shia forces,as well as Israel, in seeing a destruc-tive war on Iran snatched from theirhands, so to speak.

The writer has categorically de-clared the shift in the West’s policies- from one of outright hostility to thatof accommodation - towards Iran andSyria, as being a risk to the stabilityand security of Middle East and hasvowed not to remain idle. He alsoaccused Iran of sending soldiers tohelp the Syrian regime, training andhelping militias in Iraq as well as aid-ing Hezbollah described by him asterrorists, and supporting militants inYemen and Bahrain. Naturally, he

refrained from detailing the mischiefdone by Sunnis to Shia community.

The writer went on to say “SaudiArabia has enormous responsibili-ties within the region, as the cradleof Islam and one of the Arab world’smost significant political powers.We have global responsibilities —economic and political — as theworld’s de facto central banker forenergy. And we have a humanitar-ian responsibility to do what we canto end the suffering in Syria.”

I think all Muslims know the de-votion demonstrated by Saudi rulersto improving facilities for pilgrims toMecca and Medina. We also know ofvast sums spent by Saudi rulers forthe welfare of Muslims worldwide.Saudi rulers’ brotherly feelings andaffection for us in Pakistan are ex-emplary, and they have always helpedus generously in our times of need.

Unfortunately, in recent times,Saudi role has become somewhatcontroversial for which the entire re-sponsibility does not rest with it be-cause Iran also holds fair share of re-sponsibility for this state of affairs. Iam of course referring to the Sunni-Shia divide and the proxy wars thatthe two states have been fighting allover the Muslim world to increasetheir influence. This needless com-petition and the resultant violence isproving extremely harmful for theUmmah because irrespective ofwhich sides wins in a particular con-flict, these are Muslims who end upas losers, further weakened and di-vided, to the glee of the enemies ofMuslims who occasionally add fuelto the fire and enjoy the show.

The problem with such an ap-proach is that all contestants end uplosers and those, like Saudi Arabiaand some other Middle-Easternstates, which might be feeling safe atthe moment may also end up facingthe same situation in the not-too-dis-tant future. We know sometime back,Saudi Arabia had to offer a hundred-billion-package to pacify its nationalsbut this way, it has only bought sometime, and the problem is sure to re-turn later, with even more intensityand ferocity and eventually, it maynot be possible to solve it merely bydishing out more money and benefits.

The policy of interventions andproxy wars has not helped Muslimsat all because, comparing our situa-

tion now with that prevailing a fewdecades back, we find that more andmore Muslim states are heading to-wards anarchy if not already desta-bilized, and nearly whole MiddleEast is in a state of turmoil. Paki-stan has not been spared either andis facing the worst form of terror-ism and sectarian violence.

I believe it is time now for usto make a fundamental change inthe way we treat each other. Com-ing to power of a moderate leader-ship in Iran has resulted in the soft-ening of the Western attitude to-wards it as against threats of immi-nent attacks on its nuclear sites, andalso to weaken it generally. Insteadof trying to find new ways toweaken Syrian and Iranian govern-ments, I think Saudi rulers woulddo well to embrace Iran, which isshowing keen interest in improvingits relations with the Arab world andother Muslim states, and thenjointly try to solve various problemsin Muslim states.

With peaceful alternatives avail-able, why go for confrontation?Doesn’t make sense to me. Surely,it does not sound too good for SaudiArabia, described by MohammedBin Nawaf Bin Abdulaziz Al Saudas a cradle of Islam - which in fact itis - to be enlisting the support of non-Muslims against fellow Muslimsand relying on them for makingpeace, as in the case of Palestine, orfor waging wars, especially afterseeing what their intervention did toIraq and is now doing to Afghani-stan and Pakistan, with the entire actnot played yet. A nation of one anda half billion strong, with over fiftystates and owning plentiful resourcesshould be able to sort out problemswithin its fold without having to seekoutside help. If it can’t do that, thereis something terribly wrong andneeds to be set right and being thecradle of Islam, duty of setting Mus-lims on the right path falls on Saudishoulders, naturally.

But that does not mean wehave to seek confrontation with therest of the world. The earth be-longs to us all and we have to livehere in a spirit of goodwill andmutual respect, and this is pos-sible, if only we try.—The writer is Karachi-basedpolitical analyst.

IN a colony in Mumbai, lives thebrother of a terrorist. He was behind one of the bomb blasts that

took place where hundreds died.The brother of the terrorist was ini-tially taken to jail, because in thiscountry beating the confessions outof people is the easiest way to solvecrime, but he was let out and thepeople in his colony let him be.

But he did not let them be. Hebuilt structures on land that did not

belong to him. Encroached on groundthat belonged to the common area,and the people left him alone. Whydid they leave him alone? Because abrother of a terrorist is normally leftalone. But what people don’t knowis that he lives in fear. He is scaredthat the people outside will know thatthe brother of a terrorist lives withhis family in a normal society.

He feels and maybe rightly so,that someone whose loved or dear onedied in the bomb attack may take apot shot at him or his family in re-venge. So he lives in fear. The peoplearound him however don’t know thatthey are his shield. They don’t knowthat because they have given himanonymity he has been able to get

away with his connection with hisbrother for so long. But what doesthe brother of the terrorist do? Hebuilt structures on land that did notbelong to him. Encroached on groundthat belonged to the common area,and the people left him alone.

Why did they leave him alone?Because a brother of a terrorist is nor-mally left alone. Most of the residentsliving around him, look at his en-croachment, talk about it, but leavehim alone, because of his blood con-nection, little knowing that in leav-ing him alone, they have given himpower. What needs to be done is forpeople to know who he is. That theycome to know that hundreds who diedin the bomb blast died because of the

Terror in the backyard..!wicked thoughts of an evil andwicked man.

What people living around himneed to know is that stealing landworth millions is another form ofterror. His brother murdered many,while this man has robbed and sto-len. There is only one form of jus-tice and that justice is for the peopleof his society to tell the world thatthey are being terrorized in theirown back yard. What he needs isfor his own shield of anonymity tobe withdrawn, and his terror willcease to exist, but till people havethe courage to expose such men,there will be terror in the backyardof that colony..!—Email:[email protected]

If something concrete comes out,which is expected, from the DGMOstalks, it would certainly help the lo-cals to stabilizing settlements to con-tinue with the pace of work withoutthe fear of violence and shellingfrom across the LoC. At the sametime it is proposed that a strategy beworked out to facilitate the peopleto people exchange and interaction,as the erecting of fencing along theLine of Control has almost ended itschances. The people on both sideshave blood relations with each otherand the families cannot depart.—Azad Kashmir

*****FARUK ADIL

It is a welcome step that Pakistan,India DGMOs’ meeting has takenplace at Wagah Border. After 1991,it is the first visit of Indian DGMOand it is hoped that something con-crete will come out. A month ago,the Indian frustration was visible. Itwas not going to stop violations atthe LoC despite various commit-ments made by Manmohan Singh,the Indian PM, who met with NawazSharif in New York on the sidelinesof UN General Assembly session.They agreed to solve the issuethrough DGMOs meeting. But thisdid not happen and the shelling con-tinued from across the border.

The meeting kept pending un-less President Hamid Karzai’s visit,followed by PM’s Advisor on For-eign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz’s visit toNew Delhi. Prime Minister Sharifhad promised to go extra miles inhis way towards forging peace withIndia for the purpose of bringingeconomic prosperity in the region.Has Nawaz Sharif and the new armychief something “off the way” bigin store to cherish that goal?DGMOs’ meeting reflects thepeoples’ desire on both sides. Boththe countries, especially India mustset the rhetoric aside; eschew thepath of winning elections throughanti-Pakistan euphoria, and leavetactics of coercion and intimidation.It is now clear that Nawaz Sharif andRaheel Sharif mean business. Let’slive together, in peace.—Lahore

*****F Z KHAN

The DGMOs meeting is being re-garded as an extraordinarily rareevent “in the chronicle of the frac-tured relationship” between Pakistanand India. This has not happenedduring Gen Kayani’s tenure prob-ably because of the level of mistrust.This has never happened during thepast over 12 years. Only Lt GenSatish Nambiar, then DGMO of In-dia, visited Pakistan in 1991. TodayLt Gen Vinod Bhatia is coming toformally take up the issue of tensionson the Line of Control. Observersexpect a breakthrough on the LoCand it is expected that a permanentceasefire would be agreed. If it hap-pens, it would go a long way anddetermine the future economic pros-pects of the region that has been fac-ing worst economic crisis.

This DGMOs meeting was de-cided, on the invitation of Pakistan,soon after Afghan Karzai’sIslamabad and Sartaj Aziz’s NewDelhi visits. It seems as if both sideshave new set of proposals that maylead to the kick-start of a high leveldialogue between Pakistan and In-dia. Maybe the meeting of PrimeMinisters of both countries that hasnot so been held would be finalizedas a result.

An understanding between thetwo countries and reaching subse-quently to an agreement before theUS and allied forces withdraw from

John Kerry’s peace diplomacy, andcommitting to underwrite a com-pensation package for Palestinianrefugees who forego their “right ofreturn” to Israel.

They could undertake joint ac-tions to isolate Hezbollah andHamas and shore up the moderatePalestinian Authority and Lebanesegovernment; mutual commitmentsto insulate Jordan from the spill-over from Syria’s civil war; andcoordinated outreach to potentialviolators of anti-Iran sanctions. Ajoint proposal along these linesmade to the White House couldpave the way toward a regional se-curity framework that benefitsWashington’s traditional partnersmore than their Iranian rivals.

This will not be easy, and itwould require a degree of coopera-tion and trust among actors pro-grammed to do the opposite. Anydealings with Israel would be de-nied by the Gulf states until theyhad something to show their pub-lics for it, such as an agreement onPalestinian statehood. But if Israeland the Gulf states truly fear theoutcome of a “bad” deal with Iran,working together may be the onlyalternative they have left to shapeits terms. Otherwise, they will haveto sit tight and hope the Iran nego-tiations break down on their own— an outcome largely beyond theircontrol. The writer, a consulting se-nior fellow at the International In-stitute for Strategic Studies, servedon the United States national secu-rity council from 2009 to 2013.— Courtesy: The New York Times

Afghanistan is need of the hour. ThePakistan-India thaw can turn thecorners. Let’s hope a positive out-come of the DGMO’ meeting. Wel-come Gen Vinod Bhatia.—Islamabad

Child mortalityrate in Pakistan

M FAZAL ELAHI

Children who deserve the most at-tention, are victims of utter neglect,particularly in the underdevelopedand developing societies of theworld. The figures of child mortal-ity are indeed astounding. Onewould be shocked to know that ev-eryday 18,000 children under the ageof five die of avoidable causes and216 million children have alreadydied since 1990.

The situation particularly in therural areas of Pakistan is worse. Infact, as per some reports publishedby non-government organizations(NGOs), Pakistan has now becomethe most dangerous country for chil-dren under five. Primarily, poverty,lack of training, lack of proper healthfacilities being provided by the gov-ernment are the factors contributingtowards this grave issue. Lack ofeducation and lack of awarenessamong the parents are also two sig-nificant contributing factors. Dis-eases that could be cured, if prop-erly dealt with, are causing deathsamong the poor children. SomeNGOs report that every hour, perday, 40 children die in Pakistan, thusmaking it one of the highest childmortality rates in the world.

The difference in child mortal-ity rates between Pakistan and itsneighbors is glaring. In fact, the fig-ures for Pakistan are shockinglyhigh. When the ratio in Pakistan is86 out of every 1000 children, thenumber is only 41 in Bangladesh and56 in India.

Predictably, India is one of thetop ten nations of the region that hasmade significant strides in cuttingdown the child mortality rate since1990. One truly stands perplexed bythe above statistics. While the restof the world is taking strong and aptmeasures to overcome the menaceof child mortality, the rate has gonehigher in Pakistan. It is reported thatit has risen from 41 percent in 2001to 43.7 percent in 2012. Undoubt-edly, the lives of thousands of chil-dren could have been saved had theybeen provided proper health andmedical facilities and proper nour-ishment.

The situation with regard tochild mortality in the country is in-deed alarming. Concerted and dedi-cated endeavors must be made by therelevant bodies of the government,the NGOs and philanthropic orga-nizations blessed with huge re-sources to eradicate poverty from thecountry. Endeavors must also bemade by these organizations to pro-vide easy and continuous access par-ticularly to the down-trodden ruralpopulace of the country to properbasic health and medical facilitiesand food and clean drinking water.—Via email

S R H HashmiEmail:[email protected]

Help Syrians: It’s now or never!

Edward Snowden as theelectronic age Santa Claus

ABDALLAH SCHLEIFER

YES children, there is a Santa Claus. He doesn’t live in theNorth Pole and instead of coming down your chimney hewill be on the UK’s Channel 4 later today, delivering the

“Alternative Christmas Message.” Alternative to whom? If OnlyTIME had known in time it could have put Snowden up as “TheAlternative Pope.”

But like Santa he does have good cheer to spread about. Hismission has been accomplished, he told the Washington Post. Heis actually working to improve the NSA; he is, in his mind, “stillworking for the NSA right now.”

Snowden is hailed by many as a whistle blower in the causeof personal freedom and as such he first took refuge in one of thethree countries left in the world that are still ruled by a Commu-nist Party.

Now whistle blowers can claim the moral duty to call a public’sattention to the misdeeds of their employers. When their employeris a national security agency, that agency has a professional duty,not to hopelessly seek extradition from countries with whom theUnited States has little leverage, but to track the whistle blowersdown and do them in.

From any reasonable perspective that is murder, but fromanother perspective which seems to be widely ignored, to violateone’s oath to serve an agency devoted to one’s country’s nationalsecurity, however misguided its mode of operation may be – andthat is debatable, is treason.

I have been harboring this aversion to Snowden and beforethat, to Bradley Manning yet I must admit I have been adverse toswim against such a strong currents of sympathy for both. But Ihave taken courage now that Israeli Prime Minister Prime Minis-ter has denounced the NSA. If even Netanyahu attacks the NSA,America’s national security agency can’t be all that bad.

Netanyahu attacked the NSA for targeting the email of formerIsraeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. According to Agence France-Presse, Netanyahu only complained about the monitoring of fel-low Likudist Olmert’s email and not the NSA’s monitoring emailtraffic of then Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his chiefof staff , neither of whom are members of the Likud. But thatreflects Netanyahu’s overall sense of always operating upon higherground. The same day Netanyahu complained about the NSA spy-ing on Israel, he met with the wife of former U.S. Navy analystJonathan Pollard, who is serving a life sentence for turning overto Israel thousands of secret documents about American intelli-gence operations in the Arab world and assured her Israel wouldcontinue to press for Pollard’s release .

Pollard was arrested in 1985 and one of the reasons for theextraordinarily vigorous prosecution of Pollard, and the repeatedrefusal of every American president since then to pardon Pollarddespite efforts by Israel on his behalf, was the Cold War concernthat the Russians had penetrated Israeli intelligence.

If the public now has “the right to know” whatever, which isa guiding principle for investigative journalism - why not the state?

One difference between Pollard who got life, or theRosenbergs who got the death penalty, and Snowden is that Pol-lard betrayed the U.S. Navy for Israel, and the Rosenbergs spiedfor the Russians. Snowden, for his part, betrayed the NSA forglobal media. Of course I am being unfair to Snowden, who nowsays he has done this all for the good of the NSA.

Indeed earlier this month, a reporter for the New York Timeswrote with great sympathy for newspapers like his own as well asfor the three papers first in line for Snowden’s leaks –The Guard-ian, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal – that havebeen compelled to set up counter-espionage technologies to pro-tect their computers holding what are –quite frankly – stolen docu-ments, and teaching their reporters how to evade detection whenmeeting with potential whistle blowers, because, according to theNY Times, they must be able to deter their own governments“from aggressively investigating leaks of sensitive material.”

The most upsetting aspect of the Snowden affair in Americaappears to be the news that the NSA has been electronically cy-cling all American telephone communications and conceivablyall email traffic for key words that might, with human follow-up,lead the NSA to potential terrorists or actual spies. But Ameri-cans might also be concerned about people blowing up buildingslike the World Trade Center or blowing off the legs of some fanswatching the Boston Marathon. In that case one just might criti-cize the program for not being sufficiently capable of spotting theemail traffic between the Boston Marathon bombers and a jihadistleader via email, or the jihadist website that provided them withthe design of their kitchen pressure cooker bombs.

Empires, states and tribes have been running information-seeking intelligence operations of one sort or another, includingon their own allies, since time immemorial. If the public now has“the right to know” whatever, which is a guiding principle forinvestigative journalism - why not the state? Why is it that no oneseems to seriously complain that Google runs the same sort ofelectronic sorting out on all of us using Gmail. When I put thiscolumn up as an attachment and send it by email to Al ArabiyaNews, I will be rewarded for mentioning “Boston” in this piecewith a guide to some great budget hotels in that city .

Have we reached that point where we accept whatever is donefor private profit and get livid when it is done, at least in prin-ciple, for public safety? That is quite possible when one consid-ers that there is so little concern that Snowden, like tens of thou-sands of other people working in the vast American security ap-paratus are private contractors, not public servants. In fact, thesecurity of American diplomats in Iraq was not provided by theAmerican armed forces, but outsourced to a private corporationwhose mercenaries, not subject to either military discipline or theGeneva conventions, gunned down, if I recall correctly, about adozen Iraqi civilians because they were impeding traffic.

It may just be that the promiscuous practice of outsourcing,which for the sake of profit in the private sector has led to the lossof a couple million jobs in America over the past decade or so,and the outsourcing of public service to private contractors is thepath increasingly taken. In addition, the failure of the federal gov-ernment to indict the bankers and hedge fund managers whobrought down the global economy in 2008, might just be far moredangerous to humanity than all the electronic espionage that ev-ery country, if they had the resources or capacity, would be doing.Indeed, several other countries, besides America and the UnitedKingdom, are already involved in such electronic espionage.

—Courtesy Alarabiya

AYLIN KOCAMAN

W HEN we wereyoung, visits to ourgrandmother used

to be great fun. One thing thatwas very strange about theplace was that guests alwaysfrequented it. People, we hadnever met or seen before,used to have breakfast or din-ner with us.

She was one of those self-less characters who becamerestless on seeing human suf-ferings. She could not eventhink of dining alone whenthere were people hungryoutside. Grandmother wouldalways feed the hungry andhelped those in need.

In retrospect, I think heractions were fully in accor-dance with the teachings ofIslam. Later in my life, I re-

alized that it was the duty ofwell-off Muslims to help thosein need. We have been “com-manded” and “encouraged” todo so.

However, times havechanged. People have becomeself-centered. Even if our next-door neighbor is sleeping hun-gry, it is no longer “our prob-lem,” as we already have somany personal problems to at-tend to.

The main reason behindthis attitude is our growing de-tachment from the teachings ofIslam. We as a people havestooped so low that upon see-ing children dying, instead ofreaching out to help them, wetend to protect our loved onesor ourselves.

To many this reactionmight appear natural but if thisindifference goes beyond a cer-

tain limit, it becomes un-Is-lamic.

This negative attitude haspervaded the Muslim commu-nity all across the globe. Weas a nation have stopped car-ing for those who are beingoppressed or wronged. It is dueto this attitude that elements orgroups professing deviant ide-ologies in the name of Islamare having a field day. We areto be blamed for giving thema chance to fill the vacuum thathas been created mainly be-cause we failed in performingour religious duties. We werethe ones who had abandonedour suffering brothers and sis-ters. It was us who perhapsunintentionally made room forextremist elements to emergeas the so-called protectors ofIslam and Muslims.

Imagine the plight of a

mother on the street with noth-ing to protect her child and sur-vive subzero temperatures.Just try to feel her helpless-ness, when she sees her childdrifting away from life leavingbehind nothing but crusheddreams.

Imagine people who areforced to consume sewage-mixed water or children liningup for a loaf of bread in thesnow with plastic bagswrapped around their tiny feetor people trying to keep warmby burning their shoes in theruins of their homes.

This is the sorry state ofSyria. It is difficult to say whois killing whom in Syria?Assad’s wickedness is obvi-ous; but on the other side theopposition groups are fightingeach other and it is impossibleto distinguish friends from

foes. Everyone appears to bejockeying for power and pres-tige. But what about those in-nocent people caught in thecrossfire.

Syria is now in ruins. It hasbecome a battleground of dif-ferent forces fighting for theirvested interests. People striv-ing to acquire a share of Syr-ian territory have infiltratedthose who had begun a struggleto save their countrymen fromthe clutches of a tyrant. Syr-ians are dying, not just fromshelling, but also from diseasesand cold. We need to take ac-tion on a war footing to savethem.

The United Nations andthe world powers must swinginto action to stop the blood-shed. Most importantly, ar-rangements should be made totransport people whether they

are pro- or anti-regime tosafety. Efforts should be madeto get them settled in neighbor-ing countries till the conflictends. Of course, assistancemust also be provided to thecountries hosting Syrian refu-gees.

Understandably, manyneighboring countries cannotafford to cope with the influxof refugees. The United Na-tions must declare a state ofemergency and motivate afflu-ent countries to donate gener-ously and push the stakehold-ers to end this bloody mess atthe earliest. There may bemany people who do not careabout the poor, the wretchedand those in difficulties; how-ever, there are exceptions. Wemust not allow the callousnessof the world deceive us. Inmatters of conscience, the law

of majority has no place.People may make mistakes

by following the majority, butnever by heeding the voice oftheir conscience. The majorityis ever distracted, and their de-sires are largely short-lived.But communities that havecome together around a righ-teous aim even if they are inthe minority always emergestrong and victorious.

For that reason, rationaland enlightened Muslims mustspeak out unanimously on thesad events taking place inSyria. They must raise thematter by using all possiblemeans to prevent it from be-ing forgotten and to attract theattention of the world.

Muslims must act for theprotection of Syrians. Syriansshould be allowed entry toneighboring countries as

guests until the regimechanges, until the radicalsdepart, and until schools andhospitals are rebuilt. If theywish, let them never go back.Allah’s guests bring prosper-ity with them.

No matter what measuresthey take, people, communi-ties and countries that thinkonly of their own interests cannever progress.

That includes certain Euro-pean countries that are unwill-ing to accept Syrian refugees,despite their vast resources.They may regard that as beingin their own interests. Ourworld works according toAllah’s laws, it has nothing todo with historic experiences orpolitical maneuvering. Allah isalways on the side of those whohelp the weak.

—Courtesy Arab News

An awakening council member stands guard while women walk through the site of a bombing in a Christiansection of Baghdad.

JUBA—The U.N. SecurityCouncil approved plans to almostdouble the number of peacekeep-ers in South Sudan in an effort toprotect civilians as reports of massgraves fueled fears of a worsen-ing of ethnic bloodletting in theworld’s newest state.

The move came as the UnitedNations humanitarian coordinatorin the country said the death tollfrom the past 10 days of violencewas likely now in the thousands,rather than the hundreds the worldbody had previously estimated.

“I think it’s undeniable at thisstage that there must have beenthousands of people who have losttheir lives,” Toby Lanzer told theBBC’s Newshour program.

“When I’ve looked at the hos-pitals in key towns and I’ve lookedat the hospitals in the capital it-self, the range of injuries, this isno longer a situation where we can

merely say it’s hundreds of peoplewho’ve lost their lives,” he said.

Lanzer was speaking from aU.N. compound in the rebel-heldcity of Bentiu, capital of Unitystate.

With some 45,000 civiliansseeking protection at U.N. bases,the 15-member Security Councilunanimously authorized a plan byU.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to boost the strength of thepeacekeeping force in SouthSudan to 12,500 troops and 1,323police.

The additional personnel willreinforce U.N. bases where civil-ians are seeking shelter. HoweverBan warned that “even with addi-tional capabilities, we will not beable to protect every civilian inneed in South Sudan.”

Violence erupted in the capi-tal Juba on December 15 andquickly spread, dividing the land-

locked country of 10.8 millionalong ethnic lines of Nuer andDinka. South Sudan seceded fromSudan in 2011 under a peaceagreement to end decades of war.

Western powers and east Af-rican states, keen to prevent morechaos in a fragile region, have triedto mediate between PresidentSalva Kiir, a Dinka, and rebelleader Riek Machar, a Nuer, whowas vice president until Kiirsacked him in July.

“Whatever the differences,nothing can justify the violencethat has engulfed their young na-tion,” Ban told the council afterthe vote. “There is no military so-lution to this conflict. This is apolitical crisis which requires apeaceful, political solution.”

The fighting is affecting oilproduction in South Sudan, whichaccounts for 98 percent of govern-ment revenue. Petroleum Minis-

ter Stephen Dhieu Dau said out-put had fallen by 45,000 barrelsper day to 200,000 bpd after Unitystate oilfields shut down.

Dau said production in UpperNile state, where most of SouthSudan’s oil is extracted, was safeand outside the reach of rebels.

Kiir said on Tuesday that gov-ernment troops had retaken con-trol of the Jonglei state capital Bor,a key town that last week fell torebels loyal to Machar.

Ban said three U.N. person-nel were injured at a U.N. base inBor on Tuesday.

Most fighting has involvedDinka and Nuer factions of theSudan People’s LiberationArmy, with militias and ma-rauding youths also reported tobe attacking rival ethnic groups.Kiir and Machar both have saidthe conflict is political, nottribal.—Reuters

UN sends more peacekeepers toSouth Sudan as violence worsenss

CAIRO—A suicide car bomberis suspected to have been behindthe deadly explosion that tar-geted police headquarters in aNile Delta city, an Egyptian se-curity official said, as the deathtoll from the attack the previousday rose to 16.

The explosion in Mansoura,110 kilometers (70 miles) northof Cairo, was the deadliestbombing yet in a months-longwave of violence blamed on Is-lamic militants.

The blast was so powerful,it collapsed an entire section andside wall of the five-floor build-ing, incinerating dozens of carsoutside and damaging severalnearby buildings. More than 100people were wounded.

Although there was no im-mediate claim of responsibility,hours after Tuesday’s blastEgypt’s interim governmentblamed the Muslim Brother-hood, the country’s largest Is-lamist group and the organiza-tion from which ousted Presi-dent Mohammed Morsi hails.The attack took place as top se-curity officials were meeting inthe Mansoura headquarters towork out arrangements for theJan. 14-15 constitutional refer-endum.

The vote is a key step in the

Egypt: Suicide bomberbehind deadly blast

country’s political transition af-ter the military’s ouster of Morsiin July, but it has further stokedpolitical tensions, with Morsi’sBrotherhood protesting againstthe new charter. His group hasalso staged continued protestssince the July coup, demandingMorsi’s release from jail andreinstatement.

According to the securityofficial, the investigation intothe Mansoura attack has shownthat a bomber drove a pickuptruck laden with explosivesclose to the police headquarters,then detonated it.

The official, who spoke oncondition of anonymity becausehe was not authorized to discussthe investigation with the media,provided no further details onthe suspected suicide bomber.

But he said that Cairo air-port authorities arrested a Broth-erhood member late Tuesday onsuspicions that he was linked tothe attack.

The suspect identified as 22-year-old Adel Younis Rashid whoruns a computer shop inMansoura was taken into custodyas he was trying to fly to Turkeywith his mother and a friend.

The suspect is the son of aleading Brotherhood memberand former lawmaker from

Mansoura, the official said, add-ing that authorities have alsoconfiscated Rashid’s computersand telephones.

Earlier, senior Egyptianmilitary and security officialssaid the Mansoura attack carriedthe fingerprints of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or the Champions ofJerusalem, which has emergedas the main Sinai-based militantgroup that has staged attacksagainst Egyptian troops.

The group has claimed mostof the major attacks in the vola-tile Sinai Peninsula and the SuezCanal-area cities recent months,as well as a failed attempt to as-sassinate the interior minister inCairo in September.

In one of its video messagesposted online in October, thegroup said it was retaliating forthe security forces’ ruthless at-tacks on Islamists, a referenceto the crackdown on Brother-hood members and Morsi’s sup-porters, which has claimed hun-dreds of lives.

On Monday, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis came out with a messagethreatening more attacks againstEgyptian troops, saying it con-siders them to be infidels be-cause they answer to the secu-lar-leaning military-backed gov-ernment.—AP

BEIJING—China’s ruling Com-munist Party unveiled a five-year plan to fight pervasivegraft, with particular attentionon corruption that triggers pro-tests or happens in the course ofeconomic reforms.

President Xi Jinping haslaunched a sweeping crackdownon corruption since takingpower, pursuing high-flying “ti-gers” as well as lowly “flies” inthe government, military, state-owned enterprises and universi-ties.

The party’s anti-graft watch-dog, the Central Commission forDiscipline and Inspection, saidin November it would target allsenior officials as part of adeeper war on graft, a problemso serious Xi has said it threat-ens the party’s survival.

The five-year plan was ap-proved in late August but hasonly now been released in full,by the official Xinhua newsagency.

The commission said theparty faced tests in governing,in reform and opening up anddanger from being too distantfrom the people as well as thedanger of corruption.

China unveils anti-graft plans, focus on

protests, reformsThe party must “deepen the

struggle for party governanceand clean government and fight-ing corruption to ensure that italways maintains the firmness ofits core leadership”.

The lengthy statement wasfull of jargon but short on spe-cific steps the party would take,only outlining areas that wouldget particular focus, such as pro-tests and accidents like mine di-sasters which happen because ofcorrupt officials.

“Sternly probe and handlecorruption incidents which arebehind mass incidents and ma-jor accidents where responsibil-ity can be laid,” it said.

About 90,000 “mass inci-dents” - a euphemism for pro-tests - occur each year in China,of which some two-thirds aretriggered by disputes over land.The government has vowed re-peatedly to crack down on ille-gal land grabs, but to little ap-parent effect.

Forced evictions and landrequisitions are widely thoughtto enrich officials at the expenseof residents, as the land is oftensold off for huge profit to devel-opers.—Reuters

BANGKOK—Thai Prime Minis-ter Yingluck Shinawatra unveileda plan on Wednesday to create anindependent reform council to tryto appease opponents who, an-gered by her billionaire family’spolitical dominance, are callingfor her resignation.

The proposal, which comesafter weeks of anti-governmentprotests that have rallied morethan 200,000 people at their peak,could be put into play soon andwould be free of government in-terference, Yingluck said in atelevised address.

Yingluck is caretaker pre-mier after calling a snap elec-tion for February 2 in a bid todeflate the protests. Her com-promise offer was immediatelyrejected by the protesters, whodraw strength from Bangkok’smiddle class and elite and whodismiss her as a puppet of herself-exiled brother, ThaksinShinawatra.

Thaksin and Yingluck havetheir power bases among thevote-rich north and northeast but

Thai PM unveils reform planbut protesters still threaten poll

their opponents accuse formerpremier Thaksin of manipulatingthe rural poor in those areas toentrench his power.

Yingluck’s plan calls for acouncil of 499 eminent Thais,chosen by a wider group of 2,000,to examine reform of Thailand’spolitical system.

It looks similar to theunelected “people’s council”protest leader SuthepThaugsuban has proposed to re-place the government, with onecrucial difference. UnderYingluck’s proposal, the reformcouncil would operate along-side an elected government, notan appointed one.

“This council is not the gov-ernment agency ... it would letit run on its own and would notbe overshadowed or influencedby the government,” Yinglucksaid.

“I insist that the new electedgovernment will take this andimplement what the council de-cides on how to reform the na-tion.”—Reuters

BAGHDAD—Militants in Iraq tar-geted Christians in three separateChristmas Day bombings inBaghdad, killing at least 37people, officials said Wednesday.

In one attack, a car bomb wentoff near a church in the capital’ssouthern Dora neighborhood, kill-ing at least 26 people and wound-ing 38, a police officer said.

Earlier, two bombs rippedthrough a nearby outdoor marketsimultaneously in the Christiansection of Athorien, killing 11people and wounding 21, the of-ficer said.

The Iraq-based leader of theChaldean Catholic Church, LouisSako, said the parked car bombexploded after Christmas Massand that none of the worshipperswere hurt. Sako said he didn’t be-lieve the church was the target.

There was no immediateclaim of responsibility for theattacks, but Iraq’s dwindlingChristian community, which isestimated to number about

Christmas Daybombings in Iraq’s

capital kill 37400,000 to 600,000 people, of-ten has been targeted by al-Qaida and other insurgentswho see the Christians as her-etics.

Along with Christians, othertargets include civilians in restau-rants, cafes or crowded public ar-eas, as well as Shiites and mem-bers of the Iraqi security forces,attacked in an attempt to under-mine confidence in the Shiite-ledgovernment and stir up Iraq’s al-ready simmering sectarian ten-sions.

A medical official confirmedthe casualty figures. Both officialsspoke on condition of anonymitybecause they are not authorized totalk to the media.

Wednesday’s bombings cameamid a massive military operationin Iraq’s western desert as authori-ties try to hunt down insurgentswho have stepped up attacksacross Iraq in the past months,sending violence to levels not seensince 2008.—AP

Ukrainianjournalist beaten

up and left in ditchKIEV—A Ukrainian oppositionactivist and journalist known forher investigations into corruptionamong senior state officials wasbeaten up by unknown attackers.

Tetyana Chornovil was as-saulted near the capital Kievhours after an article she wroteon the assets of top governmentofficials was published.

The 34-year-old, a promi-nent activist who has givenspeeches at recent anti-govern-ment protests, told police her carwas stopped by a vehicle justafter midnight. A group of uni-dentified men got out and brokethe rear window of her car.

“They then pulled her fromthe car, beat her and left her in aditch,” police said in a statement.The statement did not saywhether she had been robbed.

The freelance journalist was leftwith a broken nose, concussion andnumerous bruises, online newspa-per Ukrainska Pravda reported.Opposition activists said she was inintensive care in hospital.

Kiev has been gripped bystreet protests since late Novem-ber when President ViktorYanukovich’s government re-fused to sign an associationagreement with the EuropeanUnion. Weekend rallies havesometimes drawing hundreds ofthousands people.—Reuters

Pakistan’s two wins in thefirst and third matches inSharjah, pushed TillakaratneDilshan for his 12th boundaryto complete three figures, rais-ing his bat and blowing a kiss tohis wife in the stands.

Hafeez became the sixthbatsman in all one-day cricketto hit three tons in one bilateralseries.

In all Hafeez hit two sixesand 12 boundaries off 119 balls,while Sohaib Maqsood finishedwith a 56-ball 46 not out with asix and four boundaries.

Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad(44) put Pakistan on track dur-ing a solid 84-run stand afteropener Sharjeel Khan was dis-missed for 13.

Shehzad, who hit a careerbest 124 in Pakistan’s two-wicket loss in the second matchin Dubai, started off well withthree boundaries in NuwanKulasekara’s third over whileHafeez matched his partner withas many boundaries in Suranga

4th ODI: Hafeez, Ajmal steerPakistan to series win

From Page 1

those ideals of democracy, egali-tarianism, constitutionalism andrule of law that were upheld bythe great leader throughout hislife. It is also an occasion to“ponder and to reflect as to howfar we as a nation have been suc-cessful in achieving those ide-als that motivated our Father ofthe Nation to struggle for a sepa-rate homeland for the Muslims.”

The President said even af-ter the passage of 66 years ofPakistan’s creation, the countrywas facing various socio-eco-nomic and other challenges,adding, the people had to ren-der great sacrifices to promoteand strengthen democracy.

“Our economy not onlyfaced the brunt of wars but alsoof the natural calamities. Owingto our geographical location, wehave been affected by the inter-national situation directly or in-directly.”

The present democraticgovernment was engaged in sin-cere efforts to achieve socio-economic development, creation

Let us renew pledge to workfor Quaid’s vision

From Page 1of job opportunities, ensure ac-cess of our products to interna-tional market, and the better-ment of energy, security and thelaw and order situation.

The President said he wasvery encouraged by the fact thatour children had the understand-ing and realization of the life andideals of the founder of nation.

“I am confident that if thethoughts and ideals of Quaid aretruly promoted and imbibedamong our future leaders(youth), we will be able to turnthe country in accordance withthe true vision of the founder ofnation”, he added.

The President appreciatedall those parents and teachers,who were playing their due rolein transferring the true visionand ideals of Quaid-i-Azam tothe younger generation.

The President said, “Today,as we pay our tributes to Quaid-i-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah,let us reaffirm our commitmentto the vision of our great leaderand to re-dedicate ourselves to

achieve those ideals that wereespoused by our forefathers.”

“Let us pledge that we willwork, individually as well ascollectively, to make Pakistan apeaceful, progressive and pros-perous state”, he added.

Later, students attired intraditional dresses representingregions of Pakistan enthralledthe audience with nationalsongs and speeches highlightinglife and teachings of the greatQuaid. The President distributedprizes among them

The cake cutting ceremonyto celebrate birth anniversary ofthe Quaid was also held amidstapplause by the audience.

The President further saidthe recent visit of Turkish PrimeMinister was highly successful.“We should benefit from eachother’s experiences. “TurkishPrime Minister told me that Tur-key produces high quality prod-ucts at competitive prices. Weshould promote our products atinternational level,” MamnoonHussain said.

The Taliban quickly claimedresponsibility for the attack.Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesmanfor the insurgents, posted a mes-sage on his Twitter feed sayingthe Taliban had hit the Ameri-can Embassy with four rocketsand inflicted heavy casualties.But the Taliban routinely exag-gerate the effectiveness of theirattacks, and the embassy said noone there had been killed orwounded.

Mr. Mujahid made no refer-ence in his Twitter post to theattack’s occurring on ChristmasDay. The holiday carries littlesignificance in Afghanistan,where there are almost no Chris-tians, and the Taliban more com-monly try to time headline-grab-bing attacks to Islamic holidays.

The embassy said it was as-sessing any damage that mighthave been caused by the rock-ets. It was not immediately clearwhich part of the sprawling andwell-fortified compound in thecenter of the city had been hit orif any part of the embassy hadbeen damaged. Staff members atthe embassy were given the all-clear to move around the com-pound about two hours after the

Two rockets hit US embassy in KabulFrom Page 1

attack, which took place around6:40 a.m.

Whether the Taliban had ac-tually intended to strike the em-bassy was also an open question.Though rocket attacks on Kabulhave been relatively infrequent inrecent years, they were oncemore common - and they rarelyappeared well targeted.

A number of rockets fired inadvance of the presidential elec-tion in 2009, for instance, ap-peared to be aimed at the presi-dential palace. Most ended upstriking areas in the general vi-cinity of the palace compound,which covers dozens of acres inthe middle of Kabul. Fewcaused serious casualties or sig-nificant damage.

Meanwhile, 16 militantswere killed and 7 others injuredwhile 10 others arrested within24 hours as Afghan National Se-curity Forces (ANSF) carriedout several operations, thecountry’s Interior Ministry saidWednesday.

“Afghan National Policeconducted several anti-terrorismjoint operations with AfghanNational Army and National

Directorate for Security (NDS)in Nangarhar, Laghman,Kunduz, Balkh, Wardak andHelmand provinces, killing 16armed Taliban members,wounding seven and 10 othermilitants were arrested by theANSF in the past 24 hours,” theministry said in a statement pro-viding daily operational updates.The ANSF also found and seizedweapons and ammunition be-sides defusing nine improvisedexplosive devices (IEDs) duringthe raids, the statement noted.

The Taliban insurgent grouphas yet to make comments. TheANSF has intensified operationsagainst the militants in recentmonths particularly after it tookthe lead in military operationsfrom NATO and U.S. forces inJune. The militants retaliated byarmed attacks and bombings.Earlier on Wednesday, a policeofficer named Mohibullah waskilled in an insurgent ambush inImam Shaib district of northernKunduz province, district gov-ernor Aman Quraishi said, add-ing that at least two militantswere killed or injured in the ex-change of fire following the at-tack. — Online/ INP

leum.Maj. Gen. Nazir Ahmed

Butt, Commandant PakistanMilitary Academy reviewed theparade, laid floral wreath, pre-sented salute and offered prayersto the departed soul of theQuaid-e Azam. He also notedhis comments in the book ofguest on the occasion.

The Pakistan Military Acad-emy had the singular honour ofbeing the only military institu-tion designated, as “Quaid-e-Azam’s Own” by the Quaid-eAzam as the Colonel-in-Chief ofthe Academy.

The guard mounting cer-emony by PMA Cadets was aregular feature to pay homage tothe Father of the Nation.

Later, the representatives of3 services and Pakistan Rang-ers (Sindh) laid floral wreathsand offered prayers.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat UlEbad Khan and Sindh ChiefMinister Syed Qaim Ali Shahvisited the Quaid’s mausoleum.They were accompanied byKarachi Commissioner, Sindhministers and advisers. TheGovernor and the CM laid flo-ral wreath and offered prayersand had noted their commentsin the book of guest.

On the occasion, the CMwhile talking to the newsmensaid that the country could onlyprosper when the democraticinstitutions of the country would

Kakul cadets assume duty at Quaid’s mazarFrom Page 1

grow stronger and attainstrength.

He said that he was at theQuaid’s mausoleum to pay hom-age to the Great Leader.

The vision of the Quaid wasthat the country should makeadvancement in all aspects oflife and the people of the coun-try should become prosperousand the country should be self-reliant, he said adding that Pa-kistan was a country that waslagging behind to none of thecountry in the world regardingfreedom to the citizens in allaspects and that the country wasmaking improvement in the sec-tion of respecting and protect-ing the human rights. Hence-forth, the government wanted toserve the people with unity andsincerity.

The democracy was beingstrengthened in the country andthe judiciary had resolved manyissues through the Suo Mottoactions, which gained momen-tum.

He said that Sindh provin-cial government always con-sulted all the stakeholders andtook the political parties in theassembly into confidence priorto passing any law for the bet-terment of the common people.

He said that the issue ofSindh Local Government Act-2013 was in the court and theSindh provincial government

would not only accept thecourt’s orders but would imple-ment it in letter and spirit.

He said that the Sindh gov-ernment had appealed to theapex court to give more time forthe conduction of the local bodypolls but we were told in returnthat since we had taken a lead inpromulgating the SLGO soshould also take a lead to con-duct the local government polls.It was not know as if it was acrime to take a lead in passingthe SLGO or not, the CM re-marked.

The CM also defended hisgovernment’s decision for im-posing ban on pillion riding andsaid that the ban was in the in-terest of the people of the city.

While speaking on the oc-casion, Sindh Governor DrIshrat Ul Ebad Khan said “ weas Pakistanis could only betransformed into a united nationif we follow the teachings of theQuaid-e Azam.

He said that the commemo-ration of the Quaid’s anniversarywas a special moment to newour commitment that we willadhere to the teaching of theQuaid-i Azam.

Qur’an Khwani was held atthe Mazar-e-Quaid.

Various organizations andeducational institutions heldprogrammes to highlight the lifeand political achievements of thegreat leader.

to demoralize them, he said. Thepolice group officials felt be-trayed by their DMG colleaguesand last week more than 150police officers held a meetingwith the IG Punjab Khan Baigand registered strong protest. Inthe said meeting, they made itclear that any move to shear thepolice force off its powers wouldbe strongly resisted.

The officers also consideredvarious options including enmass resignation, transfer andlong leave in that meeting. Some

Proposals to clip police powersFrom Page 1

40 senior officers had threatenedto stop work or go on long leavein the said meeting.

A three-member committeewith Lahore DIG InvestigationZulfiqar Hameed as president,SSP Imtiaz Habib Vice-Presi-dent and SSP Sohail Sukhera asGeneral Secretary, conveyedthe police officers grievances tothe Chief Minister ShahbazSharif and for the time beingthe proposals have beenshelved. The chief minister hasassured the provincial police

force that they will not be shornof their powers and the govern-ment would not make any movewhich could generate heartburning in them.

An officer of the policeforce revealed to Pakistan Ob-server that the Elite Force com-mandoes who are part of ahighly trained force and sup-posed to fight terrorists are per-forming duties with the minis-ters. “In this way”, we are spoil-ing their training and talent, hesaid.

Lakmal’s seventh.The stand set up victory and

even after Shehzad’s dismissal,caught in the slips off Lakmal,Pakistan wiped off the targetwith consummate ease.

Shehzad hit five boundariesduring his 56-ball knock as SriLanka’s bowlers were renderedineffective.

Maqsood and Hafeezshared an unbroken 111-runstand for the third wicket.

This becomes Pakistan’sseventh one-day series win inthe year, their best-ever in a cal-endar year, beating the six se-ries win record achieved in2011.

Earlier, Sri Lanka failed topost a big total after AngeloMathews opted to bat after win-ning the toss on a flat SheikhZayed Stadium pitch.

Gul removed openers KusalPerera (eight), TillakaratneDilshan (eight) and DineshChandimal (five) to reduce SriLanka to 36-3 before Ajmal

tightened the screws at the endof the innings.

Ashan Priyanjan foughthard during his 93-ball 74,which included ten boundaries,to register the highest score fora one-day debutant for SriLanka, beating Chamara Silva’s55 made against Australia inColombo in 1999.

Priyanjan shared two usefulstands of 89 with KumarSangakkara (51) for the fourthwicket and then added another40 with skipper AngeloMathews (38) to keep Sri Lankaon course for a respectable to-tal.

But Sangakkara’s run out,off a brilliant piece of fieldingby substitute fielder Anwar Aliat point, derailed Sri Lanka.Sangakkara had looked goodduing his 78-ball knock, featur-ing three boundaries.

Priyanjan had looked soliduntil he tried an unusual shot offpaceman Junaid Khan and wasbowled just three balls into thebatting power-play.

Ajmal then bowled NuwanKulasekara (one), trapped adangerous looking Mathewsand Sachitra Senanayake(nought).

Kithuruwan Vithanagechipped in with a useful 27 be-fore he became one of Junaid’stwo wickets.

After the conclusion of theone-day series, Pakistan and SriLanka will play three Tests,starting in Abu Dhabi on De-cember 31.—AFP

tion of electricity.Citing various successful

projects of power generationfrom biomass, biogas and smallhydel projects running in IndianPunjab, besides the experienceand skill of East Punjab, theChief Minister directed provin-cial authorities to finalize con-sultative and technical processimmediately to leader fromIndia’s experience.

Urging full benefit to betaken from Indian expertise insetting up biogas plants, the ChiefMinister directed that setting upbiomass projects of 15 megawatteach be considered while workshould be started without anydelay on setting up small hydelprojects on canals. He said thatevery moment of the nation wasprecious and concerned officialsshould finalize viable projectswithout wasting any time.

The head of Indian delega-tion Pawind Parweet Badal saidthat all out cooperation wouldbe extended to Punjab govern-ment in establishing biogas, bio-mass and small hydel projectsof power generation.—Online

Christmas trees were deco-rated with lights and colourfulballs in Christian colonies, out-side shopping malls and along-side the important roads. TheChristian community in thecountry renewed their commit-ments to follow the teachings oftheir religion in letter and spirit.

In Islamabad prayers wereheld at Catholic Church F-8.Large numbers of Christiansfrom various areas of the federalcapital participated in the ser-vices. Prosperous people includ-ing the people from diplomaticcircles delivered food items be-fore the celebrations in theevening to facilitate poor Chris-tians in celebrating the spirit ofChristmas to the fullest.

In Peshawar Christmas wasnot celebrated with the samefervour as in past years as thedevastating double suicide at-tack at All Saints Church threemonths ago still haunted theChristians. The church servicestarted at the Saddar BazaarChurch and was attended byChristians from around the city.

In Karachi Prayers wereheld in various churches of thecity including St Peter’s Churchwhich is the largest Catholicchurch in Pakistan. The Chris-tian community celebrated thisjoyous occasion by singingChristmas carols.

Police mobiles were sta-tioned outside the churches toavoid any untoward situation.No one was allowed to enter thechurch without proper check-ing.—Online

Govt toovercome

From Page 1

Christianscelebrate

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DUBAI: Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Speaker National Assembly meeting with Mohammad Ahmad Al-Mur Speaker of MajlisWatani Itihadi, House of Federal National Council UAE.

sand five hundred troops to theseven thousand-strong UN forcein South Sudan and to step upefforts for a political solution tothe crisis.

Pakistan is the largest troopcontributor to the UN peace-keeping operation around theworld.—Online

peace and stability are in the in-terest of every country. It is afirst step in that direction.

Whosoever comes in thegovernments in the region, thereis realisation that peace and tran-quility is in the interest of ev-erybody. The nation should beunited. Peace and stability areessential for progress and devel-opment and to fight against pov-erty and ignorance, he added.

He said further of the Na-tion wished for a change throughvote and he succeeded in gettinga separate homeland for theMuslims of India through bal-lot.

PM, UN chiefdiscussFrom Page 1

The Muttahida Qaumi Move-ment (MQM) leader Dr FarooqSattar stands at Rs3.64 million.Speaker National AssemblySardar Ayaz Sadiq has assetsworth Rs172.03 million. PunjabChief Minister Shahbaz Sharifpossesses assets worth Rs424.07million. He is named richestchief minister. KhyberPakhtunkhwa Chief MinisterPervaiz Khattak has assetsamounting to Rs232.03 millionwhereas Balochistan Chief Min-ister Abdul Malik’s assets areworth Rs40.04 million. SindhChief Minister Qaim Ali Shahhas assets worth Rs16.02 mil-lion. On the other hand, InteriorMinister Chaudhry Nisar has notprovided the details regardingamount of this property. —INP

Nawaz richestparliamentarian,

ECP releasesdetails of assets

From Page 1

Pak wantscooperation, not

confrontationwith India PR

From Page 1

Govt pursuingdouble policyon terrorism:Khursheed

SUKKUR—Leader of the oppo-sition Khursheed Shah has saidImran Khan should contain pricehike in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KP) first and then talk ofPunjab.

Leader of the oppositionwas talking to media hereWednesday after inauguratingMustafa Eye Test hospital.

He said PPP had curtailedinflation during its tenure. “ Wewill have to abandon the path ofclash and focus on sorting outthe problems and parliament ispotential platform for this pur-pose “, he added.

He said that suspending orscrapping Pak-Iran gas pipelineproject will be sheer injusticewith the people.

He went on to say that 6months were given to the gov-ernment to correct the affairs butgovernment performance hasnot remained good. Therefore,we are giving three months moreto the government. If the gov-ernment does not satisfy us de-spite it, then we will take deci-sive stand, he held. However hesaid , opposition does not saythat government has failed andpeople should come to streets,he underlined.

In his interview with a pri-vate TV channel, KhursheedShah said Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif is holding keyministries himself and he hasno time to come to assem-bly.—Online

Govt to providemore subsidy of

Rs 30b to domesticconsumers

ISLAMABAD—Government hasdecided to provide subsidyamounting to Rs 30 billion to do-mestic consumers. As per minis-try of finance a sum of Rs 101billion have been released fromJuly to December under the headof subsidy and release of more Rs30 billion will bring the tally ofsubsidy to Rs 131 billion.

Ministry of finance officialssaid electricity tariff has notbeen enhanced for the domesticconsumers using electricity upto200 units; therefore, governmentis providing this subsidy to off-set the loss.

It may be recalled that PrimeMinister Nawaz Sharif had di-rected ministry of finance not toscale up tariff for domestic con-sumers falling in the slab from1 to 200 units consumption ofelectricity. On the other handministry of finance had pro-posed to grant this concessionto the domestic consumers con-suming electricity upto 100units but the PM had rejectedthis proposal. —Online

Suo motunotices broughtrelief to people:Qaim Ali Shah

KARACHI—Chief MinisterSindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah hassaid judiciary has resolved sev-eral problems of people by tak-ing suo suo notice. He said thiswhile talking to media here af-ter paying visit to Quaid-i-Azammausoleum Wednesday.

He said “it is our endeav-our to take Pakistan forward inconsonance with the vision ofQuaid-i-Azam and to serve thepeople and alleviate poverty”.—Online

Nisar intervenes forrelease of PML-N

Sindh JSIRFAN ALIGI

KARACHI—After interventionof Federal Interior MinisterChaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, thelaw enforcement agency (LEA)released Pakistan Muslimleague-Nawaz Sindh chapterJoint Secretary RazzaqueBajwah, who was arrested 5days ago during search and ar-rest raid conducted by PakistanRangers Sind in Old SabziMandi area in Karachi.

During search operation,Rangers had recovered weaponfrom Bajwah’s residence andhence he was taken into custody.

According to PMLN Sindhchapter Senior Vice PresidentMuhammad Anwar Gujjar, theweapon was licensed but the LEAdid not release him at the behestof Sindh provincial government.

While talking to PakistanObserver, Gujjar said that

Bajwah held a senior position inPMLN and was a dedicatedworker. He had held a rifle un-der license, which was recov-ered during a search operationof the area and Rangers arrestedhim. He was kept in Rangerscustody for 5 days and no chargewas proven against him but stillhe was not released at the be-hest of the Sindh provincial gov-ernment, which had compelledthe PMLN Sindh leadership tohold a besieging protest of theCM House. However, with theintervention of the Federal Min-ister, Bajwah was released.

Gujjar said that the Sindhprovincial government had beenvictimizing the workers and of-fice-bearers of PMLN againstwhich Sardar Mumtaz Ali Bhuttohad time and again warned thegovernment to refrain from po-litically victimizing the workersand office-bearers.

Taliban-designated governordetained in Afghanistan

KABUL—A Taliban-designatedgovernor for Afghanistan’s cen-tral Zabul province was detainedalong with 19 rebels in two sepa-rate operations by Afghan sol-diers, the Ministry of Defence(MoD) said on Wednesday.

The operation was con-ducted in the Arghandab districtof Zabul province on Tuesday.A number of weapons and am-

munitions were seized, a state-ment from the ministry said.But another source said the de-tainee was Taliban’s deputygovernor for Zabul. Separately,a dozen insurgents were ar-rested during an operation inthe Arghandab district of south-ern Kandahar province, said thegovernor’s spokesman, JavedFaisal.—INP

Pakistan PoliceNarcotics team

in Sri LankaCOLOMBO—A team of threeofficials of the Pakistan PoliceNarcotics Bureau has arrived inSri Lanka to help the investiga-tions carried out by the PoliceNarcotics Bureau (PNB) follow-ing the discovery of the largestever heroin haul of 261 kg de-tected in Sri Lanka recently.

Police spokesman SSP AjithRohana said the visiting Paki-stani police team would carryout extensive investigations intothe incident together with thePNB. —INP

Published by: Zahid Malik, Printed by Gauhar Zahid Malik,33-Queens Road, Lahore at Barex Printers.

NEW DELHI—India maysoon seek compensationfrom the United States for12 of its nationals killed dur-ing the hijacking of Pan Am73 in Pakistan more than 27years ago, local media re-ported Wednesday.

The 12 Indians were onboard the American flightwhen terrorists belonging toAbu Nidal Organization(ANO) hijacked it in Karachiway back in 1986. The attackwas carried out with coverfrom Libyan authorities andTripoli in 2008 had paid acompensation of 1.5 billion

U.S. dollars to the UnitedStates.

However, even thoughthe funds were not fromU.S. taxpayers, Washingtondecided to compensate onlythe American passengersand abandoned the Indiansand those of other nation-alities. The families of the In-dian victims have ap-proached the governmenturging New Delhi to take upthe issue with U.S. Secre-tary of State John Kerry, ifnot President BarackObama, saying the Indiancrew on board the flight

saved the lives of Ameri-cans, and yet Washingtonchose to “discriminate”against the Indians, TheTimes of India reported.

Earlier this month, theUnited States had releaseda list of names who couldclaim compensation but thisdid not include any Indian.

“The all-Indian cabincrew saved the lives of 41Americans on board by hid-ing their passports from thehijackers at the risk of theirown lives. They did this fullyknowing that the terroristswould immediately kill them

as they were primarily look-ing for American targets,”an unnamed source wasquoted by the newspaper assaying.

The aircraft, with 360passengers on board, washijacked on Sept. 5, 1986 atKarachi airport by fourarmed men of the ANO, afterit arrived from Sahar Inter-national Airport in Mumbaiand was preparing to departJinnah International Airportin Karachi for Frankfurt Air-port en route to New York.

The motivation for thehijacking was to attack the

Israeli Defense Ministry,using the aircraft as a mis-sile. But, it ended after 17hours, with the terroristshurling grenades and firingfrom their assault guns atthe passengers.

Some 20 passengerswere killed during the hi-jacking, of which 12 werefrom India and the rest fromthe United States, Pakistanand Mexico. All the hijack-ers were arrested and sen-tenced to death in Pakistan.However, the sentenceswere later commuted to lifein prison —Online

Indians killed in aircraft hijacking

India may seek compensation from US

PM officeconfirms reportISLAMABAD—Prime Minister(PM) House has confirmedreports on constitution ofhigh level committee for re-covery of missing personsand implementation of Su-preme Court’s orders onthis count. PM spokesmantold the media Wednesdaythat this committee hasbeen set up under defenceminister KhawajaMuhammad Asif. Secretar-ies of ministry of defence,interior ministry and minis-try of law and justice, attor-ney general and other seniorofficial will be the membersof this committee. —Online

2 mortar shellsfound in QuettaQUETTA—Two mortar shellswere found in a drainage onSaeed Ahmed Khan Road inQuetta on Wednesday. Se-curity forces have reachedand cordoned off the area.The Bomb Disposal Squad(BDS) was called in as well.Further investigation wasunderway.—Online

Missing fishermennot recoveredKARACHI—The rescueteams have not succeeded totrace out fishermen despitepassage of 17 days. PakistanFisher Folk Forum sourcessaid that the 13 fishermenhailing from Thatta district ofSindh went in deep sea forfishing on Dec 08 and wentmissing along with theirboats. The rescue teams werebusy in efforts to trace themissing fishermen but haven’tsucceeded to get any infor-mation about them. —INP

Case registeredKARACHI—A case was reg-istered for the Orangi Townblasts in Karachi against uni-dentified terrorists under theanti-terrorism act. Fourpeople were killed and 21 in-jured in the The OrangiTown blasts that had tookplace on December 24 on theChehlum of Hazrat ImamHussain (RA). —Online

KARACHI: Pakistan Military Academy Kakul cadets marching at Mazar of the Father of the Nation Quaid-i-AzamMohammad Ali Jinnah on the occasion of 137th birth anniversary.

AUGUSTA—More than500,000 homes and busi-nesses were still withoutpower on Tuesday in partsof the central and northeast-ern United States and intoCanada after a weekend iceand snow storm rolledacross the region. At least17 people have been killedin the storm.

Service said more snowwas expected to move intothe Northern High Plainsand Central Rockies onTuesday before rolling intothe Great Lakes and Mid-west by Wednesday morn-ing.

In Canada, five peopleare reported dead from ap-parent carbon monoxide poi-soning. Police said twopeople in Ontario died afterusing a gas generator to heattheir blacked-out homenortheast of Toronto.

Police in Quebec saidcarbon monoxide poisoningwas believed to be the causeof three deaths in a chalet

Ice storm cripplesUS, Canada, 17 killed

on the province’s NorthShore. Toronto officials said85,000 customers were stillwithout power Tuesday.

While that was down from300,000 people at the heightof the weekend outages,some were likely to be in thedark until after Christmas. In

Quebec, 31,700 customers re-mained without power as ofearly Tuesday. In NewBrunswick, more than 40,000customers were still in thedark. The region was under acold alert, with temperaturesexpected to be well belowfreezing Tuesday.—Online

IRSA rejectsNA’s body

recommendationISLAMABAD—Indus RiverSystem Authority (IRSA)has rejected recommenda-tion of National Assembly’sstanding committee for wa-ter and power to induct aFATA member in IRSA.

Spokesman of IRSA,Khalid Idrees Rana Wednes-day told media that entry ofany new member can only bemade by approval of Parlia-ment.

According to Parliamen-tary act, provincial represen-tatives have been assignedin IRSA and entry of newmember can only be madeafter making an amendmentthrough Parliament, hesaid.—Online

Two TTPcommanders heldNOWSHERA—The police ar-rested two top commandersof Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) Darra Adamkhel be-sides recovering arms andhand grenades from theirpossession during a crack-down here on Wednesday.

Police sources said thaton a tip-off heavy contingentof police conducted opera-tion in Fazil Korona area ofNowshera. During crack-down two key-commandersof TTP Darra Adamkhel,namely, Saleem and Tariqwere arrested.

Police claimed to haverecovered three hand gre-nades and two pistols fromthe possession of the de-tained accused. The accusedduring initial investigationhave confessed their in-volvement in destroyingpublic property and target-killing incidents. —INP

MOSCOW—Russia onWednesday formallydropped criminal chargesagainst Greenpeace activistsarrested in a protest againstArctic oil drilling on Wednes-day and was expected toshortly do the same for all 30,the environmental groupsaid.

By 0700 ET Greenpeacesaid it knew of the droppingof charges against 19 of thegroup, who are currently stillin Russia on bail. The movefollowed the announcementof a Kremlin amnesty.

The activists will now befree to leave Russia andtravel home to their families,once they secure exit visas.

Russia’s treatment of the

Russia drops chargesagainst Greenpeace activists

activists – who spent twomonths in detention andhad faced hooliganismcharges punishable byseven years in jail – haddrawn heavy criticism fromWestern nations and celeb-rities.

Their amnesty will re-move an irritant in relationsin what Kremlin critics sayis a move timed to improveRussia’s image ahead of theSochi Olympics. “This is theday we’ve been waiting forsince our ship was boardedby armed commandos almostthree months ago,” PeterWillcox, who captained theGreenpeace vessel used in theprotest, the Arctic Sunrise,said in a statement. —AP

NEW DEHLI—Indian Ministerfor External Affairs SalmanKhurshid has said that thereis no alternate option than dia-logue with Pakistan becauseboth countries cannot face thesituation of war.

In an interview Indian min-ister said on Wednesda, “Pa-kistan and India must choosethe way of dialogue to resolvethe issues because in bothsituations of ‘war’ or ‘peace’they will live in neighbours.”He said relations betweenIndo-Pak should be made bet-ter for the assurance of ‘Peace

No other option than dialoguewith Pakistan: Salman

Situation’ and dialog should becontinued on every level inthis regard.

Salman Khurshid said,“There are some ‘powers’which do not want peace be-tween two countries and ifsuch powers succeeded thenboth countries will become toyin the hands of terrorists.”

Further, he said Indiashould talk with Pakistan in adecisive way that weather it isready to end the concerns ofIndia on terrorism issue or not,however both countries can-not afford war. —Online

ANKARA—Turkey’s environ-ment minister stepped downon Wednesday, the third in thecabinet to resign over an anti-graft probe that has roiled thegovernment, and called on theprime minister to follow suit.

Moreover, Turkey’s mainstock index fell three per centafter the third Turkish ministerresigned on Wednesday overa high-level corruption scan-dal saying that Prime MinisterTayyip Erdogan should followsuit.

The lira weaked to 2.0855against the dollar, from 2.0650earlier after the minister’s re-marks.

“I am stepping down asminister and lawmaker,”Erdogan Bayraktar told the

private NTV television. “I be-lieve the prime minister shouldalso resign.” The movecomes shortly after EconomyMinister Zafer Caglayan andInterior Minister MuammerGuler announced their resig-nations. The sons of Guler andCaglayan are among the twodozen people who have beencharged as part of a high-levelbribery and corruption probethat has ensnared close gov-ernment allies and top busi-nessmen.

They are currently in de-tention.

The son of Bayraktar wasdetained last week as part ofthe probe, but has not beenformally charged and has beenreleased pending trial.

Bayraktar was the soleminister to call on Prime Min-ister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tofollow suit.

“There is nothing in theinvestigation file that hurts meor that I cannot explain,” hesaid.

“It’s prime minister’s natu-ral right to work with or removewhichever minister he wouldlike to,” he added.

“But I don’t accept anypressure to resign over an op-eration involving bribery andcorruption. I don’t accept itbecause a big majority of con-struction plans laid down andapproved in the investigationdossier were carried out withthe approval of the prime min-ister.”—AP

Third Turkishminister steps down

Blast in KhyberAgency killsone person

BARA—A man was killedand few others sustainedwounds in a blast inside aresidential house here onWednesday.

Official sources said theblast took place in a houselocated in Nari Baba area oftehsil Bara of KhyberAgency.

The explosion partiallydamaged the house result-ing in death of one personand leaving three others in-jured.

The security had per-sonnel started the investiga-tion whether the blast tookplace during any terror planor there were some other rea-sons for the explosion. —INP

8 kg bombdefused in Quetta

OBSERVER REPORT

QUETTA—Bomb DisposalSquad personnel defused abomb, weighing eight kilo-grams here on Wednesday.

Police sources said thattwo mortar bombs werefound, wired up together andconnected to a detonator, ina trash bin located on SaeedAhmed Khan Road in centralQuetta.Area residents in-formed the security person-nel of the presence of explo-sives. The disposal squadpersonnel reached the siteand defused the bomb.

PEOPLE who walk enough to meet or exceed physical activity recommendationsmay be less likely to die early than those

who only walk a little, new research shows.The American Heart Association (AHA) rec-ommends adults be physicallyactive for at least two and ahalf hours per week. Previousresearch has shown exercisingmore than that may bring ex-tra benefits.

“An important questionleft to be answered is howmuch walking is beneficial,”study author Paul Williams,from the Lawrence BerkeleyNational Laboratory in Berke-ley, California, said. He ana-lyzed data from 42,000mostly middle-aged peoplewho enrolled in the NationalWalkers’ Health Study be-tween 1998 and 2001. Theyhad all subscribed to a walk-ing magazine or attendedwalking events before thestudy. Walkers filled out ques-tionnaires about their health and lifestyle, in-cluding exercise and eating habits. Williamsthen used death records to track who in the studywas still alive at the end of 2008. Based ontheir questionnaire responses, 23 percent ofparticipants didn’t walk enough to meet physi-cal activity guidelines. Another 16 percent metthe guidelines, and the rest exceeded them.

Over an average of nine and a half years,2,448 people died - almost 6 percent. Comparedto people who didn’t meet the guidelines, thosewho walked more than the basic recommenda-tion had a one-third lower chance of dying dur-ing the study period. Those who met but didn’texceed the recommendation had an 11 percent

lower chance.That was after taking into account other

differences between people who walked vari-ous amounts, like diet and education levels.Participants who walked more had a reduced

risk of dying from a stroke,diabetes and heart disease, inparticular.

Walking providesplenty of health benefits. Butit’s important to note thatpeople who walk more may doso because they are healthierand therefore more able to beactive, Williams said. So thenew study doesn’t prove walk-ing will extend a person’s life.“There is always the questionof the chicken and the egg -whether people who arehealthier are able to walk far-ther or, conversely, whetherthe longer distance they walkmay translate into better healthbenefits,” Williams toldReuters Health.

Based on the results, hesuggested changing current guidelines bybumping up the minimum amount of physi-cal activity to five hours per week and devel-oping a two-tiered recommendation systemthat encourages people to exercise more thanthey do currently. One tier would aim to getpeople active, and the other to add to the ac-tivity people are already doing, Williams said.That would underscore the point that for couchpotatoes, starting to exercise is a healthy move- but the benefits don’t stop there. “Achiev-ing the weekly exercise guidelines is good,”Williams said, “but exceeding them is evenbetter.” “When it comes to walking, more isobviously better,” María Simón agreed.

When it comes towalking, more is better

Editor-in-Chief Pakistan Observer and Chairman Nazriya Pakistan Council Zahid Malik, Father Rehmat Michael Hakim, Senior Members of Majlis-e-Aamla NPC Mian Muhammad Javed, Mrs Farrukh Khan, Prof Dr Basharat Jazbi and M Bilal Advocate cutting the cake during a ceremony to celebrateChristmas at Khatoon Fatima Church.—PO Photo by Sultan Bashir

A group photo of the guests during a reception hosted by the High Commissioner ofMauritius Mohammad Rashad Daureeawo in the honor of Deputy Prime Minister ofMauritius Ahmed Rashid Beebeejaun in Islamabad. Minister of State for Education, Train-ing and Reforms Baleegh-ur-Rehman and Ambassadors/High Commissioners of differentcountries were among the guests.—PO photo

LIAQAT TOOR

ISLAMABAD—If the JesusChrist had been physicallypresent on this planet todayhe, after having witnessedgory scenes of bloodshed anddecaying dead bodies scat-tered all around the world,might have himself marchedtowards the Cross.

This was stated by Mr.Zahid Malik, Editor-in-Chief,Pakistan Observer, while ad-dressing a big gathering of theChristian community at theFatima Church, Islamabad,where the Nazriya PakistanCouncil, Islamabad, joined

hands with members ofChristian community to cut aChristmas cake.

Mr. Zahid Malik who isalso Chairman of the NPCsaid that the Jesus had visu-alized and struggled for amiseries-free world but quitecontrary to that the world to-day was saddled with nothingelse but grief, torture, anguishand tears.

However, he was optimis-tic that in Pakistan a genuineurge of harmony among vari-ous faiths had emerged andeveryone who matters waskeen to take the minoritiesalong. “Every one who lives

within the boundaries of Pa-kistan is equal in all respectsand it is incumbent upon theState and the Government totreat everyone as enshrined inthe Constitution,” he said.

Mr. Malik announced thatearly next year the NPC willconvene an All Pakistan Inter-faith Conference to carry for-ward the message of betterunderstanding among all reli-gions.

This is what the founderof Pakistan, Quaid-i-AzamMohammad Ali Jinnah hadperceived, he said.

The members of the Ex-ecutive Committee of the

Council who participated inthe ceremony included MianMuhammad Javed, Dr.Basharat Jazbi, Mrs. FarukhKhan and M Bilal.

Father Rehmat MichaelHakim welcoming the NPCdelegation said NPC is work-ing vigorously for promotinginter-faith harmony. Pakistanhas great future as Muslimsand Christians moving handin hand can achieve goals asenvisioned by the Quaid. Itwas always a great occasionwhen Muslims including NPCmembers visit our church andshare greetings with us onChristmas.

“Jesus Christ would have himself marched to the Cross”

NPC celebrates Christmas Daywith Christian Community

Senior Member of Nazariya Pakistan Council Trust and Former Federal Minister Prof Dr Basharat Jazbi, Mian MuhammadJaved, Dr Naeem Ghani, Mrs Farrukh Khan, Principal Ayesha Lasani Model School Noor Qureshi and students posing fora group photo during a ceremony organized by NPC to celebrate Quaid-e-Azam Day, at Aiwan-e-Quaid.—PO photo

NPC organizes walk to highlight Quaid’s messageASHRAF ANSARI

ISLAMABAD—Nazriya Paki-stan Council (NPC) orga-nized a walk at Fatima JinnahPark here Wednesday, mark-ing birth anniversary of Fa-ther of the Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad AliJinnah. A large number ofstudents and teachers ofAyesha Lasani Model Schoolwere among the participantsof the walk.

Senior Vice ChairmanNPC Mian MohammadJavaid, Dr. Basharat Jazbi,NPC Executive Committeemember, Dr. Naeem Ghani,Chairman Sultana Founda-tion and Mohtarma NoorChairperson Ayesha LasaniModel School led the walk

that started at one point of theFatima Jinnah Park and termi-nated at the door steps ofAiwan-i-Quaid.

The students participatingin the walk also includingsmall children were nicelydressed in school uniforms.They were holding miniaturenational flag and bannersbearing sayings of the Quaid.They raised slogans LongLive Pakistan, Long LiveQuaid-i-Azam. A band ac-companying the walk playednational songs. At the end ofthe walk, Mian MohammadJavaid addressed the partici-pants of the walk. He said,Pakistan’s future was brightas the upcoming generationwas fully committed to theideals of Father of the Nation.

After the walk, glowingtributes were paid to theQuaid-i-Azam at a functionheld at the auditorium ofAiwan-i-Quaid. It was jointlyorganized by Ayesha LasaniModel School and NPC.

Dr. Basharat Jazbi in hispresidential address said, thenation needs to follow teach-ings of the Quaid and abide byhis motto UNITY, FAITH,DISCIPLINE. He said, theQuaid greatly valued educa-tion of younger generationand believed that it was keyto progress of the country.

Dr. Naeem Ghani, whowas the chief guest on the oc-casion, in his speech asked thestudents to take inspirationfrom the life and achievementof Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad

Ali Jinnah. He said, Pakistanhas the potential to achievegreatness provided educationis given its due importancein the society. ChairpersonAyesha Lasani Model SchoolMohtarma Noor in her ad-dress cited examples fromthe life of Father of the Na-tion to point out that Paki-stan was achieved as a resultof commitment of the Quaidto the national cause and hisbelief in the destiny of thenation. She said, our youngergeneration will follow theteachings of the Quaid andwill make the country strongand prosperous. The schoolchildren presented interestingitems to highlight the lives andachievements of the Quaid-i-Azam and Allam Iqbal.

Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force joinedthe celebrations of Christmas with the Christian community at Air Headquarters.

STAFF REPORTER

IS L A M A B A D —Air ChiefMarshal Tahir Rafique Butt,Chief of the Air Staff, Paki-stan Air Force joined the cel-ebrations of Christmas withthe Christian communityhere at Air Headquarters,Islamabad on Wednesday.

In line with the vision ofQuaid-e-Azam,” irrespective ofcast, creed and religion, we areone nation”, the Air Chief metwith the Christian communityof Pakistan Air Force (PAF) andexchanged good wishes.

Similar activities werearranged at all RegionalCommands and Bases of Pa-kistan Air Force where AirOfficers Commanding andBase Commanders joinedwith Christian community

Air Chief joins Christmas celebrationsand exchanged good wishes.

There is a reasonablenumber of personnel from

Christian community that areserving in Pakistan Air Force.

Their happiness and good

will have always been at pri-ority on the agenda of Paki-stan Air Force.

Senator Razina topreside over specialevent for ladies atAiwan-i-QuaidOBSERVER REPORT

ISLAMABAD—During the on-going weak long celebrationsof the birth anniversary ofQuaid-i-Azam MuhammadAli Jinnah, a special event hasbeen arranged for ladies atAiwan-i-Quaid on 26 Decem-ber (Thursday) at 3:00 p.m.

Senator Razina AalamKhan will preside over theevent wherein eminent speak-ers and scholars including Dr.Amina Nasir, Mrs. AqeelaJamil Khatak, Mrs. KanwalNaseer, Mrs. Quraat-ul-Ain Ali,and Mrs. Farheen Chaudhrywill express views on the topicof “Brought up of new genera-tion in line with the Quaid’sconcepts”. The basic idea ofthis discussion is to induce atrue spirit among the mothersto be to inculcate love devo-tion and patriotism in the com-ing generation for the countryas well as the humanity on thewhole as desired and wishedby father of nation.

ZUBAIR QURESHI

ISLAMABAD—Federal Ministerfor Information and BroadcastingSenator Pervaiz Rashid Wednes-day commended Nawab Kaifi, aversatile media personality, for hav-ing written his maiden poetry col-lection ‘Yeh Mojza Hay’ (This is aMiracle). The Minister was thechief guest at the book launchingceremony. Former Vice Chancel-lor Karachi University Dr PirzadaQasim presided over the ceremonywhile eminent poet Amjad IslamAmjad, senior intellectual AghaNasir, noted journalist Hamid Mirand CEO of an advertising agency

and a personal friend of Kaifi, TahirA Khan spoke on the occasion.They discussed Nawab Kaifi’s po-etic talent in different ways.

Senator Pervaiz Rashid remi-nisced the previous term of theNawaz government when one yearafter conducting nuclear tests inChaghi, the government an-nounced a prize for the best writ-ten poetic anthem to celebrateChaghi’s first anniversary.

“I was PTV chairman at thattime and Nawab Kaifi brought hispoem ‘Yeh Mojza Hay” to me,”the minister said. The poem wassubsequently selected and wasaired by the PTV to celebrate the

first anniversary of the nuclearblasts.

Dr Pirzada Qasim stressed thepositive aspect of the poems. Hesaid Kaifi’s poems indicate he isgoing to become a great poet ofUrdu in the coming days.

Amjad Islam Amjad said hewould only speak about the meritsof the book as “it is customary inour society that on the wedding dayno one points out shortcomings ofthe bride”.

Tahir A Khan said love is thecentral point of Kaifi’s poems. Heis a man of versatile talent. HamidMir in light humorous way com-mended Kaifi’s work.

‘Yeh Mojza Hay’ launched

Poet discovered in Nawab Kaifi

06:10

01:30

03:45

07:00

Zohr

Brothers in Islam establishregular prayers and charity

December 26

NATIONAL Press Club(NPC) has announced to con-duct the polls for different des-ignations of club on Decem-ber 26, 2013. List of candi-dates will be displayed onDecember 20, 2013.

****

THE nineteenth Death Anni-versary of the poet, PerveenShakir falls on Thursday, 26thDecember 2013. QuranKhwani will be held on that dayand a Floral wreath will beplaced on her grave at the H-8Graveyard. Islamabad. Poets,members of the literary worldand of civil society will attend.Thereafter a function will beheld in Lahore at 4 p.m.bythePakistan Post Office to inaugu-rate the commemorative stampbeing brought out by the Paki-stan Post.

****

THE Institute of StrategicStudies, Islamabad will holda seminar on “RethinkingNational Security of Pakistan:Challenges and Opportuni-ties” Thursday (today), De-cember 26, at 1100 hrs, sec-tor F-5/2.

Continuing

PAINTING exhibition titled:‘Four Seasons’ by Sweden-based artist Ubaid Syed, atTanzara Gallery, House No 14,Street 12, F7/2, Islamabad,continuing up to December 27.

Visitors witnessing photographic exhibition at RAC on the occasion of Quaid Azam Day.

Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius Dr. Ahmed Rashid Beebeejaun offering Dua after inaugurating newly constructedChildren Block at Al Shifa Trust Eye Hospital.

CITY REPORTER

RAWALPINDI—The DeputyPrime Minister of MauritiusDr Ahmed Rashid Beebeejaunhas asked the administrationof Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospi-tal to organise free eye campstwice a year and help improvethe skills and services of eye-care staff in the island.

This he said during a visitto the hospital where he wasreceived by President of thetrust Lt. Gen (Retd) HamidJavaid and others.

The visi t ing dignitarylauded the healthcare coop-eration by Pakistan as the trusthas been sending teams of se-nior doctors comprising DeanProf Wajid Ali Khan, ChiefConsultant Nadeem Qureshiand others to Mauritius for thelast six years.

The Deputy Prime Minis-

Pak contribution towards Mauritian healthcare acknowledgedter of Mauritius Dr AhmedRashid Beebeejaun called forenhanced cooperation be-tween medical fraternities ofboth countries to help suffer-ing humanity.

He also visited differentdepartments of the hospital, in-quired after health of patients,appreciated quality of service,took keen interest in latestequipment and inaugurated thenewly completed ChildrenBlock where almost 200 chil-dren will be treated daily.

It may be mentioned thatAl-Shifa teams have con-ducted over 300 complicatedoperations and examined over2500 patients besides traininglarge number of eye special-ists and nurses at Mauritianhospitals.

Al-Shifa and Ministry ofHealth and Quality of Life inMauritius have also signed a

MOU aimed at training ofdoctors and paramedics fromMauritius and facilitatingMauritian patients to come toPakistan for treatment of com-plicated cases.

Lt. Gen (Retd) HamidJavaid told Mr. Beebeejaun thatso far Al-Shifa has treated oversix million patients and con-ducted over 600,000 operations.Seventy per cent of all patientswere treated free of cost.

He said that the trustwould further enhance coop-eration with Mauritius.

He informed that ChildrenBlock would be transformedinto a full-fledged eye hospi-tal for children which wouldbe first ever eye-care facilityof i ts kind in Pakistan.Beebeejaun thanked govern-ment, people and philanthro-pists of Pakistan for theirwarm hospitality.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—The researchthink tank MUSLIM Instituteorganized a seminar titled“Current Challenges of Paki-stan and Vision of Quaid-e-Azam” in International IslamicUniversity, Islamabad. FederalMinister for Kashmir, Gilgitand Baltistan, ChaudharyBarjees Tahir was the chiefguest on the occasion. VicePresident IIUI Dr. MumtazAhmed welcomed the partici-pants and said that we havemade great progress since cre-ation of Pakistan but still great

efforts are required to realize thedream of Quaid e Azam. Dr.Noor Fatima, HOD IR Depart-ment IIUI, underscored the needfor vibrant role of women intransforming Pakistan into thekind of state envisaged by Quaide Azam as Muslim womenplayed an active role in freedommovement of Pakistan. Shementioned that Quaid also gaveequal importance to women asto men in every walk of life.Rector IIUI Ahmed YousafDarweish expressing his viewssaid that Quaid had no personalthoughts but Islamic thoughts;he had in-depth understanding of

Islam. Muslim Ummah canmake tremendous progressbased upon his vision.

Federal Minister for Kash-mir, Gilgit and Baltistan,Chaudhary Barjees Tahir paidtribute to the founding father ofPakistan for making our indi-vidual and collective lives inde-pendent. He said that now it isour responsibility and duty toshow gratitude to Quaid-e-Azam by running the countryaccording to his vision. Ourfounding father saw the dreamof welfare and prosperous statebut we have deviated from hisvision and dream. We should

follow his lesson of ‘Unity, Faithand Discipline’ to make Pakistana strong and respected countryin the world. We can live with-out foreign support if we imple-ment his vision to make thecountry as he desired.

Research Associate MUS-LIM Institute S.H. Qadri ana-lyzed the speech of Quaid-e-Azam on 11th August, 1947 inperspective of Meesaq-e-Madina. He explained that ac-cording to the same, all citizensof the state have equal rights andduties regardless of their reli-gion, creed or caste, while firstand foremost duty of state is to

so create a system based uponsocial, economic and politicaljustice.

Analyst and columnist RanaAbdul Baqi said that there wasno discrepancy in words anddeeds of Quaid. AfterAurangzeb Alamgir, Quaid wasthe only great leader whobrought Muslims out of dark-ness and won freedom for them.We can bring social stability inour country by implementingQuaid’s vision.

Columnist and Former Am-bassador Asif Eizdi said that atthe time of partitionMountbatten suggested imple-

mentation of the same judicialsystem in Pakistan as imple-mented by Mughal EmperorAkbar. However, Quaid-e Azamreplied that we derive the com-plete code of life and judicialsystem form Hazrat Muhammad(PBUH) instead from anyoneelse. In present scenario, weshould find solutions to prob-lems in Tribal Areas as well asKashmir dispute in the light ofQuaid’s vision.

Former Secretary ElectionCommission Kanwar Dilshadsaid that many NGOs today aremaking negative portrayal ofQuaid e Azam’s personality and

vision. These institutions want tocreate secular version of Pakistanand we should raise voice againstthem. Former Secretary Generalfor Foreign Affairs Akram Zakisaid that Quaid-e-Azam wasagainst all sorts of discrimination;he would have made every effortto give equal rights to all citizensregardless of their status, gender,belief, creed or caste. Accordingto his vision, we ought to providesocial justice to every citizen sothat our country can progress andbecome Islamic welfare state.

Chairman Muslim InstituteSahibzada Sultan Ahmed Alithanked honorable chief guest,

distinguished speakers and re-spected guests. He furtherstated that our Quaid wantedimplementation of Islam’sgolden principles like justice,equality, rule of law and socialwelfare so that Pakistanemerges as true Islamic welfarestate. However, we have, re-grettably, deviated from thesame and got entangled in is-sues that have derailed the na-tion from path of progress andprosperity that Quaid wantedPakistan to achieve. He con-cluded that following Quaid’svision is the only solution toall our problems.

Current Challenges and vision of Quaid-e-Azam

CITY REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Islamabad Policeemerged successfully againstcriminal elements involved incrimes of various nature and ar-rested a total of 7729 criminals thisyear besides recovering looteditems worth Rs. 375 millions, hugecache of contraband and weaponsfrom their possession. IGPIslamabad Sikandar Hayat has saidthat effective steps are being takento curb crime and addressing thecitizens’ problems on immediatebasis. He said this success story ofIslamabad police is really appre-ciable as policemen perform theirduties in tough circumstances. Hesaid support from communitywould further encourage us and ourperformance will further improve.

According to details, investi-gation on 4553 cases was com-pleted and their challans were sub-mitted in relevant courts. Policearrested 183 assassins for their al-leged involvement in 134 murdercases. Out of these cases, 37 caseswere of blind murders which werealso traced successfully besidesarrest of 80 alleged killers.

Thirty-eight (38) dacoits were

arrested during efforts of Islamabadpolice to curb criminal activitieswho confessed their involvementin 53 dacoity incidents and a re-covery of Rs. 19.6 million was alsomade from them. Two hundred andtwenty two e (222) gangsters werearrested who had been involved in452 cases of snatching valuablesat gun point and a recovery of Rs.24.7 million was also made fromthem.

Similarly, 128 burglars wereapprehended for their involve-ment in 292 cases besides recov-ery of Rs. 11.5 million from themwhile 275 thieves were arrestedin connection with 385 theft casesand stolen items worth Rs. 48.6million were recovered fromthem.

Expediting the efforts againstauto-thieves and car jackers,Islamabad police apprehended 249car and motorbikes thieves and re-covered 175 stolen and 165 tem-pered cars (worth Rs. 321.4 mil-lion) from them. The recoveredtempered cars were stolen fromother districts and forty (40) recov-ered motorbikes were of worth Rs.1.4 million. It has been further dis-closed in the report that 427 pro-

claimed offenders wanted to policein crime cases of heinous natureand 512 court absconders were alsonabbed during this period.

In crackdown against drugpushers, bootleggers and thosepossessing illegal weapons,Islamabad police arrested 1800accused and recovered over 805kilogram hashish, 29 kilogramheroin, 16 kilogram opium,23,706 wine bottles, 35Kalashnikovs,53rifles, 113 guns,801 pistol and 18,329 rounds.During search operation in vari-ous areas of Islamabad, 3491 sus-pects were also held and promptaction was taken against 11,281beggars. Islamabad police alsonabbed 139 male and 108 femalesfor their alleged involvement inimmoral activities.

With an objective to ensureimprovement in policing affairs,the IGP Sikandar Hayat saidIslamabad police took several stepsto come up to the expectations ofthe people and enhance output. Hesaid Islamabad police force is cog-nizant of challenges and everyproblem will be countered throughcapacity building of the force andcooperation of the community.

Effective steps tocurb crimes in capital

Non paymentof pension

RAWALPINDI—Non paymentof pension to the retired sanitaryworkers of city district govern-ment Rawalpindi and TMA hasadded to economic woes of thiscommunity and their families.

The sanitary workers in-cluding men and women havenot been paid pension since thelast two months. Their pensionamount is already meager but itis only the ray of hope for themin their old age.

“We have spent 30 years oflife in keeping the city neat andclean but what doom we aremeeting in return for our ser-vices is shocking as we havebeen deprived of pension andour home burners stand extin-guished now”, said a group ofretired lady sanitary workers.

Municipal labor union hasvoiced grave concern over nondisbursement of pension amongthe retired sanitary workers andannounced to hold protest ralliesagainst this exploitation of poorsanitary workers.—Online

Prisoner diesin jail hospital

RAWALPINDI—A prisoner ofAdiala jail Yasim Iftitkhar ad-mitted in the jail hospital haspassed away after protracted ill-ness.

Details said, accused YasimIftitkar s/o Mohammad Iftitkharwar arrested and sent on judicialremand in Adiala Jail by KahutaPolice on the recovery of drugsand liquor from him.

In jail, Yasim fell ill and wasadmitted to jail hospital for treat-ment where he lost his life afterprotracted illness.

Dead body of the prisonerhas been handed over to the fam-ily members by police.—Online

Free education tochildren of

Christian staffCITY REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Allama IqbalOpen University (AIOU) is plan-ning to provide free educationalopportunities to the children ofits Christians staff under ‘earn-to-learn scheme’, ensuring equalaccess to all segment of society.Vice-Chancellor, AIOU Prof. Dr.Nazir Ahmed Sangi announcedthis while addressing a Christmasfunction held at AIOU’s maincampus, where all Christian’semployees of the University,Registrar, Director, Students’Affairs, Mian MuhammadAslam, and others attended thefunction.

Dr. Sangi said that sufficientfund has already been allocatedfor providing free education tothe children of its Christiansstaff under “Earn-to-LearnScheme”, while university ispreparing the list of its seniorChristians employees mainly ofthe sanitary-workers for theirpromotion to next grade similarto hardship cases.

CDA decides to linkMargalla Avenue to

motor waySTAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Capital Devel-opment Authority (CDA) hasdecided to link Margalla Avenueto third avenue on one side andto motor way on other side.

Decision was taken in ameeting held under chairmanCDA here He was told duringthe meeting that constructionwork on Margalla avenue fromsector D-12 to sector B-17 wasunderway.

Chairman CDA directed thatpace of work on this avenue beaccelerated and it be expandedfrom GT road to Motorway.Margalla Avenue be carpetedfrom Pak Secretariat to thirdavenue. He also issued direc-tives for installation of roadlights on Islamabad Highway.

RISEB stopscollecting

advance feeSTAFF REPORTER

RAWALPINDI—Rawalpindi In-termediate and Secondary Edu-cation Board (RISEB) hasstopped receiving advance cer-tificate (sanad) fee from matriccandidates at the time of filingadmission form.

RISEB has suspended charg-ing sanad fee amounting to Rs550 in compliance with orders ofhigh court. The RISEB hasstarted collecting admissionforms from private matric candi-dates in science subjects.

CITY REPORTER

RAWALPINDI—RawalpindiArts Council held a photo-graphic exhibition whereinpictures and historical docu-ments pertaining to Quaid-e-Azam were put on display tohighlight different aspects ofthe life of Quaid-e-Azamwho united the Muslims ofthe Subcontinent for acquir-ing a separate homeland.

More than 100 rare pic-tures of great leader were ex-hibited in connection withQuaid’s birthday celebrations.

Resident Director RACWaqar Ahmed flanked by DrFauzia Moghees inaugurated the

exhibition which was also at-tended by a large number ofpeople from different walk of life.

Addressing after inaugu-ral ceremony, he said work,work and work this was themessage of great leader and hesucceeded in achieving aseparate homeland, Pakistanfor the Muslims of sub conti-nent by adhering to this phi-losophy.

“He laid out the principles ofunity, organization and faith forthe nation to make headway onthe path to progress and devel-opment,” Waqar Ahmed added.The cake was also cut at the oc-casion. The exhibition will con-tinue at RAC till December 28.

Quaid’s picturesexhibited at RAC

ISLAMABAD—The domestic con-sumers have been asked to takespecial care while using gas appli-ances and not to use rubber pipesfor gas heaters and stoves. An offi-cial of the Sui Northern Gas Pipe-line Limited (SNGPL),Rawalpindi-Islamabad Region alsoadvised the consumers only to usenatural gas heaters and geysers asand when required in order to main-tain pressure for all the consumersin view of gap in demand and sup-ply of the gas.

While, warning the consum-ers about possible gas related acci-dents owing to leakage of rubbergas pipes, he said that consumersat homes, offices, educational in-stitutions and trading centersshould not use rubber pipes for gasheaters and stoves. Suggesting spe-cial safety measure, he said theconsumers should take specialcare while using gas appliances toavoid untoward incidents duringthe winter season.

The gas appliances of good

Gas consumers advisednot to use rubber pipes

Police arrest 8outlaws

RAWALPINDI—Police in itsdrive against anti-social elementson Wednesday arrested eight ac-cused from different localitiesand recovered illegal arms anddrugs from their possession. Po-lice seized 105 grams charas, 60bottles of liquor and two pistolsfrom the arrested accused.

According to details,Mandra Police apprehendedIrfan with charas, while CanttPolice recovered 60 bottles ofliquor from Sajid and Shahab.

Gujjar Khan Police heldTanvir for carrying four literswine, whereas Gangmandi Po-lice netted drunkard Yasir. WarisKhan and Gujjar Khan Policerecovered two 30-bore pistolsfrom Hameed and Naveed eachfrom them respectively.-—APP

quality should be used and a trainedplumber should be engaged to rec-tify gas leakage in houses. The of-ficial also asked the people to keepat least one window in a room openwhile using gas heaters. The con-sumers should desist from usingelectric fan or exhaust fan in caseof leakage of gas and keep win-dows open. He said the domesticconsumers should switch off theirheaters and geysers before goingto bed to save gas and their pre-cious lives.—APP

Christian girls singing songs during a ceremony to celebrate Christmas in Islamabad.—POphoto by Sultan Bashir

Chairman PakTurk Unal Tosur and Director Kamil Ture handing over cheque of Rs onemillion, raised by the students, to representative of an international Turkish NGO to pro-vide relief to the children affected by the recent typhoon in the Philippines.

Christians celebrate Xmaswith traditional zeal

CITY REPORTER

RAWALPINDI—Christian com-munity celebrated Xmas withtraditional zeal and religiousfervour on Wednesday amidelaborate security arrangements.

City District GovernmentRawalpindi (CDGR) had madefoolproof security arrangementswith deployment of more than

1,000 police personnel aroundall churches of the city.

Big gatherings of Christianswere held at the CathedralChurch, Lalkurti; ProtestantChurch, Mall Road; Saint An-thony Church, Satellite Town;Saint Joseph’s CathedralChurch, Dhoke Syedan andSaint Mary’s Church, SherZaman Colony where priests

delivered sermons and led spe-cial prayers.

They also offered specialprayers for peace, progress andprosperity of the country.

All churches were decoratedwith lights and buntings wheremost attractive aspect for chil-dren was Santa Clause replicas,while Christmas trees were in-stalled in major city hotels.

Kashmiri women claim their rightsATHAR PARVAIZ

MEHNAZ Bano (nother real name), a 37-year-old woman in a

hamlet in Indian Kashmir, isliving a “satisfied and peace-ful” life ever since she se-cured her daughter’s propertyrights before her remarriagethough not without a longand tedious struggle follow-ing her first husband’s death.

When her first husbanddied in 2003, she was just 27years old. But her in-lawsstood in the way of her sec-ond marriage. According toBano, they argued that sincethey had invested money intheir son’s wedding, they

couldn’t let that money go towaste by allowing her to re-marry.

“Initially, I took it as myfate and lived with it for sixyears. And I also wanted mydaughter to grow up a bit. Shewas just a year old at the timeof her father’s death,” Banotold IPS.

But, she added, as timewent by, she started getting thefeeling that she was no morethan a slave in their household,given that she had no legalright to the family’s property.

“I asked them to leave mealone with my daughter or toallow me to remarry, in whichcase I would leave my daugh-ter with them provided they

registered one-third of theproperty in her name. But theyagreed to neither of these twooptions,” said Bano, who hasa master’s degree in historyand teaches at a governmentschool.

“I could easily provide mydaughter with a quality educa-tion given that I had a steadymonthly income, but they re-fused it vehemently.” She saidthat if her in-laws had allowedher to take her daughter withher, she wouldn’t have remar-ried, for the sake of her daugh-ter.

But her in-laws’ “stubbornstance” compelled her to wagea legal battle against them.And once the case went to

court, her in-laws approachedher with a “compromise,”agreeing to register property inthe name of Bano’s daughteron the condition that the girlwould live with them.

“When I saw them budg-ing, I was happy to settle outof court. So I withdrew thecase,” she said. Bano now hastwo children – a daughter anda son – with the new husbandshe married in 2009. “I amglad that I pushed for myrights, and my daughter’s,” shesaid.

Women are just starting tobecome aware of their rightsin the region of Kashmir innorthwest India.

“It was mainly because of

illiteracy. Women’s educationused to be considered againstthe norms of Kashmiri soci-ety,” Bashir Dabla, a leadingsociologist at Kashmir Univer-sity in Srinagar, told IPS.Women’s employment has alsolong been looked down upon,he added.

But this trend, said Dabla,has been changing in the pastfew years. “Now women arenot only seen in good numbersin educational institutions, butalso in workplaces,” he said.

According to the 2011 cen-sus, female literacy in the stateof Jammu and Kashmir in-creased from 20 percent in1981 to 58 percent in 2011,compared to 44 and 78 percent

MUZAFFARABAD: AJK Finance Minister and Pakistan People Party Secretary General Chaudhry Lateef Akbar ad-dressing the crowd of a school on Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah birthday.

for males in the same period.The result gazettes at

Kashmir’s school board ex-amination reveal that girlshave topped the 10th standardannual exams six times in thepast ten years. In KashmirUniversity a number of depart-ments have an almost 50:50male to female ratio.

Results have begun to beseen on the ground. TasaduqAhmad, assistant divisionalcommissioner of Kashmir, saidhis office received 917 com-plaints this year from womenwho were denied their share ofthe family property.

“We straightaway askedthe concerned revenue officialsto cancel the land registration

of all the households wherewomen had filed complaints,”Ahmad told IPS.

According to Ahmad, legis-lation passed by the Jammu andKashmir legislative assembly in2007 made it easier for womento claim their share of the familyproperty. Earlier laws were notclear on women’s property rights.

Ahmad said women haveincreasingly filed complaintssince the legislation was ap-proved. “This was not the case10 years back, but now suchnumbers go up each passingyear,” said the assistant divi-sional commissioner, who hasbeen serving in Kashmir’s rev-enue department for 23 years.

But social activists say

women in Kashmir have along way to go in fighting so-cial prejudices against them.

“For example, when itcomes to decision-making ina household, men continue tocall the shots. Women are notyet in a position to assertthemselves,” said AbdulRashid Hanjoora, a promi-nent rights activist.

The 2011 census reflectedthe continued preference forboys over girls amongKashmiris, with the child sexratio falling from 964 girlsper 1000 boys in 2001 to 862girls per 1000 boys in 2011.The national average in Indiais 940 girls per 1000 boys.—Courtesy Inter Press Service

MUZAFFARABAD: AJK Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Majeed talking with Minister forTransports Muhammad Tahir Khokhar.

SRINAGAR—While stating thatKashmir was the core issue be-tween India and Pakistan,Hurriyat Conference (G) chair-man, Syed Ali Geelani has saidthat no breakthrough was ex-pected from Indo-Pak DGMOlevel meeting.

“Kashmir issue is the maincause of detestable border skir-mishes between India and Paki-stan,” Geelani said according toa statement by the spokesman ofthe pro-freedom amalgam.

“If the leadership of both thecountries show sincerity and aredesirous to establish good rela-tions then it is desirable and intheir interest to honor the yearn-ing of people of Kashmir and re-solve the pending dispute as pertheir aspirations,” Geelani said.

“Strained relations, mistrustand border skirmishes are all

offshoots of the Kashmir issueand unless it is resolved, thechances for any improvementbetween the two are bleak,” headded.

“Unless Kashmir dispute isresolved, the chances for anyimprovement between the twoare bleak,” Geelani said, adding“though the DGMO level talksare being held after 14 years, nosignificant change is expected.”

The octogenarian pro-free-dom leader said that the strainedrelations, mistrust, and borderskirmishes “were all off-shootsof the Kashmir issue.”

“There are least chances ofany breakthrough in the presentsituation while both the coun-tries ignore the core issue,”Geelani said. “They are simplywasting their time,” he added.

Geelani said that “both the

countries were adopting cos-metic approach to ease out theirstrained relations as they areengaged and focus on irrelevantissues.”

“Both the countries are en-gaged in negotiations and signedseveral such agreements but tono avail and on ground there isno change,” Geelani said.

Geelani said that protractionof Kashmir dispute was not af-fecting the people of Kashmirbut “is affecting the economy ofboth the countries.” “India andPakistan are spending a bigchunk of their budget over de-fense,’ he said.

Geelani, according to thestatement, urged upon “rulers inNew Delhi to face reality andhistorical facts and give up stub-born and obstinate approachwhile asking the authorities in

Pakistan to focus on Kashmirissue and shun their unrealisticapproach.”

“In principle we are not op-posed to dialogue process be-tween the two countries, how-ever, it should not be wastage oftime and merely to score pointsbut the process needs to be car-ried on with sincerity,” Geelanisaid.

Geelani asked Indian au-thorities to be realistic towardshistorical facts and give up ‘stub-born and obstinate’ approach vis-à-vis Kashmir issue. He alsoasked the Pakistan authorities tofocus on Kashmir issue and shuntheir unrealistic approach.

Geelani further said: “IfKashmir issue is resolved, allother pending issues between thetwo countries will become easierto resolve.”—NNI

Kashmir issue root cause ofIndo-Pak tension: Geelani

Dialogue process needs to be carried on with sincerity

AJK-based Christians celebrateXmas with traditional, religious zeal

Gujjars demand law toprotect ‘Jirga system’ in J&KJAMMU—Urging for a distinctlaw to protect centuries old tribaljudicial system ‘Jirga’ popular inGujjars-Bakerwals of Jammuand Kashmir, the community ap-pealed to law makers of countryto provide legal safeguards tohundreds of “tribal courts” bymaking them constitutionallyvalid through an Act at nationaland state levels.

In a fresh letter to UnionMinister for Law and JusticeKapil Sibal sent through TribalResearch and Cultural Founda-tion-a Frontal organization ofGujjars, the tribal dignitaries ap-prehended if timely steps werenot taken by the union govern-ment for the preservation andprotection of tribal courts“Jirgas” active in mountainous

ranges of North-WesternHimalaya, these time tested andaged old traditional law institu-tions, would become extinct.

Secretary Tribal Founda-tion Dr Javaid Rahi, while giv-ing details about the communi-cation, said, “The Foundationwrote to Union Law Ministryand Justice that this oldestpopular system of justice is fac-ing multi-dimensional threatsfrom all sides and this traditionneeds immediate legal recogni-tions otherwise this traditionwill go extinct in next few de-cades.”

In the letter an appeal wasmade to Union Law and JusticeMinister for an enactment of anAct for protection of Jirgas to beextended to Jammu and Kash-

mir and other North-WesternStates of India where Gujjarsreside.

The letter further reads thatlakhs of Gujjar-Bakerwals inJammu and Kashmir and otherNorth-Western states still be-lieved and practiced traditionalJirga system which is headedby “Muqadams” an elderlytribal who takes decisions onvarious issues by consensus.Some Gujjar women called“Mahries” also head Jirgas insome remotest pockets of thestate, it was stated in the let-ter.

It was stated that these tribalcourts are very much effective,powerful, prompt, inexpensiveand available at doorsteps butlack legal sanctity. —NNI

MIRPUR—Like rest of theworld and Pakistan, Christmas,the religious festival of Chris-tian fraternity, was also cel-ebrated in Azad Jammu Kash-mir on Wednesday with tradi-tional religious fervor and zeal.

The Christian community inthe area held special prayer ser-vices to mark the day

They prayed for the unity,solidarity, progress and prosper-ity of Pakistan, coupled with therenewal of the pledge to play anactive role for the stability anddevelopment of the country.

A special Christmas func-tion was held at Mangla

(Mirpur) under the auspices ofChristian Welfare Trust, the cen-tral organization of local Chris-tian community in Mirpur dis-trict to celebrate the Christmaswith great enthusiasm and devo-tion and religious zeal and fer-vor.

The venue of the ceremonywas beautifully decorated withcolorful buntings and bannersand special gifts were distributedamong the children and the so-cial workers.

Addressing the ceremony,speakers the leaders of ChristianWelfare Trust including SalikGill and others said that the

Jesus Christ (AS) gave the mes-sage of love and affection andtolerance, which, should be ob-served by all classes to ensurepeace and harmony across theglobe.

They said that differentsegments of the society shallhave to work collectively forsafety and progress of the hu-manity.

Speakers vowed to employfull potential and capabilities forthe speedy progress and prosper-ity of the country besides pro-moting harmony and brother-hood among all classes of thesociety.—APP

SRINAGAR—India should showpositive response to the efforts ofPakistan Prime Minister MianNawaz Sharif for finding a peace-ful resolution to Kashmir disputeso as to ensure peace in South Asia.

This was stated by senior pro-freedom leader and chairmanDemocratic Freedom Party ShabirAhmad Shah while addressingparty representatives in SouthKashmir’s Bijbehara area.

Shah said the escalating ten-sions at the Line of Control (LoC)and allegations and counter allega-tions leveled against each other byIndia and Pakistan at internationallevel is the outcome of ‘Kashmir

dispute’.He said the 21st century is the

era of upholding human and demo-cratic rights of people. “The con-flict between two nuclear neighborsover right to self determination ofKashmiris is quite contrary to thespirit of democracy,” he said.

DFP chairman stressed onparty workers to improve their re-lationship with masses and to jointhem in their joys and sorrows.“You should aware people aboutthe machinations of election poli-tics and how these politicians ex-ploit people with false promises fortheir petty interests and play withthe sacred blood of our people,” he

added.Shabir said, “Those who im-

part people the lessons of takingpart in elections are anti-people asthey exploit the sacred blood of ourpeople who laid their precious livesfor the honor and dignity of ournation.”

He also warned people of not‘falling prey’ to the hollow slogansof ‘autonomy”’ and ‘self-rule’.

DFP statement said thatsoon after the meeting, Shah vis-ited Sarnal, Islamabad to expresssolidarity with the bereavedfamily of Khawaja KhazirMuhammad Sheikh onKhawaja’s demise.—NNI

India should respond to PakistanPM’s peace efforts: Shah

SRINAGAR—After Hurriyat Con-ference led by Mirwaiz UmarFarooq deliberated upon to increasethe conglomerates effort on politi-cal and diplomatic level in connec-tion with solution of Kashmir is-sue, the Chairman of Jammu andKashmir Liberation Front (JKLF)and the senior Hurriyat leaderJavaid Ahmad Mir was appointedas Head of Peoples AwarenessCampaign.

Javiad Ahmad Mir has creditto hold a record more than 550 pro-test demonstrations against theHuman Rights Violations by IndianForces.

Ever since the armed strugglestarted in Kashmir Javaid AhmadMir remained in news many of theinternational news agencies ofworld like BBC, AFP, Reuters, APand others. Javaid Ahmad Mir ahouse hold name in Kashmir in re-spect to demonstrations remainedchief commander as well as Chair-man of JKLF.

As a part of APHC JavaidAhmad Mir remained active withPro Freedom Struggle from 1993to 2003. Being a part of APHC andJKLF, Mir under Public AwarenessCampaign held various Demonstra-tions; Hunger Strikes, Protests

against the Human Rights Abusesin which he was detained about 200times and lodged in different PoliceStations and Jails. Born on 08 Feb1961, Javaid Ahmad Mir a formerAmnesty International prisoner ofconscience remained the part of vari-ous organizations like, Tulla Party(1980-87), Peoples Conference, Is-lamic Students League, MuslimUnited Front (MUF) and others.

Currently Javaid Ahmad Miris a leading member of All PartiesHurriyat Conference led byMirwaiz Dr Umar Farooq andchairman of Jammu Kashmir Lib-eration Front.—NNI

Mir to head awareness campaign, tostep up political, diplomatic efforts

Kashmiriscelebrate Quaid-e-

Azam birthdaySTAFF REPORTER

I S L A M A B A D —Pakis tan’sFounder Quaid-e-Azam Moh-ammad Ali Jinnah’s 137th birth-day was celebrated Wednesday bythe Kashmiri community settledin various cities of Pakistan be-sides AJK, renewing their pledgeto continue Kashmir struggle tillsecuring right to self-determinetheir future destiny. Speakers invarious celebrative functions saidthat Kashmiri strugglers wouldcontinue drawing inspiration fromthe mode of South Asian move-ment spearheaded by the Quaid toachieve Pakistan.

In Mujahid Manzil herespecial Quran Khwani sittingwas held arranged by MuslimConference chief ex-PremierSardar Attique Ahmed Khan.He led the special prayers forthe solidarity of Pakistan, itscontinued progress and pros-perity and early liberation ofIndia-occupied parts of Jammuand Kashmir.

Machchil Case:Colonel, Major

among six to facecourt martial

JAMMU—Indian Army Wednes-day ordered court martial pro-ceedings against six of its men,including two officers, for theiralleged involvement in the 2010Machchil fake encounter casethat had triggered a two month-long agitation in the Indian Oc-cupied Kashmir Valley. Courtmartial proceedings have beeninitiated against the accused per-sonnel, the Indian Army said.

Sources said those who willface proceedings include ColDK Pathania, Commanding Of-ficer (CO) of 4 Rajput Regi-ment, Major Upinder and fourof its men. On April 30, 2010,the Army had claimed that theyhad killed three infiltrators in theMachchil sector along the Lineof Control. It had later claimedthat they were Pakistani terror-ists. However, they were lateridentified as Mohamad Shafi,Shehzad Ahmed and RiyazAhmed, all residents of Nadihalin Baramulla district.—INP

Coherent JKstrategy to resolve

Kashmir urgedJAMMU—The participants atthe discussion on ‘Conflict EarlyWarning: Regional Security andImplications for J&K’ has sug-gested that while New Delhi hadbeen blaming Islamabad for itsintervention in J&K, not muchhad been done about pursuing acoherent strategy in addressingthe issue.

The discussion wasorganised by the Institute ofPeace and Conflict Studies(IPCS) New Delhi, J&K Re-gional Branch of the Indian In-stitute of Public Administration(IIPA) and Central University ofJammu (CUJ).

The speakers and partici-pants also discussed regionalenvironment involving Iran, Af-ghanistan and Pakistan and itsimplications for the future secu-rity on J&K.

Prof P R Chari, AmbassadorRanjit Gupta, Dr D SubaChandran and Sushant Sareen dis-cussed the regional security devel-opments in Iran, Afghanistan andPakistan, and their implicationsfor J&K while Dr S S Bloeria, DrAshok Bhan, Prof RekhaChoudhry and Dr Shujaat Bukharidiscussed the recent developmentswithin J&K and their future im-plications.

The importance of recentdevelopments in Iran, with-drawal of NATO troops in Af-ghanistan and the change ofguard in Pakistan military werediscussed first.—NNI

Split in cross LoCtraders body

POONCH—Cross Line of Control(LoC) Traders Association splitinto two factions with the secondgroup electing Pawan Anand as itspresident after a membership drive.

Earlier on April 30, 2013,Shehzad Khan a senior PDP leaderdeclared himself as president ofCross LoC Traders Association andannounced his whole team. An-other group conducted electionsand unanimously announcedPawan Anand as its president evenas the whole team was not consti-tuted yet.

Krishan Singh General Sec-retary of Association said that thebody was dissolved earlier thisyear and they have launchedmembership drive in the month ofApril which concluded last month.More than 150 traders registeredthemselves with them and they or-ganized a meeting in which themembers unanimously electedPawan Anand as president. Hesaid that traders unanimouslyelected its president as electionswill creates a split among the trad-ers.

A clear cut split was seen inCross LoC Traders Associationwith both the groups declaring theirstand as genuine and their respec-tive leader as president of Associa-tion.

As reported on April 30Shehzad Khan declared himself aspresident of Cross LoC TradersAssociation and he declared histeam. The other group thenlaunched membership drive andsaid that after completion of mem-bership process they will conductelection.—NNI

Women protesters arguing with Indian police officer at Bemin in Srinagar.

“My father taught meto always do more

than you get paid foras an investment in

your future.”—Jim Rohn

Reconstruction ofEAC approvedStaff ReporterISLAMABAD—Federal Ministerfor Finance Ishaq Dar has giventhe approval for the reconsti-tution of the Economic Advi-sory Council. With the FinanceMinister in its chair the Coun-cil shall have 19 members. Theyare Dr. Ishrat Husain, Dr. IjazNabi, Abid Hasan, FarooqRahmatullah, Zubair Soomro,Shafqat Ali Jamoot, ArshadZubairi, Farrakh Qayyum, Dr.Sania Nishtar, Dr. AshfaqHassan Khan, Akbar Zaidi,Muslahuddin, Furrukh Saleem,Dr. Abid Qayyum Suleri, SaqibSherani, Qazi Azmat Essa,Chairman BoI, SBP Governorand FBR Chairman.

Thar coal use mustfor energyStaff ReporterISLAMABAD—Scientist Dr.Samar Mubarakmand hassaid that Pakistan must uti-lize coal of Thar which is thethird largest reserve of itskind in the world. Dr Samarsaid that it was complainedthat use of coal creates en-vironmental pollution butaccording to latest methodcoal is first converted intocoals gas and then used. Hesaid that it was a good newsthat China has reiterated itscommitment to provide con-tinuous support to Pakistanin terms of manufacturingnuclear power plant inKarachi and he hoped thatthe support of China in thisfield would continue. He fur-ther said that Governmentshould go forward for hydropower projects because it isvery cheap as compared tonuclear electricity.

Rupee recoversStaff ReporterISLAMABAD—The rupee re-covered against the US dol-lar after the transfer of IMF’ssecond tranche worth $553.5million. The rupee gained 61paisas to end at 105.56against the greenback in theinterbank market against theprevious day’s closing of106.17. Dealers said that themarket witnessed positivesentiments over the inflowof IMF’s second tranche.They said that the inflowswould help build up thecountry’s foreign exchangereserves and at the sametime, further appreciate thevalue of the local currency.The country’s total foreignexchange reserves slippedto $8.5 billion by the weekended December 13 from$11.344 billion by the weekended June 27 due toscheduled repayments tointernational lending agen-cies.

ISLAMABAD—The ministryof Petroleum and Natural Re-sources has decided to give500,000 new gas connectionsto the duo gas utilities in thecountry. An official of theministry of Petroleum toldthis scribe that the decisionhas been taken after repeatedrequests from Sui NorthernGas Company Limited(SNGPL) and Sui SouthernGas Company Limited(SSGCL) and in this regardthe ministry would soon askthe Oil and Gas RegulatoryAuthority (OGRA) to allowthe gas companies to giveconnections to the consum-ers. The source informed thatthese connections would begiven to three categorieswhich are domestic, commer-cial and industrial.

The source further ap-praised that the energy de-ficient system which is al-

ready facing one billion cu-bic feet (BCFD) gas short-fall would have to give ad-ditional 125-150 mmcfd gasfor the new connection toboth gas companies. Theofficial further added thatgovernment is busy in po-litical point scoring as gassupply to the industrial sec-tor is more necessary thandomestic sector. In the wakeof GSP plus status to Paki-stan it was necessary to com-plete the gas requirement ofindustries to enable them tomeet their orders and to cre-ate new job opportunities inthe country, the sourcesaid. It is pertinent to men-tion here that news gas con-nections were stopped inprevious regime due to se-vere gas shortfall and it wasa big challenge to get newgas connection for any cat-egory.—Online

Rs392b bidsaccepted in

MTBs auctionSTAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—The State Bankof Pakistan (SBP) has ac-cepted bids worth Rs 392 bil-lion for sale of governmentof Pakistan Market TreasuryBills against the target of Rs300 billion for last auction ofthis quarter. Tender for thesale of 3-Month, 6-Monthand 12-Months Governmentof Pakistan Market TreasuryBills (MTBs) were invited bythe State Bank through Pri-mary Dealers on December24, 2013.

Bids were opened at12:00 hours on December 24,2013 and overall the SBP re-ceived bids worth Rs 393.676billion with realised amountof Rs 384.877 billion for saleof 3-month and 6-monthMarket Treasury Bills. How-ever, no bid was received forthe sale of 12-month MTBs,while 6-month bills fetchedbids amounting to Rs 1.25billion. Bankers said follow-ing higher inflation, indus-try is expecting further in-crease in the policy rate inupcoming monetary policy,therefore they are reluctantto invest in the long-termgovernment papers and pre-ferring short-term invest-ment.

Pakistan toexplore gas in SL

COLOMBO—Pakistan hasexpressed its interest in oiland gas exploration in theseas off Sri Lanka, the DailyMirror of Sri Lanka reportedWednesday. At present CairnLanka (Private) Limited, asubsidiary of Cairn India, isengaged in oil and gas explo-ration work in the Mannarbasin at the moment.

Following the success oftwo gas discoveries underthe initial stage of explora-tion, Cairn also completeddrilling of a fourth explora-tion. However, studies areunderway to ascertainwhether the gas discoveriesare commercially viable ornot at the moment.

Meanwhile, Speaker ofNational Assembly of Paki-stan Sardar Ayaz Sadiq toldthe Daily Mirror during histwo day visit to Sri Lanka lastweek that there was scope forfurther co-operation betweenthe two countries in oil ex-ploration and sugar process-ing— two areas where Paki-stan has the expertise. “Wehave brotherly relations. Yet,there is scope for further co-operation especially in sugarprocessing and gas explora-tion,” he said.

Already, Pakistan hasteamed up with Sri Lankanauthorities to invest in sugarprocessing. The visitingspeaker held talks with SugarIndustries Development Min-ister Lakshman Seneviratne inthis regard. The Speaker heldtalks with Sugar IndustriesDevelopment MinisterLakshman Seneviratne in thisregard.—INP

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—As per of ourstrategy to introduce new andinnovative shariah compliantsolutions for investors, AlMeezan Investment Manage-ment limited is pleased to an-nounce launch of MeezanCapital Preservation Fund(MCPF). The subscription ofthe fund will be open for lim-ited period from Dec 26, 2013.CEO of Al Meezan Invest-ments, Mr. MohammadShoaib said, “Meezan CapitalPreservation Fund is ideal forinvestors seeking attractiveRiba- Free returns while at thesame time not willing to risktheir principal investment”.

The objective of MCPF isto earn potentially high returnthrough dynamic asset allo-cation between Shariah Com-pliant Equities and ShariahCompliant Income/MoneyMarket based Collective In-vestment Schemes, while pro-viding capital preservation of

the principal investment atcompletion of the duration offund. Based on this method-ology, the allocation of fundsto equities will largely in-crease in case of a rise in thestock market. While exposureto Income/Money Market willincrease in case of fall in thestock market; hence preserv-

ing the principal investment.The Karachi Stock Ex-

change index (KSE100 index)has given an average annualreturn of 28.94% in the lastthree years; outperformingother publically available in-

vestment avenues. By invest-ing in MCPF, investors wouldhave an opportunity to takeexposure in the stock market inorder to get attractive returns,while at the same time be ableto get preservation of their prin-cipal investment in case of mar-ket volatility. The fund is suit-able for all types of investorsincluding both institutional andindividual clients as it meetstheir requirements. All the in-vestments of the funds will bemade as per the guidelines laiddown by Shariah AdvisoryBoard of Meezan Bank Ltd.

Al Meezan Investmentshas been in operation since1995 and has one of the long-est track records of managingmutual funds in the privatesector in Pakistan. The totalassets under management ofAl Meezan Investments arecurrently over Rs.50 billion in10 different funds making itthe Largest Asset manage-ment company in the privatesector in Pakistan.

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—The Federationof Pakistan Chambers ofCommerce and Industry(FPCCI) on Wednesdayasked the government touse all possible resources totame energy crisis lest theGSP plus facility go in vain.Government needs to ini-tiate serious efforts on allfronts so that long-delayedIran gas pipeline project andKalabagh dam (KBD) couldbe constructed otherwiseenergy security in Pakistanwill remain a pipedream, saidZubair Ahmed Malik, Presi-dent FPCCI.

Speaking to the busi-ness community, he saidthat Pakistan is the onlycountry where power plants

are being run on natural gasdespite its deficiency. Hesaid that Musharraf took thedecision to use clean fuel forproducing electricity whichmust be reversed immedi-ately and power plantsshould be converted on coalor furnace oil. He said thatPakistan’s future is tied toIranian gas and KBD butmany intellectuals and poli-ticians haven’t realised it yetwhich is unfortunate. “Weshould stop digging owngrave before it is too late,”he warned.

The FPCCI chief said thatpoliticians have decided toremain undecided on criticalissues of national importancewhich is leading us nowhere.Construction of KBD will nothurt any province but delay

can help transform Pakistaninto a desert, he said adding

that Tarbela dam will com-plete its life in sixteen years

when there would be no natu-ral gas in the country. Thestorage capacity of the big-gest source of hydel powergeneration in the country hasreduced to 6.77 million-acrefeet which make it necessaryto urgently construct KBDwhich will have 450 years oflife.

He said that politicaldisagreement on the KBD isa great threat to industry,agriculture, masses and fu-ture of the country. Mr.Malik said that aftercompletion of Tarbela, prov-ince of Sindh start getting 7million-acre feet additionalwater while after KBDcompletion it will get extra2.2 million-acre feet of wa-ter while it would trigger agreen revolution in Khyber

Pakhtoonkhwa and save itfrom devastation of floods.The FPCCI chief said thatdams are not tools of de-struction, as considered bymany, otherwise China,Iran, India and other coun-tries would have not beenconstructing hundreds ofdams and reservoirs withan amazing pace.

In the last 23 years theshare of water for every Pa-kistan has come down by 80per cent therefore time hascome for stakeholders toshun differences for the sakeof country or be prepared forinsoluble problems in thenear future, warned ZubairAhmed Malik. Unlike, Iranpipeline, no country or in-ternational institution isagainst the KBD, he said.

Reliable energy can help Pakistan benefit from GSP-+National security, difficult sans KBD, Iran gas: Malik Zubair

President D-8 Federation of Chambers of Commerce andIndustry Zubair Ahmed Malik presenting a souvenir to DrEshrah, Advisor to Egyptian Federal Chamber.

ISLAMAABD—TechnologyUpgradation and Skill Devel-opment Company (TUSDEC)organized a ceremony at itshead office to award the cer-tificates to the first twobatches of solar technicianstrained by TUSDEC. In thepursuit of enabling techno-logical sophistication to up-lift the industry, TUSDEC hasjoined hands with Giz Paki-stan to foster the solar powerindustry with the provisionof technically trained man-power in the specialized ar-eas of Photovoltaics and So-lar Water Heating.

The training programmebeing implemented under GiZFIT (Funds for InnovativeTrainings) initiatives whereTUSDEC aims to train 125 stu-dents as solar technicians byMarch 2014. The programmeis co-funded by the EuropeanUnion, the Embassay of theKingdom of the Netherlandsand the Federal Republic of

Germany and implementedthrough DeutscheGesellschaft für InternationaleZusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHin collaboration with NationalVocational and Technical Train-ing Commission (NAVTTC). Ameticulous display of candi-dates assignments on solarequipment has also been ar-ranged at the high tech solarlab that the company has es-tablished with the cost of 3million to impart the practicaltraining sessions.

Speaking on this occa-sion TUSDEC Chief Execu-tive Officer (CEO) BasitMaqsood Abbasi sharedthat a solar lab with mostmodern equipment was es-tablished in the Companypremises to punctuate morefocus on the practical andindustry driven trainings insolar technologies so thatthe graduates would be ab-sorbed by the job marketright away. The graduates at

the ceremony asserted thatthey have been impartedwith comprehensive theo-retical and practical trainingsin the testing, installationand trouble shooting of nu-merous kinds of solar pan-els which are currently indemand by the solar indus-try in the country.

The company’s repre-sentative shared that expertsfrom various enterprises andsolar engineers were en-gaged to contrive the cur-ricula for the trainings so thatthe industry’s call for thetechnical manpower wouldbe effectively consummated.Essentially the programme isfocused at rearing the renew-able energy sector in Paki-stan pertaining to its dire in-digence in the running en-ergy crisis, the source furthershared. Skilled manpower isthe requisite for a successfultechnological intervention inany industrial sector.

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Aiming to en-hance revenue generation,Pakistan Railways hasstarted the service of fivefreight trains from Karachi.The Railways spokespersonsaid the induction of newtrains in freight sector was abig achievement and it wouldbe helpful in generating morerevenue. Few months before,the Railways ministerKhawaja Saad Rafique hadhinted to increase the freighttraffic of the Railways. “ThePakistan Railways will nowfocus on freight sector bystrengthening the existinglinks and opening up newones,” said the Railways min-ister. “The Railways hasearned 75 per cent more rev-enue in freight sector than thetarget,” said the spokesper-

son, adding the departmentearned Rs1588 millionagainst the target of Rs910min the current fiscal year sofar. Meanwhile, Pakistan Rail-ways has earned around Rs.4.35b through leasing out itsland for commercial purposesduring the last five years.The year-wise figuresshowed that during 2008-09,Pakistan Railways earned Rs.1090.782m through leasingout its land which reduced toRs. 890.273m in 2009-10 andRs. 722.844m in 2010-11. Dur-ing year 2011-12, the leasingout of land for commercialpurposes fetched Rs.722.755m which increased toRs. 921.716m in 2012-13.Around 167,690 acres arepresently owned by Rail-ways which include 126,426acres, 11,948 acres reservedfor future operation, 5,234

acres residential land, 22,377acres agri land and 1705 acresof land is commercial.

The valuation of surplusrailway land is carried out byengaging independent evalu-ators only for the purpose ofcommercial exploitation. There-fore, current market value ofwhole land owned by PakistanRailways is not available.

Meanwhile, when con-tacted, railways officials saidthe department has also re-trieved its land from illegaloccupant under anti-en-croachment campaign andretrieved 2537.166 acres landout of total 5662.667 acresencroached land. As result ofa fresh campaign started inJune this year, another172.350 acres land has beenretrieved while efforts wereunderway to retrieve the re-maining encroached land.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Withholding tax(WHT) collection from tele-phone including landline andmobile phone has phenomenalgrown 431.3 percent mainly dueto increasing 10-15 percent taxrates. According to the collec-tion details contained in firstquarterly review of the FederalBoard of Revenue (FBR), with-holding tax collection from tele-phone including landline andmobile phones have been re-corded at Rs 10.174 billion infirst quarter of 2013-14 as com-pared with collection of Rs 1.915billion in same period last fiscal2012-13, showing a growth of431.3 percent.

Withholding tax collectionfrom contracts have been re-corded at Rs 24.744 billion infirst quarter of 2013-14 as com-pared with collection of Rs21.992 billion in same period

last fiscal 2012-13, showing agrowth of 12.5 percent. Simi-larly, more than 44.1 percentgrowth was recorded in WHTon imports due to increase inrates through rationalisationof tariff and introduction ofWeBoc which is a more auto-mated and transparent systemand better monitoring by direc-torate of withholding taxes.

According to the collec-tion details, withholding taxcollection from imports hasbeen Rs 31.185 billion in firstquarter of 2013-14 as com-pared with collection of Rs21.556 billion in same periodlast fiscal 2012-13, showinga growth of 44.7 percent.Withholding tax collectionfrom salary have been re-corded at Rs 12.137 billion infirst quarter of 2013-14 ascompared with collection ofRs 9.989 billion in same pe-riod last fiscal 2012-13, show-

ing a growth of 21.5 percent.The increase of 21.5 per-

cent from salary has been at-tributed to revision of salaryslabs and increase in the sala-ries of the government servantsand better monitoring of theprivate salary persons. With-holding tax collection fromBank Interests have been re-corded at Rs 10.120 billion infirst quarter of 2013-14 as com-pared with collection of Rs 7.599billion in same period last fiscal2012-13, showing a growth of33.2 percent. Growth of 33.2percent in bank interest was dueto the consistent good perfor-mance by the banking sector,the report added.

Withholding tax collec-tion from exports have showna marginal increase of 19.3percent in first quarter of on-going fiscal year 2013-14 withtotal collection of Rs 5.782billion as compared.

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—The Lahore Cham-ber of Commerce and Indus-try (LCCI) decided to step upefforts to attract Foreign Di-rect Investment (FDI) throughenhanced interaction with re-gional chambers of commerceand industry. LCCI PresidentSohail Lashari said the LCCIhas evolved an elaborate planto attract much needed FDIby sharing investment oppor-tunities available in the prov-ince of Punjab with its re-gional counterparts.

He said it is a three-pronged strategy that wouldwork wonders as far as invest-ment is concerned. He said onthe first leg of its proposedplan, the Lahore Chamber ofCommerce and Industry will

take all investment promotionpublic sector entities and lo-cal chambers of commerceand industry on board forcompilation of set of availableopportunities.

Secondly, it would invitediplomats of regional coun-ties at the Lahore Chamberof Commerce and Industrywhere these opportunitieswould be shared with themto enable them to get thempublished in their respectivecountries. Thirdly, the LCCIwould send sector-specificdelegations to all the cham-bers of commerce and indus-try in the regional countrieswhere the delegates wouldgive presentations to theircounterparts with a sole ob-jective to invite them for in-vestment or Joint Ventures in

the field of their choice.Lashari said the plan is

devised to supplement thegovernment initiatives aimedat attracting foreign directinvestment that presently isfar below satisfaction. Hesaid Pakistan needed agrowth rate of 7 percent ormore for the next two to threedecades to ensure that itsGDP doubles every 10 years;therefore, the country mustlook for a growth driver thatcan deliver sustained highgrowth for several decades.“Given Pakistan’s abundantand young work force and apolicy regime that promotesinternational competitive-ness, the regional growth willbe the precursors to the sub-regions becoming dynamicmanufacturing hubs.

Railways starts freighttrains to generate revenue

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

FAISALABAD—“Pakistan canenhance economic prosper-ity by signing PreferentialTreatment Agreement (PTA)with Turkey to attract directinvestment,” said Eng SuhailBin Rashid, PresidentFaisalabad Chamber of Com-merce and Industry (FCCI).He welcomed the recent visitof Turkish Prime MinisterRecep Tayyip to Pakistan andhoped that it will pave wayto explore more economicopportunities for the benefitof two brotherly countries.He said Pakistani leadershipwas already taking elabo-rated measures to bring for-eign investment into thecountry. In this connection,the visit of Turkish investorswas a healthy sign as it willprovide them an opportunity

to have direct link with theirPakistani counterparts. Hesaid trade volume betweenPakistan and Turkey crossedone billion dollar mark in2010-11, which was declinedto 50 percent in 2012 only dueto the economic safeguardsimposed by Turkish govern-ment to protect its domesticindustry.

“Prime Minister of Paki-stan and Commerce Ministryshould convince Turkishgovernment for PTA so thatPakistani textile exporterscould have direct access atreduced rate to Turkish mar-kets. This will also provideopportunity to the Turkishinvestors to exploit full ben-efit of the economic opportu-nities available in Pakistan inthe field of energy, textile, tele-communication, constructionof motorways, highways, air-

ports, agriculture and tour-ism,” he mentioned.

FCCI chief said afterChina, Turkey was the maineconomic opportunity forPakistani exporters and im-porters and hoped that Paki-stan and Turkish govern-ments would take diplomatic,economic and administrativemeasures to strengthen bilat-eral trade relations betweenthe entrepreneurs of the twocountries. He said Turkeywas already keen to invest inenergy sector that will helpPakistan to overcome powercrisis. He also appreciated theefforts of Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif who was mak-ing strenuous efforts to bringmuch needed foreign invest-ment that will generate eco-nomic activities and bringeconomic prosperity to thepeople of this country.

Pak-Turk PTA to enhance prosperity

WHT collection fromphones increasing

Meezan CapitalPreservation Fund launched

LCCI plans to attract FDI

TUSDEC trains solar technicians

MP&NR all set to give0.5m new gas connections

Bio-safety bills tobe introduced in

parliamentSTAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Dissolutionof climate change ministryand more than 60 per centslash in its developmentbudget has failed todampen the passion of itsofficials as they continueto take practical steps tomitigate and adapt toworsening impacts of cli-mate change. After win-ning laurels for $3.8 millionWorld Bank funding forpreservation of fast-de-grading forests, the min-istry is now planning tointroduce two bills in theparliament to broaden itsscope and to effectivelydeal with issues pertain-ing to climate change.

The two bills - ClimateChange and Bio-safetyAct – were formulated bytaking a cue from somedeveloped countries likeAustralia to strengthenthe climate change divi-sion. At the moment, theclimate change division isrunning its functions un-der the EnvironmentalProtection Act 1997 thatneeds to be changed afterpassage of the 18thamendment in the consti-tution. Under the presentact, the division has lim-ited scope and powers asthe subject of environ-ment is devolved to theprovinces. The provinceshave now been doing theirown legislation to dealwith the threat of climatechange.

As for the climatechange division, its scopeand authority is limited tofederal areas only while allinternational protocolsand conventions comeunder the purview of thefederal government. RajaHasan Abbas, SecretaryClimate Change Division,told said that the divisionwas discharging its func-tions under the act that wasenvironment specific andhad limited scope andstrength to deal with theissues relating to climatechange. “We need to bemore forward looking tocope with the threats ofclimate change throughadaptation and mitigationmeasures,” he said. Beingoblivious to emergingthreat of the climatechange, the governmentdissolved the ministry intoa division and allocated atotal of Rs 58.8 million tocombat climate change inthe Public Sector Develop-ment Programme for 2013-14, as compared to Rs168.1 million allocated tothe climate change minis-try in 2012-13.

Pakistan is one of thecountries that are beinghit hard by the effects ofclimate change. Accord-ing to the 2006 PakistanStrategic Country Envi-ronmental AssessmentReport, the annual cost ofenvironmental degrada-tion in the country hasbeen estimated at Rs 365billion.

KARACHI—Follow-ing were the bullionrates in major citiesyesterday.

KARACHI:

MULTAN:

Currency Selling Buying

Bullion Rates

RS PER 10 GRAMS

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—The provincialgovernment of KhyberPakhtunkhwa has decided toconvene a meeting of formerprovincial finance ministers toseek the support of all formerruling parties in the resolutionof economic problems of theprovince. In this connectionKP finance minister has con-tacted the interim president ofANP, Haji Mohammad Adeel,Hamayun Khan of PPP,Nawabzada Mohsin Ali Khan,Farid-ur-Rehman, SaleemSaifullah, Rauf Khattak andShah Raz to set together andsort out solution to bring theprovince out of economicstress including poverty andunemployment.

Talking to media menSiraj-ul-Haq said that cur-rently Khyber Pakhtunkhwais facing severe economichardships, whose basic rea-son is not payment of netprofit on hidel generation bythe federal government. He

said that federal governmentis intentionally depriving theprovince of rights guaranteedin the Constitution of Paki-stan and its residents are evendeprived of the basic ameni-ties like gas and water and nomega project was initiated inthis province. He said the is-sue is not related to any singlepolitical party or government,but it is the problem of 20 mil-lion people.

Therefore, he stressedneed for joining hands by allpolitical parties for wagingcollective efforts in this re-gard. For this purpose, hesaid a meeting of all formerprovincial finance ministersbelong to different politicalparties has been convened inthe Cabinet Room of the Pro-vincial Secretariat on Friday(December 27, 2014) to evolvea joint strategy for the resolu-tion of the problems faced bythe province. The senior min-ister, who also holds the port-folio of finance, said that inpast the bureaucracy. STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—The Lahore StockExchange has been the firstexchange to introduce a struc-tured programme that associ-ates it to the potential unlistedenterprises across Pakistan.This initiative has been in-ducted under the Departmentof Corporate Communica-tions, titled as The CapitalRaising Programme that tar-gets the unlisted sector onscheduled basis as part of itscore functions. LSE upon thelaunch of this programme hassuccessfully positioned itselfas a valued brand. LSE be-lieves it is imperative to edu-cate the benefits of listing tothe growing business com-munity of Pakistan, said aspokesman of the LSE.

As socially observed,Stock Exchanges in Pakistanare least integrated orutilised as means to mobi-lize investment and savingsas compared to other partsof the world. In changingthis trend, LSE recognizesthe need to educate the twokey players of the capitalmarkets–-the listed compa-nies and the investors, un-der two different wings suchas the Investors AwarenessProgramme and Capital Rais-

ing-–Listing promotion. Ithas been learnt that themeetings held with the spon-sors of the unlisted compa-nies have been a valuablesource of learning at bothends. LSE upon the visits tothe enterprises has un-earthed the concerns of thesponsors pertaining to thelisting at the stock exchange.To ensure that the businesscommunity perceives capi-tal markets as comfortableas at home; LSE has beensimultaneously working onthe listing shyness commu-nicated by the sponsors ofthe enterprises during themeetings.

It is noteworthy to statethat besides educating thebusiness community on thebenefits of listing, LSE hasalso positioned itself as asocially responsible ex-change that carries a promis-ing approach in making end-less efforts towards thewealth creation in theeconomy as well as the soci-ety. As a result to this initia-tive, LSE may also share theacknowledgment of beingthe only exchange to havemade an attempt to formulatea well-documented economyand a favourable liquid capi-tal market in time to come.

STAFF REPORTER

GUJRANWALA—The Punjabgovernment has decided toestablish small hydropowerunits at newly constructedbarrages including NewKhanki Barrage being fundedby the Asian DevelopmentBank (ADB). The ADB is ex-tending $ 270 million loan (87per cent) for New KhankiBarrage (NKB) whereas theshare of the Punjab govern-ment is $ 39 million (13 percent). Total cost of the projecthas been estimated at Rs23.442 billion. The Punjabgovernment has planned toestablish two small hydro-power units of 27 MW.

This was disclosed byProject Director SyedMehmood ul Hasan during avisit to New Khanki Barragewhich was at very initialstage. The visit was arrangedby the ADB Mission,Islamabad. The KhankiHeadworks is 120-year-oldheadworks of Pakistan lo-cated at river Chenab inTehsil Wazirabad. The newbarrage is being constructed

at Chenab River approxi-mately at 900 feet down-stream of existing headworksand will replace the obsoletewater distribution system atthe barrage.

The Project Directorclaimed that the new barragewould have the canal networkof 2,925 channels(4,680 km) ir-rigating more than 3.301 mil-lion acres of eight districts ofcentral Punjab i.e. Gujranwala,Hafizabad, Chiniot, Faisalabad,Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib,Jhang, and Toba Tek Singhand also save agriculture andfisheries in these districts. Healso claimed that with the re-placement of old Khanki Bar-rage, 10 per cent more land ineight districts would be irri-gated which implied that itwould have better impact onthe life of the farmers.

He was of the view thatthe existing KhankiHeadworks was running athigh risk and could causeloss of several crop seasonsif it failed. The New KhankiBarrage would reliably divert11,653 cusecs of irrigationsupplies to the downstream

Lower Chenan Canal (LCC)irrigating 1.2 million hectares.The NKB will have an in-crease in safe flood capacityfrom 800,000 cusecs to11,000,00 cusecs. In reply toa question, Syed Mehmoodul Hasan said that they werefollowing the ADB’s pro-curement rules which hadpreference over domesticrules as these were more com-prehensive than Pakistan’sprocurement rules.

“It was agreed betweenthe ADB and Punjab govern-ment that process will be com-pleted as per internationalstandards. Even selection ofengineering firm and contrac-tors are in accordance with theADB rules to ensure trans-parency in the process,” headded. He was of the viewthat in case of financial mis-management, the official ofADB’s anti corruption unitwould visit the project toprobe the matter in detail.

Answering another ques-tion, he said that the devel-opment work was ahead ofschedule and M/s Descon,the contracting firm, was go-

ing forward as per plan. “Wetook timely decision to savemore than 100 years old bar-rage with better planning,”he continued. Replying to aquestion, he said that waterflows would increase till 2030due to melting of glaciers butthereafter the situation wouldnot be better.

He expressed disappoint-ment over wastage of 35MAF water per year due toill planning and disclosedthat the policymakers facedquestions from internationalcommunity on wastage ofprecious water. It is pertinentto mention here M/s PBC hadproposed replacement of ex-isting Khanki Headworkswith new barrage of 900 feetdown steam of existing weiron the following basis: (i)aging effect; (ii) capacityconstraints; (iii) lack of effec-tive control on river regula-tion; (iv) inefficient and in-sufficient physical communi-cation between the twobanks; (v) incapability of ex-isting weir for gates installa-tion and (vi) inadequacy forexisting weir for automation.

Punjab Govt to set up hydropower units

ISLAMABAD—The Asian De-velopment Ban (ADB) ap-proved $43billion in 2011-12for creation and expansion ofeconomic opportunities inthe region. According toAsian Development Banksustainability report, invest-ing in Asia and the pacific’sfuture it said that the bankapproved amount was tenpercent higher than previoustwo years. During the period,ADB approved 112 projectswith an environmentalsustainability focus totalingmore than $ 13 billion whichis 50 percent higher then pre-vious years. The Bank in-vested $ 4.4 billion for cleanenergy initiatives eventuallylead to additional 2,125 mega-watt renewable energy gen-eration across the region.The report further revealed

ADB approves $ 43b foreconomic development

of Pakistanthe ADB approved climaterelated finance of $3.4 billion

in 2012 alone. Transport in-vestments including low-car-bon projects , in 2012 totalednearly $ 4 billion while sub-stantial support was given tohelp urban centers to becomegreener and more sustain-able.—Online

Former finance ministersof KP to mull hydel profit

LSE begins structuredprogramme

Former LTBAchief opposesFBR’s policy

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Lahore Tax BarAssociation (LTBA) formerpresident Zahid AttiqueChaudhry opposing the ‘firstcome first serve’ policy of theFederal Board of Revenue(FBR) with regard to sales taxrefunds said that it is viola-tion of the 10th clause of theSales Tax Act 1990. ZahidAttique said that under sec-tion 10 of the Sales Tax Act1990, FBR was bound to pro-cess the refund claim within60 days. He said that taxpay-ers submit their returns by15th of every month and af-ter it they should submit theirclaim within 120 days withsupporting documents whiledepartment is bound to clearthe refund within sixty daysafter maturity.

He said that the FBR hadintroduced ‘first come firstserved’ policy under whichrefunds are cleared as theclaims are filed.

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Minimum wagesimpede job creation and causeresentment among workers,said market analyst BenishToor. She said it is a simplesolution for the politicianswho try to gain support frommasses; but for the docu-mented industries facing highcost of doing business, it isan additional cost that erodestheir competitiveness. Shesaid in economies like Paki-stan where the unregulatedand non-documented sectoris the main supplier of em-ployment, it is tantamount toadditional tax on the regulatedsectors of the economy.

“Moreover, it discour-ages the documented sectorfrom in-house training of un-skilled workers at low cost,as there remains acute short-age of skilled workforce in thecountry.” Unfortunately, sheadded, minimum wage is a

Minimum wages impede jobcreation, frustrate workers

bad idea, not only for theeconomy, but for the lowwage workers who forced tohave low wages in undocu-mented sector without anychance of improving theirskills during their career.

They are thus deprived ofhigher wages a skilled workercan get, she added. She saidwhen the economy is slowlyrecovering from recession itis unwise to raise the cost oflabour. She said a cash-strapped entrepreneur thenprefers to slow down andfreeze hiring. M I Khurram,who operates two large com-posite knitwear units em-ploying over 12,000 workers,said economic truth shouldnot be ignored, while fixingminimum wage. He said whenthe price of a product israised, the consumers reduceits purchase; in the sameway an employer may betempted to hire a new workerwhen the cost is low but

would refrain from it if thehiring cost goes high. Hesaid he had stopped recruit-ing apprentice unskilledworkers for in-house skilltraining ever since the mini-mum wages started rising.

He said the present gov-ernment declared in its mani-festo to raise the minimumwages to Rs15,000 per monthduring its tenure from the cur-rent level of Rs9,000 per month.He said skilled workforce bythat time might be earningmuch higher, but paying non-skilled workers Rs15,000 wouldbe nightmare for manufactur-ers when a person with similarskills is employed by non-tax-paying sector at Rs5,000-6,000per month. “I have no choicebut to make my other employ-ees work harder and pay themovertime instead of hiring newhand,” he said, adding thegovernment planners do notrealise that as the skill level in-creases.

FBR to enforcerestaurantmonitoring

ISLAMABAD—In an apparentbid to bring the big restau-rants into tax net, the FederalBoard of Revenue (FBR) hasdecided to enforce RestaurantInvoice monitoring system(RIMS). The source told hereon Wednesday that this deci-sion has been taken when taxauthority learnt that hun-dreds of big hotels in the fed-eral capital are not paying taxon their income. Therefore anew mechanism has beenadopted by the FBR and au-thority has categorized thesehotels into four categories fortheir registration with FBR.

The source said thatthere are 444 restaurants inthe jurisdiction of regionaltax office Islamabad and outof these only 115 are tax pay-ers while rest are least both-ered to file their sales tax re-turns. The tax authority hasdecided to check the incomeof these hotels.—Online

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—The market in thebroader sense has high hopeswith the upcoming year andsome of them consider 2014to be the year when thecountry’s economy will wit-ness a turnaround. KhurramSchehzad, Member Board ofInvestment (BoI) and VicePresident at Arif Habib Lim-ited, said that the foreign in-vestors were quite interestedin doing business in Pakistanbut the only thing hamperingthis huge investment is thepolitical as well as securityuncertainty of the country.

According to Schehzad,the issues in the NorthernPakistan in connection todrone attacks and Nato sup-ply has to be resolved ami-cably, as if this ‘threat’ re-mains, the economy will notstabilise. “The year 2014could prove to be a yearwhen the turnaround was

initiated,” he said. “Theeconomy needs funds togrow and the government ispursuing plans in this regard;particularly two internationalbond issues have beenfinalised including one in ru-pee terms and one in dollarterms, which would generatearound $1 billion; state-owned enterprises (SOEs) arebeing re-structured andprivatised while 3G auctionis in its final stages andwould generate reasonablefunds,” he said.

Schehzad considers GSP-Plus status to Pakistan a wel-come development but the$800 million estimated to begenerated additionally be-cause of this duty advantageis not going to bring a quan-tum leap given the fiscal con-dition of the economy. “Thegovernment should considerGSP-Plus status as the firststep towards increasing theexports and all energies should

be invested in exploring anddeveloping new destinationsfor Pakistani products alongwith expanding product line”.

Political harmony i.e. inter-provincial harmony as well asfederation-provinces harmonyis direly required at this pointof time. “The federal govern-ment and provincial govern-ment have to be on same pagewhile devising policies andstrategies.” The opinion lead-ers are divided over the out-come of the amnesty/incentivepackage announced by PrimeMinister Nawaz Sharif.

Schehzad opined that theeconomy did not have hopeswith this scheme as histori-cally the incentive/amnestyschemes did not any signifi-cant results in past. ZubairAhmed Malik, President Fed-eration of Pakistan Chamberof Commerce and Industry(FPCCI) said that

Industrial Sector is worstaffected by the present law

& order situation as such in-security hampered the over-all economic activities. Busi-ness leaders are of the viewthat the lawlessness was pre-vailing in the entire countryand the business hub of Pa-kistan i.e. Karachi was theworst effected.

An industrialist repre-senting a trade body said thata large number of local as wellas foreign agencies andgroups were operating inKarachi alone adding that allthe criminal elements andgangs were patronized by cer-tain influential quarters, whichwas the reason the situationcould not come under control.Javed Bilwani, an office bearerof Pakistan Apparel Forum,said that the local investorsand industrialists were leav-ing the country, let alone theforeign investors.

Mohammad Ali Tabba,Chairman All Pakistan CementManufacturers Association

(APCMA) said that the geo-political developments in rela-tion to Iran nuclear deal andrelationship with US would im-pact the investment and indus-trial growth in the country.Tabba also considers the PrimeMinister Nawaz Sharif incen-tive/amnesty scheme as a ‘noevent’ for the country’seconomy.

According to Asian De-velopment Bank (ADB),structural reforms hope tostrengthen the financial sys-tem and improve the busi-ness climate. Fiscal consoli-dation is expected to limitGDP growth in FY2014 to 3.0percent. The current accountdeficit forecast remains at 0.8percent of GDP, as the for-eign reserve positionstrengthens. The monetaryprogram is likely to limit av-erage inflation to 8.0 percentfor the year. Sayem Ali, aneconomist at Standard Char-tered Bank, is optimistic on

Economic turnaround expected in the next yeargrowth outlook for 2014.

“Investor confidence hasimproved due to a smoothpolitical transition in theMay 2013 general electionsand a new IMF loan to sup-port the balance of paymentposition. The KSE 100 indexhas rallied 50 percent in 2013,as inflows from Foreign Port-folio Investors (FPI) in-creased to $372 million in2013, compared to $114 mil-lion in 2012. While growth islikely to remain subdued at3.5 percent in FY14 (endingJune 2014), a stronger pickupis expected in the second halfof 2014 on improved energysupply and higher privatesector investment spending”.

Growth is led by highermanufacturing sector output,which posted a strong 8.4 per-cent year-on-year growth inthe second half of 2013, ledby stronger growth in textileand leather exports. Improvedenergy supplies have led to

higher output in the petro-leum, fertiliser and food andbeverages sectors. Privatesector credit growth has alsopicked up, rising Rs82 billionduring the second half of2013, after declining by Rs20billion in FY13. Credit growthwill pick up in 2014 as gov-ernment reins in large fiscaldeficit under the IMF stabili-zation program.

Pakistan has potentialfor higher growth, which isnecessary to accommodatea rapidly growing working-age population. The coun-try has considerable natu-ral resources, and amplescope exists to improve ag-ricultural productivity and aready market for an ex-panded manufacturing andservice sector. However, astable political environmentand a conducive securitysituation are direly neededto improve investment andindustrialisation.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—The provi-sional sales tax collectionstood at Rs 61.834 billionduring first 24 days of De-cember 2013 against Rs47.233 billion in the same pe-riod last year, reflecting ahandsome increase of 31 per-cent.

The sales tax collection atthe import stage was Rs28.456 billion during the pe-riod against Rs 22.418 billion,depicting an increase of 26.9percent. Sales tax collectionon domestic consumptionamounted to Rs 33.377 billionduring the first 24 days ofDecember 2013 against Rs24.816 billion during the cor-responding period of last fis-cal year, showing an increase

Sales Tax collectionstands at Rs61.8 billion

of 34.5 percent.The collection of domes-

tic taxes (direct taxes, salestax and the FED) was Rs101.551 billion during Decem-ber 2013 against Rs 80.385billion in the same period lastfiscal, reflecting an increaseof 26.3 percent.

The provisional directtaxes collection amounted toRs 31.650 billion in Decem-ber 2013 against Rs 26.366billion during the same pe-riod of last fiscal year, show-ing an improvement of 20percent. Out of direct taxescollection, withholding tax atthe import stage was Rs6.014 billion during Decem-ber 2013 against Rs 4.423 bil-lion in the same period lastfiscal year.

The customs duty collec-

tion stood at Rs 12.421 bil-lion during first 24 days ofDecember 2013 against Rs11.210 billion in the same pe-riod of last fiscal year, reflect-ing an increase of 10.8 per-cent.

The provisional collec-tion of the Federal ExciseDuty (FED) was 8.067 billionduring the period under re-view against Rs 6.787 billion,depicting an increase of 19percent.

The FBR Chairman hadreportedly informed the Fi-nance Minister that revenuecollected stood at Rs.91.5 bil-lion in December 2013whereas an amount of Rs.114billion has been collected inthe corresponding periodthis year, which shows anincrease of 25 percent.

WCCI’s organisesexhibition

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

PESHAWAR—The Youth Fo-rum of Women Chamber ofCommerce and IndustryPeshawar organized a womenhandicraft exhibition. A vari-ety of hand-made outfits andother female accessories ofyoung entrepreneurs, includ-ing designs and broideryclothes, ladies hand bags,decorations pieces, and oth-ers, were put on display atvarious stalls during the exhi-bition. The trade-show wasformally opened by WCCIPeshawar President Ms RohiZahir Shah in a ceremony held,at local shopping mall at Uni-versity Road Peshawar.

The Youth Forum WCCI,Chairperson Maryam Arshad,vice president Afsheen,Fringes, Sundas along withother members were attendedthe ceremony. Addressing atthe opening ceremony, WCCIpresident Ms Rohi Zahir Shahsaid the holding of exhibitionwas aimed at to provide an op-portunity to women entrepre-neurs to show-case their hand-made work, while also market-ing their products and devel-opment of linkages. Sheviewed that there were rare sucharrangements for promotion ofwomen-business, due tounfavourable environment forbusinesses and investments inthe province. She, however,said that the participation of alarge number women in the ex-hibition, was a encouragingsign, which need further sup-port and financial assistance tothem at government and privatelevel, to market their handmadestuff in more better way.

She said women are con-tributing their equal share innational economic, by takingparts in all field of life, despitethe prevailing unviable cir-cumstances. She praised theefforts of Youth Forum,which according to her, play-ing vital role for economicdevelopment of the province.Earlier, speaking at the cer-emony, the Chairperson ofYouth Forum WCCI, MaryamArshad highlighted the ba-sic purpose behind the es-tablishment of the forum. Shesaid the Forum has been play-ing role creation of opportu-nities for illiterate and less-educated young girls in theprovince.

Heavy borrowingcontinues

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—Banks contin-ued to invest heavily in gov-ernment papers as the cut-offyield on the three-month trea-sury bills was again increasedby four basis points to 9.95per cent in the auction. Thecut-off yield reached close toprevailing discount rate of10pc per annum.

It was the third T-bill auc-tion since November 27, 2013and the government raisedRs392 billion. Commercialbanks parked Rs391bn, whichwas 97 per cent of the total bidamount, in three-month papers.A meagre sum of Rs1.2bn wasinvested in six-month papers atthe cut-off yield 9.97 per cent.No bids were received for 12-month bills. The governmenthas been increasing the cut-offyield on this short-term treasurybills. In the last auction, cut-offyield on three-month paperswas increased by 5 basis pointsto 9.91pc.

While inflationary pressuremounted to give a push to theinterest rate, the sudden in-crease in government borrow-ings from commercial banks isalso going to set new records.Since November 27, the gov-ernment collectively borrowedabout Rs1.4 trillion from thecommercial banks and mostlyfor three-month maturity.

USA 106.00 105.80

UK 173.51 173.18

Euro 144.63 144.35

Canada 99.36 99.18

Switzerland 117.99 117.76

Australia 94.04 93.87

Sweden 16.09 16.06

Japan 1.0152 1.0133

Norway 17.22 17.19

Singapore 83.67 83.51

Denmark 19.39 19.35

Saudi Arabia 28.26 28.21

Hong Kong 13.67 13.64

Kuwait 374.76 374.05

Malaysia 32.29 32.23

Newzealand 87.00 86.84

Qatar 29.11 29.06

UAE 28.86 28.80

KR. WON 0.0999 0.0997

Thailand 3.262 3.255

Gold Tezabi 44,485.00Silver Tezabi 702.85

Gold Tezabi (24-Ct)44580.00Gold 22 Ct 40750.00SilverTezabi s695.00Silver Thobi 635.00

MARDAN: Education Minister KP Muhammad Atif giving away trophy to winning team captain on the eve of District Sports Festival.

HYDERABAD: A view of cricket match between Lahore region and Hydrabad region during Quaid-e-Azam TrophyCricket Tournament at Niaz Stadium.

LARKANA: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim ali Shah giving away winning shield tofirst position holder of 3rd Nawab Shabbir Ahmed Chandio long range shooting compe-tition to Ghulam Mustafa Chandio.

KARACHI—Captain ImadWasim led from the front andcaptured 12 wickets in thematch to bowl Islamabad to99 runs victory in their 4-dayQuaid-e-Azam Cricket Tro-phy match against Multan atSouthend Club.

Imad, who took eight 81runs with his left arm spin inMultan’s first innings,grabbed four wickets for 21in 11.4 overs as their oppo-nents crashed 90 all out in11.4 overs.

25-year-old former Paki-stan Under19 captain, Imadended the match with 12wickets for 102 runs in thematch.

Pacer Shehzad Alamsnapped-up four wickets fornine runs in eight overs toextend good support to ImadWasim in the second innings.

Islamabad secured sixpoints for the win after con-ceding first innings raisedtheir tally to 25 points fromsix games. Summarizedscores: Islamabad 237 all outin 86.1 overs (Imad Wasim 53,Muhammad Rameez 5-75) &248 (Ali Sarfraz 90, Syed

An evening withWorld Bridge

legend ZiaMahmood on Jan 3KARACHI—Lady DufferinHospital (LDH) is holding anevening with World BridgeLegend Zia Mahmood onJanuary 3, organizers an-nounced here.

An bridge event hasbeen arranged on the occa-sion to raise funds for therenovation of Dr ShaukatHaroon Block (SHB) namedafter late mother of ZiaMahmood, who led USA towin the Bermuda Bowl -World Bridge Championshipa couple of years ago.

Zia Mahmood with lateMasood Salim and other fel-low Pakistan players becamethe only country outside Eu-rope and America to reachthe final of Bermuda Bowl inits maiden appearance nearNew York (USA) in 1981 be-fore losing to host America.

Top bridge players of thecountry will be featuring inthe one-day event to raisefunds for renovation of SHB.

Dr Shaukat Haroon wasthe Medical Superintendentof Lady Dufferin Hospitalfrom 1961-1968. Her tenurewas cut short when she diedtragically, of massive heart-attack at the age of 50. DrHaroon dedicated her life forwith missionary zeal to helpreduce the appalling mater-nal mortality even in tertiarycare hospital of Pakistan.

According to the letterissued by Dr Faridon Sethna,Member Management Com-mittee LDH, said eveningwith Zia Mahmood and eventis being conducted to gener-ate funds for renovation ofSHB which has delivered9000 babies since it inaugu-ration in 1983.

Entrance fee for the tour-nament is Rs.10,000. Dona-tions for this worthy causewill be further better the fa-cilities and services at LDH.

For any further detail canbe had [email protected] orfrom Zia Mahmood at [email protected].—APP

HEC, Wapdaqualify for final

of NationalHandball C’ship

FAISALABAD—On the thirdday of the National HandballChampionship being playedat University of AgricultureFaisalabad, two (2) semi finalmatches were held on Tues-day.

In the first semi final,WAPDA beat Punjab 42-16while in the second semi fi-nal Higher Education Com-mission (HEC), win by 33-30after defeating Pakistan Po-lice after an interesting con-test.

Final will be held betweenWAPDA and HEC on Dec.25th (Wednesday). ViceChancellor University of Ag-riculture, Faisalabad, Profes-sor Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khanand Syed Muhammad AbidQadri, Additional IG will bethe chief guests.—APP

SPORTS REPORTER

LAHORE—On third day ofsports festival, a glittering listof sports events continued totake place under the PunjabYouth Festival 2013-14 VillageLevel competitions in Punjab.

Throughout the provincemore than 1, 20,000 youngstersparticipated in numerous thrill-ing sports activities. Out ofthem, 13,000 clinched the vic-tory in their respective games.

Competitions of CricketTape Ball, Tug Of War, Athlet-ics, Billiard, Badminton, Volley-ball, and Arm Wrestling wereheld in 10,000 grounds ofPunjab. In city of Lahore, 1821players from 16 Union Coun-cils of 7 different towns includ-ing Gulberg Town, SamanabadTown, Shalamar Town, AzizBhatti Town, Nishter Town,Data GanjBakhsh Town andWahgah Town, took part in 129

PESHAWAR—Former SportsMinister Syed Aqil Shahcalled on Chief MinisterKhyber Pakhtunkhwa PervezKhattak and discussed withhim matter related to the pro-motion of sports in the prov-ince.

The 50-minute long meet-ing between the two wasalso attended by KhyberPakhtunkhwa Sports Minis-ter Mehmood Khan, Advisorto the Chief Minister ontransport Yaseen KhanKhalil, Advisor to the ChiefMinister on Investment andIndustries Rafaqat UllahBabar, Secretary SportsAhmad Hassan, sports sec-retaries of various associa-tions affiliated with KhyberPakhtunkhwa Olympic Asso-ciation.

Syed Aqil Shah informedthe Chief Minister aboutholding of the forthcomingKhyber Pakhtunkhwa PeaceGames scheduled to be heldfrom February 16-18, 2014. Healso offered the Chief Minis-ter for accepting the Patron-in-Chief of the Games and inresponse the Chief Ministerthoroughly accepted it.

Aqil Shah on this occa-sion, disclosed that duringthe last fiscal year, 21 Na-

Aqil Shah calls on Chief Minister Pervez Khattak

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa PeaceGames to be held in Feb

tional Championship alongwith four internationalevents have been organizedsuccessfully in the KhyberPakhtunkhwa besides 31stNational Games and 3rd In-ter-Provincial Games. AqilShah informed the Chief Min-ister that the Olympic familydid their hard work for thepromotion of sports in theprovince. He said despite in-surgency and militancy theyhad organized differentsports events by involvingboth male and female inhealthy sort of activities. Hesaid it is a record at the inter-national level that out of 24National Championships, 21organized by this provincewithout any fear. He alsosorted the help of the ChiefMinister for successful hold-ing of the Peace Games.

Aqil Shah also assuredthe Chief Minister for his fullsupport to make the govern-ment successful while hold-ing sports activities for theyouth in the province.

The Chief Minister in re-sponse assured Aqil Shahthat he would be looked af-ter at all level. He said the 40-year of experience of SyedAqil Shah would be utilizedfor the betterment of youth

in the province. He said thePTI led by its Chairman leg-endary Imran Khan whosevision is to promote and in-volve the youth in healthyactivities. He directed Secre-tary Sports KhyberPakhtunkhwa to include AqilShah in board working for thepromotion of sports, culture,and tourism.

Chief Minister PervezKhattak assured Aqil Shahhis full support. “We willwork together so that to in-volve our youth in healthyactivities,” the Chief Minis-ter added. He said the pro-vincial government has pur-chased 78 percent of land forthe construction of SportsStadia to fulfill the promisebeing made by its ChairmanImran Khan to have playingfields in every Union Coun-cil and District levels.

The Chief Minister prom-ised that Imran Khan wouldgrace the occasion as chiefguest at the opening cer-emony of the forthcomingKhyber Pakhtunkhwa PeaceGames. He also promisedAqil Shah that whatever de-mand put in by you for thepromotion sports in theprovince would be fulfilled.—APP

12 wickets Imad bowls Islamabadto win in Quaid Trophy

Zeeshan 51 Ali, MuhammadRameez 4- 58) Multan 296(Kashif Naveed 86, RehmanMuzamill 60, Imad Wasim 8-81) & 90 all out in 41.4 overs(Muhammad Waris 37,Shehzad Azam Rana 4-9, ImadWasim 4-21).

Meanwhile, SpectacularSaad Ali smashed a careerbest 156 to help KarachiWhites hold an honorabledraw against Faisalabad Re-gion after the follow-on intheir Quaid-e-Azam CricketTrophy match at NationalStadium.

Karachi Whites was fac-ing possible defeat whenthey started the play on thefourth and final-day at 167-4.But fighting batting by Saad,Amit and Nadeem Shadsaved their from defeat.

20-year-old Saad, battedfor 375 minutes, faced 275-ball and his fighting knockwas studded with 23 bound-aries and shared two centurystands.

Saad with keeper AmitRavi 114 runs for the fifthwicket. Amit hit eight bound-aries in his 49 while he shared

104-run for the fifth wicketwith Nadeem Shad, who 51was spiced with sevenboundaries.

Karachi Whites whichwas shot out for 191 in theirfirst innings declared theirsecond innings at 419-8.Faisalabad had scored 42without loss when match wascalled off early with nochance of result.

Despite a draw and con-ceding first innings lead,Karachi Whites maintainedtheir top position in group-IIwith 43 points after sixmatches while Faisalabad aregot 18 points same numberof matches.

Summarized scores:Faisalabad 359 (Imran Ahmed154, Mir Hamza 5-98) & 42-0in 8 overs, Karachi Whites191 (Junaid Ilyas 46, FaheemAhmed 5-53, Ikramullah 3-64)& 419-8 dec in 134 overs(Saad Ali 156, Nadeem Shad51, Amit Ravi 49, YasirMushtaq 32, DaniyalMansoor 25, Asif Zakir 24,Babar Rehman 22 not out,Faheem Ashraf 2-86, SalmanAli 2-112).—APP

sports competitions. 1109 ofthem stood victorious.

In Sheikhopura District,5710 players from 120 Unioncouncils took part in 1080events, 3335 of them were de-clared winners.

In Gujranwala Division,7588 players from 230 Unioncouncils participated in 470events, 3477 of them were de-clared winners. In Multan Di-vision, 2300 players from 142Union councils joined in 492events, 1086 of them won con-vincingly. In Bhawalpur, 868players from 58 union coun-cils clashed in 62 events, 429of them were declared aswinners.In DG khan Division,1122 participants from 48 unioncouncils took part in 48 events,540 of them clinched victoryin their respective sports com-petitions.

Talking on inaugural cer-emony of Punjab Youth Festi-

val 2013-14 in Aziz BhattiTown, convener DivisionalSports Council MianNaseerAhmed felicitated DCO’s, As-sistant Commissioners andTMO’s of all towns on suc-cessfully organizing the sportsevents in Punjab.

Thick attendance of spec-tators was witnessed at thesporting events on third dayof Punjab youth festival. Fes-tive atmosphere prevailed inthe Sports grounds of Punjabas the whole nation celebratesQuaid-e-Azam day and Christ-mas celebrations begins onthe same day.

Earlier, MPA Saif-ul-MalookKhokhar playedCricket Tape ball on the eve ofPunjab Youth Festival 2014 theprevious day. Mr.WaseemQadir, and othersports loving personalitiesgraced the events as ChiefGuests.

P E S H A W A R — A b b a sShoukat and Israr Khan willclash in the Under-19 final ofthe NBP Junior Age GroupSquash Championship beingplayed here at PAF HashimKhan Squash Complex onWednesday.

Abbas Shoukat recordedfirst semi-final victoryagainst Ismail Ruaf in thethrilling 3-1 battle. IsmailRauf in a quick successionwon the first set by 10-12 af-ter facing tough resistance atthe hands of Abbas Shoukat.

Ismail opened the ac-count by reaching at 1-5 andthen at 2-7 but AbbasShoukat came from behindand tied the tally 7-7, 8-8, 9-9,10-10 and at the end Ismailgot the set by 10-12.

After a marathon first setbattle, Abbas Shoukat was ingreat confidence puttingIsmail under tremendous

Abbas to face Israr in NBP Jr U-19Squash Championship final

pressure and got the secondset by 11-9, the set was oncetied at 9-9 before Abbas takenthe set.

It was the third setwherein both Abbas Shoukatand Ismail Ruaf went all outbut Abbas took the set by12-10 before leveling it at 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, and 10-10. Thethird set was an easy one forAbbas Shoukat who fullydominated and marched intovictory at 11-7.

In the second semi-finalIsrar Khan recorded victoryagainst Adil Faqir in thestraight sets, the score was11-9, 11-4 and 11-8. Israr Khanfully dominated the proceed-ings and did not allow AdilFaqir to strike back. IsrarKhan right from the start suc-ceeded in putting Adil Faqirwith his forceful length andsome perfect smashing andnick short. Thus Israr setup

final showdown with AbbasShoukat in the Under-19 cat-egory.

In the Under-17 categorytop seed Ali Kiramat and sec-ond seed Kashif Asif re-corded victories against theirrespective rivals in the semi-finals. In the first semi-finalKashif Asif of Punjab de-feated Iqtidar Ali Khan in amarathon five sets battle, thescore was 10-12, 11-9, 6-11,11-7 and 12-10. Both KashifAsif and Iqtidar Ali Khangave each other very toughfight in the 3-2 battle foughton rattling pace.

Kashif Asif failed to takethe first set and lost it toIqtidar Ali Khan at 10-12, thescore was thrice tied at 7-7, 9-9 and 10-10 before Iqtidartaken it. It was the second setin which Kashif Asif of Punjabshowed great skills and gotthe second set 11-9.—APP

Davis Cup Tie tostart from Feb 14ISLAMABAD—Davis Cup Tiewhich was scheduled to beheld from February 1 to 3, willnow be played from 14 to 16of the same month, said VicePresident Pakistan TennisFederation (PTF) ArifQureshi on Wednesday.

Talking to APP, he saidthere were eight teams in agroup while Pakistan wasplaced in Asia Oceania ZoneGroup Two.

Pakistan’s top playerAisam-ul-Haq’s participationin the team is doubtful due tohis busy international sched-ule and changes in Davis Cupschedule. However, Qureshiwas optimistic that the prob-lem would be sorted out andthat every possible effortwould be made to includeAisam in the national team forthe event.—APP

Wapda wins26th National

HandballFAISALABAD—Wapda haswon 26th National HandballChampionship by defeatingHigher Education Commis-sion (HEC) in a final match atUniversity of AgricultureFaisalabad here on Wednes-day.

The HEC team scored 15points whereas the Wapdateam knocked it out by scor-ing 26 points.

Member National Assem-bly Hajji Muhammad AkramAnsari witnessed the final asa chief guest whereas DistrictCoordination Officer (DCO)Noorul Amin, DivisionalSports Officer (DSO) MianZubair Anwar, District SportsOfficer (DSO) ChaudharyTariq Nazir, President Paki-stan Handball AssociationHajji Shafique were alsopresent.

MNA Hajji Akram Ansariaddressed the prize distribu-tion ceremony and appreci-ated the performance of handball players.

Later, MNA Hajji AkramAnsari distributed trophiesand prizes among the winnerand runner-up teams.—APP

PESHAWAR—The 3rd phase ofDirectorate of KhyberPakhtunkhwa Inter-SchoolGames got under way atSports Complex Dera IsmailKhan. Additional CommissionBannu Ahmad Khan was thechief guest on this occasionwho formally inaugurated theGames including football andvolleyball.

Assistant Director SportsMir Bashar Khan, JamshedBalochi, Syed Saqlain Shahand elite, officials and playersof the area were also presentduring the inauguration cer-emony.

3rd Phase of Inter-SchoolGames begins in DIKhan

In the opening matchBannu defeated District Tankby 6-5 and took berth into thesemi-finals. The match waslocked 1-1 in the stipulated timewherein for Bannu MuradKhan opened the account inthe 17th minute while WisalKhan tied the tally in the 69thminute through field attempt.

After 1-1, the match waslater on decided on penaltyshoot-out in which Bannuconverted all five attempts butTank missed a target and thusBannu won the match by 6-5.

It was the second semi-fi-nal in which District Kohat

outclassed host Dera IsmailKhan by 2-0 in a one-sided af-fair. Kohat scored both thegoals through MuhammadAdil Khan on the field at-tempts in the 14th and 34thminute.

On the other hands, DeraIsmail Khan, having cheeringsupport, tried their hard to re-duce the margin but theywere failed due to tight mark-ing, thus Kohat reached tothe final. Hangu and Bannutook berth into final after re-cording victories againsttheir respective rivals in thesemi-finals.—APP

Third Day of Punjab Youth Festival 2013-14

120,000 youngsters participatein various sports events

ABU DHABI: Umar Gul celebrates after dismissing Kusal Perera of Sri Lanka in 4th ODI on Wednesday.

BIPIN DANI

OBSERVER

CORRESPONDENT

MUMBAI—Despite havinga very cold wave in thecapitol city of India, theformer off-spinner NikhilChopra will wake up earlymorning on Friday to wit-ness the Ashes Test onBoxing Day.

“I consider myself for-tunate enough to be bornon this day. It was God’swish”, he said over tele-phone from Delhi on theeve of his 40th birthday.

“The importance of thisday is very important in mylife as at least the beginningof one Test match is guar-anteed on Boxing Day”, headded.

In the year 1980, the

Beginning of Test match isguaranteed on my Boxing

Day birthday: Nikhil ChopraMelbourne Cricket Club(MCC) and the AustralianCricket Board (ACB then,now known as Cricket Aus-tralia), secured the rights tobegin the Test match annu-ally on this day.

“I shall watch both Tests(Australia-England and SA-India in Durban) beginningon this day”, he added. Inter-estingly, New Zealand is alsoscheduled to host the firstODI against West Indies atAuckland on this day thisyear.

“I have no specificmemory of this day in my lifebut I can tell you that I havenever played any interna-tional match on my birthday”,he added. Chopra played oneTest and 39 ODIs for India.

Rohan Kanhai, the an-other international player

(West Indies) will turn 78on Friday. “The birth onBoxing Day is no fault ofmine but it was destiny”, hesaid over telephone fromEngland, where Guyana-born Kanhai is settled now,said.

“I remember havingplayed against Australia in1968 on Boxing Day”, headded. Kanhai could onlyscore 5 and 4 runs in thisTest.

Sri Lanka’s MuthiahMuralitharan has no happymemories of the BoxingDay (though he was notborn on this day). Theworld’s highest Test wickettaker was called for throw-ing by Australia umpire(Darrell Hair) not once ortwice, but seven times in1995.

LONDON: Chelsea’s Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech challenges Arsenal’s Germanmidfielder Mesut Ozil during the English Premier League football match between Arse-nal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium

DURBAN—Jacques Kallis,one of the game’s greatestallrounders, will retire fromTest cricket after the BoxingDay match against India.Kallis announced his deci-sion on Wednesday, on theeve of the second Testagainst India, but stated thathe would still like to play the2015 World Cup for SouthAfrica.

In a statement, Kallis said:“It wasn’t an easy decision,with Australia around thecorner and the success thisteam is enjoying, but I feelthe time is right. I don’t see itas goodbye, I still have a lotof hunger to push South Af-rica to that World Cup in 2015if I am fit and performing. Thelast two years specificallyhave been a memorable jour-ney with an exceptionalgroup of cricketers. I am for-tunate enough to haveended my Test careeramongst a group of talentedcricketers but, more impor-tantly, friends whom I willcherish for years to come.”

Kallis, who made his Testdebut against England inDecember 1995, and hasplayed 165 Tests, scoring13174 runs at an average of55.12, with 44 centuries and58 half-centuries. He is cur-rently fourth on the list ofleading run-getters in Testcricket, and is also second onthe list of batsmen with mostTest centuries, apart fromhaving scored the most runsfor South Africa in Tests.Kallis’ status as the pre-emi-nent allrounder of his erastemmed from his contribu-tions as a bowler - 292 Testwickets at an average of 32.53- and fielder, whose 199catches ranks him only be-hind Rahul Dravid in the Testlist. He has one more matchto add to those numbers.

Batting has been the rea-son for questions surround-ing Kallis’ form. He lastscored a century more than ayear ago, in November 2012,against Australia in Brisbane.

Kallis to quit Tests after Durban

In 2013, he has scored just194 runs with no hundreds -a first for Kallis in a calendaryear - and only two half-cen-turies. He has been dismissedin single figures in five of hislast seven innings, twice fora duck, and on four occa-sions playing across the lineand being struck lbw.

On South Africa’s recentvisit to the UAE, Kallis hadthe leanest series of his ca-reer. He did not get intodouble figures once and didnot take a single wicket ei-ther. Asked then whetherthere were concerns about

how much longer Kalliswould play, Graeme Smithhad dismissed them. “He stillhas a great desire to play forSouth Africa,” he said.

Kallis’ struggles werebrushed off as nothing morethan rustiness after a long layoff. While most of the teamhadn’t played competitivelyfor three months, Kallis wascoming in from a muchlonger break that startedwhen the IPL ended in May.South Africa did not playTest cricket in that time andKallis, who initially madehimself available for the

Champions Trophy, with-drew from the squad citingpersonal reasons. He had notplayed fifty-over cricket forSouth Africa for 15 monthsat that stage, because of hisworkload management. Healso played no part in the tourof Sri Lanka in August, inkeeping with the policy ofleaving him out of bilaterallimited-overs series.

Kallis’ wish to win aWorld Cup medal had notdimmed. So at the end of thatmonth, after a meeting withnew coach Russell Domingo,Kallis recommitted to the ODIsquad. Domingo announcedthat Kallis would play in mostof South Africa’s ODIs in thelead-up to 2015, starting withthe home series against In-dia.

He played in the hastilyorganised home seriesagainst Pakistan and cel-ebrated his comeback with ahalf-century. Kallis hasturned out in three ODIs sincethen, sitting out of the dead-rubbers against both Paki-stan and India, scoring 26runs and claiming three wick-ets.

South Africa do not playany one-day cricket until nextJuly against Zimbabwe,which means Kallis will dis-appear from the internationalarena for at least sevenmonths after this Test. Fol-lowing that, they have a five-match series against Austra-lia and another five matchesagainst West Indies at homebefore the 2015 World Cup.

If Kallis plays in all thosematches, he will turn out 13more times for South Africabefore the tournament. Thatscarcity is something RussellDomingo, South Africa’scoach, said the team wouldtake some getting used tobecause Kallis has been aconstant in the dressingroom. “The impact Jacqueshas made on South Africancricket has been immense,not just as a player but as ahuman being,” Domingo

ABU DHABI—AshanPriyanjan’s debut half-cen-tury, and Kumar Sangakkara’s83rd, propped up a stumblingSri Lanka to 225, whichseemed quite insufficient ona docile pitch in a must-winODI against Pakistan. Theduo revived Sri Lanka afterUmar Gul had reduced themto 36 for 3, but the inningsderailed again afterSangakkara’s run-out made it125 for 4 in the 29th over.

Priyanjan hit a sparkling74 laced with aggressiveshots, but fell off the thirdball of the batting Powerplay,missing an adventurousscoop to fine leg off JunaidKhan. That was the final blowfor Sri Lanka, and thoughAngelo Mathews and an-other debutant KithuruwanVithanage tried, SaeedAjmal’s control meant therewas no late release.

Gul continued a productivecomeback after a long injurylayoff, dismissing the first threebatsmen. Gul had little to dowith the first wicket, off hisfourth ball. It was a put-away

delivery, short and wide, butKusal Perera smashed it toshort cover, where Misbah-ul-Haq took a sharp catch. Gul hadeverything to with the secondwicket, though, in the fourthover. He beat TillakaratneDilshan on the drive with anoutswinger, and then movedthe next one in. Dilshan shoul-dered arms, and saw the ball hittop of off. In the eighth over,Dinesh Chandimal could notkeep a drive down, and Misbahsnapped up a harder chance atshort cover, one-handed thistime.

With two debutant bats-men in the XI, Sri Lankaneeded Sangakkara to hangaround. He did that, lookingin no discomfort as he pickedaway the singles off his padsand drove elegantly on theoff side.

It was the way Priyanjanbatted, though, that wouldhave pleased Sri Lanka evenmore. The 24-year old was abit nervous at the start, play-ing everything off the backfoot. But as soon as he droveGul through extra cover for

four off his eighth ball, he wasa transformed batsman. A pulland a back-foot punch madeit three fours in the Gulover.—AFP

Sri Lanka innings:Perera b Umar Gul ........... 8Dilshan b Umar Gul ......... 8Sangakkara run out ....... 51Chandimal c Misbah b Gul5Priyanjan b Junaid Khan 74Mathews lbw b Saeed .. 38Kulasekara c & b Saeed . 1Vithanage b Junaid ....... 27Senanayake b Saeed ....... 0Lakmal not out ................. 2Malinga b Saeed Ajmal .. 0Extras: (lb 1, w 9, nb 1) .. 11Total: (all out) .............. 225Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-22, 3-36, 4-125, 5-165, 6-170, 7-210,8-210, 9-225, 10-225Bowling: ........... O-M-R-WJunaid Khan ......... 9-0-42-2Umar Gul ............... 7-1-37-3Afridi ..................... 7-0-37-0Bilawal .................. 7-1-23-0Saeed Ajmal ...... 9.5-1-39-4Hafeez ................... 9-0-46-0

Ajmal, Gul give Pakistanchance of sealing ODI series

LONDON—A fixture billed asa pre-Christmas cracker wasmore ‘In the Bleak Midwin-ter’ than ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ asArsenal’s hopes of regainingtop spot in the PremierLeague fizzled out in a turgid0-0 draw with Chelsea.

Nine days after losing 6-3 at Manchester City andhaving seen their title rivalssteal a march on them at theweekend, Arsenal foundthemselves stifled by a de-fensive Chelsea side andhardly managed a shot ontarget.

The home fans chanted“Boring, Boring Chelsea” ona rain-lashed night in northLondon but the visitors ac-tually had the better of whatfew chances there were and

Arsenal, Chelsea draw in Premier Leaguewill take greater satisfactionfrom a spirit-dampening en-counter.

Both sides moved up aplace in the table, Arsenal tosecond with 36 points, be-hind leaders Liverpool ongoal difference, whileChelsea returned to the topfour with 34 points, aboveEverton also on goal differ-ence.

It could have been evenbetter for Chelsea had FrankLampard’s first-half volley hitthe back of the net ratherthan the underside of thecrossbar.

Chelsea manager JoseMourinho, who has neverlost to Arsene Wenger in 10meetings after Monday’sdraw, appeared quite content

to maintain his hold over theFrenchman.

“We controlled the gamevery well. There was one bigchance for us and lots of halfchances and for them one bigchance and no half chances,”Mourinho told reporters.

“It was a tactical match.A match that Arsenal wantsto win but doesn’t want tolose and Chelsea wants towin but doesn’t want tolose,” Mourinho told SkySports.

“The (Chelsea) goal-keeper (Petr Cech) was notin the game, we controlled thegame defensively. We let (Ar-senal midfielder) Mikel Artetaplay the ball from side to side,we were completely undercontrol.”—AP

Kiwis coachwants curators

to show nomercy to India

AUCKLAND—New Zealandcricket coach Mike Hesson hascalled on the country’s cura-tors to serve up green pitcheswhen India tour for their two-test series in February.

New Zealand were belted2-0 on India’s dry wickets lastyear and Hesson said it wasonly fair to prepare bouncytracks for the Auckland andWellington tests which mighttrouble the visitors’ batsmenand blunt their spinners.

“I think everyone is awareof the type of surfaces we like,”Hesson said in comments pub-lished by New Zealand mediaon Wednesday.

“We’ve been in India be-fore and they’ve changed thepitch the day before a gamebecause it wasn’t as dry asthey’d like. We certainly don’tget any favours when we traveloverseas, so I’d be disap-pointed if we provide any athome.”

New Zealand have notbeaten India in a test seriessince their 2-0 win in 2002-03,when the visitors’ star-studdedbatting lineup, which includedSachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravidand VVS Laxman, crumbled ontwo fast, green pitches pre-sented at Wellington’s BasinReserve and Seddon Park inHamilton.

In the next home series in2008-09, New Zealand’s cura-tors were slammed for prepar-ing more docile pitches as thehosts lost 1-0.

New Zealand thrashedWest Indies 2-0 in their recentthree-test series, with theirseamers Trent Boult and TimSouthee taking most of thewickets, and Hesson backedthe pair to prosper against In-dia on Eden Park’s drop-inwicket and at the pace-friendlyBasin Reserve.

“We’ll back our seamersover anyone’s at the moment,to be fair,” he said. “We knowthey’ve got good seamers whowill challenge us, but we backour seamers to put any orderunder pressure.”—AFP

Not much funas captain

Cook marks29th birthday

MELBOURNE—England cap-tain Alastair Cook marked his29th birthday — and Christ-

mas Day — on Wednesdayyet found little cause for cel-ebration on the eve of thefourth Test against Australia.

Trailing 3-0 in the seriesand with the Ashes alreadygone, Cook has lost veteranspinner Graeme Swann to asurprise early retirement sincethe previous Test in Perth.

Pace bowler Jimmy Ander-son appears out of form, fel-low quick Stuart Broad has aright foot injury andwicketkeeper/batsman MattPrior´s place in the team is indoubt. Spinner MontyPanesar is expected to returnto the side for Swann.

“Losing the Ashes andwith Swannie going as well, ithas been a different week,”Cook said. “When you losegames of cricket, naturally yourconfidence does slip. We´redesperate to turn it around andyou don´t often get thechance to play a Boxing DayTest match at the MCG.”

While few foresawSwann´s sudden retirement,Cook was not surprised as hefelt the spinner had nothingleft to give. Cook said he wasencouraged by Broad´s bowl-ing in the nets. Broad was hitin the right foot by a MitchellJohnson yorker in the thirdtest but scans showed nofracture.

England: Alastair Cook(captain), Michael Carberry,Joe Root, Kevin Pietersen, IanBell, Ben Stokes, JonnyBairstow, Tim Bresnan, StuartBroad, Monty Panesar, JamesAnderson.—AP

PEOPLE who walk enough to meet or exceed physical activity recommendationsmay be less likely to die early than those

who only walk a little, new research shows. TheAmerican Heart Association (AHA) recom-mends adults be physicallyactive for at least two and ahalf hours per week. Previousresearch has shown exercisingmore than that may bring ex-tra benefits.

“An important questionleft to be answered is howmuch walking is beneficial,”study author Paul Williams,from the Lawrence BerkeleyNational Laboratory in Berke-ley, California, said. He ana-lyzed data from 42,000 mostlymiddle-aged people who en-rolled in the National Walk-ers’ Health Study between1998 and 2001. They had allsubscribed to a walking maga-zine or attended walkingevents before the study.

Walkers filled out ques-tionnaires about their health and lifestyle, in-cluding exercise and eating habits. Williams thenused death records to track who in the studywas still alive at the end of 2008. Based on theirquestionnaire responses, 23 percent of partici-pants didn’t walk enough to meet physical ac-tivity guidelines. Another 16 percent met theguidelines, and the rest exceeded them.

Over an average of nine and a half years,2,448 people died - almost 6 percent. Comparedto people who didn’t meet the guidelines, thosewho walked more than the basic recommenda-tion had a one-third lower chance of dying dur-ing the study period. Those who met but didn’t

exceed the recommendation had an 11 per-cent lower chance.

That was after taking into account otherdifferences between people who walked vari-ous amounts, like diet and education levels.

Participants who walked morehad a reduced risk of dyingfrom a stroke, diabetes andheart disease, in particular.

Walking provides plentyof health benefits. But it’s im-portant to note that people whowalk more may do so becausethey are healthier and thereforemore able to be active, Williamssaid. So the new study doesn’tprove walking will extend aperson’s life. “There is alwaysthe question of the chicken andthe egg - whether people whoare healthier are able to walkfarther or, conversely, whetherthe longer distance they walkmay translate into better healthbenefits,” Williams toldReuters Health.

Based on the results, hesuggested changing current guidelines bybumping up the minimum amount of physicalactivity to five hours per week and developinga two-tiered recommendation system that en-courages people to exercise more than they docurrently. One tier would aim to get people ac-tive, and the other to add to the activity peopleare already doing, Williams said. That wouldunderscore the point that for couch potatoes,starting to exercise is a healthy move - but thebenefits don’t stop there. “Achieving the weeklyexercise guidelines is good,” Williams said, “butexceeding them is even better.” “When it comesto walking, more is obviously better,”

When it comes towalking, more is better

Christian performing their religious rituals at Trinity Church during the Christmas cel-ebrations.

Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah offering Fateha after laying wreath at the Mazar of Quaid-i-Azam on theoccasion of 137th birth anniversary.

A view of Wazir Mansion, the birthplace of Quaid-i-Azam which is decorated with lights onthe occasion of his birth anniversary.

LIAQAT TOOR

IF the Jesus Christ had beenphysically present on thisplanet today he, after hav-

ing witnessed gory scenes ofbloodshed and decaying deadbodies scattered all around theworld, might have himselfmarched towards the Cross.

This was stated by MrZahid Malik, Editor-in-Chief,Pakistan Observer, while ad-dressing a big gathering of theChristian community at theFatima Church, Islamabad,where the Nazriya PakistanCouncil, Islamabad, joinedhands with members of Chris-tian community to cut a Christ-mas cake.

Mr Zahid Malik who isalso Chairman of the NPC saidthat the Jesus had visualizedand struggled for a miseries-free world but quite contraryto that the world today wassaddled with nothing else butgrief, torture, anguish andtears. However, he was opti-

mistic that in Pakistan a genuineurge of harmony among variousfaiths had emerged and everyonewho matters was keen to take the

minorities along. “Every onewho lives within the boundariesof Pakistan is equal in all re-spects and it is incumbent upon

the State and the Government totreat everyone as enshrined inthe Constitution,” he said.

Mr Malik announced that

early next year the NPC willconvene an All Pakistan Inter-faith Conference to carry for-ward the message of better un-derstanding among all reli-gions. This is what the founderof Pakistan, Quaid-i-AzamMohammad Ali Jinnah had per-ceived, he said.

The members of the Ex-ecutive Committee of theCouncil who participated in theceremony included MianMuhammad Javed, DrBasharat Jazbi, Mrs FarukhKhan and M Bilal.

Father Rehmat MichaelHakim welcoming the NPCdelegation said NPC is work-ing vigorously for promotinginter-faith harmony.

Pakistan has great future asMuslims and Christians mov-ing hand in hand can achievegoals as envisioned by theQuaid. It was always a greatoccasion when Muslims in-cluding NPC members visit ourchurch and share greetings withus on Christmas.

“Jesus Christ would have himself marched to the Cross”

NPC celebrates Christmas Daywith Christian Community

Editor-in-Chief Pakistan Observer and Chairman Nazriya Pakistan Council Zahid Malik,Father Rehmat Michael Hakim, Senior Members of Majlis-e-Aamla NPC Mian MuhammadJaved, Mrs Farrukh Khan, Prof Dr Basharat Jazbi and M Bilal Advocate cutting the cakeduring a ceremony to celebrate Christmas at Khatoon Fatima Church.—PO photo Sultan Bashir

KARACHI—Sindh Chief Minis-ter Qaim Ali Shah said the pro-vincial government will complywith court orders over the LocalGovernment Amended Bill 2013,adding that the governmentwasn’t given time to convince theopposition parties.

Addressing the media aftervisiting the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnahon Wednesday, Qaim Ali Shahsaid that the matter relating to theSindh Local Government Billwas in the court and whatever be

the decision of the court wouldbe accepted.

He said that the legislationsin Sindh Assembly being donein consultations with the oppo-sition and efforts were afoot toserve the people with consensusand unity.

Sindh CM said the constitu-tion exists in the country and thejudiciary has played a key role,suo moto became very popularas the people got relief. The free-dom in the country was no lessthan any other, he said.

Syed Qaim Ali Shah said thatthe democracy and the institu-tions have gained strength in thecountry, the human rights standrestored and now poverty has tobe eradicated and the peopleshould get their rights.

Sindh Chief Minister SyedQaim Ali Shah was accompaniedby Sindh Governor Dr. IshratulEbad Khan while he visited mau-soleum to pay homage to thegreat leader on his 137th birth-day being celebrated across thecountry.—NNI

LG bill

Qaim vows to complywith court orders

IRFAN ALIGI

KARACHI—The Deputy Parlia-mentary Leader in Sindh Assem-bly Khawaja Izhar Ul Hassansaid that the Pakistan People’sParty Parliamentarian (PPPP)had totally failed to realize whythe Muttahida Qaumi Movement(MQM) opted to take to streetover the ‘Black Law’, the SindhLocal Government Act-2013.

The PPPP should get toknow that it was the MQM thathad supported the PPPP duringits previous tenure as real bloodbrother only for the sake of rec-onciliation so the PPPP should

not levy any accusation on theMQM for criticizing the SLGA-2013 without concrete reasons,he said adding that it would notonly be the MQM but all otherpolitical parties had rejected thepassage of that ‘Black Law’, theSLGA-2013, which was donewith sheer manifest of statepower and was based on tyranny,injustice, lies and stubbornness.

He was addressing a largeprotest rally at Malir Press ClubWednesday. The protest rally wasorganized by the MQM Muzafaticommittee. Speaking on the oc-casion, member provincial as-sembly Heer Ismail Sohu said

that it was not the MQM alonebut all other political parties wereon protest against the passage ofthe SLGA-2013 and had unani-mously rejected that law.

She alleged the Sindh pro-vincial government had not onlycarved out self-desired delimita-tions in the port city but did suchunconstitutional drawings in thewhole of province. In his address,member of the CoordinationCommittee of the MQM, Ashfaqmangi said that the MQM wouldfoil all conspiracies to dissectKarachi from Sindh province,while the PPPP was hatchingconspiracy to divide Sindh.

MQM protest rally

LB polls under SLGA-2013,waste of country’s wealth

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—The network ofBlack Water and other foreignagencies was being activated inPakistan for hatching conspiracyand spreading sectarian violencein the country. It was a misery tonote that despite ongoing targetedoperation in the metropolis, thegovernment had failed to restorepeace in the port city.

On the other hand, inflation,lawlessness, poverty and unem-ployment were the factors thatdeteriorated lives of the peopleand the government had failed to

overcome such issues and pro-vide relief to the masses. Theyear 2014 will similar to the cal-endar year of 1947, as 1947 wasthe year of independence and theyear 2014 will prove the year ofgetting rid from evil forces.

Jamaat-e Islami (JI) Secre-tary General Liaquat Baloch saidthis while addressing publicgatherings at Orangi Town andMalir Wednesday. Baloch on theoccasion also reminded peopleof JI’s contribution to develop-ment of port city and said thatpeople had witnessed tremen-dous and record development.

Black water active insectarian violence: Baloch

84 shopkeepersfined

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—As many as 84shopkeepers were challaned anda fine of Rs 75600 were imposedfor overcharging in violation tothe price list of essential com-modities.

The shopkeepers werechallaned by the assistant com-missioners of sub-divisions,deputy commissioners of fivedistricts of the city, on the direc-tives of Commissioner KarachiShoaib Ahmed Siddiqi during thecrackdown against violators ofprice lists of daily commodities,said a statement on Wednesday.

It said 21 milk sellers, sixfruits vendors, 11 vegetable mer-chants, 20 food items grocers, 23chicken sellers and 15 flour sell-ers were challaned for violatingprice list.

AdministratorKMC visits

Mazar-e-QuaidKARACHI—AdministratorKarachi Metropolitan Corpora-tion (KMC), Rauf AkhterFarooqi visited the mausoleum ofQuaid-i-Azam Muhammad AliJinnah to pay homage to the fa-ther of the nation on his 137thbirth anniversary here onWednesday.

The Administrator KMC laidwreath and offered fateha on be-half of the Karachiites, said astatement.

Metropolitan CommissionerSamiuddin Siddiqi, Senior Direc-tor Municipal Services, MasoodAlam, Senior Director Sports,Culture and RecreationMuhammad Rehan Khan andother notables were alsopresent.—APP

Cake cuttingat Quaid’sbirthplace

KARACHI—A cake cutting cer-emony was organised at thebirthplace ‘Wazir Mansion’ ofQuaid-e-Azam Mohammad AliJinnah to mark the 137th birthanniversary of the Father of theNation, at Kharadar here.

Special Assistant to SindhChief Minister, Ms SharmilaFarooqui, CommissionerKarachi, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqiand Karachi Police Chief ShahidHayat cut the cake.—APP

Strict securityon BB’s deathanniversary

KARACHI—Inspector GeneralSindh Police, Shahid NadeemBaloch has directed the SindhPolice to adopt extra-ordinaryintegrated security arrangementsacross the Sindh province on theoccasion of death anniversary ofShaheed Benazir Bhutto.

He directed that effectivechecking be ensured at all entrypoints of Garhi Khuda Bakhshand others areas of Sindh, said astatement on Wednesday. He hasdirected Sindh Police to deploypolice personnel at check postswhich have been established onhighways.—APP

PEOPLE who walk enough to meet or exceed physical activity recommendationsmay be less likely to die early than those

who only walk a little, new research shows. TheAmerican Heart Association (AHA) recom-mends adults be physicallyactive for at least two and ahalf hours per week. Previousresearch has shown exercisingmore than that may bring ex-tra benefits.

“An important questionleft to be answered is howmuch walking is beneficial,”study author Paul Williams,from the Lawrence BerkeleyNational Laboratory in Berke-ley, California, said. He ana-lyzed data from 42,000 mostlymiddle-aged people who en-rolled in the National Walk-ers’ Health Study between1998 and 2001. They had allsubscribed to a walking maga-zine or attended walkingevents before the study.

Walkers filled out ques-tionnaires about their health and lifestyle, in-cluding exercise and eating habits. Williams thenused death records to track who in the studywas still alive at the end of 2008. Based on theirquestionnaire responses, 23 percent of partici-pants didn’t walk enough to meet physical ac-tivity guidelines. Another 16 percent met theguidelines, and the rest exceeded them.

Over an average of nine and a half years,2,448 people died - almost 6 percent. Comparedto people who didn’t meet the guidelines, thosewho walked more than the basic recommenda-tion had a one-third lower chance of dying dur-ing the study period. Those who met but didn’t

exceed the recommendation had an 11 per-cent lower chance.

That was after taking into account otherdifferences between people who walked vari-ous amounts, like diet and education levels.

Participants who walked morehad a reduced risk of dyingfrom a stroke, diabetes andheart disease, in particular.

Walking provides plentyof health benefits. But it’s im-portant to note that people whowalk more may do so becausethey are healthier and thereforemore able to be active, Williamssaid. So the new study doesn’tprove walking will extend aperson’s life. “There is alwaysthe question of the chicken andthe egg - whether people whoare healthier are able to walkfarther or, conversely, whetherthe longer distance they walkmay translate into better healthbenefits,” Williams toldReuters Health.

Based on the results, hesuggested changing current guidelines bybumping up the minimum amount of physicalactivity to five hours per week and developinga two-tiered recommendation system that en-courages people to exercise more than they docurrently. One tier would aim to get people ac-tive, and the other to add to the activity peopleare already doing, Williams said. That wouldunderscore the point that for couch potatoes,starting to exercise is a healthy move - but thebenefits don’t stop there. “Achieving the weeklyexercise guidelines is good,” Williams said, “butexceeding them is even better.” “When it comesto walking, more is obviously better,”

When it comes towalking, more is better

Members of Christian community taking part in a ceremony to celebrate Christmas at alocal Church in the provincial capital.

A large number of journalists during election of Lahore Press Club waiting to cost theirvotes at Aiwan-e-Iqbal.

A delegation of Chinese Norinco Company having meeting with Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday.

Delegation ofNorinco meets

ShahbazLAHORE—A delegation of Chi-nese company Norinco onWednesday met Punjab ChiefMinister Shahbaz Sharif.

Matters pertaining to infra-structure sector, especially ex-panding the scope of metro busproject, were discussed duringthe meeting.

Talking to the delegation, thechief minister said there werehistoric relations between Paki-stan and China. Shahbaz Sharifsaid China had supported Paki-stan in every hour of need.

He said a number of megaprojects had been completed inPakistan with the cooperation ofChina. He said the project of con-struction of economic corridorfrom Kashgar to Gwadar was ofvital importance.—APP

Son shotsdead mother

LAHORE—A depraved young-ster shot dead his annoyedmother for refusing to return backto home from her parents’ houseon Wednesday.

Police said that Nasreen hail-ing from Hinjrwal area of Lahoredue to domestic disputes wasstaying at parents’ house for lasteight years due to differenceswith her husband.

The children of Nasreen triedseveral times to take their motherback to their home but in vain.

On Wednesday, elder son ofNasreen came to meet her andasked her to go back with himbut she refused after which heopened fire killing her on the spotand fled the scene.— INP

LIAQAT TOOR

IF the Jesus Christ had beenphysically present on thisplanet today he, after hav-

ing witnessed gory scenes ofbloodshed and decaying deadbodies scattered all around theworld, might have himselfmarched towards the Cross.

This was stated by MrZahid Malik, Editor-in-Chief,Pakistan Observer, while ad-dressing a big gathering of theChristian community at theFatima Church, Islamabad,where the Nazriya PakistanCouncil, Islamabad, joinedhands with members of Chris-tian community to cut a Christ-mas cake.

Mr Zahid Malik who isalso Chairman of the NPC saidthat the Jesus had visualizedand struggled for a miseries-free world but quite contraryto that the world today wassaddled with nothing else butgrief, torture, anguish andtears. However, he was opti-

mistic that in Pakistan a genuineurge of harmony among variousfaiths had emerged and everyonewho matters was keen to take the

minorities along. “Every onewho lives within the boundariesof Pakistan is equal in all re-spects and it is incumbent upon

the State and the Government totreat everyone as enshrined inthe Constitution,” he said.

Mr Malik announced that

early next year the NPC willconvene an All Pakistan Inter-faith Conference to carry for-ward the message of better un-derstanding among all reli-gions. This is what the founderof Pakistan, Quaid-i-AzamMohammad Ali Jinnah had per-ceived, he said.

The members of the Ex-ecutive Committee of theCouncil who participated in theceremony included MianMuhammad Javed, DrBasharat Jazbi, Mrs FarukhKhan and M Bilal.

Father Rehmat MichaelHakim welcoming the NPCdelegation said NPC is work-ing vigorously for promotinginter-faith harmony.

Pakistan has great future asMuslims and Christians mov-ing hand in hand can achievegoals as envisioned by theQuaid. It was always a greatoccasion when Muslims in-cluding NPC members visit ourchurch and share greetings withus on Christmas.

“Jesus Christ would have himself marched to the Cross”

NPC celebrates Christmas Daywith Christian Community

Editor-in-Chief Pakistan Observer and Chairman Nazriya Pakistan Council Zahid Malik,Father Rehmat Michael Hakim, Senior Members of Majlis-e-Aamla NPC Mian MuhammadJaved, Mrs Farrukh Khan, Prof Dr Basharat Jazbi and M Bilal Advocate cutting the cakeduring a ceremony to celebrate Christmas at Khatoon Fatima Church.—PO photo Sultan Bashir

Gas heaterusers warnedof life risks

LAHORE—Health expertsWednesday advised the people toswitch off gas room heaters be-fore going to bed to avoid highrisks of death and fire.

Medical SuperintendentGovernment Lady AitchisonHospital Dr.Suhail Saqlain APPhere today that public must ob-serve safety measures while us-ing gas room heaters to avoidmishaps which may lead to deathas its treatment is very compli-cated one.

He said that before going tobed people should ensure thatroom heaters are properlyswitched off and gas supply mustbe closed at source to avoid leak-ages. He said that declined lev-els of blood oxygen adversely ef-fect entire human body, speciallybrain, liver, kidney, muscles andliving tissues.—APP

LAHORE—Punjab Chief Minis-ter Muhammad Shahbaz SharifWednesday said special incen-tives are being offered to local andforeign investors and companiesfor investment in energy sector.

He expressed these viewswhile talking to a delegation ofIndian energy experts. The del-egation was led by PawindParweet Badal.

The chief minister said thegovernment was determined toovercome shortage of electricityand measures were being takenfor this purpose on an emergentbasis.

He said India especially EastPunjab had set up biomass, biogasand small hydle projects for gen-eration of electricity and thePunjab government wanted tobenefit from the successful

projects set up in East Punjab. He said there were vast op-

portunities of setting up biom-ass, biogas and small hydleprojects for generation of elec-tricity in the province.

He said the Punjab govern-ment was also working on vari-ous projects of production ofelectricity from solar, hylde,coal, bagasse, wind and other re-sources.

He said projects of powergeneration from biomass, biogasand small hydle projects wererunning successfully in IndianPunjab and the experience andskill of East Punjab would befully utilized for expeditiouscompletion of energy projects.

The chief minister directedprovincial authorities to finalizeconsultative and technical pro-

cess immediately for benefitingfrom India’s experience.

He said every moment of thenation was precious and con-cerned officials should finalizeviable projects without wastingthe time.

The head of Indian delega-tion Pawind Parweet Badal saidall-out cooperation would be ex-tended to the Punjab governmentin establishing biogas, biomassand small hydle projects of powergeneration.

He said that cooperation withPakistani Punjab in energy sec-tor would be a matter of pleasure.

Provincial Minister for Ag-riculture Dr Farrukh Javed,Chairman Planning and Devel-opment, the secretary agricultureand other concerned officerswere present.—APP

Govt determined toovercome problems: CM

OBSERVER REPORT

LAHORE—Advisor to PunjabChief Minister on Health,Khawaja Salman Rafiq has saidthat after detection of polio virusin sewers of Lahore, a specialaction plan has been evolved for66 high risk union councils of thecity and a special 3-day anti-po-lio campaign is being launchedfrom December 26 to 28.

He stated this while inaugu-rating the campaign by adminis-tering polio drops to the childrenat a gypsy settlement at the bankof River Ravi. Director GeneralHealth Punjab Dr Zahid Pervaiz,EDO Health Lahore Dr ZulfiqarAli and other officers of HealthDepartment were present on theoccasion. Khawaja SalmanRafique informed that

Samanabad Town, Ravi Town,Gunj Baksh Town and someunion councils of Allama IqbalTown have been declared highrisk areas.

He said that 1050 teamshave been constituted to admin-ister polio vaccine to five lakhfour thousand children in 66union councils out of which 930teams are mobile while 120 arestationary.

He said that planning hasbeen made for the campaignagainst polio from January 18-20, 2014 in Punjab and specialteams would be constituted for42 entry points into the province.

He said that there is a greaterrisk of polio in children comingfrom KPK and the virus foundin the sewage of Lahore is fromoutside Punjab.

Anti-polio campaign inhigh risk Union Councils

OBSERVER REPORT

LAHORE—Punjab Minister forExcise & Taxation, MianMujtaba Shuja ur Rehman hassaid that paintings, photographyand fine arts competitions helppolish talent of the youth.

He said that Punjab govern-ment is utilizing all out resourcesfor the promotion of educationand maintenance of discipline ineducational institutions and anamount of Rs.244 billion has

been allocated which is 26% ofthe budget for education sector.

He said that tough deci-sions have been taken for en-suring respect of teachers andprovision of a peaceful atmo-sphere in educational institu-tions.

He expressed these viewswhile distributing prizes amongsuccessful students at the con-clusion of “Artathon” arrangedby College of Art & Design atAlhamra, here today.

Fine arts competitionshelp polish talent of youth

Assault onminor girl:

LHC disposesoff the notice

MUZAFFAR ALI

LAHORE—Lahore High Court(LHC) has disposed of a notice“12-year-old gipsy girl was as-saulted in Tandalianwala” ascomplete police report of thecase has been submitted in thecourt of competent jurisdictionand no further directions are re-quired by the Complaint Cell ofthe LHC on administrative sidebecause legal proceedings havebeen initiated in the matter.

According to details, daugh-ter of a nomad was scavengingon Kanjani Station when fourvagabonds took her in the fields.They molested and left her at adeserted place.

PU ORIC & QECnew building to be

inauguratedSTAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—An inauguration cer-emony of newly constructedbuilding of Punjab UniversityOffice of Research Innovation &Commercialization (ORIC) andQuality Enhancement Cell(QEC) at 1st Floor of Institute ofChemical Engg. & Tech. will beheld on Thursday (today) in theseminar hall of Institute ofChemical Engg. & Tech.