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PM opts for peace with India................................................Menace of circular debt................................................Afghanis reject IndianConsulates

See Page 04

In search of peace

Nawaz to attend Modi’s swearing-inPM embarks on journey of hope to India tomorrow Make or break meeting

with Modi on Tuesday BJP welcomes Pak PM’s decision

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OBSERVER REPORT

ISLAMABAD—The InteriorMinistry said on Saturdaythat Government has not de-cided to launch a full-scalemilitary operation in NorthWaziristan, adding that re-cent airstrikes and limited mili-tary action in the tribal regionare in continuation of exist-ing policy.

“No decision has beentaken for a full scale militaryoperation in North Waziristanand there was no decision tocall off the dialogue process,nor has any such demandbeen made from either side,”Interior Minister ChaudhryNisar Ali Khan said in an offi-cial statement issued here.

The statement said therecent airstrikes are in continu-ation of the already taken de-cision that any act of violenceor terrorism against civilian ormilitary targets will meet a cali-

brated and measured re-sponse.

The interior minister alsoclaimed that there was no de-cision to hand over securityof major urban cities to thearmy.

“No decision has beentaken to hand over the secu-rity of Islamabad and othermajor cities to the army nor isNACTA involved in this mat-ter in any manner,” said theinterior minister.

The Interior Ministertermed as ridiculous a reportof a foreign news agency onthe meeting of security mat-ters chaired by the Prime Min-ister Nawaz Sharif. “This isnot the first time a foreignnews agency has released aflawed report on (Pakistan’s)civil-military relations,” headded. Chaudhry Nisar clari-fied that the meeting presidedover by the PM was held in avery cordial atmosphere.

N Waziristan offensive‘not full-scale operation’

No decision to hand overmajor cities security to army

LIAQAT TOOR

ISLAMABAD—Embarking onhis first-ever visit to NewDelhi as Prime Minister,Nawaz Sharif after shrug-ging off resistance fromhome decided to attend oathtaking ceremony of India’sPremier-designate NarendraModi tomorrow.

Sharif accepted invita-tion from New Delhi to at-tend the ceremony after hec-tic consultation with allconcerned and stakehold-ers to snatch initiative fromNew Delhi for a new begin-ning in Pak-India relations.One -on-one meeting with

Modi on May 27 will be a“make or break” as it will seta tone of future relationswith neighbouring country.

Agencies add: ForeignMinistry said Nawaz Sharifwill lead a high-level delega-tion to New Delhi to attend

the event in India’sRashtrapati Bhavan(President’s House) Mon-day evening, alongside withleaders from other SouthAsian countries, includingHamid Karzai of Afghani-stan. Officials said it was thefirst time a Pakistani leaderwould be attending such acelebratory gathering in In-dia. Nawaz Sharif andNarendra Modi are alsoscheduled to meet face-to-face Tuesday morning.

Moreover, Foreign Of-fice spokeswoman TasnimAslam said details of thevisit were being worked outwith the Indian authorities,

including the compositionof the prime minister’s del-egation. Nawaz Sharif isamong the leaders of mem-ber states of the SouthAsian Association for Re-gional Cooperation invitedby Narendra Modi. It is thefirst time in Indian historythat leaders fromneighbouring countrieshave been invited to theswearing-in ceremony of aprime minister.

Analysts had assertedthat a slightly delayed re-sponse was due to the factthat Pakistan would be keento insert a meaningful

TARIQ SAEED

PESHAWAR—Though themilitary operation in thevolatile North WaziristanAgency (NWA) was tempo-rarily halted with the Inte-rior Minister saying no de-cision for a full scale militaryoperation in the region hasbeen taken as yet, an IEDexplosion and clashes be-tween the security forcesand the militants inMohmand and Khyberagencies on Saturday re-sulted in the martyrdom ofat least nine men in uniformand injuries to a few others.Eight alleged terrorists in-cluding an important com-mander were mowed downin the retaliatory action, mili-

tary sources confirmed.On the other hand

tensed clam prevailed in theNorth Waziristan agencywhere the security force’sair and ground offensive leftat least 70 trouble makersdead a few days back andthe military sources Satur-day released the names offive key foreign and localmilitant commanders whowere killed in the strikes onMay 21.

At least six security per-sonnel embraced Shahadatwhen a roadside bomb tar-geted their vehicle inMohmand Agency area onSaturday morning. SecuritySources said the explosionoccurred when a convoy of

9 security personnelmartyred, 8 militants killedFive local, fugitive key commanders

killed in Wednesday’s blitz

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Cable operatorshave no right tomanagechannels: RashidOBSERVER REPORT

LAHORE—InformationMinister Pervaiz Rashidhas said that it was not theright of cable operators toshow or shut any channeldown. Talking to mediahere, the informationminister said cableoperators could not begranted right to managechannels.

The Pakistan ElectronicMedia Regulatory Author-ity has launched an actionagainst shutting down thechannel, he said. “I havebeen apprised overopening of the channel bycable operators in someareas”, he told media andadded that cable operators

Political partiesclash leaves 3injured inKarachiOBSERVER REPORT

KARACHI—A clash tookplace between the activistsof two political parties inNorth Nazimabad area of themetropolis, injuring threeworkers on Saturday.According to the police, theincident took place near FiveStar roundabout located inNorth Nazimbad area overthe matter of removal ofbanners. The baton-wieldingactivists from both thepolitical parties stormed ateach other, resultantly threeworkers sustained injuries.

The police fired aerialshots to disperse theactivists after which thesituation returned tonormalcy.

Militants attackparliament buildingin SomaliaMOGADISHU — Militantsin Mogadishu on Saturdaycarried out a multi-pronged, complex attackagainst the country’sparliament buildinginvolving a car bomb,suicide bomber andgunmen on foot, policesaid. At least seven peoplewere killed, including sixattackers and one soldierwho tried to stop a suicidebomber from entering thebuilding, said police Capt.Mohamed Hussein.

Many members ofparliament were inside thebuilding as the attackunfolded, and they made amad scramble to flee. Twowere wounded by gunfire,said legislator MohamedAli.

Inside the parliamentContinued on Page 7

PM approves 2additional

Gadani coal firedpower plants

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Prime MinisterMuhammad Nawaz Sharifhas approved two addi-tional coal fired powerplants to be constructed inGadani. He gave the ap-proval at a meeting to re-view the pace of work onGadani Power Project inLahore today.

The Prime Minister saidattractive tariff for coal firedpower plants has drawn for-eign investors to Pakistan’spower projects. He appre-ciated Chinese investmentin energy sector and espe-cially at Gadani Power Park.He directed to allocate suf-ficient funds for theseprojects in the Public Sec-tor DevelopmentProgramme.

The Prime Minister wasgiven a detailed briefing onthe status of the project. Hewas told that the feasibilitystudy of the infrastructureinstallation would be com-pleted by end of June whichincluded geo-technical in-vestigation, water resourcesurvey, jetty break waterand cooling water intakesystem. The environmentimpact system study wouldbe completed by the end ofnext month.

The Prime Minister wasinformed that the work on

Continued on Page 7

TEHRAN—A billionairebusinessman at the heart ofa $2.6 billion state bankscam, the largest fraud casesince the country’s 1979 Is-lamic Revolution, was ex-ecuted Saturday, state tele-vision reported.

Authorities putMahafarid Amir Khosravi,also known as AmirMansour Aria, to death atEvin prison, just north of thecapital, Tehran, the stationreported. The report saidthe execution came afterIran’s Supreme Court up-held his death sentence.Khosravi’s lawyer, GholamAli Riahi, was quoted bynews websitekhabaronline.ir as sayingthat his client was put todeath without any notice.

“I had not been informedabout execution of my cli-ent,” Riahi said. “All the as-sets of my client are at thedisposal of the prosecutor’soffice.” State officials didnot immediately comment

AMANULLAH KHAN

KARACHI—Finance Min-istry is monitoring themeasures taken by FBR toroot out illegal practicesof under invoicing andsmuggling of tyres, ciga-rettes, tea, petrol/dieselwhich are depriving gov-ernment of around Rs. 50billion annually, out ofwhich almost Rs 15 billionis lost due to smugglingof tyres only.

The Federal Board ofRevenue (FBR) would setup Customs check postsevery 50 to 100 kms onroad heading into the

country from Chaman &Landi Kotal while ‘Multiplecheck posts will hinder theeasy flow of tyres & othersmuggled goods and con-fiscation of the same woulddishearten the smugglers tocarry on this illegal busi-ness.

The Directorate Generalof Intelligence & Investiga-tion wing (Customs) hasstarted taking strict actionagainst smuggling and con-fiscated smuggled tyres andsome other goods worthmillions of rupees after raid-ing shops & warehouses inKarachi, Lahore andRawalpindi.

On the directives of theFinance Minister strict mea-sures are being initiatedagainst the menace of smug-gling which on one handwill help improve writ of theGovernment and strengthenthe revenue earning arm ofthe Government on theother hand.

Recently, Director Cus-toms Intelligence Lahoresupervised a raid. 912 LEDsand 180 tyres concealed ina warehouse were confis-cated..

“Under the CustomsAct 1969 we have compre-hensive mechanism for pre-venting smuggling, more-

over, the smuggling ofgoods into or out of Paki-stan is an offence under sec-tion 156 of this Act” Simi-larly abetting smuggling ordealing with the smuggledgoods in any manner likeacquiring possession, re-moving, depositing andkeeping etc. are also of-fences prescribed under theAct,’ said a customs.

Shortage of staff, scar-city of funds and inadequatelogistic facilities havegreatly impeded the activi-ties of the operational staff.Involvement of hugeamounts of black money inthis illicit trade is perhaps

the most important moti-vating force and it canlead to widespread corrup-tion of the relevant offi-cials.

The official said,suchchallenges the DirectorateGeneral of Intelligence &Investigation (Customs)and high-ups of FBR arecommitted to bring achange and such raids inLahore and other cities aretestimony of their resolvewhile same raids will soonbe replicated in other cen-ters of the country. More-over, Customs checkposts would be playing

Under invoicing deprives State of Rs 50b per annum

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Iran billionaire executedover $2.6b bank fraud

on Riahi’s claim.The fraud involved us-

ing forged documents to getcredit at one of Iran’s top fi-nancial institutions, BankSaderat, to purchase assetsincluding state-owned com-panies like major steel pro-ducer Khuzestan Steel Co.Khosravi’s business empireincluded more than 35 com-panies from mineral waterproduction to a football cluband meat imports from Bra-zil. According to Iranian me-dia reports, the bank fraudbegan in 2007.

A total of 39 defendantswere convicted in the case.Four received death sen-tences, two got life sen-tences and the rest receivedsentences of up to 25 yearsin prison.

The trials raised ques-tions about corruption at se-nior levels in Iran’s tightlycontrolled economy duringthe administration of formerPresident MahmoudAhmadinejad.—AP

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Head of German Ministryfor Economic Cooperation and Devel-opment on Pakistan and Afghanistan,Stefan Oswald called on Punjab ChiefMinister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif.Matters of mutual interest and furtherpromotion of bilateral relations werediscussed during the meeting. GermanAmbassador in Pakistan Dr. CyrillNunn, Provincial MinistersMuhammad Shafiq, Sher Ali Khan andAdditional Chief Secretary Energy

were present on the occasion.Talking to German delegation,

Shahbaz Sharif said that best friendlyrelations exist between Pakistan andGermany. He said that entire worldacknowledges speedy development ofGermany and its expertise in technol-ogy. He said that Pakistan wants tobenefit from German technology. Hesaid that the severe energy crisis be-ing faced by the country has causedirreparable loss to the nationaleconomy, due to which, all social de-velopment sectors including educa-

tion, health and agriculture have beenbadly affected. He said that early reso-lution of energy crisis is very essen-tial for promotion of socio-economicand trade activities in the country.

The Chief Minister said that govern-ment is taking all possible steps for cop-ing with the problem of shortage of en-ergy at the earliest. He said that energycrisis will certainly be overcome with thecooperation of friendly countries. He saidthat Punjab government is working onthe projects of generating energy

Pakistan wants to benefit from fastGerman technology: Shahbaz

Continued on Page 7

OBSERVER REPORT

KARACHI/LAHORE—Leader of Oppositionin the National Assembly Khurshid Shahand Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chiefMaulana Fazlur Rehman have supportedthe announcement of Prime Minister NawazSharif to attend the Indian Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi’s oath taking cer-emony in New Delhi on May 26. KhurshidShah, who is also the central leader of Paki-stan Peoples Party, has lauded Prime Min-ister Nawaz Sharif’s decision to attend In-dian Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi’soath taking ceremony on May 26 in NewDelhi. Khurshid Shah said Prime Minister’svisit to India will have a positive impact onthe regional situa-tion. Nawaz-Modi meet-ing is better for both country.

The Opposition Leader stated that talksover conflicting issues would continuewith India but bilateral ties should improve

first.Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) head

Fazlur Rehman also threw his weight be-hind Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for hisdecision to accept an invitation from Indiato attend Narendra Modi’s swearing-incere-mony. “It is a good decision by PrimeMinister Sharif to accept Modi’s invitation,”Fazlur Rehman said while speaking to me-dia persons at Karachi airport. “We willhave to observe the approach of new In-dian government and give our reaction ac-cordingly,” he stated.

He said this is first step by the Paki-stani government towards betterment ofties with its neighbouring country. Pakistanwants to resolve all outstanding issues withIndia, he added. To a question, FazlurRehman said policies of new Indian gov-ernment will be reviewed closely. Fazl con-tended Pakistan need to link its future with

Politicians, ulema welcomePM’s visit to India

Continued on Page 7

Myanmar needsconstitution change,

says UN envoyYANGON—The United Na-tions (UN) human rightsenvoy to Myanmar on Sat-urday expressed concernover the military’s vetopower on constitutionalchanges, which he said arecrucial for the country’sdemocratic transition andnext year’s elections.

Special RapporteurTomas Ojea Quintana, whois completing his six-yearterm this month, said in astatement that the military’spower to block constitu-tional amendments did notaugur well for the 2015 elec-tions. He said there must becivilian oversight over themilitary.

The 2008 constitution,

Continued on Page 7

Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force being received by the Commanderof the contingent of People’s Liberation Army Air Force during his visit to witness the Joint International AirExercise ‘Shaheen-III’ at an Operational Air Base of Pakistan Air Force.

OPERATIONAL AIR BASE—Air Chief Mar-shal Tahir Rafique Butt, Chief of the AirStaff, Pakistan Air Force visited a PAFBase for witnessing the last phase of theJoint International Air Exer-cise “Shaheen-III” at an Op-erational Air Base of PakistanAir Force today. The contin-gent of People’s LiberationArmy Air Force (PLAAF),comprises combat Pilots, AirDefence Controllers andtechnical ground crew.

After witnessing the AirExercise, the Air Chief ex-pressed his satisfaction onthe professional acumen ofthe participating combat pi-lots and technicians of the AirExercise. While talking to theJoint Air Exercise partici-pants, he said, “The Air Exer-cises between the two profes-sional Air Forces would notonly cement the already ex-isting friendly bonds butwould also give an opportu-nity to learn from each oth-ers combat experience.“Shaheen-III” which is beingconducted in near real sce-nario will provide an oppor-tunity to combat crew of bothAir Forces to acquaint them-selves with the latest employ-ment concepts and practices”.

People’s Liberation ArmyAir Force (PLAAF) contin-gent is comprised of J-10 andJ-7 combat aircraft where asPAF JF-17 Thunder, Mirageand F7 PG combat aircraft areparticipating in this multi-di-mensional Joint Air Exercise.

Pakistan Air Force empha-sizes the combat training of

Air Chief witnesses joint international air exercise ‘Shaheen-III’

Air drills to cement existing Pak-China friendly bondsits air and ground crew and regularly un-dertakes Air Exercises with Allied AirForces. “Shaheen-III”, which is the thirdin the series of Joint Air Exercises with

PLAAF, is conducted annually on alter-nate basis in both countries. It is perti-nent to mention that “Shaheen-II” was con-ducted in China last year.

Pakistan Air Force has been regularlyparticipating in a number of InternationalAir Exercises with some of the best AirForces of the world, including United

States Air Force (USAF), Ital-ian Air Force, Turkish AirForce (TuAF), Royal Jorda-nian Air Force, Royal SaudiAir Force and Air Forces ofother allied countries.

****Pak should negotiate

china to develop productsjointly: Economist Dr.Tauseef Akhtar has said Pa-kistan should negotiate withChina to develop productsjointly to reduce cost of pro-duction. Talking to Radio Paki-stan, Dr. Touseef said thatPakistan and China haveinked several new agree-ments on development of in-frastructure, a significantsector for both the countries. He said millions of peopleare benefiting from MetroBus Project in

Lahore and moreprojects like that should beplanned and implemented. He said that China is anall-weather-friend to Paki-stan as it helps Pakistan inevery natural or unnaturalcalamity. He said governmentshould devise more projectsof public welfare to benefitcommon man. Dr. Tauseef said several al-lied industries would also re-vive along with creation of newjob opportunities with projectslike Metro Bus.—APP

MUZAFFAR ALI

LAHORE—Lahore High Court (LHC)Chief Justice (CJ) Umar Ata Bandialhas said that the judiciary is the pro-tector of the constitution and Justiceshould be provided on intellect andconsciousness.

Inaugurating a video link systemin Judicial Academy here on Saturday,CJ LHC Umar Ata Bandial said that thejudiciary of Pakistan will not allow theconstitution to be harmed.

Registrar Mehboob Qadir Shah,Director General of Academy SohailNasir, Director Admin Syed Nasir AliShah, District and Sessions Judge,Lahore, Senior Civil Judge and otherjudicial officials were also present on

Judiciary won’t allow anyoneto harm constitution: LHC CJ

this occasion.The Chief Justice further said the

judicial officials should augment theirknowledge with the use of informationtechnology. “Honesty is the bestpolicy but an adjudicator must havegrip over the expertise and knowledgeof law as well as constitution,” headded.

LHC CJ said that the constitutionof Pakistan is the basis of laws in thecountry and all judges of the lowercourts must have command over it.“Correct decisions will be made by thejudges if they are fully aware of theinterpretations of the constitution”,Bandial added.

“Initially, this innovative facilityhas been launched for the District

Courts of the Provincial metropolis andgradually it will be extended to everydistrict as well as tehsil of the Punjabafter rectifying the faults hindering thesmooth and quality of interlink facil-ity”, CJ maintained.

Chief Justice asked the judges toenhance their vision in the diversifiedspheres of law, such as liberal vision,human right vision and Constitutionalvision.

Earlier, Director General of Acad-emy Sohail Nasir said that we are thepioneer in launching the video linktraining at the Academy with the sa-gacious guidance and patronage of theChief Justice and expected weekly andfortnightly launching of training pro-grams for Judicial Officers.

Awaz organizeswomen rights

campaignABDULLAH MADNI

TIMRGARA—Awaz organi-zation has been runningawareness campaign oneducation, health, votingand the importance of na-tional identity card forwomen in 10 union councilsof the district, said its coor-dinator on Today. Coordina-tor Awaz Muhammad Amirand Social OrganiserSaeedullah said Awaz hadbeen running the campaignfor the last one year in orderto raise awareness amongthe people regarding humanrights and about how tosolve their problems.

They said in Sra Shahand Akhagram union coun-cil the organization made 200national identity cards. Theysaid CNIC for women wasvery important as it wouldenable them to participate inelection. They said lack ofCNIC was one of the reasonsfor low female turnout in thelast general election.

PTI believes in merit policyPESHAWAR—The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assem-bly Speaker Asad Qaiser has said that the governmentbelieves in merit policy in all government departments inorder to negate political interference.

He said this while addressing a joining meeting of theparty at Kota Swabi on Saturday. General Secretary PTISwabi Yusuf Ali, Muhammad Tariq, Nadeem Khan andPresident Advisory and Peace Jirga Gul Mast Khan Advo-cate and party workers were also present on this occasion.

Speaker Asad Qaiser said that the present governmentfor the first time has introduced open tender in order tonegate commission mafia and those found involve in wouldbe dealt with the iron hand. He said the government shouldensure transparency in all departments.

He said the Patwari culture, disorder in police transfersand political interference have completely discouraged bythe present government so that the people could get theirgenuine rights without facing any hardship. He said thechange has been visible and the people are feeling thesame.

He said due to consultancy in the developmentalprojects it is taking time. He said for the provision of gasfacility to district Swabi Rs 500 million already submittedto the gas department and there is no problem of funds. Hesaid that the provincial government would soon initiate aproject to produce electricity through gas so to equipGadoon industrial estate. —APP

Zardari promises maximumfunds for Naushehro Feroze

CM Sindh announcesformation of new division

NAWABSHAH—Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shahannounced formation of a new administrative division withheadquarters at Nawabshah during his visit to NaushehroFeroze on Saturday.

The new division would comprise districts ShaheedBenazirabad, Sanghar and Naushehro Feroze.

It is expected that notification in this regard would beissued on Monday.

Earlier, former President and PPP Co-Chairman, Asif AliZaradari Saturday said maximum funds for developmentschemes would also be released for Naushahro Feroze.

He was speaking at a meeting held at Mithiyani nearhere with PPP workers, leaders and representatives.

Local PPP leader, Mumtaz Ali Chandio and others alsobriefed the Co-Chairman about local issues.

Addressing a press conference on the occasion, ChiefMinister Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah made formal announce-ment to make Benazirabad a division which would com-prise three districts, Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze andSanghar.

He said that extensive network of development schemeswould be laid in the Sindh province and in this regards,many different kinds of projects and schemes would belaunched which would ultimately improve the living stan-dard of common man.

He further said that the special package for NaushahroFeroze would be announced soon to make it more beauti-ful. Advisor to Chief Minister Sindh, Zia ul Hassan Lanjar,MNA Asghar Ali Shah, MPA Ghulam Qadir Chandio, SyedMurad Ali Shah, Former MNA Rahamat Ullah Bahan andformer Sindh minister, Abdul Haq Bhurt were present onthe occasion.—APP

1 killed intribal clash

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ZHOB—One person waskilled and another injuredduring clash between twogroups over land dispute inSherani district. Leviessources said.According toLevies sources, clash be-tween two groups occurredin Killi Chachobi area ofSherani district.The disputegripped intensity on Satur-day morning which resultedin the deadly clash.

SUKKUR—Opposition Leader in National As-sembly (NA) Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah calledupon the people to avail opportunity of ExtendedProgramme of Immunization (EPI) available at eachhospital and get their children vaccinated from alldiseases.He was speaking to the people after ad-ministering vaccine drops to the children at theNouraja village near here on Saturday.Khursheedstressed the print and electronic media to sensitisepeople regarding the issue and requested peoplespecially from remote areas to avail EPI facility

Khursheed advises parents for anti-measles kids vaccination

available at each basic health Unit and hospitals.The opposition leader suggested the DHO Sukkurto include the immunisation programme in the schoolhealth services for girls in all public and privateschools in four talukas of the Sukkur district.DHOSukkur Dr Mehmood Qureshi briefed KhursheedShah that this 13-day long special immunizationcampaign has been launched by the health departmentin collaboration wihh Gavi-World Health Organisationadding that Rs 98 lacks are being incurred on its opera-tional activities throughout the district.—APP

SHER GONDAL

MANDI BAHAUDDIN—DBA MandiBahauddin held a simple but dignifiedfunction at a local Hotel to welcomenewly posted DSJ Anwar Nazir and bidfarewell to DSJ Suhail Akram posted out

DSJ thanks lawyers for good working relation with judgesto Mianwali. Addressing the event, DSJAnwar said courts are the rendezvouswhere deprived and poor people cometo seek justice.

It was the job of judiciary and thelawyers to cooperate with each other togive them justice. He said powerful and

strong people do not come to courts andif they come they do it to misuse thecourts. He said he and his team wouldwork with honesty in doing their duty.

He said not only lawyers but alsolitigants would receive due respect andrelief on merit under the prevalent law.

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak inaugurating new Housing Society Paradise Farms on Saturday.

FAISALABAD: Police personnel holding a flag march todevelop sense of protection among the people led by CPODr Hadir Arshad.

Govt not to betray sacrifices of armed forces

Youth sets fire toyoung women

STAFF REPORTER

HAFIZABAD—A young un-married woman in PindiBhattian was set ablazed bya young man as she refusedto be married with him. Shereceived more than 70 per-cent burns on her face andbody.

She was shifted to thehospital in critical condition.

According to policesource, accused HabibUllah of MohallahHassanpura Pindi Bhattianwanted to a 22-year-old (P)but she flatly refused toaccede to his request.Thereupon, the accusedintruded into her house

today and sprinkled petrolon her and set her on fire.She received seriousburns and was shifted tothe hospital.

The Pindi Bhattian po-lice have registered a caseand arrested the accused.

****A newly born baby boy

was found alive lying in theChristians’ graveyard onKassoke Road Hafizabad.

Some persons found theinfant crying in the grave-yard. They informed the po-lice which taken him intotheir custody. It is surpris-ing that a sharp knife wasalso found lying near theinfant.

BASHIR AHMAD

RAHMANI

H A F I Z A B A D — P M L - NMNA Hamza ShahbazSharif has said that peaceis inevitable for progressand prosperity of the coun-try and for this purpose,

the PML-N governmentwas striving hard to main-tain peace.

Addressing a publicgathering for electioneer-ing in PP-107, he said thatHafizabad district had al-ways been fortress of PML-N and hoped that PML-Nnominee Sarfraz HussainBhatti would be victoriousin the by-election to be held

on May 29.He said that PML-N

government has severaloption to eliminate terror-ism and assured that thegovernment would not be-tray the sacrifices of Paki-stan Armed Forces for de-fending the sacred home-land. He said that a hand-ful of terrorist elementswere hell bent todestabilise the country butPakistan Armed Forces andthe government wouldwipe them out to steer thecountry out of the preva-lent situation.

He invited the oppo-nents of the government,who were “singing thesong of rigging” to comeforward and join handswiththe government for resolv-ing the problems confront-ing the nation.

He said that during thelast one year PML-N hastaken various steps tograpple the problems con-fronting the country. Hesaid not a single penny wasmisappropriated during lastone year and several stepsincluding 660 Mega Wattproject in Sahiwal,Nandipur Project and othersmall projects have been

started to generate electric-ity to eliminateloadshedding to some ex-tent.

Moreover, foreign in-vestments of billion of dol-lars was pouring in thecountry which would Ushr

in era and progress andprosperity.

Besides, China has in-vested 32 billion whileproject of Metro Train hasbeen started at 1.6 billiondollars adding thatMotorway from Multan to

Karachi would be startedsoon. He said due to wisepolicies of the governmentdollar rate has been de-creased by more than 12percent which would go along way in the economicstability of the country.

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—KP Chief Minister PervezKhattak has said that system makes coun-tries and nations but unfortunately the pastrulers focused attention on their personalgains. He reiterated pledge of his PTI ledcoaliation govt that a corruption free justand fair system was being introduced inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa wherein the rulerseven in the future could not find anybackdoor of loot and plunder while the de-partments would become accountable tothe people and not the ‘kings’. He askedthe Peshawarites to wait a bit more to ame-liorate lot of this city on the pattern ofLahore under a comprehensive plan. “MassTransit Plan is being pursued seriously thatwill yield a brisk network of roads, bridgesand traffic management system to be ad-mired world-over while its past glory willalso be restored in shape of evergreenparks, green belts and flowers seen every-where”, he added.

He was addressing as chief guest at theinaugural ceremony of modern housingscheme in Nowshera under Paradise Farms.The company CE Haji Jan Alam and ProjectDirector AzizUllah Khan highlighted its sci-entific planning and other aspects while the

Deptt to become accountableto masses, not to ‘kings’: CM

ceremony besides MNA Imran Khattak,MPAs Zarin Zia, Arif Yousaf, Saeed Gul,EX-MPA Liaqat Khattak, Ishaq Khattak waslargely attended by youth and elite of thearea.

Pervez Khattak said that availability ofbasic civic facilities including proper plan-ning, water supply and sewerage systemwas the main characteristic of any hous-ing society but unfortunately our peopleconstruct homes in slum or undevelopedareas and then start demanding the facili-ties of sewerage and water supply fromthe govt that usually over burden the govtresources. He said that promoting hous-ing schemes in private sector would notonly reduce burden over the govt butpeople would be never faced with any dif-ficulties from the very beginning. He saidinvestment in housing sector was need ofthe hour. However he asked the people tobeware of frauds in colourful housingschemes.

Chief Minister deplored that politicalparties after becoming at the helm of affairsin the past, usually forgot its promises.They pleased the people only with lip ser-vice on one hand while looted the publicmoney on the other and increased the bur-den of taxes and loans on masses.

ISLAMABAD—The Meteorological depart-ment has said mainly hot & dry weather isexpected over most parts of the countryduring next 24-hopurs. Dustthunderstorm/rain is expectedat isolated places ofMalakand, Hazara, D I Khan,Quetta, Zhob, Kallat, Makran,Quetta, Zhob, Kallat, Makran,Rawalpindi, Sargodha,Faisalabad, Gujranwala,Lahore divisions, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

In its daily forecast, Met Office said thata fresh western disturbance is likely to af-fect upper and central parts of the countryfrom Friday and would persist during next

Hot, dry weather expectedthree days.

Under this synoptic situation, scatteredrain with isolated dust thunderstorm would

occur over Fata, KhyberPakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistanand Kashmir. While hot tovery hot and dry to partlycloudy weather is expectedover rest of the country.Chances of hailstorm at someplaces in plain areas could not

be discarded, Met Office added.Meanwhile, the Multan Met office has

forecast partly cloudy weather with dustraising winds and light rain for the cityand its suburbs during the next 24hours.—APP

PM opts forpeace with India

PRIME Minister Nawaz Sharif has demonstrated maturity and far-sightedness by accepting the invitation extended by India to attendoath-taking ceremony of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of the

country. By responding to the invitation in a positive manner, the PrimeMinister has yet again established his credentials for peace in the regionand especially with India and his deep commitment to the oft-repeatedpronouncement of pursuing the normalization process with New Delhi.

It is understood that the invitation has been accepted after a processof consultations among all concerned and this shows that majority ofpeople in Pakistan are for promotion of peace with India. This is in sharpcontrast to what the outgoing Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singhdid during his tenure. Right from Sharm el-Sheikh in July 2009,Manmohan has been declaring off and on that he would visit Pakistanbut could not muster courage in the face of pressure from some domes-tic lobbies. As against this, former Prime Minister Gilani accepted hisinvitation to watch semi-final of the World Cup Cricket in 2011. As forNawaz Sharif is concerned, he has been making goodwill gestures evenbefore assumption of office and he expressed his desire that the IndianPM may attend his swearing in ceremony. A few months back, DrManmohan Singh once again announced to visit Pakistan but the planswere deliberately sabotaged. In this backdrop, one must complimentPrime Minister Sharif that he did not opt for the policy of tit-for-tat andaccepted the invitation to visit New Delhi despite opposition from somedomestic circles. There were apprehensions that rise of BJP in Indiamight put further strains on the already rocky relationship between thetwo countries but the positive outlook of Pakistan Prime Minister hasmade a big difference and hopefully his maiden interaction in New Delhiwith Mr Modi will help establish not only personal rapport but alsohelp remove some of the misunderstandings. We also hope that the PrimeMinister would take advantage of the visit and the expected meeting, toraise real issues including the longstanding dispute of Jammu and Kash-mir, as genuine and durable peace is not conceivable without peacefuland satisfactory solution of the problems and irritants.

Menace of circular debtACCORDING to a report appearing in this newspaper, the chronic cir

cular debt has resurfaced as the amount has touched staggering fig-ure of 298 billion rupees. Minister for Finance and Minister for Water andPower are gearing up efforts to tackle the issue and it is to be seen to whatextent they succeed.

Circular debt was considered to be one of the main factors behindpower load-shedding and with this in view the PML(N) Government madeit one of the priorities to clear the debt. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar ar-ranged about 500 billion rupees to wipe out the circular debt but it isastonishing that it is once again raising its ugly head. There is somethingseriously wrong somewhere and it seems the authorities concerned havefailed to identify the real cause and the way out. It is generally said thatthe debt is piling up because of difference in the electricity generationcost and the price at which it is provided to the consumer. However, thisperception is highly flawed as electricity prices in Pakistan are alreadythe highest in the region and we cannot jack them up further withoutharming interests of the poor and the national economy. There are threefundamental issues and until and unless these are addressed satisfactorily,one cannot expect improvement in the overall power situation and thecircular debt. In the first place, we have an outdated generation and dis-tribution system resulting into increase in the cost of generation and hugeline losses. Secondly, electricity theft has assumed mind-boggling pro-portions and the Government has miserably failed to check the crime.Thirdly, there are public sector institutions, influential people and count-less ordinary consumers who consume electricity but pay nothing. Underthese circumstances, there is hardly any expectation that addition of gen-eration capacity would bring any relief to the masses unless steps aretaken to reform the power sector without loss of further time.

Afghanis rejectIndian Consulates

INDIAN Consulate in Herat city of Western Afghanistan came under attack early on Friday morning but fortunately the diplomatic staff es-

caped unharmed. Gunmen armed with machine guns and rocket-propelledgrenades attacked the Consulate and were later killed in a firefight withsecurity forces that lasted for almost eight hours.

Pakistan has done well to condemn the Herat attack because every timethere is any act of terrorism in India or abroad, the easy target for the Indianestablishment is to accuse Pakistan. Indian officials after the attack con-ceded that there had been a threat against its diplomats in Afghanistan. Nogroup immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but according toreports a group called Ansar al Tawhid (AaT) had earlier posted a videoonline that threatened India. Herat lies near Afghanistan’s border with Iranand is considered one of the safer cities in the country. In September 2013Taliban gunmen launched a similar assault on the US consulate in the city,killing at least four Afghans. Foreign embassies and consulates remain afavourite target of Taliban in Afghanistan as they are strongly opposed toforeign intervention. In August 2013 the Indian consulate in the Afghancity of Jalalabad was attacked and in 2010, two Kabul guest houses popularamong Indians were attacked, killing more than six Indians. One can onlyassume that some of the actions of the Herat Consulate officials might haveangered the local rival groups that led to the attack. These incidents are aclear indication that Afghanis are opposed to increased Indian diplomaticpresence in different cities. The network of Indian Consulates across Af-ghanistan and particularly in the bordering areas is seen by many as sanc-tuaries for spies to advance country’s long-term strategic interests. Theyare seen as very active in building contacts with local influentials underthe pretext of better relations and carrying out reconstruction projects.Any how in the context of the latest attack, it would be appropriate forNew Delhi to review its enlarged presence in Afghanistan and restrict itto Kabul because the country is experiencing rise in attacks as foreigntroops plan to withdraw from the country by the end of this year.

Modi regime: a test for Pak leadership?

More womenCEOs, please

ALL a female leader shouldhave to do to be taken seriously is the same as should

be expected of anyone: be earnestand competent, and take things se-riously. Yet tales of the obstacleswomen face only keep coming –and they reach the highest levels ofbusiness. Facebook COO SherylSandberg has written in her book,Lean In, how often and easilywomen are labelled as “difficult”.In the past week, the high-profilesacking of New York Times execu-tive editor Jill Abramson has fur-thered the debate. Former SydneyMorning Herald editor AmandaWilson wrote in a column for theGuardian how female editorsstruggle with a lack of role modelsand a glut of doubt heaped on them.“It is, without doubt, different andmuch harder for women at the top,”Wilson said.

If you’re skeptical, the stats canspeak for themselves. In America,just 4 per cent of CEOs are women.Among banks, Goldman Sachs,Bank of America and Citigrouphave no women among their topfive executives. Even those whomanage to climb the ladder aren’tequally welcomed, a new study outof the US suggests. About 67 percent of women in CEO positions areforced out. Only 25 per cent of maleCEOs are. In Australia, the propor-tion of female CEOs stands at apaltry 3 per cent – even thoughwomen make up nearly 60 per centof the educated population.Women’s share at the top level isgrowing so slowly it would take 300years to reach parity.

But for some men, it seems,even this can be hard to believe. Ifthey’ve known a few women whodidn’t dress or talk professionally,it’s enough to damn a whole gen-der. Prejudice is always a difficultthing to untangle, because – asidefrom the usual tendency to lump to-gether all members of an unfamil-iar group – it relies on a blind intu-ition about the normalness of yourown. You feel that the others arewrong or inferior, and you can comeup with countless arguments in yourfavour, whether or not they makeany sense. Simply, there’s an oceanseparating the experience of beingone of the half that’s historicallybeen dominant to being in the halfthat’s been considered subordinate.

Dubai has been host to a num-ber of public talks addressing theissue, and it has been a welcomesight. The onus is now on men toright the unfairness that has ob-structed women in the workplacefor so long. The steps to be takenare obvious and easy, and it’s abouttime. —Khaleej Times

*****

Modi’sinvitation toneighboursa new craft

IT is a double coup that India iswitnessing at the moment: A national election that churned out

a single-party majority after threedecades of coalition governments atthe Centre; and the first ever for-mal invitation by a prime minister-elect to India’s neighbours to gracehis investiture. In making this ges-ture, Narendra Modi, the man whooutwitted all of India’s politicalpunditry to emerge as the incontest-able choice to occupy the primeminister’s chair, has revealed hisfirst principle of governance: Ex-ecute a perfectly-timed volte faceto disarm opponents.

Modi’s incessant tiradesagainst Pakistan and more recently,on the unacceptable influx ofBangladeshi refugees into Indiathat reached epochal heights in hiselection campaign, discouragedany hope of him possessing a pro-ductive foreign policy mindset.Modi’s overt tractability can wellbe the muscle power India needsto recompense for its flaccid stanceover the last decade. And given theunfortunately commemorativestandoff between India and Paki-stan for decades, if Nawaz Sharif,Pakistan’s Prime Minister, doesaccept Modi’s invitation, it will bea first for Indo-Pak relationship.Most important of all, Modi’s re-invented political craft will takethe credit for positing that token-ism can go beyond its wafer-thincredentials and indeed become theincubator for purposeful geopo-litical advancement.—Gulf News

MEDIA WATCH

THESE are very challengingtimes for the political leadership of India and Pakistan,

“to actualize the meaning of changeinto true democratic ethos”, whichthe people so desperately demand.The catalyst for change has alreadybeen identified in India. He isNarinder Modi, the new PrimeMinister, whose assets are: theeconomic miracle in Gujarat;humble family back-ground andno lust for money. He is a symbolof hope and aspirations for thepoor and deprived people of India.Yet there are some drags on him,if he fails to keep his negative ten-dencies under check.

Modi is a known Muslim hater.His hands are soaked with the bloodof over 2000 Muslims of Gujarat,yet his brutality fades into insignifi-cance when compared with thecrime of the Congress Party of In-dia, which has killed over hundredthousand men, women and childrenof Kashmir, with impunity. Thecrime continues unabated evennow. It is argued that Modi has es-tablished strong relations with Is-rael, which may result into greaterthreat to Pakistan, but it is nothingwhen compared with the huge spy-network, the Indian Congress Gov-ernment established in Afghanistan,in 2005, with full support of CIA,Mossad and NATO. This spy net-work played havoc with Pakistan’ssecurity. In comparison, Modiwould prove to be a much lesserevil than Congress governments ofthe past. I have the feeling that,

Modi would feel theremorse on his act ofcrime in Gujarat andmay revert to God, asAshoka did after thebrutal killings ofbattle at Kalinga, BC

262, to repent and to seek forgive-ness. Thus, Modi would behonouring “Ashoka’s tri-murti”, theemblem of India, by following thehonour code of Ashoka the Great,consolidating the Indian diversityinto one cohesive mass, as the solidbase of peace and stability for theentire region.

Modi believes in Hindutva,which is a mix of Hinduism andcompulsive nationalism. He drawshis strength from militant organi-zations, like Rashtria Sevak Sungh(RSS), an organization rabidly op-posed to secular democratic ethos.Modi has “to restrain his neo-fas-cist proclivities, and not to let hisjingoism dictate his policies”. Heis expected to overcome his weak-nesses “and reveal in time whethercult and behaviour match” or oth-erwise.

Kashmir is the core issue thatneeds to be settled for peace and sta-bility in the region, whereas Modiis not ready to compromise on Kash-mir, or concede “even an inch ofIndian territory” yet it is Kashmirwhich will decide Modi’s future,because the key to regional peacelies with him. He must rememberthat for the last three decades Af-ghanistan has served as the “Strate-gic Base of Resistance” for the free-dom movements in Iraq, Palestine,Lebanon, Somalia, Yemen, Libya,Syria and Kashmir. After the with-drawal of occupation forces from Af-ghanistan by end of this year, theJihadis would turn towards Kashmir,as they did in 1990, after the Soviet

withdrawal, raising the threshold ofconfrontation between India and Pa-kistan to a dangerous level. Beforethat happens, the two countries haveto find an amicable and peacefulsolution of the Kashmir issue. Thereis no other alternative.

The 2013 elections in Pakistanhave thrown up a new party, underImran Khan, as the third largest,which has formed its government inKhyber Pakhtunkhawa, while win-ning some good number of seats inPunjab and Sindh. The two national

parties, namely Muslim League (N)and the Pakistan Peoples Party havewithdrawn to their bases in Punjaband Sindh. Thus Imran Khan hasgiven a lead to Modi, rejecting thepatrimonial dictatorship, with prom-ise to eradicate corruption, poverty,injustice and social discriminations.However, unlike Modi, Imran lacksachieving economic miracle in theProvince he rules and so far has notpresented a clear agenda for the fu-ture to fulfil the given mandate. Infact he is looking for short-cuts to

Increase in conflict in Pakistan

PAKISTAN is a success storyso far as conflict increase isconcerned. There is no way

that we can manage this increase,given our present state of gover-nance. This has been so ever sinceone remembers. Why are we soadamant at conflicting aspects ofour lives?

This happens when we areunable to appreciate the reasons ofand the motivations of a large seg-ment of society. There is locallevel and a family level feud basedon some aspect of our lives is af-fected by what the individual con-siders as unfair. Media today is asource of knowledge and informa-tion on all kinds of conflictingsituations. In fact the conflicts thatoccur at unfair governance aremore than adequately covered bythe media. It is also in the natureof things that when any aspect isin excess, it will automaticallybreak down. Social systems aresuch. The biggest collective con-flict that we had was in formerEast Pakistan.

We have still not come toterms with that conflict. Self righ-teous that we are, we tend to coverup everything with lies or with thekinds of spin that our InformationMinisters give. The truth of thematter is that Information Minis-ters of government should be care-fully selected because they thengive out statements that aggravatea situation. Social systems dete-rioration is like a silent heart at-tack. We come to learn about these

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Sunday Magazine

Sadia Zahid MalikEditor

Ph: 2852027-8, Ext: 116Email: magazinesocialdiary@hotmail.com

The eye is biggerthan the belly.

silent heart attacks prettylate. Then there is lament. Ihave seen East Pakistan andI have seen the pain of thatresult. Do we want to repeatthat result in any other partof Pakistan. If so then we

have to resolve the issues more se-riously ad not as we want to sweepeverything under the carpet andkeep on asserting that out are thelast word; wisdom resides in powerand not in the ordinary people.

What of the other social sys-tems that we have? Why are we notin tune with what we have? Whydo we think that what we have goesand not what the public wants? Isthere a future in ego orientedprojects? Should the Metro Bus ser-vice project be implemented overand above the wishes of thepeople? What is the remedy? Canwe have public hearing before sucha project is implemented and thedecision taken from that source.That would be democratic action.Or should we allow for a one manshow? If that is so then should wenot be better off with an autocraticsystem? Let tyrants rule. Shouldthe citizen be put to distress as aresult? The abuse that I hear when-ever the transport system is underdiscussion is unbelievable. Whyshould some one who has nevertaken a ride on a public service de-cide what is to be done for the gen-eral public. Who has given this au-thority to anyone?

A harmonious social systemtakes care of the requirements ofthe public. Is that being addressedby the institutions of this country?It is not. The basic living condi-tions are such that one feels thatthe law and order agencies are un-able to understand and compre-hend a given situation what to

speak of the future trends. I seeMotor cyclist put to distress at allthe hurdles that have been createdby the police system of governanceand catching terrorists. Insteadthey are catching young boys andgiving them an adverse taste ofwhat is to come to them when theygrow up. These ‘naakas’ are asource of corruption. The greatAmerican tout that we had as PMwasted no time in corrupting ourpolice even further when he statedthat for every challan, the policeman will be given 20% as rewardfor work well done. Now they areon a challan making spree for ev-ery little thing that they conjure.The ordinary citizen and an hon-est one does not want to stand inwait at ten pm so that their lordship to first pontificate and thenchallan them. Yet when the situa-tion warrants that they be presentthey are generally absent or takesuch a long time that the criminalescapes from the scene.

In Thailand the PM has been re-moved by the courts for posting aperson who was not qualified forthe job. Well what of Pakistan? Arethese appointments done on merit?What constitutes merit? Let memake it clear that what constitutesmerit is which ethnic group one be-longs to. Very early when I joinedthe civil service, we used to play agame amongst ourselves and whenwe saw that someone was takingunfair advantage we used to add hissurname to the beneficiary. That ishow we took social revenge fromthe person for perverting the ser-vice considerations. What good aresports if they increase conflict? Atthe university where I was doingmy PhD, I played for theprofessor’s team. These oldiesplayed three matches in a week. I

—Proverb

played one of them. I have neverenjoyed cricket more than what Idid then. Village cricket in En-gland is joy for everyone. Thesame culture as at Lords is repli-cated. Tea or lunch was served bythe home team and it was homecooked. After the match praise wasthere for all who had done well ir-respective of which team he was.The fact was that cricket was tobe enjoyed and any one who haddone well encouraged. It was agreat two seasons of cricket that Ienjoyed. Now we have the PCBepisode before us?

The weakness of the social sys-tem to resolve such a situation isapparent. Abuse at each other is be-ing hurled by those seeking the job.Both are infantile seeking candy.Fine. What has the PM to do withthis? The PM of England during arainy day decided to visit the play-ers dressing room. One of the play-ers was writing a letter. The PMenquired as to what he was doing.The reply ‘I am writing to Austra-lia to ask for immigration becausethe PM of this country does notknow where to go and where not togo’. The PM made a hasty move toleave the room.

Go to schools and to universi-ties and barring a few there is alot of aggravation. I was recentlyat my alma mater GovernmentCollege University where I was togive a state of the art lecture onSocial Psychology principles ap-plication at the Cabinet level. Itwas a new ground but what wasastonishing for me was the num-ber of research papers that had thestudents presented. The questionstill remains-how to make a har-monious society?—The writer is a retired FederalSecretary.

power, which may turn-out to bepolitically harmful for him.

Sharif brothers are trying toturn-over the economy and bringprosperity, top downwards. It maybe possible in the long term, but theshort term demands of the suffer-ing masses do not seem to be in har-mony with the long term goals ofthe rulers. Corruption, poverty, so-cial disparities and security, whichare the damning problems of thebroad masses, are not being ad-dressed on priority. The stark real-ity that catches the eye and affectsour minds and hearts, is the big dif-ference in outlook in life whichexists between Modi and our lead-ers, who are richly rich, trying toget richer, while Modi with ahumble social background, lives asimple life in harmony with the suf-fering masses, whose lives hepromises to lift. In fact Modi hasembraced our Islamic traditions ofaustere living, whereas, our rulersare basking under the sun shine ofthe exploitive capitalism.

However, the political leader-ship on both sides of the divide isfacing difficult challenges, whichcould be overcome with a clearstanding of the word ‘change’sweeping South Asia. Our lead-ers have to look to the future, be-cause it is not possible “to builda sound and promising future,over the gaping graves of griev-ous past” (–Ajaz Zaka). And thefirst step in that direction there-fore would be for Nawaz Sharifto accept the invitation to theswearing-in ceremony of Modi, asthe Prime Minister of India, whois destined to govern as “an en-lightened leader and a championof India’s great diversity.”— The writer is ex-COAS,Pakistan Army.

Gen Mirza Aslam BegEmail: friendsfoundation @live.co.uk

Dr Zafar AltafEmail: dr_altaf@hotmail.com

Modi wouldbe honouring

“Ashoka’stri-murti”, the

emblem of India, byfollowing the

honour code ofAshoka the Great,consolidating theIndian diversity

into one cohesivemass, as the solidbase of peace and

stability for theentire region.

Voice of the People

Grow vegetablesfor health

BABAR ALI, TAZEEM TAHIR

All the Green-Yellow-Orange veg-etables are rich sources of calcium,magnesium, potassium, iron, beta-carotene, vitamin B-complex, vita-min-C, vitamin A, and vitamin K.These help the body in mountingcapacity to fight by boosting up theimmune system against number ofdiseases, especially the cancer.

More than 35 different kinds ofvegetables are grown in diverseeco-systems of Pakistan, from dryzone to the wet zone, from seashores in south to high mountainsin north, low elevation to high alti-tude, rain fed to irrigated and lowinput to very high input systems,as plastic houses and glass houses.In our country vegetables are cul-tivated on 0.62 m hac, which is3.1% of the total cropped area. Thisproduce can be boosted up by us-ing hybrid seeds of vegetable. Thehybrid seed used now a days, ismostly being imported from India,Thailand and Malaysia and veg-etable growers are spending a hugeamount of money on such imports.Economic surveys shows that Pa-kistan imported 2,674 tons of veg-etable seeds worth Rs. 763 millionin 2009-10 and 3,553 tons worthRs1085 million in 2011-12.

Farmers of Pakistan can recu-perate lost productivity, estimatedat 50% of total production, with thehelp of broad scale planting of hy-brid seeds and modern farmingpractices. By using traditional seedvarieties other than hybrid seeds wecan’t meet eve the local require-ments, what to talk of surplus forexport. Traditional methods offarming cannot change financialconditions of the depressed farm-ers. Only adoption of modern tech-niques can make farming a profit-able business which could changeliving standards of farmers.

The imported hybrid seed is soexpensive that it is beyond the pur-chasing power of the small farmers.The agriculture-extension workersare to pay attention to prepare thefarmers to use hybrid seeds bywhich they can acquire double ormore than double of their inputs.Farmers argue that hybrid seeds andmodern techniques are quite expen-sive that they cannot afford. Theybelieve that only government’s sup-port can turn the situation and in theabsence of state incentives and in-tervention small farmers can’t raisetheir living standards.

If the government offers incen-tives like the way India, Malaysiaetc, are giving to their farmers, thefinancial condition of growers inPakistan could turn better. The in-centives given to Indian farmers in-clude cheap and smooth supply ofhybrid seeds of vegetable, electric-ity, pesticides and fertilizers at con-trolled prices.—Via email

The corruptpay rolls

MUHAMMAD BUX MARRI

The district Accounts offices whichare the custodians of the governmenttreasury and are entrusted with thejob to make payment of salariesregularly to the government employ-ees. The technological developmenthas has brought convenience andspeed to the reimbursement of thesesalaries through on-line transfer totheir respective bank accounts. Thishas been appreciated by everyone.However, the payrolls of govern-ment employees, issued by theSanghar District treasury are socumbersome and complicated thatit has added to the problems of theemployees.

The computerized online sys-tem is functioning since 2007, butthe pay rolls are issued withoutnames and CNIC numbers of em-ployees and no pay sheet or pay slipsare issued from which DDOs canverify the pay. This system has de-liberately been initiated by corruptones of said office to adjust faketransactions through DDOs who areminting a lot of money. I have ahumble request to higher authoritiesin the AG office to look into the

Simplicity driven outAREEBA ARIF

Excessively embellished dresses, thousand of turns and twists in a hair do, usage of at least threecolloquial words in a five word sentence, a food that is never lacking a chunk of expensive creamy

delight and jewellery that is not less than an import from a leading country or at least a world knownbrand are all the symbols of every other women stuck into the whirlpool of so called Fashion. One of thecons of the modernized world is that we have been deprived of our originality. People are busy makingtheir twenty-four hour juggling life more tiring and complicated. We have become so busy in competingeach other that sense of respect, love and care for each other has completely vanished. Efforts must bemade at least at the individual level to revive the essence of humanity, campaigns must be run on imme-diate basis to unglue people from facebook and know someone is praying day and night to see a glancefull of love, of them, next to their room. Awareness must be created that a world does exist outsidemobiles, cellphones, i-pads, laptops etc. If we failed in returning to our premise, the day is not far wherethese apparent sky scrappers of status and selfishness will themselves crush us down, thus making usrealise who we are and where we are heading to!—Via email

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—Editor

Legacy to future generations!

LET us pause to ponder wherewe are heading to. Our blessedplanet is passing through an

extremely difficult, nay critical,phase. Talk all around is of belliger-ence, not peace; of bigotry, not toler-ance. War, which was once regardedby sages as the last resort, is nowbeing peddled as a quick-fix solutionfor all ‘ills’. Human life, shorn of allits dignity and sanctity, has neverappeared so cheap.

A wanton act of terror has turnedthe entire World Order on its head.By it is now becoming clear that itneed not have been so. Doesn’t theirrational response of the great worldleaders over the past decade indicatethat they have played right into thehands of the terrorists they set out tocurb? After all, what can ‘terrorists’have hoped to achieve through theirdesperate acts, but to create panic and‘terror’? A dispassionate look backwould indicate that this is exactly

what the perpetrators of ‘nine-eleven’ have managed toachieve, thanks to the ham-handed reaction of the lead-ers of the so-called free world.Should this not be seen as theabject failure of these leadersto calibrate and fine-tune theirresponse?The response to terror cer-

tainly does not lie in counter-terror,just as the riposte to murder does notlie in a mindless vendetta. What isneeded is introspection, research anda calculated and measured response.If we look at the recent history of theso-called ‘war on terror’, thingshardly measure up. The world todaywould be in much better shape hadthe response of the ‘free world’ beenwhat it should have been.

In the state of affairs the world isin today, it would hardly help mattersif one were to apportion blame. Whatwould be worse is if this exercise weredesigned to give it a racial or religiouslabel. None of the known religionscondone wanton violence. All upholdthe sanctity of human life; all advo-cate justice and righteousness. It is thegreed of man, not his creed that is atfault. The fault lies not in the stars butin man’s rapaciousness.

The time may be opportune forthe elders of the world to join heads

together to devise an integrated planto root out terror from the world. Inthe unlikely event of this happening,the elders might well come to the con-clusion that the remedy does not liein the declared ‘war on terror’. Waragainst an unseen and unknown en-emy can only lead into a blind alley.Let the world not delude itself. Whoknows the path that the powers-that-be have chosen might well be the onetheir ‘enemy’ wanted them to adopt!

Instead of jumping to unwar-ranted conclusions and unilaterallydeclaring ‘war on terror’, should con-sideration not have been given to cre-ating a universal ‘coalition against ter-ror’? After all, what has the war inquestion wrought so far – a decadeand more down the road? How manyterrorists have been put out of busi-ness? And what about the innocentskilled as ‘collateral damage’? If any-thing, the ‘war on terror’ has givenbirth to the vicious doctrine of pre-emption thereby giving open licenceto fiefdoms around the world to ful-fill their own petty agendas. What ismore, the resulting tension hasspawned fresh genres of terroristswhere they are least expected.

It is not too late to make amends.All that is needed is for the right-thinking people of all nations to turntheir minds to positive and construc-

tive thoughts. Negative thinking willnot take us anywhere. Prudence de-mands that if one has dug oneselfinto a deep pit, it is time to stop dig-ging; there is no other alternative.

The time is ripe for the elders ofthe earth to rise up and be counted.It is time to pause and ponder as towhat has gone wrong with this worldall of a sudden. For one thing, whyhave all the right-thinking people onthis blessed planet lost their powerof eloquence? Why don’t they puttheir heads together and devise waysand means to help create a climatefavorable to world peace rather thantake ill-conceived, half-baked mea-sures that invite instant and destruc-tive retaliation? The need of the houris to take a long term view of thesituation and to devise and promotea road map that will make this worldan altogether safer and more livableplace for the generations to come.Should ‘the peoples of the UnitedNations’ not be concerned about thelegacy that they will bequeath to thecoming generations? It does not be-hove the powers to opt to ignore thefuture of our blessed planet in favourof ephemeral gains in the short run.Surely, our children and their chil-dren deserve better!— The writer is a formerAmbassador of Pakistan.

Views From AbroadLife saving convictions

THE plight of more than 200girls abducted in northern Nigeria is a brutal reminder of

just how vulnerable children in Af-rica — particularly girls — can be.But it is equally important to recog-nize that this is not a true reflectionof modern Africa and that Africanleaders are strongly committed to pro-tecting their countries’ children. Theirability to provide the same kind ofprotection that children in wealthycountries enjoy requires two key in-gredients: Partnership and conviction.

That is because, though terrorismis an insidious threat, the biggest riskto Africa’s children is disease, whichoften can be prevented through rou-tine immunization. Indeed, as theworld debates the best way to recover

the missing girls, another menace isresurfacing: The World Health Orga-nization (WHO) recently declared thespread of polio an international pub-lic-health emergency, with severalAfrican countries now posing an on-going risk of exporting the disease.

Fortunately, there are immediateand tangible ways to beat polio and ahost of other vaccine-preventable dis-eases that currently claim innocentlives in Africa and beyond. Moreover,African leaders recognize that the bestway to provide children with long-term and sustainable protection isthrough routine immunization. Earlierthis month, African leaders meeting inNigeria’s capital, Abuja, endorsed the“Immunize Africa 2020 declaration,”committing themselves to invest in ahealthy and sustainable future for allchildren in their countries. Such dec-larations are important, because it isonly through the power of our convic-

tions that we can ever truly bringabout positive change. And changeis indeed occurring. Since 2001,there have been no fewer than 140new vaccine launches in Africa. Asa result of this kind of work, immu-nization coverage in Africa has in-creased dramatically, from 10 per-cent in 1980 to 72 percent in 2012.

And now, from 2016 to 2020,Africa’s 50-plus countries will com-mit more than $700 million directlytoward the cost of childhood vaccinesthrough GAVI and its partners. Thiswill make Africa the fourth-largestinvestor in GAVI, behind only theUnited Kingdom, the Bill & MelindaGates Foundation, and Norway. Thiskind of commitment signals a shiftin development aid away from the tra-ditional model of charity toward onebuilt on partnership. However, giventhat African countries already spendbillions of dollars on health services

and that the continent has so manyother competing needs, investing invaccines may not always seem anobvious choice.

Such is the case now with im-munization in Africa and poor coun-tries worldwide. These countries’leaders have already seen what canbe achieved with vaccines and theysee further benefits from immuniza-tion in the coming years. Africanleaders have demonstrated their re-solve; but, at a time when many do-nor countries are still struggling toconsolidate a fragile economic re-covery, it will take commitment andconviction on the part of their lead-ers, too. None of us can do it alone,but through partnership we reallycan help to protect the world’s mostvulnerable children. The writer isChair of the GAVI Alliance Board.(Project Syndicate).—Courty: Arab News

Dagfinn Hoybraten

PEMRA: a regulatory body in shambles

THE concept of the regulatoryregime was conceived in mid-1990s and early 2000s, to

separate the regulatory functionsfrom the line government Ministries.The regulatory bodies were createdunder specific dedicated legislationsand were given autonomous statusto perform and execute their respec-tive mandated functions indepen-dently without any interference orinvolvement from the governmentside. The laws provided for a verylimited role to the government, i.e.to initiate summaries for the appoint-ment of the chief executive andmembers of these bodies.

That’s why all regulatory bod-ies including PTA, NEPRA, OGRA,PEMRA, PPRA etc. were placedunder the Cabinet Division, awayfrom the line Ministries, to safeguardtheir autonomy in performing regu-latory functions. However, PEMRAhas an interesting history. Estab-lished under Pakistan ElectronicMedia Regulatory Authority(PEMRA) Ordinance, 2002, it wasallowed to function, for the timebeing, under the umbrella of Minis-try of Information and Media De-velopment, for the purposes of itsinstitutional build-up. Being a newconcept in the Pakistani perspective

with special reference to the exten-sion of media broadcasts in the pri-vate sector, first time ever in the his-tory of Pakistan, it required the in-puts and contribution of the Ministrywhich did all the ground work toimplement the initiative of the thenchief executive and President of Pa-kistan. However, practically and un-der the provisions of the law, theMinistry never interfered in thePEMRA operations, even in its for-mative days. PEMRA is independentin its regulatory functions, appoint-ments, promotions and salaries andallowances of its manpower, issuanceof media broadcast and distributionlicences, determination of the fee andother levies for the licensees, moni-toring and complaints management,imposing penalties for different vio-lations of the prescribed Code ofConduct and offences in the field ofbroadcasting and coining its ownrules, regulations and procedures,under the principles and provisionsof law and the Constitution.

The Code of Conduct for thebroadcast and distribution licensees isprescribed under the law, made a partof the Rules as well as the licencedocument duly agreed and signed bythe licensee, before the award of theLicence. [However, it has been widelypublicised, through the newspapersowned by the Broadcast licensees, thatthere is no Code of Conduct for theseTV channels, and that they are thebetter qualified to devise content poli-

cies for themselves – thanks to themyopic political governments to allowcross media ownership, by amendingthe original PEMRA Ordinance.] Itshould also be clear that the govern-ment, besides submitting summariesfor the appointment of Chairman andMembers, has only one role and thatis to issue directives to PEMRA onpolicy matters. It cannot interfere inindividual regulatory actions or inter-nal management matters. The annualbudget of PEMRA is sent to the Min-istry only for information, not for ap-proval. The government has no pow-ers to alter, amend or reverse the deci-sions taken by the Authority. Afterputting the PEMRA in operation afterpassing through the formative stage,the administrative control was shiftedto the Cabinet Division, but the bodywas again placed under the portfo-lio of the Ministry of Information in2007, which still continues despitethe fact that it should have gone backto the Cabinet Division. Now, aword about the recent row betweenthe TV channels owned by a strongmedia house and the state institu-tions wherein the pride of the nationISI was targeted out of proportionsin the name of ‘freedom of expres-sion’ guaranteed under Article 19 ofthe Constitution in total disregard tothe later part of the same Article.

Anyway, PEMRA undertook thecomplaint, considered it as per pro-cedure given in the relevant rules andlaws, and took a decision to suspend

the licences of a couple of offend-ing channels; but the government, intotal violation of the provisions oflaw and the Constitution, stepped in,first to influence the independentdecision making of the Authority,and then to reversing the decision.This act of the government is ille-gal, unlawful, against the law andthe spirit of the Constitution andamounts to sabotaging the writ of thestate institutions.

It is a sad state of affairs wherethe government itself is involved indishonouring the state institutions,allegedly in return to the illicit grati-fications showered by the mediahouse upon the high ups in the gov-ernment. It may also be mentionedthat role of the government in this casehas been suicidal and aimed at ap-peasing the media house, fostering ananti-Pakistan agenda, in total disre-gard to the state institutions. Themyopic government is oblivious ofthe recurring setback to the state au-thority, inter-institutions discipline,the country and its consolidating fac-tors, and above all, the hen of democ-racy laying golden eggs for the poli-ticians. Let the Prime Minister andhis colleagues in the govt adopt asaner course to preserve and protecttheir own govt and the country, oth-erwise neither they will be around,nor, God forbid, the state would bethere to give them golden eggs.—The writer is a socio-politicalanalyst from Islamabad

Dream big..!

TWENTY years from nowyou will be more disappointed by the things you

didn’t do than by the ones you did.So throw off the bowlines, Sailaway from the safe harbour. Catchthe trade winds in your sails. Ex-plore. Dream. —Mark Twain

Here’s the story of an immi-grant to America just a few decadesago, who dreamed big: As a youngman growing up in Austria, ArnoldSchwarzenegger made up his mind

he was going to do some incrediblethings in his life. He first set a goal tobecome the greatest body builder ofall time. Many thought Arnold wascrazy and figured he would eventu-ally give up, because it would takeup a great deal of his time and itneeded great commitment.

I guess they didn’t know Arnold.They also figured he would get him-self a ‘real job’ because in their mindswhat Arnold was planning was a fan-tasy. Arnold just ploughed on. He thenadded another aspect to his dream, henot only wanted to have the world’sbest body, but also decided to becomea movie star and an international oneat that. Which meant mastering En-glish. If you watch an ArnoldSchwarzenegger movie you’ll realize

he’s managed to do just that: His ac-cent makes him all more formidableto his opponents and endearing to hislady fans. Many of his friends toldhim, ‘it was a ‘crazy dream’ I believehe wrote his dreams down on a cardand carried it around in his wallet andmade a contract with himself that hewould achieve his goal.

I wonder how often in days ofdifficulty he had to peep into thatsame wallet, read those lines and for-tify himself. I wonder how manytimes he came near to giving up andgoing back to the lovely mountainsof Austria and being just another or-dinary boy. But those lines drove himon, egged him to his goal. He says itwas this contract with himself thatdrove him to go to America and start

the climb to become Mr Olympia.He went on to become one of

the highest paid actors in Holly-wood and the Chairman of thePresident’s Committee on Physicalfitness. But did he stop dreaming?Did he stop pushing himself? To-day as Governor of California, oneof the best known states of America,he can say that, ‘Dreaming big, re-ally crazy dreams can change yourdestiny from ordinary commonpeople to becoming a world great!’

If instead of making you laughtoday, I’ve egged you on, thankArnold..! “They build too low whobuild beneath the skies..”- an in-scription on a building in Wash-ington, DC.—Email:bobsbanter@gmail.com

matter and help make the payrollsmore simple, transparent and clear toavoid misappropriation of the govern-ment money.—Sanghar

Water crisisin SindhHASHIM ABRO

Akin to many African countries,various big cities, towns and villagesin the Sindh Province, such asKarachi, Hyderabad, Jamshoro,Sehwan Sharif, Sukkur, Rohri, UmerKot, Samaro, etc. are facing acuteshortage of water, poor sanitationand lack of access to clean watersources. It is reported that organizedcorruption, callousness coupled withdrought and famine are a few lead-ing causes of water shortage.

Droughts have affected severalareas of the Province, particularly,Tharparkar, Kachhu, thus drying upthe ponds, wells, streams and lakes.Many people living outside the cit-ies collect water from these shallowwater sources, which are often con-taminated with human and animalwaste, worms, or disease.

The Province of Sindh, which isthe bedrock of Indus valley civili-zation is, indeed, full of beauty andculture but unfortunately it is beingseverely affected by water shortages.Fields are drying up and farmers arefighting over irrigation resources.Small school going children in vil-lages spend the whole day in collect-ing water for their families. In thecoming years, this problem will beeven more serious because of mas-sive influx of legal and illegal aliensand also people from other parts ofthe country, particularly, from thetroubled tribal areas in the Provinceand there is no visible serious ef-fort on the part of the mindless andbrainless ruling elite, insensitivebureaucracy and thick-skinnedtechnocrats to help alleviate thewater shortages and improve sani-tation situation in the province.—Islamabad

Solution formobile snatching

SUMAIRA ZEB

I would like to draw the attention ofPakistan Telecommunication Au-thority towards the menace ofsnatching of mobile phones duringthe street crimes. Many fatalities ofinnocent people have also takenplace at the hands of dacoits duringthe scuffle. Since mobile is now nolonger just a phone instrument butalso has become the storage deviceof necessary data, the replacementof which is not easy but it poses po-tential threat for the phone ownerand all the people whose data is fedin the mobile.

As such it is very important thatstringent measures be taken to curbthe wave of crime in our country, es-pecially in Karachi. In this connec-tion one way probably could be todevise and disseminate among thepeople the methodology whereby it’smandatory for the mobile companiesto demand the distinctive number ofeach mobile and once it is reportedlost it should not be reactivated. Inany event regulatory authorities,telecom companies and law enforce-ment agencies are better equipped tocome up with better ideas to elimi-nate this menace.—Karachi

Altaf HussainpassportTASSAWAR ALI

Altaf Hussain is living in Londonfor the last 25 years, and now he istrying to come back to Pakistan andparticipate directly in country’s poli-tics. The MQM is the fourth biggestpolitical party in Pakistan and cur-rently is operating in Pakistanthrough MQM coordination com-mittee; but the party workers areawaiting their leader to be in Paki-stan and Altaf Hussain is also tryingto reach in his beloved country. AltafHussain is leader of a political partyand he deserves to come to Pakistanand give positive image of his partyamong masses. Altaf Hussain has

applied for Pakistan CNIC and pass-port but the government seems to bereluctant to do him the favour. It isthe responsibility of democratic gov-ernment to provide space to AltafHussain to come to Pakistan and par-ticipate in democratic system.

Altaf Hussain has same rightsas other citizens and governmentshould facilitate him in the issuanceof his CNIC and passport. MQMleader give good gesture as he vis-ited NADRA office in London andprovided all relevant documenta-tion; this action of Altaf Hussain isadmirable, because mostly the poli-ticians in Pakistan show arroganceand expect NADRA like institu-tions to give them extra protocoland VIP treatment.—Via email

Propermanagement

SUMAIRA ZEB

Buses are important mode of trans-portation and majority of peopletravel by public transport, includingstudents and office workers. Inciden-tally, the transporters do not followtransport rules, including schedule,causing difficulties to commuters,especially office-goers and students.There should be proper managementfor running the transport.

There should be some schedulefor each bus that it will reach the stopat a particular time, so the people donot waste their time at bus stops.People also have to bear the heat inthe morning and evening while theywait for long time, the administra-tion should enforce time manage-ment so that the people do not haveto wait for the buses.—Karachi

Opinionfrom Turkey

HASAN YILDIZÝn history there have been many di-sasters leading to the destruction ofhopes, source of income or say ev-erything of middle class families.Here was a similar sort of disasterin Soma, Turkey, where death tookalmost 300 lives of poor mine work-ers. The day, when death ruled themine was a dark day taking 300lives. The Turkish Government de-clared three days of mourning at thesad accident. It happened in Turkey,but here in Pakistan, everybody feltthe agony of the Turkish miners.More than that, the sympathetic at-titude of Pakistani brothers and theircondolence messages mean a lot tous. I am really thankful to my Paki-stani brothers, and Pakistani govern-ment. Long Lýve Pakistan.—Karachi

Continuingviolence in

KarachiMIRZA AHSAN ALI BAIG

Karachi as an overpopulated megacity of the country, needs to be man-aged, controlled and governed witha more serious attitude. Karachi isruined by mafias hidden in the blan-kets of some political parties.

This factor has become very ro-bust as now these mafias arestrengthening their roots in the city.The law enforcing institutions needto address their loop holes and over-come them, otherwise, the city, es-pecially the corporate sector, will bein a state of dilemma. This uncer-tain situation in the city is smother-ing the nerves of the corporate sec-tor and this situation may badly af-fect the economy of Pakistan.—Karachi

Sajid Munir

Khalid SaleemEmail: binwakeel@yahoo.com

Friendly FireFriendly FireFriendly FireFriendly FireFriendly Fire

editorial@pakobserver.net

BANGKOK: Thailanders are demonstrating in support of their national army on Saturday.

THO XIN YI

Malaysia and China can further enhance cooperation inhigh technology, high value-added and capital-intensiveindustries to promote trade and investment. Economic

and trade cooperation is an important part of bilateral ties. Forsix consecutive years, Malaysia has been China’s top tradingpartner among Asean countries. Trade volume between both coun-tries has reached US$106 billion, making Malaysia the third coun-try in Asia to have bilateral trade with China to surpass the $106billion trade volume, after Japan and South Korea. Malaysia andChina are now aiming to bring the bilateral trade volume to $160billion by 2017. Ong Chong Yi, minister counsellor (economicaffairs) in the Malaysian Embassy in China, noted the diplo-matic ties and economic cooperation between Malaysia and Chinaover the last 40 years have grown exponentially, with the mostnotable being the development of the “Two Country Twin Parks”project.

“The one-of-its-kind project – one park in Qinzhou, Guangxiprovince, and another in Kuantan, Pahang – underlines the strongcommitment between both countries,” he said. Ong added thatwith cooperation in the expansion of Kuantan Port, the maritimeconnectivity between China and Malaysia was shortened to threeto four days. “This is also in line with China’s vision to constructa new maritime silk road by building efficient port connectivityto support the regional supply chain,” he said. Looking ahead,both countries can enhance cooperation in areas of high technol-ogy, high value-added and capital-intensive industries to pro-mote bilateral trade and investment. Opportunities are in abun-dance as China implements its social and economic reforms andupgrade its industrial structure. Ong is confident that Malaysiahas an advantage in high-tech industries, as proven by the sea-water desalination project in Tianjin undertaken by a Malaysian-owned company, Xianda Seawater Resources Development CoLtd.

“This is the world’s first integrated zero discharge desalina-tion project, which demonstrates the technological capabilitiesof Malaysia to China and other trading partners,” Ong said.Malaysia External Trade Develop-ment Corporation (Matrade)senior trade commissioner Abu Bakar Yusof said Matrade had toundertake a more aggressive position and introduce moreprogrammes to increase exports to China. Matrade participatesin several iconic trade events yearly, including the China-AseanExpo, China Import and Export Fair and the International Fairfor Trade in Services. “Last year, China’s services industry con-tributed to 46.1% of China’s GDP – the first time the servicesovertook manufacturing, which accounted for 43.9%. “This re-flects the importance of the service industry in China. Malaysiacan leverage on this growth and tap into the Chinese market,”Abu Bakar said.

Even now, the impact is mainly confined to the tourism sec-tor. “All of us know this is an unprecedented case. Chinese com-panies are aware of Malaysia’s reliable infrastructure, world-class facilities, investment incentives, skilled manpower and apro-business government. I am confident that quality investmentsfrom China will continue to flow in and committed investmentswill proceed as planned.”Abu Bakar said Malaysian restaurantsand distributors in China reported a decline in sales in the firstfew weeks of the incident, but business had since returned tonormal. “Based on the feedback we receive, people are under-standing and rational. They are aware that we’ve paid attentionto the sensitivity of the people,” he said. China-Asean BusinessCouncil executive secretary-general Xu Ningning, meanwhile,said bilateral trade between Malaysia and China was affected bythe slow global economy. The growth witnessed a 7.9% decreasefrom January to April this year, compared to the same period lastyear. To overcome the challenges, Xu stressed the importance ofcooperation within the industries of both countries. “It will bebeneficial for both countries to form a new production force andincrease competency,” he said. The fifth China Asean IndustryCooperation Conference will be held in Kunming this June toaddress industry exchange and cooperation.

—Courtesy: The Star

Exponential growthin bilateral relations

NEW YORK—The United Nations humanrights chief has voiced her “very seriousconcerns” about a recent incident involv-ing the killing of two Palestinian teenag-ers in the occupied West Bank. Navi Pillayhas written to the Israeli Permanent Rep-resentative to the UN in Geneva concern-ing the 15 May incident, her spokesper-son Cécile Pouilly told reporters in theSwiss city.

Israeli security forces allegedly shot andkilled the two Palestinian minors – aged 16and 17 – taking part in a demonstration inBeituniya commemorating the 66th anni-versary of what Palestinians call “Nakba

2 Palestinian teenagersmurder: UN urges probe

day.” The initial findings of a team on theground from the Office of the High Com-missioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in-dicate that the teenagers presented no di-rect threat at the time that they were killed.

“The killings may amount to extraju-dicial executions under human rights lawas well as wilful killings under interna-tional humanitarian law,” said Ms. Pouilly.She stated that while OHCHR welcomesreports that an investigation into the inci-dent has been opened, it called for theprobe to be “prompt, thorough, effective,independent, impartial and transparent.”“We also urge Israel to make public the

findings of this investigation and any stepsregarding accountability that are taken.”

OHCHR noted that the killing comesamid a series of incidents involving the ex-cessive use of force by Israeli security forcesin the West Bank, as reported in the HighCommissioner’s last report to the HumanRights Council. “Our Office has repeatedlyraised its concerns about the excessive useof force by Israeli security forces and thelack of accountability for such incidents,”Ms. Pouilly said, adding that any use offorce by the Israelis must be in accordancewith the Basic Principles on the Use ofForce and Firearms.—Agencies

JERUSALEM—Eighty Pales-tinian detainees will on Sun-day join a hunger str ikestaged by scores of adminis-trative detainees in Israelijails, the Palestinian Minis-try of Detainees and Ex-De-tainees Affairs said Saturday.In a statement, the ministryquoted lawyer Rami al-Alami as saying that 50 de-tainees in Nafha Prison, 15in Ashkelon Prison and 15others Rimon Prison willjoin the hunger strike.

NGO Palestinian Prison-ers’ Club, meanwhile, saidthat 220 Palestinian detain-ees have been on a hungerstrike for 31 days now. “Is-rael Prison Service takes pu-nitive measures against thedetainees, including denyingthem family and legal vis-its,” the club said in a state-ment. Some 120 Palestinianadministrat ive detainees

80 Palestinians go onhunger strike today

have been on a hunger strikesince April 24 to protest theircontinued detention withouttrial by Israeli authorities.

Administrative detentionorders can range from one tosix months in length and canbe extended by up to fiveyears by Israeli mili tarycourts. Around 5000 Pales-tinians continue to languishin more than 20 detention fa-cilities throughout Israel, ac-cording to a report by thePrisoners Center for Studiesand Research, a PalestinianNGO.

These include 200 mi-nors and 19 female prisoners,the report said. Related hun-ger strike Palestinian detain-ees Israel Legal Notice:Copyright, trade marks andother intellectual propertyrights in this website can notbe reproduced without theprior permission.—WB

KANDAHAR—Four years anddozens of surgeries later, thesoldiers were flying over thevalley again, staring down atthe patch of Afghanistanwhere they were maimed byland mines. This time, theircamouflage uniforms bulgedaround prosthetic legs andbraces. The four men were

Wounded US vetsreturn to Afghanistan

aboard two clattering U.S.Army helicopters, but they nolonger carried M-16s. Theyweren’t here to fight.

A daredevil performs on avintage biplane at an airshowin Berlin. Berlin air show, cablegliding, Jay Leno, naturaliza-tion ceremony, Cinema AgainstAIDS auction and more.—AP

YANGON (MYANMAR)—TheU. N. human rights envoy toMyanmar on Saturday ex-pressed concern over themilitary’s veto power on consti-tutional changes, which he saidare crucial for the country’sdemocratic transition and nextyear’s elections. Special Rap-porteur Tomas Ojea Quintana,who is completing his six-yearterm this month, said in a state-ment that the military’s powerto block constitutional amend-ments did not augur well for the2015 elections. He said theremust be civilian oversight overthe military.

The 2008 constitution,drawn up under the previousjunta regime, gives the militarya mandatory 25 percent parlia-mentary seats, which is enoughto veto any constitutionalchange and disqualify pro-de-mocracy leader Aung San SuuKyi from running for president.“Constitutional reform inMyanmar is a crucial step in thetransition to a more democraticnation,” Quintana said.

Myanmar mily vetopower on constitutionvexes UN HR envoy

Suu Kyi considers the cur-rent constitution undemocraticand boycotted the 2010 elections.However, she ran in by-electionsin 2012 after changes were madein election laws and won a seatin the lower house of Parliament.The Nobel laureate has beenholding rallies to gain public sup-port and to convince the militaryand the government to amend theconstitution.

An article in the constitu-tion says anyone whosespouse or children owes alle-giance to a foreign power can-not become president or vicepresident. Suu Kyi’s sons areBritish nationals. Severalother provisions are also un-der scrutiny for revision, andsome proposed changeswould strengthen self-gov-ernment in regions of thecountry dominated by ethnicminorities. Myanmaremerged from a half-centuryof military rule in 2011, whenformer general Thein Seintook office as an electedprime minister.—AP

MOSCOW—A defiant Vladimir Putin has declared that the U.S.-led world order “has failed.” Speaking to business leaders at aforum in St Petersburg, the Russian president railed against U.S.sanctions and dismissed allegations that Russia is meddling inUkraine, which he said was in the midst of “civil war” thanks tothe West. He also rejected accusations by President Obama inunusually pointed terms.

The Russian president was addressing the St. Petersburg In-ternational Economic Forum, Russia’s answer to World EconomicForum in Davos. This year fewer Western executives were inattendance after the White House leaned on them not to attend asthe Obama administration seeks to isolate Russia over its policyin Ukraine and Crimea.—ABC

Putin on Obama:‘Who made him a judge?’

Oil in the HimalayasSUNIL BAHADUR THAPA

When the Maoist insurgency started in the remote Mid-Western hills of Nepal in 1996, the Maoist leaders citedunderdevelopment as the root cause behind raising arms

against the state. They made their intent clear when they de-clared that multi-party democracy as an institution had failed asa system to deliver good governance. Today, we have reached acritical juncture in our country’s political history. Politicians andpolitical parties have to be determined to undertake radical stepsin strengthening our delivery systems in terms of governance ifwe are serious about the sustenance of liberal democracy.

The Maoist’s are now a part of the multi- party systemand we must work together in delivering governance to thepeople at the earliest. The failure to provide governance willinvite further conflict in Nepal, pushing economic develop-ment backwards. As we move forward with the aim of pro-pelling development in Nepal, energy remains a constant vari-able that will decide the fate of Nepal’s economic push. Inthe absence of electricity, oil has emerged as Nepal’s mostsought after resource.

Supply and NOC: On my appointment as the Minister ofCommerce and Supplies, a friend jokingly told me that I wouldbe responsible for a change in government should I fail toease the supply of oil into the market. I knew that my friendwas warning me about my responsibilities and the potentialconsequences should I fail to take heed of his advice. It isactually quite evident how oil has become integrated into ourdaily lives and this integration is firm across different incomegroups. In fact, oil is not just Nepal’s most sought after re-source but also a national security asset.

Should the government not be in a position to supply oilsmoothly in the market, disturbances will inevitably erupt,threatening the balance of our security. In simple words, wewill be staring at an imploding law and order situation, whichwill put state institutions on the edge when they are alreadyvulnerable. Although the Nepali populace has remained re-silient to the increasing development woes it has been facing,a sustained shortage of oil supplies would seriously test thepeople’s patience.

Now that I have spoken about the issues at hand vis-à-vis oil supplies into the Nepali market, let me now turn toaddressing some issues. The first issue I want to address isthe pricing of oil commodities and its relations with the in-ternational oil market and consequently, its impact on Nepal.The Government of Nepal, despite all odds, has been sup-plying oil to the Nepali market at subsidised rates, leadingto heavy financial losses for the Nepal Oil Corporation(NOC). Political parties in the ruling coalition and opposi-tion parties have to reach a common understanding on theissue of oil pricing.

For example, a political party today could oppose thegovernment’s decision to increase oil prices but it has to thinkseriously of a situation when it may come into power andface similar circumstances in the future. To this end, the par-liamentary committee that has been tasked with drafting areport suggesting changes to the NOC is a cross-party com-mittee and I believe parties of the ruling coalition and theopposition will do away with political opportunism and cometo an agreement on the pricing of oil commodities. This pric-ing must be consistent with the prices paid in the interna-tional oil markets. This reality of expensive oil prices, its un-sustainable character and its impact to the environment couldmotivate the government to initiate long awaited hydropowerprojects that remain in the dark.

—Courtesy: Kathmandu Post

MUHAMMAD WAQAS

Protesting seems to be in vogue these daysin Pakistan. Almost anyone and everyone is leading or participating in protests

across the country for different reasons —from blasphemous content on televisionshows to electricity outages and allegationsof massive rigging in general elections. ImranKhan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) andself-styled reformist Tahirul Qadri’s PakistanAwami Tehreek (PAT) have led some ofPakistan’s largest protests in recent days.

Both groups have launched campaignsagainst the “stolen public mandate” in lastyear’s general elections and are calling for amassive shakeup of the country’s existingelectoral system to promote “true democracy.”The PTI claims that it has been forced tolaunch street agitation as election tribunalshave failed to decide on petitions against al-

Politics of protest willnot help Pakistan

leged rigging in last year’s general elections. Theparty also argues that the ruling PML-N gov-ernment, in connivance with judiciary, hijackedpublic mandate and a private media channel.

While these protests do not threaten theSharif-led government, they come at a timewhen the government is trying to stabilizeits relationship with the powerful armedforces. Some critics also remain dubiousabout the timing of these protests and call itpart of a hidden agenda to stir further troublefor the government. Other opposition parties,such as the now irrelevant PML-Q, have alsoforged an alliance with the PTI to push forelectoral reforms. While the PTI has beenable to attract several thousands to its pro-test gatherings in urban centres, the truth isthat majority of Pakistanis remain unmoved.

The two leaders enjoy a cult followingonly in certain strata of society and are notpopular at the grassroots level. Pundits have

dismissed the populist views of Qadri, whoaltogether questions the system of parlia-mentary-style democracy in Pakistan. On theother hand, Khan’s decision to form a pro-vincial government is being questioned if hisparty was unhappy with the way electionswere conducted. There is nothing new in theclaims made by Khan or Qadri as, like anyother country with a nascent democratic sys-tem, Pakistan’s electoral process has signifi-cant gaps. In a largely rural Pakistan, votesare not won over by promises made in elec-tion manifestos but on “biradari” (Kinship)system. Structural changes in the electoralsystem need to be determined by thecountry’s legislature and a broad consensusin the Parliament. Rather than taking to thestreets, PTI should work on rallying politi-cal support in the Parliament to influence thecountry’s electoral system.

At a time when Pakistan is struggling to

overcome energy and security challenges,and a weak economy, these protests willnot help the country’s cause. The percep-tion of political instability will furtherscare away foreign investment and aggra-vate the country’s economic problems.Protests across the country have disruptedtrade activities and led to closure of busi-nesses. These protest campaigns will alsoforce the government to lose sight of realissues that affect the lives of common man.Recent local developments that may war-rant a review of media freedom laws andrestrictions of travel from Pakistan due topoliovirus deserve government attentionon a priority basis. Politics of protest willnot help PTI and allies win popular sup-port as people expect the elected govern-ment to deliver on its promises and im-prove their living conditions.

—Courtesy: Arab News

JAKARTA—The Indonesian government hascalled on military and civilian elements inThailand to work together to quickly restorethe political situation following the takeoverof the government by the military. “Indone-sia calls on the armed forces of Thailand andthe various relevant civilian elements towork together in an atmosphere of reconcili-ation to quickly restore the political situa-tion in Thailand,” Foreign Minister MartyNatalegawa said in a written statement Fri-day night.

Thursday’s coup was launched while themilitary hosted a meeting of political rivalsfor what was billed as a second round of talkson how to resolve the country’s politicaldeadlock. After two hours of inconclusivetalks, armed soldiers detained the partici-pants, including four Cabinet ministers, andarmy chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha appearedon national television to announce the take-over.

Marty said Indonesia was following withdeep and profound concern the developmentsin Thailand. “Without intending to interferein the internal affairs of Thailand, as part ofthe Asean Community, in particular theAsean Political and Security Community, andin accordance with the Charter of Aseanwhich emphasises adherence to democraticprinciples and constitutional government, thedevelopments in Thailand merit Indonesia’sand Asean’s attention,” Marty said.

Marty added that Indonesia would com-municate with Myanmar as chair of Aseanto mobilise Asean’s contribution to establish-ing conditions conducive to the restorationof democratic government in Thailand. In aninterview with the Associated Press on thesidelines of The World Economic Forum onEast Asia in Manila, Marty also said the situ-ation was a setback and would be inconsis-tent with Asean’s collective support fordemocratic principles and constitutional gov-ernment.

The Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok hasurged Indonesians living in Thailand to be

Indonesia calls for democracyrestoration in Thailand

cautious and to stay away from protest areasparticularly at night. “Please, stay away frommass meetings,” it said in its latest statementon Thursday night. The embassy also urgedIndonesians to carry their identity cards andnot wear red, yellow, or black shirts, whichcould be construed as support for various fac-tions.

The Thai military’s takeover of the gov-ernment Thursday drew criticism from manyworld leaders. The Associated Press reportedthat Washington, which froze US military as-sistance after Thailand’s last coup in 2006for 18 months until democracy was restored,said it was reviewing military ties and pre-paring to suspend up to US$10 million in aidto Thailand. It also called for the release ofany detained political leaders and voicedconcern about media restrictions under thecoup.

“There is no justification for this mili-tary coup,” US Secretary of State John Kerrysaid. “I urge the restoration of civilian gov-ernment immediately, a return to democracy,and respect for human rights and fundamen-tal freedoms, such as press freedoms.” Aus-tralia expressed grave concerns that Gen.Prayuth seized power despite his insistencetwo days earlier that he was not launching acoup. Canberra said the government was re-viewing its relationship with Thailand, amajor destination for Australian tourists.

“We need to know the reasons for an-nouncing the coup just days after imposingmartial law on the basis that it was not acoup,” Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.French President Francois Hollande con-demned the coup. In a statement issued byhis office, he called for an immediate returnto constitutional order and the electoral pro-cess. He also called for respect for the Thaipeople’s fundamental rights and freedoms.Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishidastrongly urged that democracy in Thailandbe quickly restored. Neighbour Malaysiaurged its people to postpone travel to thecountry for security reasons.—ANN

Two killed inBenghazi

missile attackBENGHAZI (LIBYA)—Atleast two people were killedwhen missiles fired at aLibyan special forces armybase missed their target andstruck family homes in theeastern city of Benghazi, resi-dents and officials said on Sat-urday. The attacks on Fridaynight followed a week of on-and-off clashes in Benghaziand Tripoli between irregularforces loyal to a renegadeformer Libyan general de-manding the parliament stepdown, and rival militias op-posing his campaign.

Libya’s government hasbeen unable to control brigadesof ex-fighters who helped oustMuammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed 2011 uprising and havesince emerged as heavily armedrivals who often challenge thelegitimacy of the state. It wasnot clear who fired the rocketsat the special forces base inBenghazi. But the city is hometo the Islamist militants whohave been targeted by forcesloyal to retired General KhalifaHaftar.

Residents and army offi-cials said two family mem-bers were killed and theirchildren injured when onerocket struck a house and an-other family was injured in asecond strike aimed at a spe-cial forces base that has sidedwith Haftar. “It is not the firsttime the special forces baseand the Benina air base havebeen targeted since GeneralHaftar announced his opera-tion and the special forcesdecided to join him,” said anarmy official.—Reuters

agenda during the usuallyaccommodated bilateraltalks even if the occasionhas a multi-lateral flavour.Meanwhile, the Foreign of-fice has announced theschedule of the visit of thePrime Minister Nawaz Sharifto India saying it would bea two-day visit.

“In response to the in-vitation to the oath-takingceremony of Prime Minister-designate of India, Mr.Narendra Modi, the primeminister would be travellingto New Delhi on May 26.Adviser to the Prime Minis-ter on National Security andForeign Affairs, Special As-sistant to the Prime Minis-ter on Foreign Affairs, Sec-retary to the Prime Ministerand Foreign Secretarywould accompany him,”Foreign Office spokes-woman Tasnim Aslam said.The spokesperson said ac-cording to the programme re-ceived from India, the primeminister will have a bilateralmeeting with NarendraModi on the morning ofMay 27.

She said the premier

would also call on the Presi-dent of India and aftercompletion of his meetings,he would return to Pakistanin the afternoon of May 27.This latest gesture is con-sidered significant consid-ering anti-Pakistan rhetoricby Narendra Modi duringhis election campaign.

Meanwhile, theBharatiya Janata Party haswelcomed the decision ofPrime Minister NawazSharif to attend the swear-ing-in ceremony of PM-elect Narendra Modi. TheBJP spokesman said it wasvery good news thatNawaz Sharif had acceptedModi’s invitation. Thiswould mark a start of a newrelationship between Paki-stan and India, BJPspokesperson PrakashJavadekar told reporters inNew Delhi. “It will mark anew beginning in ourties.” Modi’s invitation hasinspired hopes that thechange in government willlead to improved relationsbetween the two countries.Nirmala Sitaraman, spokes-woman for Modi’s party in

India, said that they were“happy” to hear of Sharif’s“good will gesture.”

Syed Akbaruddin, aspokesman for the Indianministry of external affairs,confirmed Mr. NawazSharif’s decision to attend.“Mr. Sharif is attending theceremony, accompanied bythree officials and some per-sonal staff,” he said. Mr.Modi and Mr. Sharif will holda short bilateral meeting onTuesday morning, Mr.Akbaruddin said, notingthat similar meetings will beheld with each of the visit-ing leaders.

Experts and diplomats inIndia say that the move sig-nals a more muscular andvisible foreign diplomacyfrom Modi, who has little for-mal foreign policy experi-ence. He had served as chiefminister of the western stateof Gujarat since 2001, and hehas long been criticized forfailing to stop religious ri-ots in his state in 2002 thatleft more than 1000 dead,many Muslims. On the cam-paign trail, he largely stayedaway from anti-Muslim

rhetoric, preferring to keepto his message of economicopportunity. He has oftensaid he admires the legacyof India’s last prime minis-ter from the BJP, Atal BihariVajpayee, who during his1998 to 2004 tenure workedto reach out to Pakistan andis famous for having takena bus between Delhi andLahore to foster good rela-tions. Vajpayee was met atthe border by Nawaz Sharif,who was also then the primeminister of Pakistan.

“I hope that this willmark a new beginning inties between our two coun-tries,” Omar Abdullah, thechief minister of the stateof Jammu and Kashmir,wrote on Twitter Saturday.“The people of J&K will bewatching closely.” Theswearing-in ceremony, tobe held at the forecourt ofthe historic RashtrapatiBhavan, is likely to be at-tended by as many as3,000 guests . NarendraModi will be sworn in asthe 15th Prime Minister ofIndia by PresidentMukherjee.—Agencies

Nawaz to attend Modi’s swearing-inFrom Page 1

security men was passing throughTehsil Pindiali in the morning and hitan improvised explosive device (IED)planted at the roadside.

“Four security forces personalsembraced martyrdom and three oth-ers received critical injuries when anIED exploded in Shaati area in PindialyTehsil of Mohmand agency at around7.30 in the morning”. The inter Ser-vices Public Relations (ISPR) saidwhile the military sources told Paki-stan Observer the injured Jawaanswere rushed to the CMH Peshawarwhere two more soldiers succumbedto their injuries raising the death tollto six while another soldier was un-dergoing treatment in the hospital incritical condition.

Local sources said a school wasblasted with the help of IED explosionin Pindialy Tehsil of Mohmand agencySaturday wee hours. The securityforces team was heading towards thesite of the blast to ascertain damagesand kick off search operation, when itwas hit by the locally made IEDplanted at the road side that ultimatelyleft six men in uniform martyred. Thesecurity forces are reported to havekicked off grand operation in the re-

gion after the attack. In the meanwhilethe security forces kicked off opera-tion in the troubled Khyber agencywhere as many as three personnel ofthe security forces were killed and oneinjured in militants attack on Saturday.

An attacker was also killed and an-other was arrested by security forcesin retaliatory action. According to re-ports, the militants opened firing at FCpersonnel in Landi Kotal area ofKhyber Agency. Three FC men weremartyred and one injured in the attack.The FC retaliated to the attack andstarted search operation in the area.Eight militant were killed and anotherwas arrested by the FC.

“Two soldiers were martyred andthree others received wounds Satur-day evening in ex-change of fire withterrorists in Landi Kotal Khyberagency. Eight terrorists including theircommander were also killed in ex-change of fire”. The ISPR statementsaid. In North Waziristan agency,tense clam prevailed following thegrand operation initiated on Wednes-day last leaving seventy alleged ter-rorists and a security personal deadand the Military sources said the airstrikes also killed five important mili-

tant commanders. The killed com-manders were recognized as Uzbekterrorist’s commander Abu Ahmad,terror-ist’s commander Qanooni, Com-mander Gilamand, Commander JihadYar and Suicide bombing trainer com-mander Sabir.

Security sources claimed on Sat-urday that five important command-ers of the militants including foreign-ers.

Meanwhile, the security forceshave temporary halted operation inNorth Waziristan Agency andstopped air strikes in the area. Thenormalcy was returning to troubledareas including Mir Ali, Miranshah andadjacent areas after halt to air strikes.The local political administration haslifted day time curfew across theagency and all exit and entry pointshave been opened for traffic. How-ever, the district administration ofBannu has imposed day time curfewon DI Khan-Kohat road.

Thousands of residents of theHaider Khel, Moski and Ghisukhel ar-eas of Mir Ali have started migratingto Bannu due airstrikes and fear of full-fledged operation in North Wa-ziristanAgency. Reports reaching here said.

9 security personnel martyredFrom Page 1

building are the remnants ofpure chaos — metal chairslie overturned with bulletcasings on top of some andbullet marks scar walls. Par-liamentarian Dahir AminJesow, who was inside par-liament debating Somalia’sdevelopment bank when theattack began, said he andhis fellow legislators evacu-ated out of the back of thebuilding as soon as the at-tack began.

The army failed to protectthe legislators, one member ofparliament said. “The enemycan now access everywhere,”said visibly frightened legis-lator Mohamed Nor.

Bodies, apparently thoseof the attackers, could be seenlying near an entrance gate tothe building. Gunfire and twoblasts rang out near the build-ing long after the attack be-gan and after police had con-firmed six attackers’ deaths. Se-curity forces shot and killedfour men, Hussein said. Thetwo other attackers who diedwere the driver of the car bomband the bomber on foot. Al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linkedgroup, has carried out severalsuch complex attacks inMogadishu, including on thecity’s main court complex andattempts against the presiden-tial palace. The group wasbooted out of the capital in2011 but still controls wide ar-eas of southern Somalia.—AP

Militants attackFrom Page 1

were doing the same in the past as well. Toa question, Pervaiz Rashid said the militarydid not interfere at present and in the past,adding it thinks in the national interest. Headded that the issue of Pervez Musharrafwas an individual matter.

Pervaiz Rashid says Pakistan respects themandate given by the Indian people to theBharatiya Janata Party in their recent generalelections. He said, “We respect the mandateand cannot ignore changes in that country.”

Pervaiz Rashid said, “We cannot livefar from our neighbours.” To a question, hesaid bitter past should be forgotten forbright future. He said the armed forces do

not interfere in the government affairs.To another question, the minister said

talks would be held with those groups ofTaliban who are willing for dialogue. Sena-tor Pervaiz Rashid urged PTI ChairmanImran Khan to focus on developmentprojects instead of holding protests.

Replying to another question, the infor-mation minister said the government initi-ated various mega development projects, likePak-China Economic Corridor, MotorwayProject from Karachi to Lahore, Metro Trainproject and new power generation plants.He said these projects would go a long wayin putting the country on road to progress.

Cable operators have no rightFrom Page 1

land leveling and grading on the site wouldstart within three weeks and be completedin three months.

He was also briefed that the coal han-dling and conveying system infrastructurewould be installed in 22 months.

Similarly jetty break water and allied infra-

structure would be completed in 32 months.Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, directed

for providing maximum relief to the peoplefrom loadshedding during the Holy monthof Ramazan and said that first Turbine ofNandipur power project would be inaugu-rated on 31st May.

PM approvesFrom Page 1

ABDUL KHALIQ QURESHI

ABBOTTABAD—Nation will see the real dif-ference in coming three months in KhyberPakhtunkhwa and people will taste the fruitsof “Change” said Imran Khan while ad-dressing public meeting at Pattan Kalan inconnection with by-election of KP 45 onSaturday.

The seat was fell vacant after the resig-nation of Sardar Mehtab Ahemd Khan af-ter assuming of charge governor of KPK.Election will be held on 5thJune in whichsix candidates are in the run. Among all,two are the main contenders where cousinof Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, SardarMuhammad Fareed is contesting fromPML-N side against his close rival from PTIAli Asghar Khan, divisional president ofPTI and central vice president of PTI.

Imran Khan said that after the arrival oflocal bodies system in KPK, the develop-mental works will gear up and it will be thestart of fulfilling of motto of PTI to giveempowerment to the general public as PTIwants to pass on the power to the poorpeople of the country who are all the timecrushed and are being ruled by elite class

who had no interest in the affairs of thegeneral public but to increase their bankbalances.

PTI chief said that currently, everythingis going adverse, the graph of the poorpeople are showing downward trend whilethe ruling class is showing upward and hadshifted their wealth in foreign countries.

Regarding the transparency of the by-election, Imran categorically made it clearthat they will hold free and fair election inKPK without keeping in consideration towin or lose the seat. Imran said that for thelast thirty years, two parties are playing the“Musical Chair” but now they had finishedtheir terms and general public had realisedthat country should get rid of all those whohad plundered the national exchequer. Theirloot is still on and they were spendingmoney of the poor people lavishly.

He also announced a lot of schemes andprojects for Bakot, and other areas of KP 45and said that every Tehsil will have thesports stadium. Ali Asghar Khan, the PTIcandidate also addressed the meeting andsaid that time has come that people shouldbury the politics of “Baradari” for the de-velopment of the area.

KP to witness real differencein 3 months: Imran

key role in breaking the ringhelping smugglers transportsmuggled goods speciallytyres which are among themost smuggled goods in thecountry, through the twoland routes namely Chamanand Landi Kotal across thecountry in disguised of theimports through the TransitTrade.

Customs I&I has thepower to search a place andvehicle under sections 162,163 & 164. Any authorizedofficer of the customs cansearch with or without war-rant in the same manner asprovided under the Code ofCriminal Procedures.

He said FBR would setup Customs check postsevery 50 to 100 kms on roadheading into the countryfrom Chaman & Landi Kotal.‘Multiple check posts willhinder the easy flow of tyres& other smuggled goodsand confiscation of thesame would disheart thesmugglers to carry on,’ headded.

The Government is los-ing approximately Rs 15 bil-lion annually due to the smug-gling of over 2.5 million tyresa year into the country. Inaddition used WINTERtyres are also smuggledwhich pose safety hazard inhot climate of Pakistan.

Under invoicingFrom Page 1

encouraged.The Finance Minister in

his concluding remarks saidthat the process of consul-tation which has been initi-ated will not terminate withthis budget but it will be acontinuing process and thegovernment will take alongthe

All stakeholders to be taken on boardFrom Back Page

business community in itsagenda of reform. He added,“We are making our effortsto simplify the taxation sys-tem and incentivize tax pay-ers as compared to tax evad-ers”.

Dar also chaired themeeting of Committee, con-stituted by the Prime Minis-ter to review the concession-ary re-gime (SROs). In hisopening remarks, the Fi-nance Minister, said theCommittee in its eight meet-ings held during last threemonths, had reviewed theStatutory Regulatory Or-ders (SROs) with open mindin keeping with thenational interest.

The Finance Ministersaid that the PrimeMinister’s decision to con-stitute the committee, withrepresentatives of relevantministries as well as stake-holders including businesspersons, was aimed at tak-ing all stakeholders onboard so that the decisionswere made with collectivewisdom. The Chairman FBRgave a detailed presentationon the plan for phasing outof the SROs in 3 yearstimeframe. He informed that

the plan encompassed theprinciples to remove contra-dictions and distortions.

He said that after con-sultations with the stake-holders, the recommenda-tions had been prepared forthe commit-tee to considerand take appropriate deci-sion. He said “there is a gen-eral consensus that localmanufacturing and exportsshould be encouraged andwe should save moneywhere possible on imports.”In this connection, theFinance Minister said thatthe Committee and the Fed-eral Board of Revenue (FBR)had worked hard to rational-ize and streamline SROs andhe has been himself holdingseveral meetings. The pur-pose of carrying out thisexercise was to remove dis-tortions and disparities, cre-ated due to the issuance ofarbitrary SROs, he added.The Finance Minister saidthat the government will pro-vide protection where re-quired and will not imposeany burden where it was notsustainable or impacted thecommon man. He informedthat the whole process willtake few years to be com-

pleted.The meeting was at-

tended by Minister for Tex-tile Industry, Secretary Fi-nance Dr. Waqar Masood,Secretaries Ministries ofIndustries, Commerce andTextile, Advisor to FinanceMinistry Rana Assad Amin,Chairman FBR Tariq Bajwaand senior officials of FBRand Ministry of Commerce,representatives of Federa-tion of Pakistan Chamber ofCommerce, Karachi Cham-bers of Commerce, LahoreChambers of Commerce,KPK Chamber of Com-merce, Secretary Board ofInvestment and senior offi-cials of the Federal Govern-ment.—APP

through hydle, biomass, biogas, solar and othersources. Shahbaz Sharif said that agreementshave been made with various local and foreigncompanies for energy generation projects andsteps are being taken speedily for giving a prac-tical shape to these agreements.

He said that Punjab government is work-ing speedily on the project of setting upsolar park in Bahawalpur.

He said that 100 megawatt solarpower project will be completed by De-cember this year in Bahawalpur. Similarly,Punjab government has also decided toset up 1000 megawatt solar power projectfrom its own resources in Quaid-e-AzamSolar Park, Bahawalpur, he added. TheChief Minister said that Germany has ex-pertise in solar energy and we have ac-

quired the services of German consult-ant for solar project. He said thatPunjab government is also implement-ing a comprehensive strategy for thepromotion of technical education andskilled manpower meet market require-ments. Thousands of youth have beenimparted training of various skills underPunjab Skills Development Fund. He saidthat cooperation of Germany for promo-tion of technical education in Punjab isa welcome step.

Head of German delegation assured heCM that cooperation in various sectors withPunjab government would be promoted.He said Germany is willing to work jointlywith Punjab government for the promotionof technical education.

Pakistan wants to benefitFrom Page 1

Asia. “We will have to prefer friendly tieswith many countries in the future,” heopined.

To a question, he urged state institu-tions to work within their set domains. Re-sponding to another ques-tion, he said thatremoval of Shahid Hayat was a provincialissue. Maulana Fazalur Rehman said byaccepting the invitation Pakistan has givena clear message that it wants peacefulsettlement of all outstanding issues withIndia, including Kashmir. He said keepingin view the future regional challenges, Pa-kistan requires moving forward in the rightdirection and having good relations withthe neighbouring countries.

Pakistan Ulema Council [PUC] is in fa-

vor of the prime minister’s visit to India.The prime minister’s visit to India will pro-vide a boost to Pakistan’s role for peace atthe international level, said PUC CentralChairman Hafiz Muhammad TahirMahmood Ashrafi during a conversationwith journalists.

He said that Pakistan has always strivedto improve relations with its neighboringcountries. Unfortunately, however, neigh-boring countries responded to Pakistan’spositive efforts in a negative way. He fur-ther said that all of the country’s politicaland religious parties have voiced their sup-port for the prime minister’s visit to India,which reflects the peace-loving ideologyof Pakistanis.

Politicians, ulema welcomeFrom Page 1

drawn up under the previ-ous junta regime, gives themilitary a mandatory 25percent parliamentaryseats, which is enough toveto any constitutionalchange and disqualify pro-democracy leader AungSan Suu Kyi from runningfor president.

“Constitutional reformin Myanmar is a crucial stepin the transition to a moredemocratic nation,”Quintana said.

Suu Kyi considers thecurrent consti tut ion un-democratic and boycottedthe 2010 elections.

However, she ran inby-elections in 2012 afterchanges were made inelection laws and won aseat in the lower house ofParliament.

The Nobel laureate hasbeen holding rallies to gainpublic support and to con-vince the military and thegovernment to amend theconstitution.

An article in the con-st i tut ion says anyonewhose spouse or childrenowes allegiance to a for-eign power cannot becomepresident or vice presi-dent. Suu Kyi’s sons areBritish nationals.—AP

Myanmar needsFrom Page 1

AMMAN—Pope Francis thanked Jordan onSaturday for welcoming hundreds of thou-sands of refugees fleeing the civil war inSyria, calling for an “urgent,” peaceful so-lution to the conflict in the neighbouringnation as he began a three-day visit to theMiddle East. Francis also lauded Jordan forthe “climate of serene coexistence” enjoyedby Christians and Muslims in the desertkingdom. He called for greater protectionsfor minority Christians across the region ina speech to King Abdullah II and Jorda-nian political and religious leaders.

“Religious freedom is in fact a funda-mental human right and I cannot fail to ex-press my hope that it will be upheldthroughout the Middle East and the entireworld,” he said.

Francis’ plane touched down atAmman’s Queen Alia International Airport,where an honour guard, Catholic leadersand Prince Gazi Bin Mohammad, KingAbdullah II’s chief adviser for religious andcultural affairs, met him. He immediately

headed to the king’s palace in a simple, four-door sedan, a group of motorcycles ridingalongside him. Small groups of people wav-ing Jordanian and Vatican flags cheered himas he passed. At the palace, Francis metwith Abdullah and Queen Rania, their chil-dren gathered for the meeting. In his palacespeech, Francis said Jordan’s “generouswelcome” to Syrian refugees warranted in-ternational appreciation and support.

Jordan last month opened a third refugeecamp, evidence of the strains the conflict iscreating for the country. Jordan is currentlyhosting 600,000 registered Syrian refugees,or 10 per cent of its population, but Jordanianofficials estimate the real number is closer to1.3 million. “I thank the authorities of the king-dom for all they are doing and I encouragethem to persevere in their efforts to seek last-ing peace for the entire region,” Fracis said.“This goal urgently requires that a peacefulsolution be found to the crisis in Syria, aswell as a just solution to the Israeli-Palestin-ian conflict.”—AP

Pope opens ME triplamenting Syrian conflict

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Finance Minister Ishaq Darhas said the government is working on athree-year budget strategy and it has aclear roadmap to achieve desired targets.

He said this while chairing the final ses-sion of grand consultation on next bud-get with the business stakeholders hereon Saturday.

He said that there were revolutionaryideas from the business community andthe government will consider serious do-able proposals in the next financial year.He said that transparency, good gover-nance and zero tolerance for corruptionare hallmarks of PML-N Government.

Representatives of traders associa-tions appreciated consultation process and

Govt working on three-yearbudget strategy: Dar

observed that this was the first time in his-tory of the country that such level of con-sultations was held in preparation of bud-get.

There was a general consensus in theremarks of the trade associations that lo-cal manufacturers should be encouragedwith the aim to increase value addition andexport-led growth.

The traders emphasized on employ-ment of measures for documentation ofeconomy. There was also an agreementamong the traders that small and mediumenterprises in the country should be en-couraged.

The Finance Minister said the Govern-ment was making efforts to simplify thetaxation system and incentivize tax payersas compared to tax evaders.

VIENNA—Iran has cut its most sensitivenuclear stockpile by around 80 percent un-der an interim pact with world powers andhas begun engaging with a long-stalledIAEA investigation into suspected weap-ons research, the U.N. atomic watchdogsaid on Friday.

The findings, in a quarterly report bythe International Atomic Energy Agency,are likely to be welcomed by the six powerstrying to negotiate a long-term deal withIran on ending a decade-old dispute overits nuclear program and dispelling fears ofa new war in the Middle East.

Diplomats and analysts caution, how-ever, that the positions of Iran and theUnited States, France, Britain, Germany,Russia and China remain far apart and thata successful outcome of their diplomaticefforts is far from certain.

Iran rejects Western allegations that ithas been trying to develop the capabilityto build nuclear weapons. But it has offeredto work with the IAEA to resolve its con-cerns after pragmatist President HassanRouhani won office last year on a platformto end the Islamic Republic’s isolation.

The IAEA, which has a pivotal rolein verifying that Iran is living up to its partof the six-month accord reached in Novem-ber, made clear that Iran so far is undertak-ing the agreed steps to curb its nuclear pro-gram.

Under the breakthrough agreement thattook effect on January 20, Iran halted someaspects of its nuclear program in exchangefor a limited easing of international sanc-tions that have laid low the major oilproducer’s economy. It was designed to buytime for talks on a final deal that began inFebruary.The IAEA report showed that Iran sinceJanuary had acted to reduce its stockpileof higher-grade enriched uranium gas - a

Iran cuts 80pc nuclearstockpile, engages withIAEA for bomb probe

relatively short technical step away fromweapons-grade material - by just under 82percent.

The amount that remains after mostof the material was either converted or di-luted to less proliferation-prone forms -under 40 kg - is far below the 250 kg whichexperts say is needed for one bomb.

On another closely watched aspect ofIran’s nuclear activities, the report said Iranat a meeting in Tehran this week had shownthe IAEA information that simultaneous fir-ing of a type of detonator was tested for acivilian application.The IAEA, which for years has been tryingto investigate allegations that Iran mayhave worked on designing a nuclear bomb,had asked for explanations about the de-velopment of Exploding Bridge Wire deto-nators as part of its probe.

How Iran responds to the U.N. agency’squestions is seen as an important test of itsreadiness to cooperate with the investiga-tion into what the IAEA calls the possiblemilitary dimensions of the country’s nuclearprogram.

“This is the first time that Iran has en-gaged in a technical exchange with theagency on this or any other of the outstand-ing issues ... since 2008,” the report said.“The agency’s assessment of the informa-tion provided by Iran is ongoing.”

A senior diplomat familiar with the in-quiry said Iran’s cooperation “has been im-proving all the time”.

Iran agreed at the May 20 meeting inthe Iranian capital to address two other is-sues that are part of the IAEA’s investiga-tion by late August, a potentially importantstep forward for the agency’s efforts to lookinto the allegations.Western diplomats sayIran must do much more to fully addressthe IAEA’s suspicions, and provide fastercooperation.—Reuters

Zumasworn-in asS A presidentPRETORIA—South Africa’spresident, Jacob Zuma,was inaugurated for asecond term on Saturdayin a ceremony. Leadersfrom Nigeria, Zimbabweand other African coun-tries attended the event atthe Union Buildings, agovernment complex inthe South African capitalof Pretoria. It was thesame place where NelsonMandela, took the oath ofoffice 20 years ago.—Agencies

Russiaready fortalks withJapanPETERSBURG—President Vladimir Putinsaid on Saturday thatRussia is ready for talkswith Japan over disputedPacific Islands but thatJapan may not be readyfor negotiations. Japanimposed visa bans on 23Russians last month, as itfollowed the UnitedStates and the EuropeanUnion in announcingexpanded sanctionsagainst Russia over itsactions in Ukraine. —Reuters

Altafcondemnsdesecrationof holy bookLONDON—TheMQM chief Altaf Hussainhas strongly condemnedthe growing incidents ofdesecration of the holybook of Sikhs. He hasdemanded an emergencymeeting on this issuefrom the prime ministerand the cabinet toaddress their complaints.He added that peopleresponsible for desecra-tion of the holy book ofSikhs should be pun-ished. —INP

URUMQI, China — Authoritiesannounced a security crack-down Saturday in China’s Mus-lim northwest after a deadlybombing raised questions aboutwhether tightening Beijing’sgrip might be feeding anti-Chi-nese anger and a rise of orga-nized terrorism.

Thursday’s bombing at amorning street market sellingvegetables and other produce inUrumqi, capital of the Xinjiangregion, killed at least 43 peopleand left the region’s ethnic Chi-nese on edge.

“We don’t know why therehave been explosions, but we

China launches anti-terror drive after bombingare definitely worried about per-sonal safety,” said Luo Guiyou,a member of China’s Han ethnicmajority who manages an autoparts store.

Police announced names offive people blamed for the at-tack and said they were part ofa “terrorist gang.” Based ontheir names, all appeared to beUighurs, the region’s mostpopulous Muslim minority.

Police said four were killedin the bombing and the fifthcaptured Thursday night.

An anti-terrorism campaignwith Xinjiang “as the majorbattlefield” will target religious

extremist groups, undergroundgun workshops and “terroristtraining camps,” the officialXinhua News Agency said.

“Terrorists and extremistswill be hunted down and pun-ished.”

Beijing blames unrest on ex-tremists with foreign ties, butUighur activists say tensionsare fueled by an influx of mi-grants from China’s dominantHan ethnic group and discrimi-natory government policies.

In Beijing, the nation’s capi-tal, police announced that theywere canceling vacations for of-ficers and would step up patrols

at train stations, schools, hos-pitals and markets.

A measure under which pas-sengers at stations in centralBeijing are required to undergosecurity checks will be extendedto three additional stations, thecity government said.

Passengers at all stations al-ready are required to submithandbags and parcels for X-rayexamination under rules im-posed ahead of the 2008 Sum-mer Olympics in Beijing.

Thursday’s violence was thedeadliest single attack inXinjiang’s recent history, andthe latest of several that have

targeted civilians in contrast toa past pattern of targeting po-lice and officials.

It was the highest death tollsince several days of rioting inUrumqi in 2009 betweenUighurs and members ofChina’s dominant Han ethnicgroup left nearly 200 peopledead.

On Saturday, paramilitarypolice with rifles stood every20 meters along the streetsaround where the bombing hadtaken place.

The street where the markethad been was closed to vehicletraffic.—AP

Syria rebels,army agree on

truce nearkey city

BEIRUT — Syrian rebelsand government forceshave agreed to a truce inan opposition-held areanear the central city ofHoms, activists said Satur-day.

The cease-fire, whichstarted on Friday, comes astroops loyal to PresidentBashar Assad are trying toseize as many rebel-heldparts of major urban cen-ters as possible ahead ofthe June 3 presidentialelections.

Assad is widely ex-pected to win a third,seven-year mandate, butopposition activists havecriticized the vote as beingillegitimate because it istaking place amid a ragingcivil war.

Syria’s conflict, whichbegan as an uprisingagainst Assad’s rule, isnow in its fourth year andhas killed about 160,000people, activists say.

The truce in al-Waar,which lies across theOrontes River from Homs,is meant to enable the war-ring sites to negotiate anagreement that will allowthe rebels to leave the areawithout being attacked, orlater arrested.

A Syrian activist whouses the name ThaerKhalidiya said the trucewent into effect on Fridayand was to last for threedays, until Sunday night.

Rami Abdurrahman ofthe Britain-based SyrianObservatory for HumanRights and the Hezbollahchannel al-Manar, whichsupports Assad, also re-ported the cease-fire.

It is similar to a cease-fire agreed on in early Maythat ultimately allowed forthe evacuation of hun-dreds of rebels from oppo-sition-held parts of OldHoms.—AP

First timeUS dronedeployedin Japan

TOKYO—A US surveillancedrone arrived at an air basein northern Japan on Satur-day for the first deploymentof the spy aircraft in thecountry, the US Air Forcesaid.

The Global Hawk wasbrought to the US MisawaAir Base from Guam “tosupport US intelligence, sur-veillance, and reconnais-sance missions and contin-gency operations through-out the Pacific theatre,”America´s air force said onits website.

The high-altitude recon-naissance plane is sched-uled to operate until Octo-ber, it said, adding that thedeployment of the aircraft ispartially aimed at monitoringtyphoons that frequently hitGuam during summer.

It is also believed it will beused to monitor North Koreaand China at a time whenPyongyang’s nuclear andmissile developmentprogramme and Beijing’s mari-time assertiveness have raisedsecurity concerns in Japan,local media reported.—AP

OBSERVER REPORT

SWAT—At least 30 children fell ill in Swatafter receiving vaccinations for measles onSaturday.

A team of health officials had gone totheir school, M R Model School inMingora, where they were given injectionsof the vaccines. After which, the childrenfell ill and were taken to Saidu Sharif Hos-pital for medical treatment.

According to sources at the hospital,the children are out of danger.

The reason of the adverse reaction tothe vaccinations is not known as yet.

On May 21, six children had fallen un-

30 children fall sick onreceiving measles vaccination

conscious after being administeredmeasles vaccines in Kohat district. A teamof health officials went to a private schoolin Jangal Khel to vaccinate children againstmeasles after which the students fell un-conscious and were rushed to the LiaquatMemorial Hospital.

Two days earlier, at least 23 studentsof Government Girls Primary School inDalan union council of Thal, Hangu hadfallen unconscious after they were admin-istered anti-measles injections.

The commonly known side-effects ofmeasles vaccines range from the commonones which are fever, rash to the very rareones such as mild seizures and deafness.

W A S H I N G T O N — S e v e npeople were killed andseven others wounded in amass shooting at a collegetown in southern California,Santa Barbara County Sher-iff Bill Brown said on Satur-day.

Brown said at a pre-dawn press conference thatthe shooting in the town ofIsla Vista, near the campusof the University of Califor-

7 dead in US college shootingnia at Santa Barbara, “ap-pears to be a mass murdersituation.”

Driving a black BMW,the suspect opened fire onpedestrians from his vehicleat several locations in thetown on a busy Fridaynight, is among those killed.

Police received their firstemergency calls about theshooting around 9:30 pm onFriday (0430 GMT Satur-

day). Twice, the shooter ex-changed gunfire with policefrom his car, and fled bothtimes. He then crashed intoa parked vehicle. When po-lice approached him they“determined that the sus-pect ... was dead of an ap-parent gunshot wound tothe head,” Brown said.

Police recovered a hand-gun from the suspect’s ve-hicle.”—AFP

ADEN, Yemen —At least 30people were killed in an over-night raid by gunmen on acity in southeastern Yemen,residents and a local officialsaid on Saturday, as alQaeda continues itsfightback against a govern-ment offensive in the coun-try.

Armed with rocket-pro-pelled grenades, mortarsand explosives, attackersdrove in from the surround-ing desert on 15 pickuptrucks into Seyoun afterdetonating a car bomb at theentrance to the city inHadramout province.

Al Qaeda has carried outmany hit-and-run attackssince the Yemeni armydrove it from its southernstrongholds in Abyan andShabwa provinces lastmonth. The militants tar-geted at least seven loca-tions, including the mainmilitary posts, the local po-lice headquarters, bankbranches and the airport.

Calling the raid a

Al Qaeda gunmen stormYemen city, 30 people killed

“treacherous terrorist act”,the commander of the localmilitary division said thearmy had regained controlof the city.Major General Mohammedal-Somla said a number ofpeople had been killed andwounded during the attackon his base and other loca-tions. The army had drivenattackers out of the city andwas using warplanes, hesaid in a statement on theDefence Ministry website.

A local official, whoasked not to be identified,said 20 attackers and 10members of the security ser-vices were killed in the fight-ing. “They wanted to cap-ture the city and control it,”the official told Reuters.Residents said the city’selectricity supply was cutduring the attack and theyheard explosions and gun-fire throughout the night.The militants briefly cap-tured some buildings beforewithdrawing early on Satur-day.—Reuters

Six kids drown inIndus river

STAFF REPORTER

HYDERABAD—Six childrendrowned in Indus River nearHyderabad on Saturday,rescue sources said.

According to rescuesources, the rescue teamsand volunteers after gettinginformation rushed to thesite and recovered bodies oftwo drowned kids while thesearch operation is still inprogress for the recovery ofremaining three children.

Publicflogging ofIranianactressdemandedTEHRAN —Iranian actressLeila Hatami should bepublicly flogged forkissing Cannes FilmFestival president GillesJacob on the cheek, theHizbullah Studentsorganization argued in apetition to Iran’s judi-ciary. The petition by theHizbullah Students, auniversity group associ-ated with Iran’s Revolu-tionary Guard Corps,cited the kiss was inviolation of article 638 ofthe Islamic CriminalJustice code.—UPI

SLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance, Ishaq Dar in a meeting with Governor KP Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Abbasi.

MAGNESIUM is a very important mineral, the second-most abundant withinhuman cells. Some 60% of it in the

human body is contained within the bones, over25% in the muscles and the rest in soft tissueand body fluids. Learn about the importantfunctions of this essentialmineral and some warningsymptoms of deficiency.

Magnesium plays a rolein activating many enzymesin the body. It also plays arole in maintaining the elec-trical charges of cells, espe-cially in the nerves andmuscles, and in muscle con-traction and relaxation. Fur-ther, this mineral is involvedin cellular functions such asenergy production, cellularreplication, lipid synthesisand protein formation. Iteven contributes to bone for-mation, as it helps regulatecalcium metabolism.

Magnesium plays acritical role in heart health,contributing to energy production and heartmuscle contraction. By raising the solubilityof calcium in urine, magnesium helps preventthe formation of kidney stones. Indeed, mag-nesium supplementation has been found to helpwith preventing kidney stone recurrence.

Research also suggests that dietary mag-nesium intake is directly linked to lung func-tion and the severity of asthma.

The warning signs that one could be lack-ing magnesium, some of which are similar tothose of potassium deficiency, include: • heartdisturbances • issues with nerve conduction andmuscle contraction • muscle cramps andspasms • poor coordination • weakness •

chronic fatigue • headaches - including mi-graines and tension headaches • appetite loss• insomnia • cravings for sweets • mentalconfusion • irritability • personality changes• being easily stressed

People with low levels of magnesium aremore prone to ailments such asinsomnia, premenstrual syn-drome, menstrual cramps, hairloss, swollen gums, high bloodpressure, kidney stones, heartdisease and even cancer.

In fact, it has beenfound that persons who suf-fered sudden and fatal heart at-tacks had very low magnesiumlevels in their hearts. Whenmagnesium levels are low, aspasm of the coronary arteriescould take place, affecting theflow of blood and oxygen to theheart — this could then triggera heart attack.

Persons withfibromyalgia and chronic fa-tigue syndrome are also com-monly found to have low mag-

nesium levels. In addition, women with os-teoporosis have been found to have lowerbone magnesium levels than those withoutthe condition.

Due to poor food choices, with dietslacking in natural whole foods, many peopledo not actually consume enough magnesium.

Elderly persons, especially those withhealth issues, are more susceptible to mag-nesium deficiency. Women are also morelikely to be deficient during their premen-strual period.

Factors which elevate its secretion orreduce its absorption could also lead to mag-nesium deficiency.

Warning signs you aredeficient in magnesium

Mrs Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Trade and Development of the Netherlands addressinga press conference at a local hotel on Saturday. Ambassador of the Netherlands Marcel deVink is also seen in the picture.—PO photo by Sultan Bashir

ISLAMABAD—Minister for Trade and Develop-ment of the Netherlands, Mrs. Lilianne Ploumenon Saturday affirmed that throughout this tran-sition and beyond, The Netherlands will con-tinue to support efforts in the area of peace, se-curity and stability, political dialogue, the pro-motion of human rights, and people-to-peoplecontacts through scholarships and tailor-madetrainings. The two-day visit marked the evolv-ing relationship between the two countries.

“With my visit I wanted to strengthen thebilateral relations between the Netherlands andPakistan and also mark its transition: from aid totrade” said Minister Ploumen in a press confer-ence with Netherlands Ambassador in Pakistan,Marcel de Vink. “Although the Netherlands isphasing out bilateral development programs, ourcommitment to Pakistan remains firm. In 2013the Netherlands government still contributed morethan 28 million Euros directly to currently run-ning development projects in Pakistan. Besidesthat there are many Dutch international NGO’sinvolved in development activities.” she said.

Earlier in the visit the Minister had meet-ings with the special adviser on National Secu-

rity and Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sartaj Aziz, Min-ister of Commerce, Khurram Dastgir-Khan andMinister of Planning & Development, Ah-sanIqbal. They welcomed the shift “from aid totrade” and the increasing bilateral trade volumeof 875 million US dollars in 2013. MinisterPloumen and her interlocutors had an open andfrank exchange of views on a broad range ofissues, including polio eradication, the legalframework for NGOs to operate, and the needfor Pakistan to continue to make progress onthe benchmarks for GSP+.

It was also announced that the Netherlandswould send the Dutch Disaster Reduction Teamto provide advice on preventing the recurrenceof water-related disasters in Pakistan. To a query,she said polio is a serious issue and Pakistanhas to address on priority basis not only to safeits coming generation but also the entire world.Earlier in the day the Minister met with the coun-try representatives of Dutch companies basedin Pakistan. Shell, Unilever, Philips, AkzoNobeland Stork SPG-prints were invited to discussopportunities and challenges in the business cli-mate of Pakistan.—NNI

Netherlands to supportpeace, security in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD—Islamabad Police have tight-ened the security in the city and also ensuredextra deployment in various areas to avert anyuntoward incident.

Senior Superintendent of Police IslamabadMuhammad Ali Nekukara has directed for ef-fective security measures in the city besidesenhancing vigilance and patrolling steps.

He ordered combing and search operationin the slum areas while extra vigilance at entryand exit points of the city. He has directed forextra deployment of police personnel and se-curity measures at important locations of the

Police ordered to mobilize securityapparatus for better output

city including buildings, markets, importantchowks and signals.

The SSP directed to ensure high vigilanceand strict patrolling measures in various sec-tors and residential areas of the city.

Mr. Muhammad Ali said that police com-mandoes should be deputed around sensitivelocations and important buildings. Special po-lice teams should be constituted by each po-lice station for effective patrolling in its respec-tive jurisdiction, he added.

Rescue 15 have been directed for strict pa-trolling and keep in touch with the heads of

police stations for ensuring security.The SSP directed to specify halting points

for strict checking of those entering or leavingthe city. He asked all SPs/ASPS/SDPOs tolaunch crackdown against anti-social elements,miscreants and suspected elements.

He also directed them to ensure strict check-ing at all entry and exit points and keep strictwatch on suspicious persons. Special search ofthe forest and green belts of the city has beenalso ordered. He has made special directions toall senior police officials to conduct checkingthemselves at all police pickets in their areas

and make the security system more effective.Special police deployment should be en-

sured at sensitive and important buildings whilepolice officials in civil uniforms to be assignedthe task for keeping vigilance against suspi-cious elements, he added.

He directed beat officers to remain alertwhile Falcon and Eagle Squads have been alsoassigned the task for effective policing andpatrolling in the city.

The SSP has appealed all the citizens toremain extra vigilant and inform police in caseof observing any suspect.—APP

ZUBAIR QURESHI

ISLAMABAD—After a lull of amonth and 13 days, terroristsstruck the federal capital onceagain making May the thirdconsecutive month of blasts inthe federal capital. First it wasMarch 3 (District Courtstoll:13), then April 10 (SabziMandi toll: 24), and now May24 when terrorists attacked inthe heart of capital mocking allthe claims of the new policechiefs of the city, IGP AftabCheema and SSP OperationsMohammad Ali Naikokar. Thistime however, loss of life wasnot big as the earlier two at-tacks. On Saturday the resi-dents of the city woke up toreceive the dreadful news thatthe two busiest markets of thecity were attacked by terroristsand a precious life was lost.

Federal police on Saturdaybeefed up security taking ex-traordinary measures to preventrecurrence of any such inci-dent. Sources told PakistanObserver that Inspector Gen-eral Police and SSP Operationshave been given the task byInterior Minister Ch Nisar AliKhan to find out and arrest theculprits within forty-eighthours.

Two time device explo-sions went off early Saturdayin the Federal Capital’s marketsKarachi Company (G-9/4) andSuper Market (F-6). In the Su-per Market, a security guardAzam Khan who was fromBattgram lost his life due toexcessive bleeding. Accordingto IG Islamabad, he accidentlyhit a bag carrying explosives.Both his legs were seriouslyinjured. He was shifted to thePakistan Institute of MedicalSciences (Pims) but he couldnot survive.

Immediately after the inci-dent, another explosion oc-curred in Karachi companyhowever no loss of life was re-ported. Talking to PakistanObserver, a senior official ofthe Islamabad police said asearch operation in differentparts of the capital has beenlaunched and useful clues werecollected from the site of theincident.

The entry and exit pointsof the city have been closedwhile the police said securityhas also been beefed up follow-ing the blasts. In Karachi com-pany unlike the Super Marketthe explosive was planted be-neath a vehicle. It was a lowintensity blast but had badlydamaged the vehicle he said.

Meanwhile, traders andbusinessmen of Islamabad’sbusy markets have called forenhanced security and sought

Super Market, Karachi Companytraders feel insecure

Police suspecting more such attacks, beef up security

Police officials checking wreckage of a car destroyed by bomb explosion at G-9 (Karachi Company).

Paramedical staff giving medical aid to an injured person after bomb explosions in Federal Capital.

assurance from the police andcity administration that theyhad made Islamabad’s securityimpregnable. A super storeowner in the Super Marketwishing not to be named, ex-

pressed doubts regarding policeclaims that they had taken nec-essary steps to curb any suchincident in future.

The blasts occurred thesame day when the Interior

Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khanreviewed security and or-dered use of biometric mo-bile phone Sims to ensurefoolproof security, he said.“The terrorists have in a way

given open challenge to thegovernment that they wouldfind loopholes and attackmocking all the so-calledstringent security measures,”he said.

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan celebrated Pak-African friendship this week by organising seminars, receptions and people to peoplefunctions in connection with African day with a view to promote bilateral relations.

A reception was hosted by the Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to commemo-rate Pakistan’s close and cordial relations with Africa.

The function was attended by members of diplomatic corps, Honorary Consuls, academia, senior government officials, mediarepresentatives and prominent personalities.

The Advisor to the Prime Minister for National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz in his remarks on this occasion whilehighlighting the potential for further strengthening relations with Africa, stated that the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is keen tofortify trade and commercial ties with all the regions of the world, particularly with Africa. He said that Pakistan wishes to furtherenhance its relations with African continent.

Sartaj Aziz especially mentioned the important role Pakistan has played in the decolonisation of these countries and maintenanceof peace through contribution to the UN peace keeping operations. He said it was the propitious moment to translate this politicalgoodwill into tangible trade and commercial relations. The Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry in his welcome remarks said thatstrengthening ties with the African countries is in accordance with the vision of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He elaboratedthat the basic objective of today’s event was to give a clear message to Africa that “Pakistan is looking Africa”.

He said the government of Pakistan under the guidance of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif accords great importance to its rela-tions with Africa. “We have deep rooted historic and cultural ties with African countries and I hope that the existing cordial relationswill be further strengthened in the years ahead,” he added.—APP

Pakistan wishes to further enhancerelations with African continent: Sartaj

Sunflowers are in full bloom at a park in Rawalpindi.

04:30 01:3005:30

09:00

Zohr

Asr

Isha

Fajar

Meghrab at Sunset

Brothers in Islamestablish regularprayers & charity

May 25

ON the occasion of the 68th

anniversary of the Indepen-dence Day of the HashemiteKingdom of Jordan, the Am-bassador of Jordan and Mrs.Nawaf Saraireh will hold areception on Sunday, May25, 2014 from 19:00-21:00hrs, at the Marquee Hall,Marriot.

May 28

A seminar on “The ChangingNature of the Nuclear NonProliferation Debate”, is tobe held at Pakistan Institutefor Parliamentary Services(PIPS) Attaturk Avenue (Ser-vice Road), F-5/2, onWednesday, May 28, 2014from 3:00-5:00 p.m.

May 29

TO celebrate 204th Anniver-sary of the First NationalGovernment the Ambassadorof the Argentine Republicand Mrs. Rodolfo MartinSaravia have arranged a re-ception on Thursday, 29th

May 2014 from 7:00 p.m. to9:00 p.m. at Marquee HallMarriott Hall.

June 6

TO celebrate the RepublicDay and National Day ofNepal The Ambassador andMrs. Bharat Raj Poudyal willhold a reception on Friday 6th

June 2014 from 19:30 hrs to21:30 hrs, at Sheesh MahalHall, Serena Hotel.

Singers performing during the anti-dengue public awareness campaign organized by CAD at F-9 Park.

Students belonging to Waziristan protesting in favour of their demands, outside the press club.

Labourers busy in loading trees on a truck. Hundreds of trees have been cut during the work on Metro bus project.

115 tyre shops,junkyards sealed infour months underanti-dengue drive

RAWALPINDI—EnvironmentProtection Agency (EPA) underits ongoing anti-dengue drive,sealed 115 premises includingtyre shops and junkyards afterfinding them a potential hub fordengue larva breeding duringlast four months.

Talking to APP, DistrictOfficer Environment, MianMohammed Nawaz said EPAteams conducted special raidsand inspected 2347 tyre shops,junkyards, nurseries, underconstruction sites, godownsand other vulnerable placesduring the period and took ac-tion in accordance with the lawagainst the rules violators.

Final notices were also is-sued and the owners of tyre shopsand junkyards were directed totake solid steps to remove stag-nant water otherwise strict actionwould be taken. During the in-spection, he said, although EPAteams found no dengue larva butall possible measures were be-ing taken to keep the surround-ings clear of dengue mosquito.

He informed that EPA re-moved stagnant water from alarge number of dengue breedingsites.—APP

STAFF REPORTER

RAWALPINDI—Chairman Metro Bus Service ProjectImplementation Committee and former MNAMuhammad Hanif Abbasi has said that Metro Bus Ser-vice is a public welfare and utility project, which will becompleted within the scheduled time.

He said that all utility departments should expeditework for shifting of utility services coming on the routeof Metro Bus Service and the departments should en-sure coordination among them as no negligence or slack-ness would be tolerated in this regard.

Abbasi said the departments should provide a cleartrack to the companies engaged in construction work ofthe Metro Project in all its eight packages in Rawalpindiand Islamabad. He further said that contractor compa-nies should ensure immediate removal of debris, mudand removal of dust along besides maintaining speedypace of construction work so that difficulties of the citi-zens are minimized to the maximum.

He stated while presiding a meeting of representa-tive officials of utility departments, contractors, admin-istrative and other departments concerned to reviewpace of work on Metro Bus Service Project inRawalpindi and Islamabad held at Convention CentreIslamabad. Co-chairperson of Implementation Commit-tee and Project Director Metro Bus Service/Commis-sioner Rawalpindi Zahid Saeed, former MNA MalikShakeel Awan, Raja Hanif Advocate MPA, senior rep-resentative officers of CDA, Traffic Police, PTCL,CNGPL, NTC, IESCO, RDA, WASA Rawalpindi,NESPAK and departments concerned were also presentin the meeting.

Muhammad Hanif Abbasi said that all public repre-sentatives, government departments and contractorsshould fulfill their responsibilities by working day andnight with regard to construction of Metro Bus Projectand the committee would review the pace of work onthe important mega project on weekly basis, while hehimself would visit construction sites of all eight pack-

ages daily. He added that contractors should expeditepace of work especially in Islamabad along with givingequal attention on removal of mud, debris, and eradica-tion of dust by taking necessary measures in this respectespecially sprinkling of water on the route track MetroBus daily.

He also underlined the need of giving special atten-tion on safety and security measures of labourers in-volved in the construction work.

Commissioner Rawalpindi and Project DirectorMetro Bus Service Zahid Saeed informed the meet-ing that four mechanical sweepers have been pro-vided to CDA as well as Municipal Services Depart-ment Rawalpindi for sweeping and removing duston the bus track.Two out of these has been providedto CDA.

Meanwhile, Senior leader of Pakistan MuslimLeague Nawaz (PML-N), Senator Zafar Ali Shah saidthat Metro Bus service would help facilitate local trad-ers besides boost business activity in the area.

He said the people of twin cities have welcomedthis mega project.

Talking to a private television channel, he said thatthe people from other cities, visiting the twin cities foreducation, business and other purposes would also en-joy modern bus service in this area.

He said that the people belonging to different seg-ment of society appreciated the project which wouldbe completed within the stipulated time frame, headded.

“It is first time in the history of Pakistan that such amega transport project would provide better travellingfacilities to the people of Rawalpindi and Islamabad ar-eas, “ he stated.

Replying to a question he said that measures weretaken to protect the environment of the area.

He said that PML-N government after coming intopower had initiated several public welfare projects toimprove the living standard of the people of the coun-try.

Metro Bus Service is public welfare andutility project: Hanif Abbasi

Metro-bus to boost business activities: Senator

Sevengamblersarrested

STAFF REPORTER

RAWALPINDI—In a crack-down, the police arrested sevengamblers and recovered betmoney Rs 3640, four mobilephones and a bicycle from theirpossession. According to policespokesman, Wah Cantt Policegot information that some per-sons were busy playing cardsin Bajar area.

The arrested were identi-fied as Nazakat, Akhtar Ali,Saleem, Asif, Rafaqat, Arif andAsim. Police have registeredseparate cases under the gam-bling act.

Meanwhile, the police ar-rested 19 outlaws and recov-ered drugs, weapons, bottles ofliquor and a dagger from theirpossession.

ISLAMABAD—PEMRA temporarily suspended transmission ofFM-91 radio Islamabad on account of severe violation of termsand conditions of licence and technical parameters approved byit and Frequency Allocation Board (FAB).

The FM Radio was allowed 50 watts transmit power whereasit was illegally using 1 kw power, said a press release issued here.

Moreover, it had not installed any filter as a result of which

PEMRA temporarily suspendstransmission of FM-91 radio

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan ranks fifth among 22high tuberculosis burden countries in the world,sharing 81 percent of global disease burden.

According to available data, around 420,000people develop active tuberculosis each year inPakistan with having 65 percent case detectionrate.

It said remaining 35 percent of total tuber-culosis patients which is around 147,000 developthe diseases during each year but do not partici-pate in screening programme.

It said this 35 percent patients remain un-diagnosed and unmanaged in the countrywhile tuberculosis is endemic and is one ofthe most common causes of morbidity andmortality.

The international research shows that TBpatients if remain untreated and unmanaged, twothirds of them would die within two to threeyears of disease onset.

Similarly, such patients, who remain un-treated, transfer disease to 10 individuals in ayear and 15-20 years in lifetime of patient.

Pakistan shares 81pc ofglobal TB burden

A public health expert, Dr Sobia Faisal, saidthat delays in diagnosis of tuberculosis after theonset of related signs and symptoms and inap-propriate treatment result in mortality and long-time morbidity.

She said non-participation as well as delayedparticipation of TB suspects in tuberculosis con-trol programme is a daunting challenge for healthauthorities concerned.

She added these unmanaged TB cases causespread of disease in community and also intro-duce much dangerous form of disease which isdrug resistant TB.

In Pakistan, National TB ControlProgramme is implementing WHO recom-mended DOTS strategy where diagnostic andtreatment services including free medicines aregiven to all TB patients free of cost at govern-ment health facilities, she said.

Dr Sobia said that TB is treatable diseaseand person, who develops this, would be 100percent perfect and back to normal if he or shewould undertake proper medication.—APP

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Director General, Federal Judi-cial Academy/ Center of Excellence for Law andJudicial Education Dr Faqir Hussain said thattraining courses in the Academy are devised anddeveloped in such a manner so as to developthose skills which are compatible with the pro-fessional requirements of the workers of the ju-diciary.

He expressed these views in the certificate-awarding ceremony at the conclusion of a weeklong refresher course titled “How to be an ef-fective Nazir/Budget and Accounts Examiner”for Nazirs/ Budget and Accounts Examinersfrom all over Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kash-mir and Gilgit-Baltistan here at the Federal Ju-dicial Academy (FJA)/ the Center of Excellencefor Law and Judicial Education, Islamabad,onSaturday.

He said, “The fundamental aim of this train-ing is to make you more professional and ulti-mately that will improve performance of yourprofessional activities in the field. You got theopportunity to learn about relatively new andadvanced subjects about the budget and ac-counts. You learned about New System of Fi-nancial Control and budgeting, PIFRA, Com-puter applications etc.I strongly believe that such

orientations always improve public financialmanagement. Fundamental and supplementaryfor all government organizations are the same.We at all levels in Pakistan, at federal or pro-vincial, apply those rules. As director general Ialso apply those financial rules. Rules are thesame for all. However, the very purpose of thislike training is also to educate you about the bestaudit and account practices in the world so thatyou bring into your working setup to improvethe efficiency and transparency”.

He said, “This training orientation also pro-vided you the opportunity to visit various partsof Islamabad , and develop professional con-tacts with each other. Such trainings at the fed-eral level are imperative because these trainingsplay a pivotal role to promote national cohesionand consolidation.”

Reiterating the importance of orientation inetiquettes and manners he said, “We are all awareof this reality that etiquettes and manners arenot something new. These are social and moralvalues and ethics those are found in every fam-ily but orientation in theses is very essential forthe workers of Judiciary, the employees of gov-ernment. It sensitizes them how to behave withthe litigant public. It is attitude and behavior ofthe workers of judiciary which can enhance theimage of judiciary.”

FJA Academy committed toenhance professional skills

of Judicial officers: DG

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—For the convenience of air trav-elling passengers, Pakistan Civil Aviation Au-thority (CAA) has introduced a 24 hours toll-free number through which the passengers wouldbe able to enquire about the flight information

and lodge their complaints and suggestions bycalling at 0800-00114.

A press release issued on Saturday said thatCAA is committed to provide all the facilitiesto its valued passengers and this toll-free num-ber facility was an addition to the already avail-able facilities at the airports.

CAA offers toll-free helpline

it was causing severe interference to air traffic control of CivilAviation Authority and could have caused an air crash.

Despite, repeated PEMRA notices, the management of FM-91 did not reduce the power at approved level.

Finally, on the report of Frequency Allocation Board, PEMRAsuspended transmission of FM-91 till the time they reduce powerto approved limit of 50 watt.—APP

ISLAMABAD—Khalid Chaudhry, Senior VicePresident, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce& Industry and Secretary Information, Trad-ers Action Committee, Islamabad hasstrongly condemned the recent bomb blastsin Super Market and G-9 Karachi Company,which have created lot of concerns in thebusiness community.

He called upon the local administrationto beef up the security arrangements in allthe commercial centers of the federal capi-tal because if the wave of terrorist activitieswas not stopped in markets, customers willnot take risk to visit business areas due towhich business activities will badly suffer.Khalid Chaudhry said that the police patrolfrom residential areas and markets has beenwithdrawn and police force deployed in sec-tors has been assigned to VIP duties due towhich city has been handed over to crimi-

nals and street crimes are on the rise.He said even the Red Zone is not safe

now as the recent bomb blasts have occurredwithin areas that are just one kilometer awayfrom President and Prime Minister Houses.He said dozens of vehicles are being stolendaily in the twin cities recovery of which isjust five percent while bank robberies andsnatching money from those who draw cashfrom banks has become almost a daily rou-tine.

He appealed to Ch. Nisar Ali Khan, Fed-eral Minister for Interior and Aftab Cheema,IGP Islamabad to ensure tight security ar-rangements in the markets, increase policepatrol in commercial areas, order thoroughinvestigations against recent bomb blasts andpay compensation to the bereaved family ofSecurity Guard who was killed in the blastin Super Market.—INP

Traders condemn bomb blasts,call for beefing up security

MUZAFFARABAD: Relations of abducted father and son of Neelam Valley staying sit-in here to draw the attention ofgovernment to their plight.

ER RASHID

People have given their verdict - a crushing defeat to the ruling alliance. This isthe people’s rejection of a govt that pre-

sided over the murder of over 100 young in-nocent men in 2010; reinforced culture of im-punity, acted as collaborator in Afzal Guru’shanging, chose to become Congress B team,asked people vote for Rahul instead ofKashmiri dignity and rights, ignored peopleand failed to deliver on basic needs of life,institutionalised corruption, put everything onsale, brazenly violated the rights of commonman and relied on falsehood.

Outcome of parliament elections in 3 seatsof Kashmir valley has made it clear that peoplehad enough of this regime. Apart from gover-nance issues, CM & his party have zeroed inon two main factors that led to their poll de-bacle: Afzal hanging and 2010 civilian killings.But I am grappling whether Afzal hanging wasactually a deciding factor to vote for andagainst. Had it been so PDP should have beendecimated before NCs whitewash?

Isn’t the PDP guilty of sabotaging the reso-lution demanding clemency for Afzal Guru inthe assembly? While the state of India hangedAfzal on Feb. 9, 2013, NC and PDP had givena go ahead for his hanging on 28 September2011 when my resolution was stalled and avery clear message was sent to Delhi Darbar

NC Punished

BAGH: Workers of AJK TEVTA and paramedical staff protesting in favour of their demands.

that NC and PDP are not averse to Afzal’s hang-ing. I had even offered to join PDP if they sup-port my resolution but for them blessings of Delhiwere more important.

But as the election bugle was sounded Afzal,the martyr, was on top of their poll rhetoric -Afzal Guru Yaad thaw PDPeas vote Trav ( Re-member Afzal Guru and vote for PDP) was theslogan during their canvassing. Congratulationsto PDP, its president Mehbooba Mufti, MuzaffarBaig and the giant killer Tariq Kara. The grandold party of Sher-e-Kashmir was routed with just11 percent vote share. ( It’s another story thatBJP has largest vote share in J&K, 32 percent,followed by Congress at 22 percent and PDP isjust a step behind Congress).

With low voter turn out and boycott in thevalley, technically BJP can now claim to be thereal representative of people of J&K. Neverthe-less, people have given a mandate to only twoparties PDP and BJP with 3 seats each, PDP willbe the only voice from Kashmir in the parliamentto represent Kashmir and deliver on the promisethey have made, including positioning itself onthe side of Afzal Guru. It’s time for PDP to proveitself or face rout in next elections. People havepunished NC for their lies and unkept promises.

Let PDP MPs bring back Afzal’s mortal re-mains whose hanging was their central elec-tion slogan. Let us see how many times theywill agitate inside parliament and compel NDAgovt to return Afzal’s body so that the familyand people of Kashmir perform his last rites. Ithink it should not be difficult for the PDPsince they have been praising NDA.

Well, I had made a solemn pledge withmyself that if elected I would sit on fast untodeath at parliament until Afzal’s body wasreturned. Alas, I lost and came 4th inBaramulla constituency. Let PDP MPs con-vince and compel the union govt to punishkillers of innocent people in 2010. The armyand CRPF killed most of the people. Let themcompel GoI to reopen Pathribal case and pun-ish army officers who were indicted by CBIprobe. Let them give justice to KunanPoshpora case and other such cases. Let themtalk about self rule and their slogan of dualcurrency so that trade between two parts ofKashmir flourishes.

While my offer to join PDP in 2011 if theysupport to Afzal’s clemency resolution, hasshown me the real face of the Big parties likePDP with big ambitions, I’m again offering tojoin PDP if they respect the public mandateand succeed to bring back Afzal’s body, fulfiltheir promises and give justice to victims of2010, Pathribal and Kunan Poshpora.

—Courtesy: Greater Kashmir.

BARAMULLAH—In occupied Kashmir,the veteran Hurriyet leader, Syed AliGilani has said that the puppet ChiefMinister, Omar Abdullah, instead oflearning lessons from his party’s hu-miliating defeat in the recently-heldso-called Indian Parliamentary elec-tions, continues to pursue oppressivepolicies.Syed Ali Gilani in a statementissued in Srinagar said that boycott-ing elections was the democratic rightof every citizen but Kashmir was theonly region in the world where the au-thorities deemed it to be a crime to bepunished with arrests, torture and ha-

Gilani flays Omar’s oppressivepolicies in IHK

rassment.“It seems that Omar Abdullah has

not learned any lesson despite a humili-ating defeat and he is still following thesame policies responsible for his party’sdebacle,” Gilani maintained. Quoting adelegation of people from Baramullatown, the veteran Hurriyet leader saidthat the only police station of the townhad been literally converted into an in-terrogation centre and dozens of youthdetained there were being subjected tocustodial violence. “When the familiesof detained youth visit their loved ones,they, too, are humiliated,” he deplored.

Syed Ali Gilani expressed seriousconcern over the continued illegal de-tention of Hurriyet leader, Amir Hamza,and his shifting to an unknown loca-tion from Bandipora police station. Hecondemned the unlawful imprison-ment of Hurriyet leaders, ShowkatAhmad Hakeem and Javed AhmadFalahi. The veteran leader also con-demned the detention of Abdul RazakDar of Bijbehara in place of his son,Sabzar Ahmad, a Hurriyet activist. Hedemanded immediate and uncondi-tional release of all illegally detainedHurriyet leaders and activists.—KMS

Fidayeens make securitytask difficult: NSG chief

JAMMU—Majority of the 200-250 militantsoperating in Jammu and Kashmir were“fidayeens” or suicide attackers whichwas making the task of ensuring security“more difficult”, a top official of elite anti-terrorist agency NSG said. “In Jammu andKashmir, the number of militants is be-tween 200-250 but you have a large quan-tum of force deployed there. From Paki-stan-based outfits, the effort continuesto send in more militants,” the official said.

“The problem today is that it is moreof fidayeen-kind of attacks. These are mili-tants who come prepared to kill, causedestruction and to die. That is why de-fence becomes that much more difficult,”National Security Guard (NSG) chief JNChaudhri said here. The NSG directorgeneral was addressing a gathering at the

55th raising day of DRDO’s Laser Scienceand Technology Centre laboratory here.

In his speech, he raised the issue ofvarious low-intensity conflicts in thecountry. Chaudhri said the level of mili-tant violence has dropped if you com-pare to the 1980s, 90s and even the earlypart of this century but the threat of vio-lence remains the dominant feature in sev-eral parts of our country.”

He said terrorist outfits such as theLashkar-e-Toiba and Indian Mujahideenwere operating in mainland India and theirtargets were political and social icons aswell as the common people. “The targetof terrorists is the mind of the people be-cause if they make people feel insecure,they have achieved their target,” hesaid.—KD

Mirwaizdemands

Indian troopswithdrawal

LA S S I P O R A (IH K)— Inoccupied Kashmir, theChairman of All Part iesHurriyet Conference,Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, hasdemanded withdrawal ofIndian troops from the oc-cupied territory.

The APHC Chairmanaddressing a gathering inSrinagar expressed griefover the recent death of agirl who died as a result ofexplosion of a shell inLassipora area near TosaMaidan army firing range inBadgam district. He saidthat during military exer-cises scores of shells re-main unexploded whichlater cause death and inju-ries to people living in thevicinity.

He said that the processof withdrawal of troopsshould be started from TosaMaidan itself.The Mirwaiztermed as blatant lie thepuppet authorities’ claimthat pellet guns were a non-lethal weapon.

“It is highly unfortunateand condemnable that thepolice and paramilitary per-sonnel are deliberately firingpellets into the eyes ofpeople to inflict maximumdamage. Till date aroundhundred persons have losttheir eyes while scores havebecome handicapped by theuse of pellet guns,” headded.

The APHC Chairmandemanding an immediateban on the use of pellet gunsin occupied Kashmir ap-pealed to the internationalhuman rights organizationsto come forward on the is-sue and play their part inthis regard.—KMS

SRINAGAR—Puppet chief minister OmarAbdullah and opposition Peoples Demo-cratic Party (PDP) president MehboobaMufti welcomed on Saturday the decisionof Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif toparticipate in the swearing-in ceremony ofNarendra Modi as Prime Minister of India.“Very glad to hear Pak PM has acceptedinvite, shows that he can prevail over forcesinimical to good relations with India,” Omarwrote on micro-blogging site, Twitter.

“I hope that this will mark a new begin-ning in ties between our two countries. Thepeople of J&K will be watching closely.” Hesaid in another message, “Can’t help feelsorry for others taking oath or attending be-cause the only photo op that will matter nowwill be the Modi-Sharif handshake.”

Omar, Mehbooba hailNawaz consent to Modi invite

In a statement, Mehbooba said the oc-casion would introduce a lot of “positivity”into the relations of the two neighbouringcountries. “Unfortunately, Kashmir has beenthe worst victim of the hostilities betweenthe two,” she said. Mehbooba said whileModi’s initiative of inviting all SAARC lead-ers was a welcome step, the focus of atten-tion remained as to how the Pakistan PMwould respond to the invite.

“Nawaz Sharif by accepting the invitationhas introduced an element of much neededpositivity to the Modi’s stint as the PM,” sheadded. “The new beginning should lead toprogress on resolution of Kashmir and otherissues and the Confidence Building Measures(CBMs) along the Line-of-Control (LoC) needto be carried further.”—GK

Palhalan shutsover youthmartyrdomanniversary

PALHALAN (IHK)—In oc-cupied Kashmir, completeshutdown was observed inPalhalan area of Baramulladistrict to mark the first mar-tyrdom anniversary of ayouth, Hilal Ahmad Rather.Hilal Ahmad Rather waskilled by Indian troops inFateh Kadal area of Srinagaron May 23 last year.

All shops and businessestablishments remainedclosed while traffic was offthe road. People offered spe-cial prayers for Hilal AhmadRather and other Kashmirimartyrs. The puppet authori-ties deployed large contin-gents of Indian police andtroopers in Palhalan to pre-vent people from staginganti-India protests.—KMS

Hurriyat (G)denouncesGeelani’sdetention

SR I N A G A R—Denouncingthe continued house deten-tion of its chairman Syed AliGeelani, Hurriyat Confer-ence (G) has appealed toAmnesty International andother human rights organi-zations to take serious no-tice of his ‘illegal’ detentionand use their influence forhis release. “OmarAbdullah-led governmenthas placed Geelani underhouse arrest from 2010which continues in 2014. Hewas yesterday stoppedfrom offering Friday prayersfor the 5th time in the last 38days,” said Hurriyatspokesman Ayaz Akbar in astatement, terming the gov-ernment action as illegal,unjustified and inference inreligious matters.

“Police have placedGeelani under continuedhouse detention withoutproducing any governmentor court order. Nor has hebeen told under which Actor Section he has been de-tained and what is hiscrime,” said Ayaz Akbar,adding, “Al-though Geelaniwas detained and his activi-ties were restricted in everyregime, but the OmarAbdullah regime has brokenall the previous records onthis count.”—NNI

Six cops injured inpolice, army clash

SONAMARG (IHK)—Atleast six policemen were in-jured after a verbal brawlbetween police and person-nel of Army’s High AltitudeWarfare School (HAWS) atthe tourist resort ofSonamarg turned ugly. TwoArmy men have reportedlybeen arrested after the inci-dent. Reports said a vehicleof HAWS had fled after hit-ting a sumo at SonamargThursday. Soon after theincident, the sumo driverfiled a complaint with localpolice station and the copsswung into action to nab thevehicle.

“When cops spotted theHAWS vehicle nearSonamarg, they stopped itand started inquiring aboutthe hit-and-run incidentfrom the personnel travellingin it,” reports said. “Thecops’ questioning irritatedthe HAWS personnel whostarted shouting at thecops, leading to a verbalbrawl. The HAWS men beatup, abused and attacked thecops, injuring at least six ofthem.” Reports said theHAWS men snatched aloaded rifle from a cop. Later,police raided the HAWScamp at Nilgrar Sonamargand arrested a Hawaldarand a Subedear along withthe snatched rifle. They alsoseized the HAWS vehicle.

The injured cops havebeen identified as ASI AbdulAhad, Constable BilalAhmad, ConstableTabasum Ahmad, ConstableJavaid Ahmad, ConstableAltaf Ahmad and SPO AshiqAshraf. They were rushedto Primary Health CenterSonamarg wherefromTabasum and Ashiq wereshifted to Tauma Hospital

Kangan. Dr Javaid, Super-intendent Trauma Hopsital,said the duo had receivedhead injuries “but arestable.” Soon after the inci-dent, locals staged protestsat Sonamarg market and de-manded action against theerring HAWS personnel.Police have registered caseunder FIR NO 03/2014 un-der sections 452, 392, 147,148, 332 and 307 of the RPC.When contacted, SPGanderbal, Shahid Mehraj,told Greater Kashmir that theHAWS personnel “man-handled our men and wehave taken up the investi-gation.”CNS adds

Reports said Army per-sonnel barged into policestation Sonamarg and re-sorted to indiscriminate fir-ing. “They fired scores ofbullets and some of the bul-lets hit the walls of the po-lice station,” In-Charge Sta-tion House OfficerSonamarg, Irfan AhmedMalik, said. Reports saidarmy men went berserk af-ter coming out from policestation and started beatingeveryone. “I tried to stopthem but they beat me topulp,” Sarpanch SonamargNazir Ahmed told CNS.

Inspector General of Po-lice, Kashmir Zone, AbdulGani Mir said strict actionwould be taken against theerring army personnel. “Wehave sent a team there to as-sess the situation and law willtake its own course,” he said.Srinagar-based Army spokes-person NN Joshi said: “Aclose liaison is being main-tained with the police and thematter is being investigatedjointly. Those found guiltywill be punished.”—GK

BARAMULLA—In occupied Kashmir, se-nior leader of Hurriyet Conference,Shabbir Ahmad Shah, has strongly con-demned the re-arrest of illegally detainedliberation leader, Mushtaq-ul-Islam, byIndian police soon after his release fromBaramulla sub-jail and described it un-lawful and unjust if ied act . ShabbirAhmad Shah in a statement issued inSrinagar said that such cheap tactics byIndia could not prevent the people ofKashmir from continuing their strugglefor securing their right to self-determi-nation.

He also denounced inhuman treat-ment with Kashmiri students in Indianstates and continued arrest of youth inseveral areas of the territory. He said thatthe Kashmiris could not be suppressedthrough such undemocratic means andthey would continue their just struggletil l complete success. Shabbir Ahmad

Shabbir condemnsre-arrest of Mushtaq

Shah also condemned the continued op-pression of family of Peer Ghulam Nabiof Veerinag area of Islamabad by thepuppet authorities. He said that a son ofthe poor Peer family was martyred, an-other son was languishing in jail for twoyears and now his house was beingraided and inmates were being harassed.

Meanwhile, a delegation comprisingHurriyet leaders Muhammad YousufNaqash, Farooq Ahmad Dar, MuhammadIqbal Mir and Molvi Bashir Ahmad vis-i ted the residence of the Jammu andKashmir Democratic Political Movementleader, Shakeel Ahmad Butt, in FatehKadal and congratulated him over his re-lease from six-year illegal detention. Thedelegation on the occasion also de-manded release of all unlawfully detainedHurriyet leaders and activists languish-ing in different jails of India and the oc-cupied territory.—KMS

Women worstsufferers of

Kashmirturmoil: KarraSRINAGAR—Social activistGousia Majeed ofAwantbhawn, Soura hasjoined the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) in presence of thesenior party leader and Mem-ber of Parliament-elect, TariqHameed Karra. Gousia is thechairperson Zainab BloodBank and has been involvedin host of other social activi-ties including women empow-erment.

He said “women of Kash-mir have suffered immenselybecause of the present turbu-lent times. And PDP believesin the empowerment of womenand will involve them in deci-sion making process so that adream of peaceful and devel-oped Jammu & Kashmir canbe realized.’—NNI

JKML condemnsparty leaders

illegal detentionSRINAGAR—In occupiedKashmir, the Jammu andKashmir Muslim League(JKML) has condemned thecontinued illegal detentionof its leaders, HakimShowkat and Moulvi Sajjad,terming it politicalreprisal.The JKML spokes-man in a statement issuedin Srinagar said that pro-In-dia party National Confer-ence-led puppet govern-ment was perpetrating innu-merable atrocities on thepeople of Kashmir and nowOmar Abdullah was openlyadmitting it.—KMS

SONAMARG (IHK)—‘Unbridled’ IndianArmy personnel went on rampage in tour-ist resort Sonamarag in Central Kashmir’sGanderbal district after entering into a brawlwith some policemen who were manningthe traffic there. Eyewitnesses said scoresof army personnel belonging to High Alti-tude Warfare School (HAWS) Nilgrath wereon board in their five vehicles bearing reg-istration numbers, 091028P, 019510K,018971M, 151614A and 019457K and theygot stuck in traffic jam near Sonamarag.

“There was heavy traffic jam and in abid to regulate the traffic some policemenfrom Jammu and Kashmir police took con-trol of the road. The army personnel fromHAWAS asked policemen to clear the roadfor them while the policemen requestedthem to wait till the traffic chaos is over.

Indian Army went on rampage inKashmir, attacked police station

Some of the army men could not digest the‘diktat’ of the cops and started abusingthem. In the meantime, a cop namely JavidAhmed (549 gbl) entered into an argumentwith the army men and it took an ugly turnwhen all of a sudden scores of HAWASpersonnel came down from their vehiclesand chased away policemen,” an eyewit-ness Ghulam Nabi said.

Reports said that Army personnel bargedinto police station Sonamarag and resortedto indiscriminate firing. “They fired scoresof bullets and some of the bullets hit thewalls of police station Sonamarag,” InCharge Station House Officer SonamaragIrfan Ahmed Malik told CNS. A policemanfrom Sonamarag police station told CNS thatthe ‘unbridled’ army personnel thrashed allthe policemen mercilessly.—NNI

Economic depres-sion cannot be

cured by legisla-tive action or

executive pro-nouncement.

Economic woundsmust be healed bythe action of thecells of the eco-nomic body - theproducers and

consumers them-selves.

—Herbert Hoover

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—The government should fully patronizethe Chemical Industry by giving special incentivesand facilitating the import of modern technology.This was the upshot of the speeches delivered ata seminar “Exploring Technology Potentials for Im-port Substitution of Chemical Intermediates” or-ganized by the LCCI Standing Committee on Chemi-cal Dyes. Chief Executive Sitara Chemical Indus-tries Mian Muhammad Idrees,

The LCCI President Engineer Sohail Lashari,Senior Vice President Main Tariq Misbah, VicePresident Kashif Anwar, Chairperson of the Com-mittee Nabila Intisar, CEO Institute of ResearchPromotion Abid H K Shirwani, Abrar Ahmad, ProfDr Irfan Nadeem, Dr Ahmad Adnan, Dr NaveedUmer, Dr Ansar Yaseen and former President MianAnjum Nisar were among the speakers.

The speakers were of the view that the gov-ernment should make long term policies for thedevelopment of chemicals as Chemical sector playsa pivotal role in the economic development of anycountry. Pakistan has not yet been able to take theadvantage of this opportunity. The global trade ofchemical sector is around 10% of the total world

LCCI demands growth of chemical industry through special incentivestrade whereas in case of Pakistan it constitutesonly 2.1% of our exports. “To meet the rapidly in-creasing requirement of chemicals, dyes and pig-ments, industrial raw materials and other alliedchemical products, it has become important to de-velop chemical and petrochemical industry in Pa-kistan.”

They said that locally available resources ofnatural gas, petroleum and coal are being usedonly to meet the energy requirement of the coun-try. They have not been utilized for the manufac-turing of chemicals where more value addition ispossible. There is a vast potential to manufacturechemical from large reserve of indigenous coal androck salt. Most of the raw materials and intermedi-ates for dyes and pigments paints and varnishes,pesticides and plastics and plasticizers are beingimported. These raw materials and intermediatesmainly belong to or derived from petrochemicals,which have no base in Pakistan.

The import data shows a large number of in-termediates are being imported. Resultantly, andhuge revenue of the country is expended on theimport of these chemical intermediates. Pakistanis blessed with rich resources and Pakistan island of opportunities, therefore, it is need of the

hour to explore and exploit these resources. Astrong and organized chemical institutionsneeds to be established where state of the arttechnologies should be made available fullypatronizes at government level. Speaking on theoccasion, the LCCI President Engineer Sohaillashari said that the Lahore Chamber of Com-merce and Industry was striving to convince thegovernment that all the economic policies shouldbe made in consultation with the stakeholdersas in the modern world Public Private Partner-ship is being encouraged to achieve economicprosperity. He said that it was an age of deregu-lation and facilitation and therefore the govern-ment should give due weight to private sectorin the policy making process.

Engineer Sohail Lashari said that the LCCI hadalways called for adoption of new technologiesthat are in vogue in the modern world. He said thatit was surprising that India was exporting variouschemicals to the tune of USD 15.2 billion. SimilarlyChina has attained the level of exporting chemi-cals worth USD 40.4 billion. In contrast to that theshare of Pakistan in exports of chemicals is negli-gible. Engineer Sohail Lashari said that there wasa lot of room of improving the standard of locally

produced chemicals which are in a way price com-petitive against the imported ones but do not com-pete well on quality.

He said that standardization and branding isthe need of the hour in this sector. The majorbrands of Pakistan should spearhead the effort ofdiversifying the production capacity of local manu-facturers of chemicals. The LCCI President saidthat there was a need to share technical knowl-edge and also emphasize on certification so thatthe level of acceptability of indigenously pro-duced chemicals could be improved.

Joint ventures with renowned internationalbrands can bridge the gap of technology. Thegovernment must play supportive role in thisconnection. He said that the availability of mod-ern laboratories is must to ensure the qualityparameters of chemicals. Our major cities havesound network of labs but in small cities, thechemical manufacturers have to compromise onthis aspect. And, he said, through public pri-vate partnership, we can address the issue oflabs and hence improve the standard of ourchemicals. There is a huge demand of organicchemicals world over. Pakistan has sound baseto be a good competitor in this field.

LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Labour & Human Resources, Raja Ishfaq Sarwaraddressing to a seminar on textile sector.

KARACHI: National Re-Unification Day of Yemen was celebrated by Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Hon. Consul General ofYemen in Sindh. Photo Shows Ambassador of Yemen Abdo Ali Abdul Rehman cutting cake with Federal MinisterTextile Senator Abbas Khan Afridi, Sr Minister Education Nisar Khoro, President FPCCI Zakaria Usman, Ambassa-dor of Philippine Domingo D Lucenario, Hon. Consul Feneral Morocco Ishtiaq Baig, UK Dy Head of Mission, ConsulsGeneral of Germany, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

LAHORE—Pak-India Business Council(PIBC) has congratulated Indian Prime Min-ister-elect Narendra Modi and expressedhope that his administration would work forstrengthening business and trade ties withregional countries specially Pakistan. Chair-man PIBC Noor Muhammad Kasuri said thishere on Saturday. He said that Modi’s partyBJP has won trust of people to bring eco-nomic prosperity in India and it is possiblethrough promotion of regional trade ties.

He expressed hope that corporate sec-tors in India and Pakistan would play a veryimportant role in promotion of regional trade

PIBC eyes advancementof Pak-India trade ties

and business relation. He said that boththe countries can share expertise in educa-tion, health, infrastructure development,railways and other public utilities. He wasconfident that under the leadership ofMuhammad Nawaz Sharif and NarendraModi both the nations would furtherstrengthen their friendly relations and usetheir resources for socio, economic upliftof their people.

Kasuri said that services of PIBC andIndia Pak Business Council (IPBC) are avail-able to facilitate the businessmen of boththe countries to promote trade. —APP

Samsung smartservice zoneStaff ReporterLAHORE—SamsungElectronics has launchedits first Samsung-SmartZone customer servicecenter in Lahore today. Aspecial inaugurationceremony was held today,at the first Smart Zonecustomer service centerlocated on the Lahore roadbehind the City Zoo.Samsung’s ManagingDirector, Mr. John Parkattended the ceremony asthe Chief Guest andaddressed the gathering.Mr. John Park said; “Thefirst Samsung Smart ZoneCustomer Service Center isa model of the company’scontinuous strive forproviding efficient andeasy customer services.Samsung is committed toprovide the Pakistaniconsumers with the bestpossible consumerexperience. The center willcater all Samsung’sconsumer electronicproducts”.

Warid celebrates9 years in PakLAHORE—Warid Telecom,celebrates its 9th anniver-sary today. In all theseyears, company has shownsolid results while it hasconstantly focused on itscustomer oriented servicesand innovative approach.Expressing gratitudetowards Warid customersand employees, Mr.Muneer Farooqui, CEOWarid Telecom, said “Weare standing on solidground in the 9th year,while establishing a strongfoundation for futuredevelopment. The biggestachievement, which makes“Warid” what it is today, isits dedicated employeesand loyal customers. Ourservice philosophy makesa solid difference in ourlevel of services; it is at theheart of our success. Thestats of a recent 3rd partysurvey reveal that 97% ofWarid customers arehappy with the quality ofnetwork service providedby the company. Waridoutscored other cellularoperators by having moresatisfied customers.—PR

PMEX launches cost-free Android appKARACHI—PakistanMercantile ExchangeLimited (PMEX) haslaunched a free of costAndroid application for itsbrokers. This has beendeveloped by in-house ITTeam of the Exchange byintegrating two of itsexisting trading systems,namely Trader AccountManagement System(TAMS) and Clearing,Settlement & Reporting(CSR) system. Introductionof this application is part ofPMEX strategy toinnovate and provide user-friendly services to thebrokers. With thisapplication, brokers will beable to perform six criticallyimportant functions usingtheir mobile device. Thesefunctions are: 1) Activationand suspension of traders,2) Setting up auto liquida-tion thresholds, 3) Raisinga fund request, 4)Providing fund approval,5) Allocating funds and 6)Activation and suspen-sion of users’ accessrights.—PR

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—The Lahore Chamber of Com-merce and Industry (LCCI) took a strongexception to the Federal Board of Revenue(FBR) for its proposal to impose one percent Special Excise Duty on the import andlocal manufacturing of goods in the upcom-ing budget (2014-15) and said that any suchmove would be resisted tooth and nail.

The LCCI President Engineer SohailLashari said that the imposition of SpecialExcise Duty would further strengthen blackeconomy besides making smuggling feasibletherefore it would be wiser on the part of theFBR to withdraw the proposal. The LCCIPresident said that the SED would give asevere blow to all government efforts aimedat raising the level of ease of doing businessas it would be introducing a parallel systemof taxation whereby the businessmen wouldhave to do double documentation to satiatethe requirements of the taxing authorities. Itseemed that the proposal to impose SpecialExcise Duty was launched by the bureau-cracy to hide its failure over the expansion inthe tax net, the LCCI President added.

He said that the FBR should focus on

LCCI resents 1pc SED proposalthree areas including under-invoicing,smuggling and expansion in the tax net in-stead of twisting the arms of the existingtaxpayers. Engineer Sohail Lashari said thatall over the world in general and in the lead-ing economies in particular, the stakehold-ers are taken on board well ahead of imple-menting any specific economy relatedpolicy but unfortunately, the situation inPakistan was the other way round. He saidthat at this point in time when the economyhas just started coming out of woods, therewas hardly any justification for creatingtroubles for the compliant taxpayers andabove all the SED was bound to jack upthe cost of doing business.

“Actually, the cost of doing businessshould be higher for the unregistered per-sons but proposals are being sent to theFinance Ministry to punish registered per-sons who are performing their national du-ties diligently.” Engineer Sohail Lashari saidthat since, the coming budget is the sec-ond budget of the present governmenttherefore it is hoped that all measures wouldbe taken to keep the economy on rails byfocusing on the expansion of tax base, con-trolling under invoicing and smuggling.

MULTAN—Federal Minister for Food Se-curity and Research Sikandar Hayat Bosansaid that Pakistan would take tough deci-sions to enhance mango export. Address-ing a seminar by the Fruits Exporters Asso-ciation here, Sikandar Hayat Bosan said aban on Indian mangos due to fruit- fly is-sue in the European Union had providedan excellent opportunity to Pakistani grow-ers to grab market.

He added that tough decisions couldreduce export but all possible measureswould be taken to avoid a ban on exports.Bosan urged the farmers to be highly care-ful of mango fruit fly because it was themain issue behind its export in Europeanmarket. He urged them to nurture theirmango orchards properly and follow in-structions of experts to tackle fruit- fly. He

Govt working to enhancemango export: Bosan

added that a special campaign was inprogress in the country to sensitise grow-ers about issues of fruit fly.

He also urged traders and exporters tofollow standards of exports to capture newmarkets and earn a good name to Pakistan.About cottonseeds, he said a bill on theseed policy would be tabled in the NationalAssembly after its approval by the cabinet.He said that sellers of spurious seeds wouldbe fined up to Rs 200,000 besides six monthsimprisonment. He said that work on a newbill on patent rights was also in progressand would be presented very soon. Hehoped that renowned companies of theworld would provide standard seed afterthe passage of the bill of patent rights. Theminister said the government was workingfor the welfare of small farmers.—Agencies

Centre forPolicy Studiesholds seminar

ISLAMABAD—The Centrefor Policy Studies organizeda one-day seminar on “Man-aging Exchange Rates in anUnstable Environment”.The speakers included, Mr.Shaban Khalid, PresidentIslamabad Chamber of Com-merce and Industry, RajaAmer Iqbal, ex-Senior VicePresident, Rawalpindi Cham-ber of Commerce and Indus-try, Shahid H. Kardar, ViceChancellor, BNU, and SakibSherani, CEO, Macro Eco-nomic Insights.

They expressed theirviews on the present statusof the exchange rates and itsimplications for the industryand economy as a whole. Theindustry representatives saidthat in the short run the ap-preciation of the currency mayhelp in stabilizing different sec-tors of economy, particularlythe manufacturing sector anddebt repayments. However,they stressed the need to takethe realistic view of the under-lying conditions of the Paki-stani economy, such as the lawand order situation, energyshortages, twin deficits. Theyargued that it was essentialthat we put in order the macroindicators first in order to pro-mote the large scale manufac-turing sector and eventuallythe export sector. This wouldlead to easing of the currentaccount deficit whereby ex-ports will pay for the imports.They emphasized the re-prioritization of expenditures– roads vs the energy provi-sion to overcome productiv-ity gaps and enhance exports.

Mr. Shahid Kardar ex-plained the recent develop-ment, which led to the appre-ciation of the exchange rate.However he warned that inthe medium term it will revertback to a steady depreciationdue to the low levels of pro-ductivity, higher inflationcompared to the trading part-ners, repayment of externaldebt, interest rate s in the de-veloped countries etc.—PR

LAHORE—Massive decline in textile ex-ports in April, both in value and quantity, isalarming and this trend is likely to continuein future unless the industrial crisis is ad-dressed. Textile exporters have been fore-warning the Government about the fastlooming crisis, but no steps have so farbeen taken to ratify the situation.

Talking to media, Sheikh Ilyas Mahmood,Chairman and Adil Tahir, Vice Chairman Paki-stan Textile Exporters Association, saidachieving target to double the exports appearsto be a Herculean task in the perspective of14.60 percent drop in textile exports in Aprilover the previous month. Numbers of com-ing months might be even worse, as the tex-tile industry in Punjab is in grip of severe cri-sis. Giving details, they said country exportedtextile goods worth USD1.054 billion in Aprilas against exports of USD1.235 billion inMarch showing a hectic decline of 14.60%.

Textile exports decline likely to continueTextile exports were also down by 6.08%

on comparison with same month of previ-ous fiscal year, they added. Export of value-added items also witnessed negative growthas garments down by 13.11%, knitwear5.55%, bed wear 13.61% towels 18.39% andMade ups 20.94%. Slow poisoning of na-tional economy is being precipitated due tothe non-serious attitude of the government,as exports of the country are heading to-wards collapse after visible decline, they said.

Mentioning the energy crisis, they saidsummer has been started, but still 33% gas isavailable to industries in Punjab. Similarly, themenace of power load shedding is plaguingthe industrial sectors. Textile exporters werepinpointing the root causes of industrial de-cline with repeated requests for necessary re-medial steps, but Government remained mumand no proper strategy was carved out to savetextile sector from crisis, they said.—Agencies

OBSERVER REPORT

KARACHI—Energy crisis inPakistan can be attributed toa number of factors includ-ing mismanagement, declinein new discoveries, lack ofpublic awareness, slow re-covery of dues and massivepopulation shift to urbancenters. This was the gen-eral perception of the pan-elists belonging to SSGCand Dawood University ofEngineering and Technol-ogy (DUET) at a panel dis-cussion organized bySSGC’s Corporate Commu-nication Department, in col-laboration with the engi-neering university.

The discussion washeld at the DUET Campusand is part of SSGC’s ongo-ing drive to create aware-ness in educational institu-tions about energy related

SSGC, DUET discuss solutionsto overcome energy crisis

issues including the de-mand-supply shortfall andidentifying solutions to re-solve the crisis. FromSSGC’s side, panelists in-cluded Shoaib Warsi, SGM(Transmission) and SaeedLarik, DGM (Distribution).DUET was represented byits faculty members SalimMughal, Bharat Kumar andSikandar Abbasi. Dr.Faizullah Abbasi, Vice Chan-cellor DUET was the guestof honour.

The panelists said thatthe primary causes of en-ergy crisis can be attributedto changing governmentpolicies, shifting politicalenvironment, complex regu-latory framework and lawand order situation thathave hampered related de-velopment work in many ar-eas. One panelist empha-sized on community-based

solutions and said that or-ganizations can adopt vil-lages and turn them intoself-sufficient communitiesinvolved in generating theirown energy.

SSGC’s Shoaib Warsi,SGM (Transmission) saidthat apart from the conven-tional resources, the gas util-ity has been focusing onworking towards importingLNG and setting up Syn-thetic Natural Gas plants inareas far away from the dis-tribution grid. The panelistswere of the view that the keyto solving the current crisislay in focusing not just onmacro level energy projectsbut on smaller schemes toreach out to a wider networkof customers affected by thecrisis. They said that so farthe focus has been on chas-ing conventional resourcesin mitigating the crisis.

CommissionerChamber Liaison

Committeeformed

KARACHI—A Commis-sioner Chamber LiaisonCommittee headed byCommissioner KarachiShoaib Ahmed Siddiquihas been formed to ad-dress businesscommunity’s issues re-garding secsrity and civicfacilities.

The committee willcomprise Karachi Cham-ber of Commerce and In-dustry (KCCI) PresidentAbdullah Zaki and mem-bers Junaid, ShahzadMobin, Zahid Iqbal andArif Chamdia. Speaking ata meeting with KCCI mem-bers on Saturday, Commis-sioner Karachi ShoaibAhmed Siddiqui said thatthe government will pro-vide maximum facilitiesand incentives to indus-trialists and investors andaddress their problems tostrengthen economy andcreate job opportunities.

Director Local Govern-ment Commissioner OfficeKarachi Rubina Asif will bethe committee’s coordina-tor and focal person fromthe Commissioner Office.Assistant CommissionerSajjad Abro and DirectorMedia CommissionerKarachi MuhammadShabih Siddiqui were alsopresent. The commissionersaid that this is for the firsttime that such a committeeby the city administrationhas been formed to re-volve the problems of thebusinessmen.—APP

Pak businessmenshould activelyparticipate inIstanbul Expo

HYDERABAD—The Re-gional Director Pak TurkInternational Schools andColleges Ali Yilmaz hascalled upon the businesscommunity of Pakistan tofully take part in two dayslong World Trade Bridge2014. The World TradeBridge 2014 is being orga-nized by the Confederationof Businessmen and In-dustrialists of Turkey(TUSKON) at Expo CentreIstanbul from June 18,2014.

He emphasized thiswhile holding meeting withthe Senior Vice PresidentHyderabad Chamber ofCommerce and IndustryTurab Ali Khoja here atHCCI Secretariat the otherday. He informed thatTUSKON is regularly orga-nizing the World TradeBridge two times in a yearaimed to bridge the gap be-tween the industrialist,traders and growers ofTurkey and the world in-dustrialists and traders.The Pakistan traders, in-dustrialists and growersshould participate in thetrade bridge so that theboth countries could fur-ther strengthen the traderelations, he added.

He said that interestedtraders, industrialists andgrowers should contactwith the organizers so thatthey could be able to getvisas and tickets witheasy procedure. Ali Yilmazinformed that objective ofhis visit to HCCI was notonly to enhance the tradequantum between the twocountries but also extendcooperation in the educa-tion sector.—APP

Currency Selling Buying

USA 98.60 98.40

UK 166.35 166.01

Euro 134.60 134.33

Canada 90.52 90.33

Switzerland 110.19 109.97

Australia 91.14 90.95

Sweden 14.94 14.91

Japan 0.9689 0.9670

Norway 16.56 16.53

Singapore 78.73 78.57

Denmark 18.03 18.00

Saudi Arabia 26.29 26.24

Hong Kong 12.72 12.69

Kuwait 349.86 349.15

Malaysia 30.73 30.66

Newzealand 84.50 84.32

Qatar 27.08 27.03

UAE 26.84 26.79

Kr. Won 0.0963 0.0961

Thailand 3.032 3.025

AMANULLAH KHAN

KARACHI—The Union of Small andMedium Enterprises (UNISAME) hasinvited the attention of the govern-ment of its promise in the SME policy2007 of empowering the sector withits own ombudsman. The SME unitsare subject to visits by different agen-cies and the inspecting officers pin-point several rules and regulationsand subdue the entrepreneurs by scar-ing them with sections of law whichare not applicable for SME units andcottage industries.

The inspectors give the impres-sion that some big violation has takenplace and treat irregularities as illegali-ties. Non-renewal of a license is an ir-regularity and not having a license isan illegality but the departmental of-ficers scare the SME units to extractunlawful gains and it is very impor-tant for the sector to have an ombuds-man to protect the SMEs.

President UNISAME ZulfikarThaver said being impressed and in-spired by the services provided to thecommon man by the ombudsman, theSmall and Medium Enterprises (SME)Policy 2007 made by the Small andMedium Enterprises Development Au-thority (SMEDA) Ministry of Indus-tries and Production, Government ofPakistan, envisaged and recommended

UNISAME calls for govt attentionto empower SME sector

the appointment of an SME Ombuds-man to represent the interest of thesmall business community by investi-gating and addressing complaints ofmaladministration or violation of rights.The typical duties of an ombudsmanare to investigate complaints and at-tempt to resolve them, usually throughrecommendations.. Ombudsmen some-times also aim to identify systemic is-sues leading to poor service orbreaches of people’s rights. In somecountries the ombudsman also pro-mote and protect human rights.

The small businessmen communityis facilitated by the ombudsman and isoffered help and support against griev-ances, which are redressed after inves-tigation, and the departments are is-sued instructions if the complaint isgenuine. The various departmentssometimes bother the SMEs and theirinspection teams which visit the SMEunits and find fault to penalize them bysometimes misinterpreting the laws forillegal gratification. If the entrepreneuris convinced that the officer is tryingto get the better of him then the entre-preneur can lodge a complaint againstthe behavior of the officer or inspector.

The SME feels confident, securedand comfortable that no governmentofficer can trample his/her rights andbehave high highhandedly for surelythe aggrieved can lodge a complaint

with the ombudsman and will get re-lief free of charge. In fact till such timean SME ombudsman is appointed un-der the SME policy a working arrange-ment can be made with the provincialombudsmen to entertain complaints ofthe business community and a sepa-rate desk be provided for prompt re-dress for complaints of the sector.

UNISAME has informed the SMEsector about the role of the different om-budsman available for seeking redressfor their grievances. Besides the provin-cial and federal ombudsman there arefederal tax, banking and insurance om-budsman and the SMEs can file theircomplaints with them relating to the spe-cific grievance and the subject matter.

The ombudsmen are providing spe-cial free of charge services to the ag-grieved and it is very important that thecommon man should know about therole of the ombudsman both provincialand federal and the services providedby their offices. The role of the ombuds-man is remarkable for protection of rightsand redress of grievances but definitelyneeds to be widely publicized. Unfortu-nately the common man does not knowthat he/she can knock at the doors ofthe ombudsman easily without any feesand without an advocate. A complaintcan also be lodged online and this facil-ity offered by the ombudsman alsoneeds to be highlighted.

OBSERVER REPORT

KARACHI—A new report launched todayby the Chartered Institute of ManagementAccountants (CIMA), in collaboration withEY the International Federation of Accoun-tants (IFAC) and the Natural Capital Coali-tion, calls for finance professionals to takeaction and lead the change to prevent theirorganisations failing in today’s ever chang-ing environment.

The report highlights how, despite itsimportance, natural capital is largely ignoredby investors as boardrooms continue to fo-cus on short-term management decisionsand priorities. The true cost to society fromthe impact of business activity on naturalresources is not reflected in corporate ac-counts, a situation made all the more ur-gent by the fallacious assumption of infi-nite resources that currently underpin oureconomic and financial accounting.

Finance professionals, especially thosein leadership roles, have a vital role in help-ing navigate their organisations throughthe challenges and opportunities, which the

HBL, NUST signagreement for

online feescollection

ISLAMABAD—HBL recentlysigned an agreement withNational University of Sci-ence and Technology(NUST) for Internet paymentgateway. This solution willallow NUST to collect fees aswell as endowment fundsonline on their own website,using any debit card or creditcard in secure manner. FaiqSadiq, Head Payment Ser-vices said “HBL is proud tobe a strategic partner withNUST, country’s leading uni-versity with distinguishedplacement in world’s top 500universities. For us at HBL,educational institutions of Pa-kistan are pivotal for their rolein building our next genera-tion, thus education is corefocus of our business.

HBL has specially de-signed innovative productsfor students, to enable themto start managing their fi-nances at an early stage.” Mr.Irfan Akhtar Pro Rector F&INUST added, “The newonline payment solution willnot only benefit the students& parents but also the uni-versity with this online newpayment system, the pay-ment will become easier, con-venient and secure.”—PR

3rd Int’l HalalConferenceconcludesMUZAFFAR ALI

LAHORE—The 3rd Interna-tional Halal Conference con-cluded at the University ofVeterinary and Animal Sci-ences (UVAS) Lahore withsigning of ‘Lahore Declara-tion’, which calls for takingappropriate measures to pro-mote trade of Halal industry,including food and non-foodproducts here on Saturday.Before signing the declaration,representatives of Halal tradeand industry, governmentfunctionaries, organisationsand institutions from Indone-sia, Malaysia, Thailand, SaudiArabia, Kuwait, Oman,Bahrain and Pakistan deliber-ated on the issues of Halaltrade and industry and mea-sures needed to promote it.Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr TalatNaseer Pasha chaired the dec-laration signing ceremony.

The signatories resolvedto strengthen relationshipsamong leaders, economicplanners, producers, consum-ers and to promote harmony,peace, compassion, kindnessamong the stakeholders of Pa-kistan Halal trade industry andthe world by establishingconnectivity between nationaland international markets.They called for creating aware-ness about Shariah principlesand ensure their strict compli-ance. They resolved to dis-charge the bounden duty ofproviding Halal and Tayyubfood and non-food productsnecessary mechanism andmeasures will be adopted toshare with Halal industry theShariah compliant processesas well as quality standards ofproduction of Halal food andnon-food products.

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—A delegation from the GermanFederal Ministry for Economic Cooperationand Development (BMZ) on Saturday vis-ited the Government Technical Training In-stitute (GTTI) Mughalpura, a training facil-ity of the Technical Education and Voca-tional Training Authority (TEVTA) Punjab,which delivers vocational training to youngpeople under the Germany Pakistan Train-ing Initiative (GPATI).

GPATI is a new training approach to-wards creating a demand-driven technicaland vocational education and training sys-tem in Pakistan, which is based on the Ger-man Dual Training System. The Germansystem has been modified and developedinto an appropriate model of cooperativetraining to match Pakistan’s needs for ahighly skilled workforce. The delegation,led by Dr. Stafen Oswald, Regional Head ofthe BMZ for Afghanistan and Pakistan, vis-ited different workshops and met with thetrainers and trainees enrolled in differenttraining courses that are offered underGPATI.

The pilot phase of GPATI is carried out

KARACHI—National Bank of Pakistan(NBP) and Quality Aviation signed anagreement for travel and related services atNBP Head Office. The agreement is signedby Javed Haider, SVP/ LSS&EG on behalfof NBP and Shazil Mehkri Executive Direc-tor on behalf of Quality Aviation PrivateLimited.

The services included but not limitedto that Quality Aviation will be providingbest possible fares with surety on seatconfirmation, 24/7 (round the clock,seven days a week) services, Visa facili-tation services, travel desk placementand ensuring top of the line travel man-agement services. This agreement will beeffective in cost saving and will help in

smooth and transparent ways of work-ing.

During the signing ceremony, Mr. ZubairAhmed, SEVP/Group Chief LSS&EG, SyedIbne Hassan, Divisional Head/ CorporateCommunication and Mr. Khawaja AmjadAhmed from National Bank of Pakistan andMr. Zaki Niazi and Mr. Azam Kazmi fromQuality Aviation were present at the event.Mr. Zubair Ahmed, SEVP/Group Chief,LSS&EG said that, “this is the first step to-wards cost effective travel managementservices along with other number of facili-ties related to travel. NBP is entering intoagreements towards technology, modern-izing its services for the smooth, efficientand transparent processes”.—PR

NBP signs travel services agreement

ISLAMABAD: Irfan Akhtar Pro-Rector F&I, NUST while exchanging documents withFaiq Sadiq, Head of Payment Services, HBL during an agreement ceremony recentlyheld at NUST Islamabad campus.

German delegation visitsGTTI in Lahore

in Karachi and Lahore and funded by theBMZ, while its implementation is managedby the Deutsche Gesellschaft fürInternationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)GmbH. TEVTA Punjab, in December lastyear, has introduced GPATI in Lahore af-ter it had started in Karachi with activeparticipation of national and multinationalcompanies. The Chief Operating OfficerTEVTA Punjab Jawad Ahmed Qureshilauded the support from the German andother European countries for the overallreforms in the technical and vocationaleducation and training. He said poor link-ages between industry and training deliv-ery organizations is one of the major chal-lenges in the TVET system of Pakistan,adding the GPATI programme has openeda window of opportunity to meet this chal-lenge.

In Lahore, over 56 national and multina-tional companies are participating in theGPATI programme run by TVET Punjab. Atthe moment, 500 trainees are enrolled for dif-ferent training programmes at three of theTEVTA Punjab training institutes. Half of thetraining of these trainees will take place inthe companies at real time workplace.

CIMA report warns ofnatural capital depletion

depletion of our natural resources will cre-ate. The report outlines the key steps pro-fessional accountants and others in finan-cial leadership positions should help theircompanies to take in order to integrate natu-ral capital considerations into decision mak-ing, resource allocation and reporting, andto adapt to growing competition for evermore scarce natural resources.

Organisations that respond swiftly, em-bracing opportunities to innovate and man-age their risks, will thrive. Some of these com-panies that are taking a proactive approach,including Dow Chemical, Kingfisher andCoca Cola, are highlighted as examples in thereport. Organisations that do nothing willsuffer from rising input costs, risks to theirsupply chain and reputational damage.Sandra Rapacioli, Head of Sustainability Re-search and Policy, CIMA, said- “Natural capitaldepletion will certainly become one of themost prominent business concerns in the 21stCentury. However it is still an elephant in theboardroom as business leaders continue tofocus on short-term pressures and treat natu-ral resources as if they’re infinite.”

BHURBAN: Secretary TDAP, Mrs. Rabiya Javeria Agha, CBI Experts, ZaheeruddinDar, Fred Janssen Imtiaz Rastgar, senior executives of TDAP and other stakeholdersat one-day session to fetch possible exports options.

LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Agriculture, Malaysia, Dr Afeef Bin Bahadar Dinand Provincial Minister for Religious Affairs, Haji Abdul Malik Qaseem visiting Live-stock Stall at 3rd International Halal Conference & Expo.

OBSERVER REPORT

BHURBAN—CBI, The Dutch Centre for Pro-motion of Imports from Developing Coun-tries and the senior management of TDAPgot together for a day long retreat atBhurban for brainstorming about how toimprove the delivery processes at TDAPfor achieving Pakistan’s target of doublingits exports in the next few years. The ses-sion consisted of Secretary TDAP, Mrs.Rabiya Javeria Agha, stakeholders and se-nior executives of TDAP. CBI Experts,Zaheeruddin Dar, Fred Janssen and ImtiazRastgar moderated the frank and candidsession.

The SWOT awareness resulted in high-lighting gaps in operation procedures, in-ternal and external training of staff as wellas exhibitors, absence of education relat-ing to creation of a cadre seasoned exportexecutive and several guidelines for help-ing TDAP in meeting its mandated objec-tive of spearheading Pakistan’s exports tothe forefront of the global economy. The

CBI, TDAP brainstorm fordoubling Pak exports

getting together of stake holders with thesenior and middle cadres of TDAP in acordial atmosphere, hosted by the CBI, re-sulted in a free and frank exchange of ideaswhich led to a better understanding of is-sues, constraints and some directions onhow to over come these, through bettercoordination and inputs from stake hold-ers.

It was realized that as a facilitator,TDAP’s success depends on the successof the Pakistani exporting community. Thechallenge is how to expand the exporterbase as well as the increase the diversity ofPakistani exports. At the same time, there isa big gap in the curricula being taught inbusiness schools and skill developmentcenters where subjects relating to export-ing skills have been totally ignored. An im-portant issue, which came up, was aboutthe lack of research facilities at TDAP or itsaffiliated government concerns as well asat the stakeholder BSOs. These and sev-eral issues, when addressed, would lead tosustainable growth of Pakistani exports.

Brazilian Embassy provided chance to ambassadors to win a football in cocktail party on Friday night. Forward company of Sialkot introduced Football,which will be played in FIFA World Cup 2014.

KARACHI—Penalty corner striker MubashirHussain hit a brace of goals as National Bankof Pakistan (NBP) clinched their maidencrown in the 33rd edition of National JuniorHockey Championship by dethroningWAPDA 2-0 in the final at the Hockey Clubof Pakistan Stadium on Saturday.

NBP was playing their fifth final. But thiswas for the first time they emerged as the win-ners after securing runners-up position in thepast four finals.

Brilliant Mubashir emerged as NBP heroas he converted two penalty corners in the firstand fourth quarter to give the banker’s re-sounding victory. WAPDA which won the pre-vious four finals were unable to show theirmagic as NBP utilized their chances well.

NBP got off to a dream start whenMubashir Hussain converted the opening shortcorner in the first minutes to the jubilation ofhis team-mates and supporters. He banged inthe second goals in third minutes of the fourthquarter. Sindh Education Minister Dr.SagheerAhmed, who was the chief guest, presented

the winning trophy to NBP captain AteeqAhmed and runners-up trophy to WAPDACaptain Abdul Ahad and distributed the otherprizes. The winners got Rs.200, 000 and run-ners-up collected Rs.150, 000.

Earlier in third place playoff, Punjab Col-ors produced an inspired game to shock for-midable PIA 3-2. Muhammad Sabir was heroin Punjab Colors’ bronze medal triumph asscored the match winning goal seconds be-fore the close.

Consistent forward Abu- Bakr gave histeam a superb start by scoring with a fine fieldeffort in 13th minutes. But their joy was short-lived as Asif Muhammad leveled the termswithin minutes. Match was tied 1-all at thebreak of the first quarter.

It was Muhammad Qasim, who put PunjabColors in front by blasting his team’s secondgoal in 23rd minutes.

Airlines survived some anxious momentsbefore Aamir Hussain gave his team sigh ofrelief by making it 2-2 soon at the start of thirdquarter with a smart goal.—APP

NBP dethrone WAPDA toclinch Junior Hockey c’ship

ATTOCK: State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sh Aftab Ahmed giving away trophy to winning team captain duringAll Pakistan Sh Inayat Ellahi Memorial Football Tournament at Quaid-i-Azam Stadium.

RAWALPINDI: Players in action during Arm Wrestling Championship match in connection with Punjab Youth Festival.

Promotion ofsports activitiesgovt’s priority

ATTOCK—State Minister forParliamentary Affairs SheikhAftab Ahmad said on Saturdaythat promotion of sports activi-ties is govt’s top priority. Ad-dressing a gathering after giv-ing away prizes to the winnerteam of All Pakistan (SheikhInayat Elahi) Football Tourna-ment at Attock stadium he saidthat in Punjab its ample proofis “Youth Festival” being heldevery year.

The State Minister said thatorganizing such events not onlypromote sports but also providehealthy environment to theyoung. The minister said thatconcerned authorities will beapproached to establish footballstadium in Attock. Later SheikhAftab Ahmad gave away tro-phies and medals to the playersof winner and runner upteams—APP

ISLAMABAD—Mohammad brotherson Friday clinched the junior doublestrophy at the AJ Pharma Senior/Jun-ior National Ranking tennis tourna-ment played at the PTF Tennis Com-plex.

In the doubles final, MohammadMudassir and Mohammad Muzammildefeated Nofil Kaleem and ArhamAtiq 6-3, 6-0 in a one-sided match.

Mudassir and Muzammil were inexcellent touch. They played bril-liantly and won the second set with-out conceding a single game.

Top seed Mudassir won the firstset 6-3 by breaking the seventh gameof Nofil. However, Nofil took the sec-

ond set 6-2 by hitting a number ofwinners down the lines. He kept thesame pressure in the final set and thescore went up to four all.

At this stage, Mudassir hit threedouble faults in the ninth game. Nofilwon the final set 6-4 by hitting twoaces.

The thrilling final lasted for twohours and both the players played totheir full potential. Top seed Hamid ulHaq won the senior 35 singles title bybeating Mehmood Khan of Peshawar6-3, 6-3. Hamid used his experienceand kept Mehmood on run throughoutthe match with his powerful forehandand backhand shots. Whereas, Tariq

Murtaza/Hamid-ul-Haq won the 45plus doubles crown by beating Inam-ul-Haq/Musa Khan 6-4, 6-3.

Emerging youngster BarkatullahKhan took the boys U-14 title by beat-ing Saqib Umer of Peshawar 6-2, 6-2.

Both the players displayed qual-ity tennis and the match lasted onehour.

Mahin Aftab won the girls U-18event by winning all her matches dur-ing the round robin.

In her last match, Mahin beat AqsaSajid 6-1, 6-0. Alina Aftab grabbed thesecond place. Retired Major GeneralHaroon Sikandar Pasha graced the oc-casion as chief guest.—APP

Mudassir, Muzammillift doubles trophy

PESHAWAR—Peshawar District Govern-ment School Women Sports Festival underthe aegis of PTI Sport and Cultural Forumwill be commencing from May 28, Secre-tary PTI Sports and Cultural ForumMuhammad Asif Orakzai told APP here onSaturday.

The meeting in this connection was heldhere at Lady Griffith Higher SecondarySchool was held with Principal and Head ofthe Organizing Committee Naheed Umar inthe chair.

Members of the organizing committee,Directors Physical Education, PTIs of allparticipating 63 schools were also present.

The meeting discussed in details waysand means for the smooth conduct for theGames in which for the first time Govern-ment Schools have been involved to that togive ample opportunities to the students tocome up in the main stream at national andinternational levels.

Principal of the Lady Griffith HigherSecondary School on this occasion thankedthe PTI Sports and Cultural Forum for se-lecting the government school for this pur-pose. She assured that the Festival would beorganized in befitting manners in which atotal of five different games comprising Ath-

letics, Netball, Badminton, Table Tennis andRounders would be organized wherein 240female players would participate.

Muhammad Asif Orakzai disclosed thatthey have conducted trials among the stu-dents of all 63 selected school of DistrictPeshawar and formed four teams each ineach of the discipline.

The competitions would be organized forfour days besides colourful opening and clos-ing ceremonies.

He said provincial winner in Qirat, Naat,national songs, national anthem, bands com-petitions will performance in both openingand closing ceremonies.

The Sports Festival will be conductedinside Qayyum Spots Complex. The badmin-ton will be played at Wadood Hall, TableTennis at Lala Rafique Sports Arena,Netball, Rounders and Athletic at mainsports arena of the Qayyum Sports Complex.

Muhammad Asif Orakzai said that Min-ister Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa AmjadAfridi will grace the occasion as chief guestat the opening ceremony on May 28 at 10.00a.m while Minister for Information ShahFarman will be the chief guest at the closingceremony to be organized on May 31 at11.00 a.m.—APP

Women Sports Festival ofGovt Schools from 28 May

Junior summer sportscamp commences

SPORTS REPORTER

LAHORE—The Annual Junior SummerSports Camp to be conducted over 31 dayscommenced at the multi sports arenas ofRoyal Palm Golf and Country Club.

Comprehensive sports training hasstarted in sports like cricket, golf, soccer,tennis, swimming, squash, snooker andother activities related to fitness, martialarts and aerobics.

Kids in the age categories ranging fromfour years to eighteen years have swarmedthe various state of the art sports arenas ofRoyal Palm Golf and Country Club.

The more popular sports that catch thejuniors attention are cricket, golf, soccer,tennis and swimming and kids who seekexpertise number hundreds and they lookso eager to acquire techniques from theskilled coaches in each discipline and be-come champions.

Of course the little ones in the agebracket ten and below are doing it for thefirst time and their love comes from watch-ing sports on TV while the kids aged overten have previous exposure to the basics andseek the champions touch as they applythemselves to fine tune what they alreadyknow. They are fortunate indeed that some

of the really good and dedicated coaches willbe at their beck and call provided they showintensity of approach and respond to whatis taught. In golf the coaches are Col(R)Jameel Khalid, Shahid Javed Khan, an ac-complished golf professional and backed upby the seasoned Siraj Khan.

Cricket coaching will revolve aroundBabar and his team, while the most popu-lar Mehdi heads the Soccer coaching team.For tennis the coaches are GhulamMohammed and Akhter, and Swimmingcoaching team comprises Ruqqia andAneela for ladies section and Zohaib forthe boys section.

In other arenas like squash, snooker,Fitness and martial arts the instructors areFaisal and Asim, Nawaz, ArshadMahmood, and Kabir Butt.

Omer Mir, General Manager, RoyalPalm rightly pointed out that developmentof sports is a priority for us and getting no-ticed on the international front is an aspectthat gets priority. Already Royal Palm GolfCourse has been recognised internationallyas a golf course that stands out in Asia. Hefurther said that the most heartening fea-ture is that parents ,especially mothers areso keen to see their young ones develop intosports personalities.

KARACHI—Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali BhuttoInstitute of Science and Technology(SZABIST) and Institute of Business Man-agement (IoBM) will contest the 12th AKUInter-University Football Tournament finalafter recording narrow wins in semi-finals.

IoBM, who had reached the last four af-ter thrashing Ziauddin University (ZU) 6-1in the quarter-finals the other day, edged pasthosts Aga Khan University (AKU) 1-0 cour-tesy Hamza Shahid’s late strike to seal theirberth in final.

While the first semi-final was a tight one,the other was more open with SZABIST pre-vailing in a seven-goal thriller against a re-silient Bahria University (BU).

Both Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Insti-tute of Science and Technologyand BU hadreached the last-four stage following tensepenalty shootout victories over HamdardUniversity (HU) and the Sir Syed Universityof Engineering and Technology (SSUET) re-spectively.

Their clash too could’ve gone to penal-ties but SZABIST held on in the final few

minutes to win 4-3.Arsal Shakeel gave them a real scare

when he scored twice in the space of a minutewith just 60 seconds to go on the clock butShaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Sci-ence and Technology’s advantage – they hadseized a 4-0 lead by the 40thminute – ulti-mately proved too much.

Goals by Daniyal Qayyam, Hassan Zia,Hassan Rashid and Ali Hassan had givenShaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Sci-ence and Technologya comfortable lead be-fore Shehroze Sheikh sparked a comebackfor BU which eventually fell just short.

On Thursday, barring IoBM’s hammer-ing of ZU, all three games were decided onpenalties. BU won a penalty shootout 5-3against SSUET after the match had ended 1-1 in regulation time.

Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute ofScience and Technologyedged past HU 6-5in another shootout following a 2-2 draw innormal time while AKU won 4-3 on penal-ties after a 1-1 stalemate with the Institute ofBusiness Administration.—APP

SZABIST, IoBM infootball final

Peshawar Badshahadvance in Frontier

FoundationLion Cricket

P E S H AWA R — P e s h a w a rBadshah recorded four wicketsvictory against Hankers club inthe ongoing Frontier Founda-tion Lion Cricket Tournamentbeing played here at Gymkhanaground on Saturday.

Hankers club won the tossand elected to bat first by set-ting up 147 runs target for theloss of all wickets after playingthe allotted 20 overs. Farhanhammered a cracking 61 runsincluding six boundaries,Siddique scored another grace-ful 54 runs including sevenboundaries and two sixes andwere the prominent contribu-tors. For Peshawar BadshahRafi Ullah, Hayat Khan andKhadim took two wickets each.

In reply, Peshawar Badshahchased the required runs targetfor the loss of six wickets afterplaying 17.5 overs in whichHayat Ullah was the prominentbatsman who struck an elegantand vital knock of 89 runs in-cluding nine boundaries, AdilShah made 23 not out whileKhadim made 18 runs respec-tively. For Hankers club Adnanclaimed two wickets whileAsad and Siddique took onewicket each.—APP

Election ofRegionalCricket

AssociationHYDERABAD—The electionfor President Regional CricketAssociation Hyderabad will beheld on July 12 here at NiazStadium under supervision ofPakistan Cricket Board.

According to schedule, an-nounced here on Saturday bythe Pakistan Cricket BoardElection CommissionerAhmed Shahzad Farooq Rana,the interesting candidates canobtain the nomination formsfrom Saturday from the officeof the Manager Niaz StadiumHyderabad.

The candidates can submitthe nomination forms up to June2 at the office of Election Com-mission of Pakistan CricketBoard Headquarters Lahore, hesaid and added that the electionfor the President RCAHyderabad will be held on July12 at Niaz Stadium.—APP

NEW DELHI: China’s women’s badminton team celebrating after defeating Japan in the Uber Cup final at Siri Fort Stadium on Saturday.

Hanif Mohammad sad overMadhav Manti’s loss

NEW DELHI—China swamped Japan 3-1 onSaturday to maintain a stranglehold on thewomen’s Uber Cup badminton team champi-onships by winning their eighth final in thelast nine editions.

The Chinese, who boast of the world’s topthree singles players, showed off their prow-ess in front of a handful of spectators at theSiri Fort complex in New Delhi.

World number one Li Xuerui gave thechampions the lead with a 21-15, 21-5 win overthe 12th-ranked Minatsu Mitani in a one-sidedmatch that lasted just 36 minutes.

Japan drew level through their doubles pairof Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi,who stunned Bao Yixin and Tang Jinhua 21-18, 21-9.

It was the only point the Chinese droppedin the championships after cruising through un-scathed in three preliminary league ties, thequarter-final and the semi-final.

World number two Wang Shixian putChina ahead once again by beating SayakaTakahashi 21-16, 21-12, before Zhao Yunleiand Wang Xiaoli sealed the tie in the seconddoubles match.

The Chinese duo beat Miyuki Maeda andReika Kakiiwa 21-13, 21-6 amidst loud cel-ebrations in the Chinese enclosure that in-cluded men’s world champion Lin Dan. WangShixian said the shock defeat of the Chinese

men’s team by Japan in Friday’s semi-finalserved as an extra motivation for her.

“Yes, I was more motivated because ofthat,” Wang said, speaking through a transla-tor. “It happened to us in 2010 when we lost toSouth Korea in the Uber Cup final and gainedrevenge two years later. “There is so much talkwhen we lose, but that is because we do notlose much.”

Li Xuerui said it had been important forher to win the first match because a good starthelped the team. “I was very focused on mygame,” she said. “There were no special in-structions from the coach.”

Li was delighted to be named the womanplayer of 2013 by the Badminton World Fed-eration even though she had lost the worldcrown to Thai teenager Ratchanok Intanon.

She said the secret of China’s success wasthe confidence they took on court. That wasevident when she fought back from 6-10 downin the first game against Mitani to reel off 12points in a row.

“We believe in ourselves,” she said. “Andthe award was very important for me. It is ahuge recognition for the way I have played inrecent months despite losing the world title.”

China, who first won the Uber Cup title in1984, has now won the championships 13times, including eight in nine outings since1998.—AFP

Badminton: China beatJapan to retain Uber Cup

BIPIN DANI

OBSERVER CORRESPONDENT

MUMBAI—The first question former Pakistanskipper Hanif Mohammad asked when we ap-proached for his comments on Madhav Mantri’sdeath was, “how old was he? He could havecompleted the hundred”.

Hanif Mohammad opened batting for Pa-kistan in Madhav Mantri’s last Test match forIndia at Dacca Stadium (Bangladesh was partof Pakistan in those years) in 1955.

No member of the Indian team is alive ofMantri’s last Test team. “We have lost a pio-neer of Indian cricket. I will be missing suchan important person who was a leading examplefor cricketers in India”.

“He was such a gentleman and served In-dia as a great player and also in the manage-

ment. Deeply saddened by his loss”. “It is abad news for India, bad news for Pakistan andbad news for the world cricket”, HanifMohammad said over telephone from hisKarachi residence.

“I don’t recall the contribution made byMantri in that Test (Madhav Mantri could notopen his account in the first innings and wasout for 2 in the second innings) but I rememberthat he was a very nice person”.

“I was caught by a wicket-keeper in thefirst innings, was it Mantri who kept wickets?”, Hanif asked. Hanif, who scored 12 Testhundreds was reminded that it was not MadhavMantri but Naren Tamhane kept wickets in thesaid Test.

“92 is a good age but I wished he couldhave lived for eight more years”, the 80-year-old Hanif, now being ill, added.

WENTWORTH, UK—Justin Rose Rose madea blistering start to his delayed third round ofthe European PGA Championship at a rain-hitWentworth on Saturday.

The Englishman birdied four of the firstfive holes after beginning the day ten shots be-hind joint overnight leaders Denmark’s Tho-mas Bjorn and Irishman Shane Lowry.

Reigning US Open champion Rose, pre-paring to defend his title in North Carolina nextmonth, climbed up the leaderboard to four un-der. He shrugged off the disappointment of a

dropped shot at the opening hole to then thrillthe home fans with his skill and touch on thegreens.

The 33-year-old seemed to bloom whenthe sun came out as he birdied the par threesecond hole before rattling in a long putt onthe third. He holed fine putts at both the fourth

and fifth to threaten to move into contentionas the leaders waited frustratingly in the club-house for their chance.

Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher and French-men Alexander Levy were other early big mov-ers after heavy rain had caused a three-hourdelay to the start of the third day. The plannedpairs became three-balls with the first golfersfinally hitting a ball in anger at 10:05 am.

The wet stuff, which had drenched the oldcourse, eventually relented but it meant it wasplaying long with less run on the fairways and

greens. Wentworth’s legionof groundsmen and womenworked wonders with theirWater Hogs and squeegies tosoak up much of the rain. Butconditions still suited thelong-hitters with BelgianNicolas Colsaerts helpinghimself to three birdies.

Unfortunately, he mixedit with just as many bogiesand could only manage a 72.Gallacher, however, was notin the mood to switch into re-verse gear after applying theaccelerator. Four birdies infive holes saw him movefrom two over to two under.He was on fire picking upshots at the fourth, sixth, sev-enth and eighth holes.

Levy produced a stun-ning opening volley of bird-ies, nailing four of them fromthe third to the sixth to chargeup to three under for the tour-nament as the fans began todry out a little and were re-warded for their patience.

Australia’s RichardGreen and England’s SimonDyson joined the birdie trailas well with more and moreplayers beginning to feel they

could make an impact on the leaderboard.Green moved to three under with two in hisfirst four holes and Dyson also had a brace ofearly birdies. South African Thomas Aikencrept from four to five under with an openinghole birdie.

Golf: Rose on therise at Wentworth

WENTWORTH: English golfer Justin Rose watches hisdrive from the 4th tee during the second round of the PGAChampionship at Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey.

MONTE CARLO: Lewis Hamilton topped the times again in Saturday morning’s final free practice session for Sunday’sMonaco Grand Prix.

MONTE CARLO—LewisHamilton topped the times againin Saturday morning’s final freepractice session for Sunday’sMonaco Grand Prix, theMercedes driver winding up justahead of Australian DanielRicciardo in the leading Red

Bull after a dramatic hour’s ac-tion.

The championship-leadingBriton, who was the fastest manin Thursday’s opening practicesessions, clocked a best lap ofone minute and 16.758 secondsto set the pace, but only afterlocking up and missing the chi-cane on an earlier fast lap as he,and most other drivers,struggled to find perfection onthe unforgiving barrier-lined cir-cuit.

Thanks to a stunning lap,Ricciardo was only 0.050 sec-onds slower than Hamilton inhis Red Bull ahead of local heroNico Rosberg in the secondMercedes who, watched by hisfather and former championKeke, pushed hard, but alsomade a mistake.

Defending four-time driverschampion German SebastianVettel was fourth in the secondRed Bull ahead of two-timechampion Spaniard FernandoAlonso of Ferrari and MexicanSergio Perez and his Force In-dia team-mate German NicoHulkenberg.

Frenchman Jean-EricVergne was eighth fastest forToro Rosso ahead of his team-mate Russian rookie DaniilKvyat and Dane JanMagnussen, also a rookie, in theleading McLaren.

On a circuit where McLarenhave been majestic victors in thepast, Magnussen’s team-mate2009 champion Briton JensonButton was only 11th while FinnKimi Raikkonen, the 2007champion was down in 16th inthe second Ferrari.—AFP

Formula One: Hamiltonfastest in final practice

Brazil mobilizes 157,000security force for World Cup

BRASOLIA—Brazil said Fridayit is mobilizing 157,000 soldiersand police to ensure securityduring the World Cup, whichopens in 20 days against a back-drop of violent protests andstrikes. The defense ministrysaid it would provide 57,000navy, army and air force person-nel for the event, including21,000 who will be on a state ofalert for situations requiring im-mediate intervention.

The ministry has invested709 million reais ($322 million)since 2012 in modernizing itsforces and preparing them forthe tournament, which runsfrom June 12 to July 13.

Justice Minister JoseEduardo Cardozo said he did notbelieve the recent string of dem-onstrations and strikes acrossBrazil would escalate to thelevel of protests that gripped thecountry last year during theConfederations Cup, a WorldCup dress rehearsal.

Those protests drew a mil-lion people into the street andturned violent at times, embar-

rassing the tournament’s orga-nizers. “Our feeling is that (the

protests) will be smaller than theones last June. But, sincerelyspeaking, we are prepared for

any situation,” Cardozo toldjournalists at a joint press con-ference with Defense MinisterCelso Amorim. The protestersare angry over the more than$11 billion being spent to hostthe World Cup in a country withglaring inequality and pressingneeds in education, health care,housing and transport.

The security forces will bespread among the 12 host citiesand state capitals Vitoria,Aracaju and Maceio, which willall have base camps for teamsplaying in the tournament.

The military will also workwith police to secure the enor-mous South American country’s16,800 kilometers (10,400miles) of borders.

The anti-World Cup pro-tests have shrunk in numberssince last year, but have alsogrown more radical. As the tour-nament approaches, a series ofpolice strikes—plus the threat ofa nationwide strike by federalpolice—have also raised con-

cerns about security in a coun-try with one of the world’s worstcrime rates. Around three mil-lion Brazilians and 600,000 for-eign tourists are expected to at-tend the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Championshipside Watford have signed Bra-zilian goalkeeper HeurelhoGomes on a free transfer fromTottenham. “Heurelho Gomeshas agreed terms on a one-yeardeal at Vicarage Road and willofficially become a Watfordplayer on July 1,” the clubs saidon its website.

The 33-year-old Gomesspent part of last season on loanat German Bundesliga sideHoffenheim. He made 135 ap-pearances for Tottenham over asix-year period having arrivedat White Hart Lane from PSVEindhoven in 2008.

But his last game for Spurswas in November 2011 and hesubsequently lost his place toBrad Friedel and then HugoLloris.—AFP

Chelsea defender Luison his way to PSG

LONDON—David Luiz is on the verge of join-ing Paris St Germain after Chelsea on Fridayrevealed they have agreed a deal to sell theBrazil defender to the Frenchchampions.

Luiz´s move is reported tobe worth a world record feefor a defender of £50 million($84 million, 61 million eu-ros) and the transfer will berubber-stamped once he hasagreed personal terms andpassed a medical. “ChelseaFootball Club and Paris Saint-Germain have agreed termsfor the transfer of David Luizto the French club,” a statement on Chelsea´swebsite announced. “The move is now sub-ject to David Luiz agreeing personal terms withPSG and passing a medical examination.”

PSG representatives are believed to haveflown out to Brazil to complete Luiz´s medi-cal at the World Cup hosts´ training base on

Friday. The French club´swillingness to shatter therecord for a defender was mo-tivated by their desire to seala deal before Barcelona orBayern Munich could swoopfor the centre-back.

A statement on the PSGwebsite read: “Paris StGermain, Chelsea FC andDavid Luiz would like to con-firm that they reached anagreement regarding the termsof an upcoming transfer of the

Brazilian defender that would occur during thenext transfer window which is to start on 10June 2014. —AFP

England´s Fordout of NZ tour

CARDIFF, United Kingdom—Bath fly-half George Ford willmiss England´s tour of NewZealand to undergo shouldersurgery, it was announced Sat-urday.

Ford´s father Mike, the Bathcoach confirmed what had longbeen suspected ahead of sendingout his son to play in the all-En-glish European Challenge Cupfinal against Northampton at

Cardiff Arms Park. Englandback-up No 10 Ford was in lineto start first Test against the worldchampion All Blacks on June 7,with first-choice Owen Farrellunavailable because of Saracens´Premiership final againstNorthampton on May 31.—AFP

MAGNESIUM is a very importantmineral, the second-most abundant within human cells. Some 60%

of it in the human body is contained withinthe bones, over 25% in the muscles andthe rest in soft tissue and body fluids.Learn about the importantfunctions of this essentialmineral and some warningsymptoms of deficiency.

Magnesium plays arole in activating manyenzymes in the body. Italso plays a role in main-taining the electricalcharges of cells, especiallyin the nerves and muscles,and in muscle contractionand relaxation.

Further, this mineral isinvolved in cellular func-tions such as energy pro-duction, cellular replica-tion, lipid synthesis andprotein formation. It evencontributes to bone for-mation, as it helps regu-late calcium metabolism.

Magnesium plays a critical role in hearthealth, contributing to energy productionand heart muscle contraction. By raisingthe solubility of calcium in urine, magne-sium helps prevent the formation of kid-ney stones.

Indeed, magnesium supplementationhas been found to help with preventingkidney stone recurrence.

Research also suggests that dietarymagnesium intake is directly linked to lungfunction and the severity of asthma.

The warning signs that one could belacking magnesium, some of which are simi-

lar to those of potassium deficiency, in-clude: • heart disturbances • issues withnerve conduction and muscle contrac-tion • muscle cramps and spasms • poorcoordination • weakness • chronic fa-tigue • headaches - including migraines

and tension headaches • ap-petite loss • insomnia •cravings for sweets • mentalconfusion • irritability • per-sonality changes • beingeasily stressed

People with low lev-els of magnesium are moreprone to ailments such asinsomnia, premenstrualsyndrome, menstrualcramps, hair loss, swollengums, high blood pressure,kidney stones, heart diseaseand even cancer.

In fact, it has beenfound that persons who suf-fered sudden and fatal heartattacks had very low mag-nesium levels in their hearts.When magnesium levels are

low, a spasm of the coronary arteriescould take place, affecting the flow ofblood and oxygen to the heart — thiscould then trigger a heart attack.

Persons with fibromyalgia andchronic fatigue syndrome are also com-monly found to have low magnesiumlevels. In addition, women with os-teoporosis have been found to havelower bone magnesium levels than thosewithout the condition.

Due to poor food choices, with di-ets lacking in natural whole foods, manypeople do not actually consume enoughmagnesium.

Warning signs you aredeficient in magnesium

AAMIR MAJEED

KARACHI—A new scam of theft hasbeen surfaced in the University ofKarachi (KU) in which a female pro-fessor had accused two male profes-sors for robbing one kilogram gold ofworth Rs 40 million, it is reliably learnt.

However, the varsity high-upshave strongly rejected the claims offemale professor and rejected the al-legations leveled by her against twosenior male professors of the univer-sity.

As per reports, an ex-Dean Fac-ulty of Science and Chairwoman ofDepartment of Microbiology Prof DrNusrat Jameel has accused sittingchairman of the department Prof DrAqeel Ahmed and another senior pro-fessor of the department Prof DrShakeel Ahmed Khan for robbing onekilogram gold of worth Rs 40 millionby breaking locks of her room.

Prof Dr Nusrat Jameel, former sci-ence faculty dean retired in 2012,reached at Mobina Town police sta-

KU professor accuse colleagues of one kilogram gold theft

tion and lodged a case against Chair-man Department of Microbiology ProfDr Aqeel Ahmed and another seniorprofessor of the department Prof DrShakeel Ahmed.

Dr Nusrat Jameel in her statementto police claimed that she kept one ki-logram gold in her office lockup duringher service but as she got retired theadministration of the varsity brokelocks of her room under the supervi-sion of chairman Prof Dr Aqeel Ahmedand Prof Dr Shakeel Ahmed Khan.

She claimed that when she was in-formed that the management has bro-ken locks of her room, she went to var-sity to collect her valuables which shekept in her room but she found all thelocks broken and gold was stolen.

On her complaint, a police party wasrushed to the varsity and inspected theroom of complainant.

The police have collected some evi-dences from her room and started in-vestigation.

“Ex-dean was trying to avengefrom the varsity management for un-

locking her room without her permis-sion,” Prof Dr Khalid Iraqi, who re-cently removed from the post of Ad-visor to Vice Chancellor (VC) on Se-curity Affairs few days before, said.

“Dr Nusrat Jameel got retired in2012 but she was not allowing themanagement to allocate her room toanyone,” Iraqi claimed, adding that“Chairman Department of Microbiol-ogy Prof Dr Aqeel Ahmed went to VCand requested him to get the roomoccupied by Prof Dr Nusrat Jameelevacuated.”

“The VC directed the KU State Of-ficer to unlock her room,” Iraqi said,adding that “The State Officer in pres-ence of senior professors of Microbi-ology department unlock her roomand made a list of luggage which herecovered from her room.”

“No gold was recovered fromcupboards of her room and accord-ing to police the lock in which sheclaimed that the gold was kept wasnot broken since last five year,” Iraqimaintained.

A view of overloaded passenger buses plying on a busy road may cause any mishap and needs the attention of concerned authorities.

Despite the warning board displayed a view of garbage at Dalmia Road creating environment problems.

A Rangers presenting arms recovered from gang war group before media persons atLayari.

KARACHI—Pakistan Textile City(PCT) project will be launched inJuly 2014 and very good responseis expected from the industrialists.

This was informed by ChairmanPCT, Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig duringhis comprehensive presentation toNational Assembly’s standing com-mittee on textile industry at a meet-ing here, which was chaired by HajiMuhammad Akram Ansari, a pressrelease issued said. The 15-mem-ber committee reviewed theprogress in work on Pakistan Tex-tile City.

Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig said that

Pakistan Textile City is a dedicatedtextile industrial zone spreadingover an area of 1250 acres of landnear Port Qasim. The vision behindthis project is to develop and oper-ate value-added textile industries.

He briefed the NA body that thecompany has arranged 50 MW un-interrupted power supply from K-Electric and adequate water supply.SSGC has also approved gas sup-ply to the project for generation butPTC has requested SSGC to allowuse of the gas for dual purpose-gen-eration of power and operation ofboilers in textile units. The case is

with the Ministry of Petroleum andNatural Resources for approval byPrime Minister Muhammad NawazSharif, he said.

Dr. Baig informed that NationalBank of Pakistan has also approvedadditional financing of Rs 1.165 bil-lion to meet the balance expendi-tures of the project. The standingcommittee members assured thatthey would take up the matter withPrime Minister and hoped to get theapproval for the dual use of gassupply by SSGC soon.

Dr. Baig said that keeping inview the strategic location of the

textile city which is near the port,better infrastructure and law andorder situation, the value added tex-tile sector operators have shownkeen interest.

Chairman of NA standing com-mittee on textile industry comple-mented Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig forgetting resolved the issues of theproject in a short time. He also as-sured the committee’s full coopera-tion for the early launch and suc-cess of the project which will notonly provide 80,000 jobs but wouldalso enhance exports and revenuesto the national exchequer.— APP

Textile City to be launchedin July, NA body told

KARACHI—IG Sindh Po-lice Iqbal Mehmood Satur-day ordered the police de-

IG orders to strengthen security arrangementspartment to furtherstrengthen security ar-rangements at all sensitiveinstallations, public placesand industrial areas to pre-vent any terrorist or crimi-nal incidents.

In a statement he alsocalled for more effective ar-rangements for vigilance

and checking at bus termi-nals, railway stations andentry points of the prov-ince.

He further said that sur-veillance and intelligenceshould be further improvednot only in crime prone ar-eas but also in all suburbanareas and in this regard co-

ordination with other intel-ligence institutions shouldbe promoted.

The IGP Sindh directedthat district police shouldmake special security ar-rangements at all mosquesand Imambargahs in con-nection with 27th Rajab,Shab-e-Meraj. He further

instructed to increase pa-trolling and snap checkingat police station level.

He directed that all theofficers and other person-nel deployed on patrollingduty on motorcycles andmobile vans should beprovided bullet proof jack-ets .—APP

KARACHI—Pakistan CoastGuards (PCG) safely res-cued all fifteen passengersof a sinking boat nearKaemari boat basin close to

PCG rescue passengers of a sinking boat off Kaemari

Baba Bhit Island here onSaturday.

A PCG spokesman toldAPP that its Marine Wingrescued a boat namely ‘Al

Chandani’ which was pro-ceeding to Baba Bhit Islandfrom Keamari and saved 15passengers and crew mem-bers. The boat sunk being

over-loaded as besides pas-sengers it was also carryingsome goods beyond its ca-pacity, he added.—APP

KARACHI—As many as seven morepeople have lost their lives in different ar-eas of the city in ongoing violence andcontinued targeted killings on Saturday.According to police and rescue sources,four dead bodies were recovered fromSurjani Town, Yaro Goth and Shah LatifTown of the city in just an hour.

According to details, bodies of twomen were found from a car in Surjani Townarea of the city. One of the de-ceased was

identified as 20-year-old DanishMohammad, who was a resident of NewKarachi locality.

In addi-tion, two more dead bodieswere recovered from Quaidabad’s MadinaColony. Both the men were shot dead. Po-lice are investigating the incidents.

Three other people were killed in firingincidents that occurred in Orangi Town,Rais Amrohvi Colony and Qaddafi Town,Landhi.—NNI

Karachi violenceclaims 7 more lives

MAGNESIUM is a very importantmineral, the second-most abundant within human cells. Some 60%

of it in the human body is contained withinthe bones, over 25% in the muscles andthe rest in soft tissue and body fluids.Learn about the importantfunctions of this essentialmineral and some warningsymptoms of deficiency.

Magnesium plays arole in activating manyenzymes in the body. Italso plays a role in main-taining the electricalcharges of cells, especiallyin the nerves and muscles,and in muscle contractionand relaxation.

Further, this mineral isinvolved in cellular func-tions such as energy pro-duction, cellular replica-tion, lipid synthesis andprotein formation. It evencontributes to bone for-mation, as it helps regu-late calcium metabolism.

Magnesium plays a critical role in hearthealth, contributing to energy productionand heart muscle contraction. By raisingthe solubility of calcium in urine, magne-sium helps prevent the formation of kid-ney stones.

Indeed, magnesium supplementationhas been found to help with preventingkidney stone recurrence.

Research also suggests that dietarymagnesium intake is directly linked to lungfunction and the severity of asthma.

The warning signs that one could belacking magnesium, some of which are simi-

lar to those of potassium deficiency, in-clude: • heart disturbances • issues withnerve conduction and muscle contrac-tion • muscle cramps and spasms • poorcoordination • weakness • chronic fa-tigue • headaches - including migraines

and tension headaches • ap-petite loss • insomnia •cravings for sweets • mentalconfusion • irritability • per-sonality changes • beingeasily stressed

People with low lev-els of magnesium are moreprone to ailments such asinsomnia, premenstrualsyndrome, menstrualcramps, hair loss, swollengums, high blood pressure,kidney stones, heart diseaseand even cancer.

In fact, it has beenfound that persons who suf-fered sudden and fatal heartattacks had very low mag-nesium levels in their hearts.When magnesium levels are

low, a spasm of the coronary arteriescould take place, affecting the flow ofblood and oxygen to the heart — thiscould then trigger a heart attack.

Persons with fibromyalgia andchronic fatigue syndrome are also com-monly found to have low magnesiumlevels. In addition, women with os-teoporosis have been found to havelower bone magnesium levels than thosewithout the condition.

Due to poor food choices, with di-ets lacking in natural whole foods, manypeople do not actually consume enoughmagnesium.

Warning signs you aredeficient in magnesium

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Punjab Chief MinisterMuhammad Shahbaz Sharif hassaid that protection of life and prop-erty of the people is the foremostresponsibility of the state. He saidthat every possible stepshould be taken for furtherimproving law and order situ-ation in the province. He di-rected that police shouldspare no effort for protectingthe life and property of thepeople. He said that a vigi-lant eye should be kept onanti-social elements and strictmonitoring of entry and exitpoints of the province shouldbe carried out. He said thatconsolidated coordinationamong all concerned institu-tions is utmost essential forcurbing anti-social elements.

He was presiding over ahigh level meeting here Sat-urday which reviewed over-all law and order situation inthe province. Provincial Min-isters Rana Sanaullah, Col.(R) ShujaKhanzada, Chief Secretary, Inspec-tor General Police, Secretary Homeand other concerned officials at-

tended the meeting. The Chief Min-ister also gave approval to recruit-ment on 2000 new posts for SpecialProtection Unit during next finan-cial year.

Addressing the meeting,Shahbaz Sharif said that police

should perform its duties diligentlyfor the protection of life and prop-erty of the citizen and maintenanceof law and order. He said that mod-

ern technology should be benefitedfor further improving law and ordersituation and checking crimes. Hedirected that intelligence sharingsystem should be made more effec-tive and modern training programmefor the police should be forwarded

speedily. The Chief Minister saidthat Provincial Minister Col.(R)Shuja Khanzada should personally

monitor the standard of training ofthe officials to be recruited in Spe-cial Protection Unit and submit areport in this regard. He disclosedthat a state-of-the-art Command andControl Center is being set up at acost of five billion rupees in the pro-

vincial metropolis which willhelp eradicate crime.

He said that latest equip-ments will be installed inCommand and Control Cen-ter and monitoring of the citywill be carried out throughmodern CCTV cameras.Shahbaz Sharif directed thatthe project of Command andControl Center should beimplemented in a professionalmanner and completed withinstipulated timeframe.

He said that Commandand Control Center project isof great importance for con-trolling crimes through whichnot only performance of thepolice but its attitude towardspeople will also be monitoredthrough digital monitoring.

Secretary Home gave a detailedbriefing about Command and Con-trol Center project and overall lawand order situation in the province.

Shahbaz for further improvinglaw, order situation

Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif chairing the meeting regarding law and order.

CITY REPORTER

LAHORE—Advisor to Chief Min-ister on Health Khawaja SalmanRafiq has said that provincial gov-ernment is taking concrete steps forprovision of quality healthcare tothe people and promotion of medi-cal education.

He said this while presiding overa meeting at Civil Secretariat to re-view the matters regarding up-gra-dation of hospitals, enhancement of

treatment facilities for the patientsand promotion of medical educationin Punjab, here on Saturday.

The meeting reviewed the mat-ters regarding the control of infantmortality, 100 percent functioningof Basic Health Units and RuralHealth Centers, upgradation ofDHQ and THQ Hospitals, improve-ment of patients care facilities attertiary hospitals and promotion ofmedical education in Punjab.

The meeting also prepared rec-

ommendations for the approval ofChief Minister in this regard. Themeeting also discussed to providespe-cial package for the doctorsperforming duties in the health cen-ters of remote areas.

Kh. Salman Rafiq said thatspecial steps are being taken to im-prove mother and child health un-der Mother, Neonatal and ChildHealth Programme.

He said that the upgradation ofprimary healthcare system is a part

of this programme. Secretry HealthDr. Ijaz Munir said that the depart-ment has chalked out an annualprogramme for the upgradation ofDHQ and THQ hospitals and withinnext four years all such hospitalswould be upgraded.

Similarly, Health Departmenthas started implemen-tation ofupgradation and functioning ofBHUs and RHCs Programme withthe help of Department for Interna-tional Development (DFID).

Govt taking steps for provision of quality healthcare

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—With promulgation of thePunjab Free and Compulsory Educa-tion Ordinance 2014, under which thefree and compulsory education to chil-dren between the ages of 5 to sixteenwill be the state’s responsibility hasopened debate on its implications.

A policy dialogue was organizedby the M. Phil. scholars of Educationof School of Social Sciences & Hu-manities (SSSH) at University of Man-agement of Technology, Lahore. Dr.Abdul Hameed (Dean, SSSH) chairedthe dialogue along with other educa-tion experts and session focused thetheme of Education, Disability andAccess for All.

Mr. Sajid Masood (Chairman, De-partment of Education, UMT) wel-comed the participants and share thatthere are more than millions of chil-dren with disabilities are in our coun-try which cannot be catered andstream lined with limited number ofspecial education centres, even these

Education to children to be state’s responsibility?children have limited access to the ex-isting special education cen-tres. Mr.Usman Ali (M. Phil, Scholar, SSSH) ex-plained the objectives of the dialogueand also told that total person withdisabilities are about 5, 6 % (estimated)of the total population and 29 % arethe children of population with spe-cial needs which do not have any ac-cess to education. Article 25-A de-mands for education of these childrenwith spe-cial needs describes states’responsibility make these children ac-cess to school.

Mr. Usman Zia (M. Phil. Scholar,SSSH) preceded the discussion andtold that promul-gated Right to Educa-tion ordinance supports these childrenfor their right to education and differ-ent sections states the responsibilitiesof authorities, local government, par-ents, community and teachers. Heforced to implement this article by pro-moting inclusive education.

Education experts from civil soci-ety, government officials, former gov-ernment official, academia and media

shared their recommendation and fu-ture initiatives for the betterment ofeducation.

Mr. Innayat Ullaha (President,Pacade) said that children with spe-cial needs should be accommodatedin normal school setting and inclusiveeducation should be promoted.

Mr. Shahid Saleem (Deputy Direc-tor Planning, DSD) shared that PunjabGovernment has planned to imple-ment a pilot project on inclusive edu-cation in 11 districts of the Punjab.Government has allocated funds forthis purpose and soon this project willbe started.

Mr. Qaiser Rasheed (Deputy Sec-retary Planning and Budget, SEDPunjab) said that School EducationDepartment Punjab has taken manyinitiatives to make the access of chil-dren to school.

Currently SED has achieved thetarget of 96 % enrolment. Punjab gov-ernment has also allocated funds toidentify the invisible children andmaking their access to school.

MUZAFFAR ALI

LAHORE—Punjab University De-partment of Microbiology and Mo-lecular Genetics has organized exhi-bition & competition of models onecosystems at MMG.

The students in various groupspresented models of models on car-bon cycle, sulfur cycle, aquatic eco-

PU MMG organizes exhibition on ecosystemssystem, global warming, bio-geochemical cycles, savanna eco-system, nitrogen cycle, human im-pacts on forest ecosystem and for-est ecosystems. While talking tostudents, Dr Anjum Nasim Sabri saidthat study of ecosystems and bio-geochemical cycles was very impor-tant and one could understand theimportance of envi-ronment protec-

tion only with the knowledge of thefactors that operate in an ecosystem.

1st position was won by modelon biogeochemical cycles designedby group no 5 that consisted ofAroona Ejaz, Rushda Tariq, AimonKhursheed and Ayesha Rahat. 2ndposition was earned by group no 4consisting of Shiza Ali, Sadia, KiranNasir, Ibrar Iqbal and Maryum. Their

designed model was on global warm-ing. 3rd position was given to themodel on human impacts on forestecosystem designed by group no8compris-ing of Alishba Fayyaz,Shanzay Ahmad and Ambreen Naz.Prof Dr Syed Mansoor Sarwar andProf Dr Aamir Ijaz appreciated thecreativity and hard work of the stu-dents.

CITY REPORTER

LAHORE—Provincial Minister for Excise &Taxation and Finance, Mujtaba Shuja urRehman has said that women folk will beempowered in all sections of society andopportunities of employment will be pro-vided to them in government, semi-govern-ment and private organizations so that theycan play their due role in the developmentof the country.

He said that various programmes are be-ing implemented during the current year un-der educational endowment fund, PunjabEducation Foundation and Punjab Skills De-

velopment Programme for enhancing edu-cational and professional abilities of women.Similarly, at least 30 percent representationof women has been made compulsory onthe boards of all government corporations,institutions and companies, he maintained.He said that women should come forward inpractical field and government would pro-vide even more resources than their popu-lation of 52 percent. While talking to delega-tions of female party workers, Mujtaba Shujaur Reh-man said that scholarships were be-ing given to 50 thousand students fromPunjab Educational Endowment Fund andout of these 25 thousand were female.

Women will be empoweredin all sections of society

Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage PervaizRashid addressing 5th Al-Hamra International conference tiltled Beete Hoay DinYaad Aatey Hain.

CITY REPORTER

LAHORE—The Annual Alumni Re-union of Government College Univer-sity, Lahore Chemistry Department hasheld at the university’s Bukhari Lawnsunder the auspices of Ravian Foren-sic Society.

Vice Chancellor Prof DrMuhammad Khaleeq-ur-Rahman wasthe Chief Guest, while Punjab Foren-sic Science Agency Director General

Chemists’ reunion at GCUDr Mohammad Ashraf Tahir, GCUDean Prof Dr Islam Ullah Khan andRegistrar Dr Muhammad AkhyarFarrukh were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, ViceChancellor Prof Rahman said that theChemistry Department had been a hubof research activities since its incep-tion in 1896.

The Vice Chancellor gave way cer-tificates of appreciation to RegistrarMuhammad Akhyar Farrukh and other

teachers for their achievements in thefield of research. Dr Akhyar Farrukh,despite his administrative duties, hasalso got an international patent to hiscredit.

Prof Rahman said that modern re-search had grown complex andmultidisciplinary and it was not pos-sible for a single research institutionor university or department to possessall the knowledge, equipment, andtechniques required.

Children enjoying bathing at Jilani Park to beat the heat on Saturday.