Gwadar port handover to China mulled

During the hearing of a set of identical petitions against handing over Gwadar Port to the Singapore authorities, the federal government informed a two-member Supreme Court bench on Monday that Pakistan was considering handing over of Gwadar Port to China.

The bench comprising Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain then directed the Attorney General to appear before it on January 31. The court noted that the decision of the case will be issued on that day.

During the hearing, a petitioner Zakir Khan withdrew his petition after the federal government submitted its reply in the court stating that the Gwadar Port was being considered to be handed over to China. The petitioner submitted that if the government handed over the port to China, he had no objection over it.

Medical colleges: the ever-increasing fee

EVERY year a handful of government-run medical colleges offer a limited number of seats for pursuing studies in medicine. Thousands of students vie for a slot and remain disappointed.
The rich then approach private medical colleges, offering education on a self-finance basis.
The sufferers are those students who are left out with only a slim margin and mostly belong to the middle class and cannot afford the self-financing scheme.
Some, however, do venture but finally land into trouble as these colleges raises fee annually. The limit of increase, as I understand, is five per cent but never adhered to by colleges.
This year colleges have sent notices for a 10 per cent increase in fee structure, barring a few who are satisfied with five per cent increase. The increase runs in the thousands of rupees, which a middle class person can hardly meet, thus jeopardising the plans of students who some times have to discontinue their studies.
This is injustice to talented youths who, if given a chance, attain the highest standard of education.
My son could not get admission to government-run media college as he was short of two marks to qualify on merit.

Passport & Pakistani consulate

I APPLIED for a new passport at the Pakistani consulate in Toronto, Canada. I was informed an urgent passport is delivered within 20 days at an extra charge.
I paid for one and now after 22 days of waiting, I am shocked to learn that the consulate takes no responsibility for delivering the urgent passport within the 20 days that it commits to do.
These are just false commitments made by the Pakistani consulate. It has no control over the preparation of new passports. The extra charge for an urgent passport is outright malpractice, considering the commitment is not honoured.
My flight is booked for Feb 6 and I cannot apply for a visa for Dubai without my passport.
What am I supposed to do? What if I miss my flight because of the delay in receiving my passport? Is the consulate answerable to anyone?

Pakistan’s fuel shortage: Is Tight gas the answer to the prevailing energy crisis?

Pakistan is facing an energy crisis of gigantic proportions and it is expected to get worse as the summer months approach. Along with that, and in some ways related to that, the country is also tackling an ever-worsening gas crisis. The winter months are the worst as demand for gas increases. But with the rising demand, from domestic consumers, the industry and also power producers, the gas crisis is only going to get worse.
This has led to the search for alternatives like importing LNG – which is expensive – or adding LPG-air mix to the natural gas system, also an expensive solution.
The Tight Gas (Exploration & Production) Policy was promulgated in May 2011 by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources and subsequently approved by the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
One of the objectives of the policy is to attract foreign direct investment, given the high cost of exploration and production. As Tight gas exploration is more difficult and the required technology is more expensive, companies don’t typically go in for exploration until given attractive incentives.
Gas price incentives are an important pre-requisite towards promoting a Tight gas investment recovery process. To encourage investment, 40% premium will be given over the respective zonal price of the Petroleum Policy 2009. And apart from this, in order to encourage the companies to fast track development and production of Tight gas, an additional 10% premium will be given for those volumes that are brought into production within two years of announcement of this policy.’
Apart from this the government is also aggressively pursuing the exploration and extraction of Shale gas but a policy for this is yet to be announced.
What is Tight gas?
Tight gas refers to natural gas reservoirs locked in extraordinarily impermeable, hard rock, making the underground formation extremely “tight.” Tight gas is usually trapped in sandstone or limestone formations that are atypically impermeable or nonporous. Tight gas is held in rock pores which are up to 20,000 times narrower than a human hair.
A conventional gas formation can be relatively easily drilled and extracted from the ground unassisted but Tight gas requires more effort to pull it from the ground because of the extremely tight formation in which it is located.
While conventional gas formations tend to be found in the younger Tertiary basins, Tight gas formations are much older, having been deposited some 248 million years ago.  Over time, the rock formations have been compacted and have undergone cementation and re-crystallisation, which all reduce the level of permeability in the rock.

Indian ‘spy’ killed for washing clothes in Lahore jail: Witness

 An Indian inmate at the Lahore Central Jail in Kot Lakhpat died under mysterious circumstances.
Chamail Singh, son of Salaar Singh, is a 48-year-old resident of Targwal Khalkay village, Akhnoor tehsil, in Jammu, who was imprisoned on spying charges after a military trial sentence in June 2012.

The beating was witnessed by another inmate, Tehsin Khan Advocate, who was able to speak about it as he was freed three days later on January 18. He told The Express Tribune that at 7:45am on January 15 Singh was washing his clothes at a tap in the jail’s courtyard when two chakar imdadis or hawaldars, Muhammad Sidique and Muhammad Nawaz, and Assistant Superintendent of Jail (ASJ) Nasir Nawaz stopped him for doing so.
“Does he think the jail is his home where he can wash his clothes wherever he wants?” Khan quoted Nawaz as saying.
When Singh responded, the hawaldars started beating him on Nawaz’s orders. The ASJ himself allegedly pounded Singh with his fists. Kicks drew blood from Singh’s upper lip and brow. The three men continued to beat him for a minute, at the end of which he was dead, claimed Khan.
The jailors dispatched the body to the prison hospital before rushing to barrack No. 4 where Singh had been kept. According to Khan, eight affidavits were then extracted from his fellow inmates, all Indian nationals, to the effect that it was a ‘natural’ death. Aided by another inmate Zeeshan, the prisoners who signed the papers were Maqbool Ali, Mohammad Fareed, Kuldeep Kumar, Javed Singh and Lakhu Ram, Shabu Nath. This was all done in the absence of a magistrate.
The affidavits state that Singh lit a cigarette after washing his clothes and died of natural causes. He was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Singh’s body has been in the Jinnah Hospital mortuary for 12 days. Assistant Superintendant of Police Muhammad Sarwar confirms that he had received the body from the jail and taken it to the hospital.
ASJ Nasir Nawaz was contacted several times by The Express Tribune, but he did not respond. Additional Superintendant Ishtiaq Gill denied, claims, that Singh was beaten to death.

Ride to the moon

The Islamabad container drama, jointly staged by Dr Tahirul Qadri and the federal government, holds important lessons for all of us, that is, if we are willing to learn.
The first is that if those in power are bent upon fooling the nation, they can do so with utmost success and without much challenge — especially, if the fraud is incrusted with bewitching slogans of revolution and democracy. The so-called revolution at core was an attempt to activate a particular type of religious vote bank in the heartland of Punjab that would benefit the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), whose fortunes in this politically powerful province are fairly precarious. Since their opponent, the Pakistan Muslim League-N, seems to be drawing on the strength of more hardcore Deobandi and Alh-e-Hadith voters, the softer religious variant, the Barelvis, could be given a cause to rally around the PML-Q-PPP combine. This primarily explains the overflowing enthusiasm of the Q leadership to champion the cause of the Long March Declaration, whose real worth is less than the paper it is typed on. The international backing to this illusory tale of fictional revolution of the people, by the people and for the people, had to be there because a ‘softer mullah’ holds irresistible charm for the policy of promoting (or inserting) winning moderates in the world of Islam. So, it came to be — the four-day long saga, with its dazzling contradictions and exceptional media hype. In the beginning, even the most educated among us thought it to be real: such is the desperation to find an instant solution to our wide-ranging problems. They thought the day of final judgement is finally upon this terrible system of pelf-based on plunder, not realising that the system is so well-entrenched that no individual — certainly not Dr Qadri — shall ever be in a position of holding it to account.

Controlling teenagers: Worried parents make DHA ban shisha

Smokers in Defence will most likely head to cafes in Clifton following the ban on the use of shisha.

The Defence Housing Authority (DHA) warned all café owners that their trade licences will be suspended if they violate the ban. The restriction that came into force on Monday has unnerved the owners of nearly 50 cafés who claim their customers are now heading to cafes situated outside DHA.

The ban does not apply to cafes and restaurants in parts of Clifton that do not within DHA jurisdiction. “There is little we can do about that,” said DHA’s town planning and building control director Mian Mehmood Yousuf.

“Shisha is banned around the world and there is no reason why we should not act against its sale here,” said DHA’s town planning and building control director Mian Mehmood Yousuf, who stands by this decision. “There is no turning back now.”

The DHA took the step under the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance 2002. Yousuf explained that the authority had given enough time to the owners to rethink their business strategy. “We issued public notices a couple of weeks ago but no one took it seriously.”

Pakistan skiing contingent bags top honours in Korea

Pakistan’s ski contingent comprising Noor Mohammad and Shah Hussain of Naltar Ski School clinched top two positions by winning gold and silver medals respectively in the ‘Dream Programme-2013’ held at Gangwon-do in South Korea.

An official press release of the Pakistan Air Force issued on Monday said Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan, who is also the President of the Ski Federation of Pakistan (SFP), congratulated the athletes who met him here on Monday.

Air Marshal lauded the achievements of the skiers for winning gold and silver medals in the event and hoped that their success would
significantly boost the SFP’s ventures in upcoming national and international ski events.

Officials warn Kashmiris of possible nuclear attack

Officials in Indian-administered Kashmir are warning residents to build bomb-proof basements, collect two weeks’ worth of food and water and be prepared for a possible nuclear war.    
There was no official reason given for the sudden concern about a nuclear attack in the region, repeatedly fought over by India and Pakistan.
However, a series of deadly skirmishes along a cease-fire line in recent weeks has heightened tensions between the two countries.
Kashmir police published the advisory Monday in the Greater Kashmir newspaper.
The notice advised people to build bomb shelters with toilets and stockpile food. It also provided advice on how to survive attacks with chemical and biological weapons.

Philippines takes China to UN on sea row

The Philippines has gone to a UN tribunal to challenge China's claims over most of the South China Sea including Philippine territory, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Tuesday.

"The Philippines has exhausted almost all political and diplomatic avenues for a peaceful negotiated settlement of its maritime dispute with China... we hope that the arbitral proceedings shall bring this dispute to

Will take up drone issue with US: Khar

Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Hina Rabbani Khar said on Tuesday that Pakistan would take up drone attacks issue with US officials and its Ambassador to Islamabad, Geo News reported on Tuesday.
The statement came amidst the criticism in Pakistan on US bill that will allow more drone attacks in the country.Speaking in Senate, Khar said that drone attacks are not only violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty but also against international laws.The issue had been continuously raised with top US officials, however the

Barcelona suffer first Liga defeat of season

An injury-time strike from substitute Imanol Agirretxe condemned 10-man Barcelona to a 3-2 defeat at Real Sociedad on Saturday, their first of a record-breaking La Liga season.

Lionel Messi matched another landmark by scoring in a 10th consecutive La Liga game to put Barca ahead after six minutes with Pedro Rodriguez doubling the lead.

But Chory Castro pulled a goal back before the break and then got his second after 63 minutes.

With Gerard Pique off the field after receiving a red card, Agirretxe got the winner in the 91st minute.

“I have to congratulate Real Sociedad and I have no complaints about my players. We hit the post twice in the first half and had two other chances. It became more complicated for us and they made it 2-1,” said Barca coach Tito Vilanova.

“I told Gerard (Pique) after he was booked that after the next foul he committed they would send him off and that’s what happened. We were in control in the first half and although it looked difficult we were playing well. At 3-0 it would have been all over but the sending off changed everything.”

Each rapist has to be born out of a woman’s womb

Sheharzaad realized that a story a night is not enough to survive. Shahryar’s lust for blood had become insatiable. “Stories are good but their affect dies with the night,” he would often argue. “I want to see heads rolling.”

Every evening when Dunyazade would urge Sheharzaad to tell another story, Shahryar would say: “Fine, but this is the last story. Tomorrow, I want to see your head on the ground.”

Outside too people were turning against the two sisters. What everybody called “eve-teasing”, but the two sisters and other victims saw as brutal attacks on women, had become so common that they no longer felt safe in Alif Laila’s Baghdad.

So they bid farewell to “One Thousand and One Nights” and spread out, multiplying rapidly despite the beheadings.

But they confronted Shahryar wherever they went. In New Delhi, Hindustan, Sheharzaad found herself in a half-lit street where a man stopped a vehicle and offered to take her to her destination (destination?).

Once she was inside the vehicle, the soldier who came to protect her was knocked unconscious. Then six men took turns to rape and beat her. “What’s worse, to get beheaded or to get raped and die a long, agonising death?” she thought as she was preparing to die again.

Opposition party promotes terror: Indian minister

 India’s home minister has accused key Hindu nationalist groups of promoting terrorism at their training camps, a charge strongly denied by hard-line groups.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde says an investigation by government agencies has revealed involvement of Hindus in the bombing of a Pakistan-bound train that killed 68 passengers in 2007 and an explosion in a crowded market in western India’s Malegaon town that killed seven people in 2008.

At a meeting of the ruling Congress party in the western Indian city of Jaipur on Sunday, Shinde accused main opposition Bharatiya Janata party and its parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, of blaming minority Muslims for these bombings.

Japan's Sharp curbs iPad screen output

Sharp Corp has nearly halted production of 9.7-inch screens for Apple Inc's iPad, two sources said, possibly as demand shifts to its smaller iPad mini.

Sharp's iPad screen production line at its Kameyama plant in central Japan has fallen to the minimal level to keep the line running this month after a gradual slowdown began at the end of 2012 as Apple manages its inventory, the industry sources with knowledge of Sharp's production plans told Reuters.

Sharp has stopped shipping iPad panels, the people with knowledge of the near total production shutdown said. The exact level of remaining screen output at Sharp was not immediately clear but it was extremely limited, they said.

Company spokeswoman Miyuki Nakayama said: "We don't disclose production levels".

Apple officials, contacted late in the evening after normal business hours in California, did not have an immediate comment.

The sources didn't say exactly why production had nearly halted. Among the possibilities are a seasonal drop in demand, a switch to another supplier, a shift in the balance of sales to the mini iPad, or an update in the design of the product.

Lt Gen Rashad new chief of general staff

Lt  Gen Rashad Mehmood was named on Friday the army’s new Chief of General Staff (CJS).
Lt Gen Mehmood, currently Corps Commander of Lahore, will replace Lt Gen Waheed Arshad, who is retiring on Sunday (Jan 20). Gen Arshad was once tipped to succeed Gen Kayani.
Gen Mehmood will be the 30th CGS, one of the most prestigious positions in the army.
The CGS is assigned the operational and intelligence matters at the General Headquarters with directorates of Military Operations and Military Intelligence falling under his purview.
Eight of the last 13 army chiefs had served as the CGS before their elevation.
The new CGS is from Baloch regiment and as a major general he served in the ISI.
In another important staff appointment, Lt Gen Muhammad Haroon Aslam was posted as the Chief of Logistic Staff.
Lt Gen Aslam was earlier commanding Bahawalpur Corps which is part of the southern military command.
Gen Aslam also served as General Office Commanding of Special Services Group and director general of Rangers, Lahore.
The new staff appointments have led to changes in the command of two important corps — Lahore and Bahwalpur. Both positions were taken up by Lieutenant Generals promoted last week.
Lt Gen Maqsood Ahmed was given the charge of Lahore Corps which is under the central command. He will be taking over from Lt Gen Mehmood, the new CGS.
Lt Gen Maqsood has commanded Infantry Division in Murree and was serving in the ISI as one of the directors general before his Lahore posting.

Raisani’s allies plan protests against governor’s rule

Parties which were in coalition government of Nawab Aslam Raisani announced on Friday a plan for a protest movement against the imposition of governor’s rule in Balochistan.

The announcement was made by JUI-F’s provincial chief Senator Maulana Mohammad Khan Shirani at a press conference after a meeting of the coalition parties. It was attended by Balochistan National Party-Awami (BNP-A) leaders Syed Ehsan Shah and Asad Baloch, Pakistan People’s Party’s Ali Madad Jattak, JUI-Ideological group’s leader Dr Abdul Razzaque and independent group’s leader in the Balochistan Assembly Mir Shahnawaz Marri.

“The imposition of governor’s rule is unconstitutional and undemocratic and, therefore, we have decided to hold a protest demonstration across the province on Jan 20,” Maulana Shirani said.

He said there would be a shutter-down strike on Jan 25 to be followed by a complete strike on Feb 1. “We may also disrupt air service at Quetta Airport if our demand for lifting the governor’s rule is not met.”

He said the federal government had dismissed the provincial government, although during a meeting with Prime Minster Raja Pervez Ashraf, the coalition partners had offered an in-house change.

“We were ready to replace Aslam Raisani, but the federal government had already decided to impose the governor’s rule,” he said.

TV channels’ rating race puts lives in harm’s way

The hollow-cheeked father of the slain television cameraman, Imran Sheikh, bursts into tears while narrating the ordeal of his family.
Imran Sheikh was killed in the line of duty during the recent bombings in Alamdar road area of the provincial capital along with Saifur Rehman of Samaa TV and Iqbal Hussain, a photographer of the NNI.
“I always thought that he would take me to my last resting place. But that was not to be,” Naseer Sheikh said in a broken voice.
He said he was very happy when Imran got job as a cameraman at Samaa TV, and added that he never thought his son was in such a dangerous profession.
Imran’s two orphaned daughters, two-year-old Amna and one-year-old Hafza, were playing with dolls when we were offering fateha for the departed soul. As a father, he doted on them.
“Once he came out of his house at midnight to purchase things for his daughters,” Ejaz Ahmed, an old colleague of Imran, said with tears in his eyes.
“It pains me when they speak of their father,” Kamran Sheikh, the girls’ uncle, said.
Living in a mud- and brick-walled house of two rooms, the family has lost its sole breadwinner.
The house is located in remote Muslim town area. Despite the growing incidents of looting in the area, Imran used to go to his house late in the night after completing his work.
Imran had been working in Samaa TV since beginning of 2008. He was considered to be one of the most talented cameramen in the city.
“Ironically, Imran used to advise us to avoid going to dangerous spots,” Shehzad Anwar, a DawnNews cameraman, said.

Pakistan-India relations

When I received the Mother Teresa award, this year, for working towards improvement of relations between India and Pakistan, I was happy to believe that there must have been some tangible evidence of it to get me the recognition.

Then comes one Rehman Malik, interior minister of Pakistan, and nearly severs everything. He did everything possible to spoil relations through his statements and remarks. He stayed in the capital for only three days last month but reignited the fires of suspicion, bias and hatred.

First, he compared the demolition of Babri Masjid with the terrorist attacks on Mumbai to suggest that the demolition was the job of Hindus and the 26/11 attacks of Muslims, thereby renewing the memory of the holocaust during Partition and reiterating the two-nation theory, which even the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, abandoned after independence. Then, Malik brushed aside the agony of Captain Saurabh Kalia’s father, who received his son’s mutilated body 20 days after the Kargil war. The Pakistan Army has denied the inhuman act but it could have at least held an inquiry to allay India’s doubts on Kalia’s case.

Why Maulana Qadri and Cricketer Khan can’t save Pakistan

Pakistan has two angry messiahs, the Maulana and the Cricketer. Both are men of fine oratory — the former being more gifted. They promise to kick wicked leaders out of government, reward the righteous, and deliver a new Pakistan. Before a coup-plagued nation that has spent many decades under military rule, they preach to adulating under-30 crowds about the corruption of the present rulers. But neither dares to touch Pakistan’s real issues. Both are careful to castigate only the corruption of civilians; there is nary a word about the others.

Inspired by his fiery rhetoric, for four days the Maulana’s youthful Lashkar-e-Qadri had occupied D-Chowk, Islamabad’s version of Tahrir Square. The cheering, chanting, flag-waving crowd was joyous at the verdict ordering the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. The precise timing owed to another one of Pakistan’s putative saviours — the honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan.

In this age of discontent, assorted demagogues have mastered the art of mobilising the credulous masses. Corruption, say the Maulana and the Cricketer, is Pakistan’s central problem. Utopia will come if honest and pious men — perhaps themselves — are in power. But is crookedness and dishonesty the real issue? Countries which are perfectly viable and livable may still have corrupt governments.

Algeria militants want Aafia Siddiqui released in proposed prisoner swap

 Gunmen in Algeria who are holding about 60 hostages at a gas plant, want to swap the American hostages for prisoners held in the United States including Pakistani Aafia Siddiqui, the ANI news agency quoted sources close to their leader as saying on Friday.
The abductors, who are also holding other Algerian and foreign hostages, have also demanded negotiations for an end to French intervention in Mali, the agency said, quoting sources close to Mohktar Belmokhtar.
Veteran fighter Belmokhtar, a one-eyed Algerian militant apparently with ties to al Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for launching Wednesday’s attack.
ANI said Belmokhtar, in a video that would be distributed to the media, proposed proposed that “France and Algeria negotiate an end to the war being waged by France in Azawad” (northern Mali).

He also proposed “exchanging American hostages held by his group (the ‘Signatories in Blood’)” for Egyptian Omar Abdul Rahman and Pakistani Aafia Siddiqui, who are jailed in the United States on charges of terrorist links.
Abdul Rahman, the spiritual leader of the radical Jamaa Islamiya group, was convicted in 1995 for his role in a 1993 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City, in which six people were killed.
He is serving a life sentence for the attack in which hundreds more people were injured when a truck bomb was detonated in the building’s garage.

Bara tragedy: FC commandant replaced ‘over tribesmen killings’

The commanding officer of the Frontier Corps (FC) of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency has reportedly been transferred, after Bara tribesmen demanded action against security forces alleged to have killed 18 tribesmen in a midnight raid on Tuesday.

Colonel Jawad Zia’s transfer orders were said to have been issued and he has been replaced by Colonel Naeem Sarwar, apparently on the demands of the protesting tribesmen.
FC officials, however, denied the transfer, saying Colonel Zia was reposted as per routine and was still serving in Khyber Agency. They added that Colonel Sarwar has taken over as the new commandant of the force in Bara.
According to details, Bara tribesmen staged a sit-in protest in front of the Governor House bringing with them 15 bodies of their loved ones. All the bodies were mutilated and were recovered from the Alam Gudar area of Bara, Khyber Agency.

Following the tribesmen’s sit-in outside the Governor House, a jirga was constituted from within the protesters, including lawyers from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas lawyers’ forum to hold negotiations with Governor Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Masood Kausar.

Tahirul Qadri's party may take part in elections

 A cleric who has been pushing for electoral reforms in Pakistan will resort to street protests again if the government does not abide by an agreement that eased a political crisis, an aide said on Friday.

Muhammad Tahirul Qadri, who has a history of ties with the military, reached a deal with the ruling coalition on Thursday that will give his party some say over the formation of a caretaker government ahead of elections this spring. Qadri’s party may also participate in the elections.

The cleric’s reappearance on the political stage a few weeks ago after years of living in Canada, and his calls for the military to play a role in forming an interim administration, has raised speculation he may be backed by the country’s powerful army.

Qadri and the military deny this.

The cleric, who lead four days of street protests in the heart of the capital aimed at forcing the government to resign, will keep pushing for political reforms and a halt to corruption, said his spokesman.

“We will ensure implementation of the agreement with full letter and spirit,” Qazi Faizul Islam, secretary of information for Qadri’s charity, told Reuters.

Catholic Church seeks apology from Malik

 The Catholic Church in Pakistan has demanded an apology from Interior Minister Rehman Malik for drawing a parallel between the Holy Father and Dr Tahirul Qadri.

In a statement on Thursday, Senior Priest of the Catholic Church in Pakistan Fr Emmanuel Yousaf Mani demanded that Rehman Malik should immediately withdraw unnecessary and provocative remarks.

“There is no comparison or link between the two personalities. While Pope (Benedict XVI) is an undisputed leader of the Catholic Church, the largest faith group in the world, the credentials of Dr Qadri are prerogative of Pakistanis and Muslims to ascertain. On the other hand the Pope has neither a political role nor ambitions in the 21st century states,” said Fr Emmanuel Yousaf who is also a director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace.

“We as a Christian community of Pakistan feel deeply angered by such statements maligning the office and the position of Papacy. We demand an apology from Rehman Malik, who is otherwise assigned a responsible task and request him to avoid any such remarks in the future.

We also appeal to all leaders to keep the dissent and political battles within the limits of decency because uncanny remarks do not reflect the better part of democratic culture.

Eleven dead as floods swamp central Jakarta

Floods in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta have left at least 11 people dead, authorities said Friday as murky brown waters submerged parts of the city’s business district, causing chaos for a second day.

The capital’s worst floods in five years have also forced 18,000 people from their homes, the nation’s disaster agency said, with many ferried to temporary shelters on rafts.

“Floods are occurring still and since Jan 15, 11 people have died, five of which from electrocution,” said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Among the dead were two children aged two and 13, said Nugroho, adding that although waters were receding eight per cent of the capital was still inundated and a city-wide state of emergency would apply until Jan 27.

The flooding caused chaos in Jakarta’s upmarket downtown district, causing hours-long traffic jams as motorists struggled to get to work along canal-like streets.

Drivers could be seen standing miserably in raincoats, waiting for their flooded cars to be towed away. Other vehicles lay abandoned by the side of the road.

Naseerullah Babar-style operation needed to establish peace in Karachi: Gabol

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and MNA Nabeel Gabol on Friday said peace could not be established in Karachi until the government carries out an operation as the one ordered by Naseerullah Babar in the city, DawnNews reported. He said Karachi had slipped out of the hands of political leaders, adding that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was also perturbed over the situation in the country’s financial capital.
The PPP leader was in Raiwind to meet with chief of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif at the latter’s residence.
Gabol offered condolences to Nawaz over the recent death of Abbas Sharif, a brother of the PML-N chief.
The MNA said he was not acquiring membership of the PML-N, adding that he was still a lawmaker associated with the PPP and would not leave the party until President Asif Ali Zardari directs him to.
Gabol said he was meeting Nawaz to offer his condolences over the passing of the PML-N chief’s brother and that his family had close ties to the Sharifs.
The PPP leader said he believed that Karachi had slipped out of the hands of political leaders, adding that the MQM was also perturbed over the situation in the city.
Gabol said it was likely that the elections in Karachi may get bloody.

RPP investigating officer found dead

 An officer involved in the investigation of the Rental Power Projects (RPP) case was found dead at the federal lodges number 2 in Islamabad, DawnNews reported.

Kamran Faisal who held the position of assistant director in the NAB allegedly committed suicide.

Faisal’s body was found hanging from a ceiling fan, police said, whereas sources told DawnNews that he was reportedly under extreme pressure during his investigation of the RPP case.

Police added that Faisal’s body had been taken to investigate the cause of death.

Inspector General Islamabad Police said Faisal’s death appeared to be a suicide.

Faisal was among two officials who had been suspended for recommending to Director General of NAB Rawalpindi Col (retd) Subeh Sadiq that he should submit references against the accused in the two RPP cases to the NAB’s head office, a bureau official had told the Supreme Court last week.

Sadiq, who had heeded the advice of the investigating officers, was also suspended, the official had said.

RPP case

Psychedelia, expression and symbols

It reminded the visitors of a psychedelic zone out of a Pink Floyd song: trance music, incessant, thumping drum beats, artists immersed in their world, soaked in colours, lost in their thoughts and gesticulating like people affected by a cataclysmic event. On Monday evening an event titled ‘Riwhtyi: one night stand’ curated by Amin Gulgee at the Amin Gulgee Art Gallery brought together more than 25 artists for an intriguing show of performing art. For the want of a more comprehensive expression, it proved to be an engaging experience.

The show played more on symbolic representation of things, as most art exhibitions do, rather than literal interpretation of life and its intricacies. Almost all the artists, who were not allowed to talk to the visitors, had their own spots in four parts of the gallery, including outside the main entrance. They were creating art then and there.

Affan Baghpati, Shehril Shehzad and Zeerak Ali constantly moved around in their fixed corners using the age-old symbol of sand to highlight the tussle between body and soul, hence touching on open-to-interpretation subjects such as platonic love.

Irfan Hasan’s attempt at painting his own image on a table where a reading lamp illuminates his ongoing artwork was impressive. It was the ambience of solitude with books scattered on the floor and a projector that showed his effort to depict an individual as more than an image.

Salman Hasan and S. M. Raza named their live act ‘Jasd-i-khaaki’. As deduced from the title, it was related to soil. They drew lines, painted images and at the same time played with the soil, not like it was material for art, but more like the soil was part of them.

Ghag the Band ready with new track

Ghag the Band can be counted amongst those of Peshawar’s bands that have mastered the skill of blending western and eastern sounds; like other underground and mainstream bands, they have spun the wheel to this new magical genre for inspiration.
The band’s flair is defined by the fusion it brings between traditional and contemporary sounds along with the incorporation of classic Pashto poetry. It has now launched its third track titled Khaist.
“We are back with our second music video. The song Khaist, which means beauty, happens to be a soul searching journey that questions the existence [and maintenance] of beauty as it is bound to vanish one day,” says lead guitarist and backing vocalist Khalid Afridi about the thought behind the song. The band also features Zohaib Yousafzai as the lead vocalist.
The band made its debut in 2011 with Mehfil, which was followed by a second track titled Lewantob. They came together at the Institute of Management Sciences in Peshawar (IMSciences) and have been performing together ever since — at local events primarily in colleges and universities.
“We met during our academic interactions at IMS and started playing music in our spare time,” adds Afridi. “Our chemistry evolved over time and we then decided to make an impression on a wider scale with our shared passion for Pashto music, culture and traditions.”
Khaist — beauty and splendour
The song begins with a rabab solo which highlights the essence of Pashto culture and follows with more contemporary acoustic guitar riffs. The lyrics of Khaist are from a poem of the same name by legendary Pashto poet Ghani Khan and the band’s rendition is “a tribute to Khan’s passion and purpose for the land and people.”
“We derive inspiration from the poetic works of one of the greatest architects of Pashto language and literature — Ghani Khan baba,” says Zohaib, who is from Swabi; Khalid, on the other hand, belongs to the volatile tribal region of Khyber Agency.
The musicians are well aware of the fact that the profound lyrics would be difficult to comprehend and grasp for the young audience the band is essentially catering to. But they assert it is the fusion and perfect blend of modern music with traditional poetry which will turn out to be a treat for avid listeners.

‘To move forward, Pakistan and India must tie up all loose ends’

With the recent escalation of tension at the borders of India and Pakistan, the launch of the book, Back from the Brink: India-Pakistan Ties Revisited, could not have been timed more aptly.
The book, with contributions by intellectuals from both countries, attempts to answer why relationships between the two nations fail to remain smooth and fall prey to perpetual tension.
The book was launched at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology on Wednesday where Dr Riaz Ahmed Shaikh, who chairs the department of social sciences at the university, was credited for compiling and editing the book.
A wide number of experts spoke at the event and came to a consensus – India and Pakistan need to readdress their long-lasting conflicts so that they can move forward towards development and progress.
Speaking on the recent tension between armed forces across the Line of Control, former foreign secretary Najmuddin A Shaikh said that it was unfortunate that certain elements in the Indian media indulged in malicious propaganda, which was neither backed by the Indian army nor by civil officials. In contrast, Shaikh said that the Pakistani press, sensing the fragility of relations between both countries, showed much restraint than that of their counterparts across the border.
According to Karachi University’s Pakistan Study Centre chairperson, Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed, the book discusses the legacy of partition and how to overcome those problems. In his opinion, the nature of the state determines its future direction and that is why, the issues on ideology of Pakistan need to be debated.
A professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Savita Pande, said that the emerging conflicts in the region have the potential to disrupt the peace process between India and Pakistan. “We need to realize that together, Pakistan and India can do so much more – they can bring a vital change in the fate of the people of South Asia.”
Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy pointed out that more than 40,000 innocent Pakistanis have been killed by militants and more than 4,000 soldiers have been killed by Talibans. “These figures are more than the number of soldiers killed in all Indo-Pak wars. We need to stop looking for enemies outside and deal with the ones on our land.”

Report card: Pakistan may miss growth target for fifth year in a row

Pakistan will miss growth target set for the current financial year, the fifth consecutive year, and the sluggish pace of economy will continue for at least two more years, according to a World Bank report, indicating a rise in unemployment.

The Global Economic Prospects Report 2013, released on Wednesday, says Pakistan’s economy is expected to grow at a rate of 3.8%, half percentage point below the target of 4.3% set for fiscal year 2012-13 ending June 30.
The report comes at a time when Pakistan is readjusting its macroeconomic framework during ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund to pave the way for a fresh bailout programme. Both sides have already wrapped up technical-level talks and are gearing up for policy dialogue.
The World Bank says growth in Pakistan, the second largest economy in South Asia, remained broadly stable if compared with last year’s growth of 3.7%. However, the country is clubbed with Nepal that is projected to grow 3.8%. Even Sri Lanka at 6.1% and Bangladesh at 5.8% are projected to hit growth rates far higher than that in Pakistan.
Various studies, both independent and official, suggest that Pakistan requires 7 to 8% annual growth to create jobs for the bulk of youth. In the last five years, the country has posted sluggish growth, leaving hundreds of thousands jobless every year.
The World Bank also projects sluggish growth for the next two years. According to the report, there will be lacklustre growth in financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15 at 4% and 4.2% respectively.
The bank says though industrial activity has started picking up, inadequate supply of electricity and gas for firms with captive power plants continues to hobble the industrial sector.
It fears that the pick-up in exports in the first five months of this fiscal year on the back of increase in exports of garments and processed cotton products may not continue in the remaining part of the year. Electricity shortages during the second half of December have already adversely affected textile production and may dampen export growth in subsequent months, it says.
On the fiscal front, the bank again paints a dismal picture. Against the government’s target of 4.7%, the budget deficit is expected to be over 6%, a projection which is in line with the IMF forecast.
For the last five years, economic managers have been understating expenditures and overstating revenues to show the budget deficit below actual levels, experts say.
According to a finance ministry official, the government has now presented a revised budget deficit figure of 5.6% to the IMF, largely because of a shortfall in revenues. Compared to the annual revenue target of Rs2.381 trillion, the government now expects to collect Rs2.231 trillion, a shortfall of Rs150 billion or roughly 0.7% of gross domestic product.

Kashmir tensions: Doors to dialogue are open, Khar tells New Delhi

Hours after a Pakistani soldier was killed by  Indian troops at the Kundi Post in Kashmir, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar warned against “upping the ante” between the two countries.
“We see warmongering,” Khar said at the Asia Society session in New York.
“It is deeply disturbing to hear statements which are upping the ante, where one politician is competing with the other to give a more hostile statement,” she said in response to a statement by the Indian prime minister.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said that “it cannot be business as usual with Pakistan”.
“The doors to dialogue are open,” she said. “We need to meet at any level, I think we need to call each other, we need to become mature countries which know how to handle their truth.”
Khar again denied Indian accusations that Pakistani forces had beheaded one of two soldiers that India says were killed on January 8. She said an inquiry had found “no evidence” of the deaths.
India says two of its soldiers have been killed, one beheaded, since hostilities erupted along the Line of Control (LoC).
Haqqani netwok
In response to a question about the Haqqani Network, Khar said that any group that uses violence as a means to propagate themselves was distasteful to Pakistan.
Regarding the subject of the Foreign Terrorist Organisations designation of the Haqqani Network, she said that with the burden of over three million Afghans living in Pakistan it was impossible for the government to keep track of everyone crossing the unguarded border.
“One of them crosses the border into Afghanistan, where there are 57,000 people crossing everyday unchecked, attacks someone in Afghanistan and Pakistan gets blamed,” she said, adding that it was unreasonable to make such allegations against the state.

The foreign minister informed the session that Pakistan had lost $72 billion in the war against terrorism and that it was fighting the war for its own existence, and as a frontline state.

A weapon-free Karachi?

ACCORDING to media reports 2,500-3,000 people fell victim to violence in Karachi in 2012.Ironically, the same year in September UN member states adopted a treaty pledging to rid the world of the scourge brought upon it by the illicit manufacture, transfer and circulation of small arms and light weapons, and their excessive accumulation in many parts of the world.

They also committed to mobilising the necessary political will and resources to implement this programme. By not working for the deweaponisation of Karachi, Pakistan is moving in the opposite direction. Have we resigned ourselves to living on the edge with bullets flying around us?

The scale of violence is stunning. But what is more astounding is that the killings continue to take place in brazen disregard of the concern expressed by the Supreme Court which had taken suo motu notice of the crisis in Sept-Oct 2011. Declaring the violence to be “not ethnic alone” but “a turf war between different groups having economic, socio-politico interests to strengthen their position/aggrandisement, based on the phenomenon of tit-for-tat with political, moral and financial support or endorsement of the political parties”, the court had specified some measures to end the violence in the city.

The October 2011 order had “directed that a committee be constituted by the provincial government … to supervise and ensure that law enforcement agencies take action indiscriminately, across the board against the perpetrators involved in causing disturbances in Karachi. The chief justice (of Sindh) shall convene the meeting at least once in a month to review the implementation of this judgment and copy of the proceedings shall be transmitted to the registrar of this court.”

We are told that these reports were filed, but the intensity of the killings just grew and grew. In continuation of the 2011 hearings, last October the chief justice constituted an expanded bench with five honourable judges to hear the Karachi unrest case. Their interim order, issued on November 3, was very explicit and clearly identified people responsible for the violence.

Strangely, the interim order has moved no one. Statements by judges have fallen on deaf ears, as when one of them observed “no one among the senior officers of the police seems to have shown concern”.

We know that political parties which have armed wings are all involved in the violence that has engulfed the city. Since the interim order was issued ten weeks ago, 633 people have been killed in the city. The parties in the ruling coalition bear a greater responsibility since it is the administration’s duty to provide security to the citizens.

Fast food linked to child asthma - study

Children who frequently eat fast food are far likelier to have severe asthma compared to counterparts who tuck into fruit, a large international study published on Monday said.

Researchers asked nearly half a million teenagers aged 13-14 and children aged six and seven about their eating habits and whether in the previous year they had experienced wheezing, eczema or an itchy, blocked nose when they did not have cold or flu.

The questionnaires -- completed by a parent or guardian for the younger children -- were distributed in scores of countries.

It marks the latest phase in a long-running collaborative programme, the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), which was launched in 1991.

The investigators filtered out factors that could skew results, such as
maternal smoking during pregnancy, sedentary lifestyle and body-mass index, in order to focus purely on diet.

They found that fast food was the only food type that could be clearly
linked to asthma severity.

Three or more weekly servings of fast food were associated with a
39-percent increase in the risk of severe asthma among teens and a 27-percent increase among younger children.

It also added to the risk of eczema and severe rhinitis. In contrast, eating three or more weekly portions of fruit led to a reduction in symptom severity of between 11 and 14 percent, respectively.

The study, which appears in the British Medical Association journal Thorax, noted that to prove an association is not to prove a cause -- but argued that a further inquiry was clearly needed.

"If the associations (are) causal, then the findings have major public
health significance, owing to the rising consumption of fast foods globally," the authors said.

Previous research has found that the saturated and "trans" fatty acids
trigger an inflammatory response from the immune system, the paper noted.

No exercise, inactivity, make kids fat

For kids, time spent inactive seems less of a factor in higher body fat than does a lack of exercise, according to a new study.

Researchers found that the more minutes kids spent exercising at the pace of a fast walk each day, the lower their body fat percentage was. But the time they spent as couch potatoes made no difference, according to results published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

"Our study supports the current physical activity guideline, that's what I want people to know," lead author Soyang Kwon, a pediatric researcher at Northwestern University in Chicago, told Reuters Health.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that children and teens exercise at least at the intensity of a fast walk, about 3.5 miles per hour, for 60 minutes every day.

Last spring a study in adults found a different result: regular exercise doesn't protect against the dangers of sitting for many hours at desk jobs (see Reuters story: reut.rs/HiZ3Mw). This is likely because kids are more active than adults overall.

"In adults, where the activity levels are generally less, the time spent sedentary may have more of an effect," Russell Pate, who studies physical activity in kids at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, told Reuters Health.

Kwon and her coauthors from the University of Iowa used data from a study in that state that followed kids of various ages from 2000 to 2009.

Agreement to de-escalate Loc tensions

India's army has reached an "understanding" with Pakistan to "de-escalate" military tensions after a recent deadly flare-up along the Line of Control (LoC), a military spokesman told AFP Wednesday.

"An understanding has been arrived at between the two director-generals of military operations to de-escalate the situation along the Line of Control," spokesman Jagdeep Dahiya said.

Dahiya said that the two sides' senior military commanders had spoken for 10 minutes over the telephone where they reached their agreement.

"The two DGMOs spoke to each other at 10:00 am (0430 GMT) for 10 minutes and the Pakistan DGMO said strict instructions have been passed not to violate the ceasefire," he said.

Dahiya said Indian troops stationed along the border would also not breach the ceasefire forged between the two nuclear rivals in 2003.

The spokesman did not give further details of the conversation between India's DGMO Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia and his Pakistani counterpart, Major General Ashfaq Nadeem.

Safe escape: Pakistani nationals detained in Afghan private prison

Two Pakistani nationals are detained in a private prison in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan, alleged an electrical engineer from Charssada, Ishtiaq Ahmad, who recently escaped from the jail himself.
Ishtiaq said 24-year-old Fazl-e-Karim from Charsadda and 28-year-old Arif Irshad were working with him as labourers in a construction company. Ishtiaq, however, managed to escape and cross the border.
Speaking about his experiences at a press conference on Monday, Ishtiaq said he started working at the Memaraan-e-Parenda Construction Company (MPCC) in 2008 as a construction supervisor. MPCC is an Afghan company registered with the American Council of Engineering Companies, which has offices in Kabul, Kandahar and Badakhshan. “My job was to supervise and provide labour for the company.”

Ishtiaq added that the required construction material provided for a building was by MPCC owner Ahmad Dardi. “After the project was complete, the engineering council declared the work unsatisfactory. Dardi asked me to take responsibility to save the face of the company in front of the council.
He told me to arrange a meeting with the council, but I refused as I had informed the company several times about the faulty material, but they gave no heed,” he said.

“When we did not agree, Dardi and his two companions took the three of us to Shanan and locked us in their private prison. They threatened to kill us if we did not take responsibility for the incident.”
Escape was not easy for Ishtiaq. “They had kept my picture at every check post and the police was searching for me.”
He added that during the period of detention their visas expired and Dardi had threatened them of dire consequences if they tried to escape.
According to detainee Irshad’s uncle Hussain Ahmad, a jirga was sent to negotiate with Dardi, but he refused to let the prisoners go. “The only option left is to approach the Human Rights Commission to help secure the release of our family members.”
Ahmad said the company’s owner had contacted him and demanded Rs7 million in ransom for the release of the two men.

Pak-India: New visa regime from 15th

New easy visa regime is coming into force from January 15 between India and Pakistan.

A separate visa counter has been established at Atari-Wahga joint check post to facilitate people of 65 years and above age for issuance of visas at the border, reported a private news channel.

The new agreement will replace the previous one which was signed in 1974.

India begins visas on arrival to Pakistan's elderly

India Tuesday began a process to issue visas on arrival to senior citizens from Pakistan, a customs official said, despite heightened tensions over recent deadly clashes in disputed Kashmir.

The landmark visa agreement was sealed last month, when the interior ministers from both countries met in New Delhi and decided to institute measures making cross-border travel easier.
The new agreement allows Pakistanis aged over 65 to arrive at the Attari/Wagah land border dividing the Punjab region and apply for a single-entry Indian visa for a duration of up to 45 days.
“The process to issue visas on arrival to Pakistani senior citizens has begun,” an Indian customs official on the border told AFP.
The official, who declined to give his name, refused to say if any Pakistanis had made use of the facility so far.
The measures to ease cross-border travel come in the wake of rising tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, after India last week accused Pakistani troops of killing two of its troops, one of whom was beheaded.

Rental power case: SC orders arrest of PM Ashraf

The Supreme Court ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in the Rental Power Plants case on Monday,

The court also ordered all other respondents in the case to be arrested, and gave 24 hours deadline to the authorities to implement the orders.

The court maintained that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will be responsible if any of the respondents manage to escape.

The Supreme Court’s order came at a time when Minhajul Quran International (MQI) chief Tahirul Qadri was leading a long march in Islamabad to demand electoral reforms.

Participants of the march were seen celebrating while chanting “Long Live Supreme Court” when Qadri mentioned the court’s decision during his speech.

The Karachi Stock market also crashed immediately after the court’s order, as the 100-index fell by 450 points.

PM Ashraf was given the title of Raja Rental after he was accused of receiving kickbacks in the rental power projects. He was also accused of buying property in London from money earned through corruption in various scams.

He has been defending himself in the Supreme Court.

Ban the burning tire

Given the widespread shortages of gas and electricity and the breakdown in law and order in our society, “dharnas” or protests have now become a way of life in towns and cities across Pakistan, as people demand better governance. Often traffic is blocked, public property is destroyed and tires are burnt during many of these protests. Yesterday, I attended a different type of dharna held in Islamabad, to protest the brutal killings of the Hazara community in Quetta. I was relieved to see people sitting quietly on the road, lighting candles and listening to the speakers. These peaceful protests erupted all over the country from Quetta to Karachi and from Lahore to Islamabad, uniting the country in the shared grief of the gentle Hazara community.

At the protest in Islamabad, there were dozens of people young and old, including children and women. The sit-in on an otherwise busy road had been well organised by members of the civil society of Islamabad and the highly educated Hazara youth living in the city. Blankets and food were also provided by the organisers, while the road in F-6, behind the Supermarket was blocked off by a couple of parked vehicles. There was not a single burning tire in sight.

I wish other protestors would realise that the burning of tires releases a toxic soup of pollutants into the air, which are extremely harmful both for the protestors and those living in the area. Hundreds of different toxic pollutants are created by burning tires, including a large number of small particles that settle deep into the lungs. Children, fetuses, nursing babies, the elderly, asthmatics and immune suppressed individuals are all much more vulnerable to these pollutants. The small particulates released by burning tires worsen asthma.

Tires are not designed to be burned and contain hazardous ingredients, which are suspected human carcinogens. In fact, the burning of tires releases Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). These are toxic substances composed of organic (carbon-based) chemical compounds and mixtures. POPs include industrial chemicals like PCBs and pesticides like DDT and are primarily products or by-products from industrial processes, chemical manufacturing and resulting wastes. The existence of POPs is relatively recent, dating to industrial production after the 2nd World War.

Balochistan already under army control, says Mengal

Former Balochistan chief minister Akhtar Mengal has said governor’s rule will not have a positive effect on the situation in the province because it has already been under the control of the army.

According to the BBC Urdu website, the Balochistan National Party – M chief said when veteran Baloch nationalist Nawab Akbar Bugti could be traced and killed in the mountains one would ask why the terrorists involved in sectarian killings could not be reached.

“No safe haven of terrorists is hidden from intelligence agencies. The army and intelligence agencies are responsible for all ills,” he said, adding that although the provincial government was incompetent, governor’s rule was no solution to Balochistan’s problems.

It was a superficial change and the situation would be the same as before, he said.

Mr Mengal said not a single member of terrorist organisations had been arrested over the past five years. The bullet-riddle bodies of Baloch activists were found dumped in different parts of the province, but terrorists were not arrested and produced before courts, he added.

Passenger has baby aboard flight

A passenger has given birth to her first child aboard an Armenian airline and named her daughter after one of the flight attendants who helped with the delivery. The birth of the healthy baby occurred on Saturday, two hours before the long Armavia airline flight from Siberia was scheduled to land in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital. Flight attendant Asmik Gevondyan noticed that 31-year-old passenger Armina Babayan appeared to be in labour and organised the delivery conducted by several crew members. “Even our male colleague, Grigor, did his part, bringing water and napkins,” Gevondyan told reporters. In gratitude the passenger, who had claimed to be six-and-a-half months pregnant during check-in, named the baby Asmik, local television reported. agencies

Runaway boy drives father’s car across Europe

A 13-year-old boy who lives in Italy with his adoptive parents took his father’s Mercedes and drove more than 800 kilometres through Europe in an apparent attempt to reach his birth family in Poland, Italian police said on Saturday.
He set off on Thursday afternoon from the small town of Pederobba in northern Italy with 200 euros in his pocket and drove the high-powered automatic car for almost 24 hours before being stopped by German police on a motorway near Leipzig.
“The boy’s sister and natural parents are in Poland and it seems he was going there to meet his sister,” said an Italian police spokeswoman.
Media reports said the boy had an argument on Thursday afternoon with his adoptive mother.
“The boy has told his parents he is sorry and has recognised he was in the wrong,” the police spokeswoman said, adding that he was on his way back to Italy.

Youth festival: ‘Education system not fostering creativity’

The education system in Pakistan lacks the ability to inculcate original thinking and creativity in the youth,” said Shehzad Ghias Sheikh, founder of Cogito, a theatre production company which is these days holding a youth performing arts festival in the city.

Themed Speak Up; Act Now, the festival is being organised jointly by the Cogito, The Knowledge Factory (TKF) and local partners Talent Idols, Danka.pk and Dramducation with support from the US Consulate General.
“In the absence of social platforms for people to express their creativity, such festivals help break shackles in the society,” said 24-year-old Sheikh, who has been teaching theatre since 2011.
“This is so far the longest festival we have organised,” said Sheikh about the 11-day event which kicked off on January 11 at The Knowledge Factory in Defence Housing Authority.
The Cogito had organised festivals of a similar kind in Karachi in 2010 and in Lahore in 2012.

Sheikh said the previous festivals had lasted three days each. “We realised that smaller events are more successful,” he said. The festival this year includes workshops besides performances. Creative skills and arts were vital for any individual, especially the young, Sheikh said.
Dedicated workshops are being organised on theatre production, acting, singing, music, fiction writing, kathak and improvisation.
The previous festivals had hosted 600-700 people. The venue of this year’s festival accommodates 120 to 130 people, Sheikh said.
TKF CEO Saad Tariq said they around 100 people were participating in the performances and 25 in workshops. He said as the event partners, they had employed social media to market it.
There is no charge for participation except registration which the TKF administration says is mandatory. The festival is also hosting a “Lahore’s Got Talent” competition. The 2-day event is expected to be a highlight of the festival, Tariq said.

Women’s rights in Pakistan: NGOs compile report to show the ‘real’ picture

Nearly two dozen NGOs launched a “shadow” report on Tuesday to disclose the condition of women’s rights in the country.
Earlier, the government submitted a similar report to the United Nations ahead of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw). Now both the reports will be presented before the Cedaw committee when it meets in Geneva in February next year.
Rubina Brohi of the Aurat Foundation, said that the “NGO Alternative Report on Cedaw 2012” highlights the gaps that the government left in its official report. “The government only talked about positive things, and failed to discuss the real picture [of women’s issues] in the country.” The official report covers the period from 2007 to 2010, while the one compiled by the NGOs includes events during 2011 as well.
Cedaw was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979. According to its website, the 30 articles in the convention “define what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination”.

Jobs for votes

As the story goes, a distant relation of a nawab once begged him for a job. The nawab, in his infinite generosity appointed him head of the treasury. When it was submitted to his highness that the post was very critical and that the applicant didn’t possess the relevant credentials, the nawab thundered that, being the ruler of the state, it was for him to decide whether a person deserved a job and that it was beneath his high office to turn down a job application, especially when approached by someone related to him. The new man in charge of the treasury made a mess of the finances of the state and in a few years it was reduced to insolvency.

This anecdote, of course, doesn’t apply to Pakistan where democrats rule, rather than nawabs. However, one may still ask whether there’s anything wrong with the government providing jobs to people? Not in the slightest. The public sector being the largest employer all over the world, including Pakistan, government departments take the lead in job generation. It’s therefore hard to find fault with the employment creation role of the government. However, what may come under question, and at times does, is the way this role is performed.

Governments generate jobs in three broad ways. One, they create jobs directly by filling situations in government, semi-government and autonomous departments. Even in a relatively small economy like Pakistan, normally thousands of vacancies arise in the public sector every year and are filled.

Two, through economic policies and administrative measures the government creates conditions which are conducive to employment creation in the private sector. Fiscal and monetary policies drive up the aggregate demand in the economy, which makes businesses step up their production and, in the process, hire additional labour. The right industrial policy shores up the productivity of the economy, while investment and trade policies may push up capital formation and exports, which serve as instruments of employment creation. Sustained economic growth, macroeconomic stability, improved law and order situation, overcoming supply-side constraints such as energy shortages, and a business-friendly environment also contribute to job generation.

A question of India’s honour?

The writer is a former member of the foreign service

The three separate but related incidents of deadly armed clashes and firing across the Line of Control which took place on January 6, 8 and 10 are the most serious violation of the ceasefire agreed in 2003, which had been holding well so far despite the ups and downs of the ‘peace process.’ Two soldiers from each side have been killed in these incidents. This may not by itself be very ‘unusual’ in the history of LoC violations. But the current round of fighting, which is not over as yet, is different from other, more ‘routine’ incidents of firing and small skirmishes. It involves not just shooting across the Line of Control but also allegations of cross-LoC raids. In India, moreover, public hysteria has been whipped up by allegations that bodies of their dead soldiers were mutilated.
The full facts will probably never be known. But even the filtered information which has come to public knowledge through the Indian media shows that the original provocation came from the Indian side. One Indian newspaper (The Hindu) has reported that last September Indian commanders in the Haji Pir sector, where a Pakistani soldier was martyred in the first of the three incidents, ordered the construction of new observation posts in the area in breach of the nine-year-old ceasefire agreement. Pakistan’s objections, conveyed over a loudspeaker system, were ignored. This led to firing across the LoC. Then, on January 6, an Indian brigadier known for his “very aggressive track record,” according to the Indian Daily News and Analysis (DNA), decided to counter-attack. The newspaper reported that a commando platoon of the 9th Maratha Light Infantry (MLI) carried out the raid which resulted in the shahadat of Lance Naik Aslam. Officially, however, India continues to dispute that its soldiers attacked the Pakistani post and claims that they only fired small arms.
Not surprisingly, a spokesman of the Indian defence ministry has also denied the construction of new posts by India. Instead, he asserted, there had only been “routine maintenance of [Indian] fortifications” in the area and “this could not be considered a ceasefire violation.” The Indian newspaper’s claim that the raid was the result of an individual initiative by a particularly “aggressive” Indian commander is also hard to accept because the Indian army is a highly structured force.

Governor’s rule imposed in Balochistan

President Asif Ali Zardari has signed the summary regarding imposition of Governor's rule in Balochistan after which Governor Zulfiqar Ali Magsi have become cheif executive of the province, 

The notification in this regard is expected to be issued soon.

Earlier, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf announced that invoking article 234 of the constitution, Governor's rule in Balochistan has been imposed for ttwo months effective from Monday.

Talking to protestors of the Hazara sit-in, PM Ashraf expressed hope that as an executive of the province, Governor Zulfiqar Ali Magsi would take all necessary steps to hold those behind the Quetta bombings accountable.

He also said that FC has been given all powers of police in the province.

The prime minister asked protestors to inform Governor Balochistan and FC Commander about their problems, adding that action would be taken immediately.

He assured the protestors that federal government would fully cooperate with the governor.

Long march: In the name of security, mobile services suspended

LAHORE / ISLAMABAD / KARACHI: Cellular services have been suspended in parts of Pakistan on Sunday owing to reports of attacks on Tahirul Qadri and the long march participants.
Services were suspended at 5pm and will remain off until further notice by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
Lahore
Areas where services are made unavailable include Gulberg, Link Road, Model Town, Faisal Town, New Campus, Dharampura, Gari Shahu, Imamia Colony, Minar-e-Pakistan, Railway Road, Badami Bagh, Ravi Road, Shadra, Nau Lakha Chowk and Do Moria Pul as well as some areas of the district Sheikhupura. However, services were restored in some of the mentioned areas.
Twin cities
Apart from Lahore, mobile phone services will be suspended in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and its adjacent areas on Monday.
Officials associated with the Crisis Management Cell (CMC) told The Express Tribune that the services will remain suspended in twin cities from Monday afternoon onwards.
Karachi
Cellphone services were suspended in Karachi’s Clifton and Defence area today reportedly because of a protest held outside Bilawal House against Shia killing.
Long march security threats
Intelligence reports have confirmed that several terrorist outfits have planned attacks on the January 14 long march of Minhajul Quran International (MQI).
According to a Special Branch (SB) report – a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune – confirmed that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is planning an attack on the rally.
The group is also planning the assassination of influential scholar Mufti Muneebur Rehman and Dawat-e-Islami chief Maulana Ilyas Qadri.
A report by the interior ministry’s National Crisis Management Cell supported the Special Branch report regarding possible TTP attacks on Qadri’s rally.
Another SB report suggested that the Saifullah Baqi-led Ghazi Fidai Force is planning suicide attacks on the march.
The National Crisis Management Cell of Interior Ministry and Special Branch recommended foolproof security and vigilance for Qadri’s caravan.
Preventive measures
In the light of these intelligence reports, a circular was issued to the administration, police department, other Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), Corps Commander, Corps 4, Home Department, Joint Director Intelligence Bureau(IB), Sector Commander Military Intelligence (MI), Sector Commander Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Additional Inspector General of police Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).
The circular called for increased coordination between all the departments.
Ban on pillion riding
A ban on pillion riding has been imposed in Karachi effective immediately, Express News reported.
The interior ministry issued the ban, which will remain in effect until further notice.

Weekly Review: Political uncertainty keeps bourse at bay

The stock market witnessed a dull week and remained range-bound due to heightened political uncertainty in the country. The benchmark KSE-100 index closed flat, down 14 points (0.1%) during the week.

Investors chose to be cautious throughout the week, with several parties making statements about their participation in Dr Tahirul Qadri’s ‘million-man’ march, which intends to bring a change in the government. The march is planned to take place on January 14 and has created friction between the government and its allies.
While most political parties chose to abstain from the march, the MQM, which is also a government ally, initially announced that it would participate in the rally. However, a day later it backtracked on its statement and decided not to participate. Investors welcomed the decision, which led to a small relief rally on the final trading session of the week.
The law and order situation also played on investor’s minds as a series of bomb blasts took place across the country, which resulted in a heavy loss of life. Furthermore, tensions erupted at the line of control with India, as border skirmishes led to the death of several soldiers on both sides of the fence.

However, all news was not bad news, as foreigners again turned net buyers at the bourse. With the earnings season set to get in flow in the coming week, foreigners picked up equities at attractive valuations and were net buyers of equity worth $8.4 million.
Macro numbers were mixed, with the highlight being the double-digit growth in remittances for the first six months of the current fiscal year. Remittances grew 12.5% year-on-year and stood at $7.12 billion for the first half of the fiscal year 2012-13.
The figures were dampened by the declining forex reserves of the country, which dropped $249 million on account of repayments to the International Monetary Fund. The government is now discussing a second bailout package from the IMF, as the country’s forex reserves continue to drop to critical levels.
The cement sector was again in the limelight as cement sales surged 5.9% year-on-year during December 2012 and as a result, activity was witnessed in the sector, with Fauji Cement and Lucky Cement being the main beneficiaries.
The banking and power sectors also witnessed activity as investors expect good payouts during the earnings season. While the fertiliser sector also made news with Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim announced a decrease in earnings by 60% during 2012.
The cautious approach of investors was reflected in the sharp drop in average daily volumes, which plummeted 35% and stood at 96 million shares per day as compared to 148 million shares in the previous week.
Average daily values, however, dropped only by 17.5% and stood at Rs2.81 billion, as most of the foreign investment took place in blue-chip stocks. The market capitalisation of the KSE dropped 0.1% to Rs4.17 trillion by the end of the week.
Winners
Fauji Cement

Fauji Cement Company Limited manufactures and sells cement.
Askari Bank

Askari Commercial Bank Limited provides commercial banking services. The bank has branches in Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Bahrain.
Pakistan Tobacco

Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited manufactures and sells cigarettes.
Losers
Grays of Cambridge

Grays of Cambridge (Pakistan) is a holding company. The company, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and exports sporting goods, specialising in hockey sticks.
JDW Sugar

JDW Sugar Mills produces and sells crystalline sugar. The company is located in Rahimyar Khan, and was formerly named United Sugar Mills Limited.
Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) manufactures, imports, and markets research-based pharmaceutical, nutritional, diagnostic, hospital, and consumer products.

Food and beverages: Pakistan among PepsiCo’s top 10 non-US markets

Pakistan is one of the top 10 markets outside the United States for PepsiCo, says Qasim Khan, a senior executive in the global food and beverage giant’s management team for Asia.

“Pakistan is one of the largest and fastest growing markets for PepsiCo around the world,” said Khan, the Rawalpindi-born head of PepsiCo’s North and South Asia business unit. His division covers Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, Mongolia, and the island states in the Pacific Ocean.

Somewhat surprisingly for PepsiCo, its biggest brand in Pakistan is not the signature Pepsi cola, but rather Mountain Dew. “Pakistan is the second-largest market in the world for Mountain Dew after the United States,” said Muhammad Khosa, head of corporate affairs at PepsiCo Pakistan.

Pepsi began its operations in Pakistan with carbonated beverages in 1967, and currently has eight bottling franchisees operating throughout the country. In addition to Pepsi and Mountain Dew, they produce 7up and Mirinda in the carbonated beverage category, and Sting in the energy drink segment. Over the past decade, Pepsi has added snack foods and fruit juices to its portfolio of products in Pakistan, which it manufactures primarily out of a factory in Lahore.

The addition of the snack food business – as well as strong growth in its beverage lines – has resulted in PepsiCo becoming the largest food and beverage company in Pakistan. According to sources familiar with the matter, the revenues of PepsiCo Pakistan and its eight bottlers came to a combined Rs82 billion for the financial year ending June 30, 2012, up 19% compared to the previous year.

Growth seems to be moving at breakneck speed in the snack food business, which the company started in 2006. “The Pakistan snack food business was the fastest growing in the Asia Pacific region for PepsiCo last year,” said Khan.