Posts Tagged ‘Jhelum’

Understanding a tornado

An overturned car rests next to the debris of a home destroyed by tornadoes on April 29, 2011 in Pratt City, Alabama. – Photo by AFP

On March 19, a tornado hit the outskirts of Sialkot. People in Pakistan are familiar with other forms of storms that unleash energy while moving along the earth’s surface. This particular lightning storm was a special type of tornado – more specifically, a twister. In this part of the world, only a few are familiar with the word twister whereas these are quite commonly known in North America. Loss of property and life is often reported on account of twisters and other similar disasters such as whirlwinds, hurricanes, cyclones, ,tornadoes, and such.

Generally, the two words are used interchangeably but now, the synonymic status has been altered because of deeper insight into its forms, size, area affected, terrain, underlying mechanism and its varying intensity.

A tornado (wrongly considered the same as a twister) is a storm covering a wider area and lasts a longer duration. In case it occurs over a smaller area, on a body of water it is known as ‘waterspout’. The same thing on a large body of water, for instance the sea or ocean, is known as a ‘cyclone’ in Asia-Pacific and a ‘hurricane’ in the US. The winds within a severe cyclone gusting around a moving centre on earth or a water surface, may attain a speed of 350 km/hour or even more. On its landfall, it may have a very damaging effect.

The difference between a tornado and a twister has now become more pronounced and it is appropriate to restrict the term twister to tornadoes that have a very strong upward component of whirlwind, having a tendency of lifting, uprooting and hurling objects on ground. Therefore, a ,tornado may become a twister, as soon as it has achieved a ,classifiable destructive ability,. In reality however, a twister is generally supposed to reside in the wobbling axial hyperactivity within a tornado and shows itself up when associated parameters acquire specific criticality. The ,deadliest twister, in history killed 625 and injured more than 2,000 people.

The development of a tornado is ,easily explainable, with the help of wind velocity, pressure gradients and the ,curl vectors, but how it morphs into a twister is a phenomenon that is still under study. A tornado per se is preceded by a lashing windstorm, rain, hailstorm and a thunderstorm. For allowing it to grow into a twister, it has to have an upper layer of icy cold wind with hot air underneath. The two interact, causing an increase in wind velocity, producing curly gusts. This sets in spiraling of air with higher velocity as the hot air converging near the earth’s surface is sucked upwards. ,Latent heat, from icy droplets being pulled downwards mainly under the influence of gravity is pumped in as additional energy to it and the twister becomes more violent.

At times, a hailstorm may also compound the problem. Within minutes, it becomes a monster in its own way. Statistically, very strong storms are only around one per cent of total recorded tornadoes (including twisters). This assessment is dependent upon the areas where damage may be high or relatively less, inducing error in its classification. Thus a twister intensifying and then devastating the sub-urban, non-residential area would have lesser ratings than if it were to strike over an urban residential path.

With the changing weather patterns, Pakistan has started getting its share of twisters. The recent ,tragedy, experienced by the people of Sialkot bears testimony. Historically, there are very few such tornadoes reported in the country before that. In 1981, Gujranwala and Sheikhupura areas were ravaged with 56 deaths and 600 injured. ,Similar calamities, hit in 1985, 1995, 2001 and 2006 in different parts of the country causing loss of life and property. But now twisters are becoming a frequent phenomenon and public awareness in this regard is of paramount importance despite the fact that people often come across dust storms in the plains and lightning storms in hilly areas.

In the present information age, reporting and some elementary steps are being taken, but the need to do better, at a bigger scale and with much more zeal has become an essential requirement. Continuing within existing resources, immediate steps can reduce the damage primarily due to its randomness, suddenness and subsequent ill-preparedness of the rescue units.

Data shows that winters in the country are shortening. This will continue to happen until the normal cooling pattern on earth is restored. That will render northern part of Punjab and western part of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa prone to twisters in the days to come. Critical period of occurrence is likely to be in March and April. Thus, Gilgit, Havelian, Haripur, Taxila, Mardan, Islamabad, Kohat, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhelum, Gujrat, Sialkot and places around Quetta are likely to become more vulnerable. The reason behind this assertion is that there is increased likelihood of having warm air below a suddenly appearing cool layer of moisture-laden air (leading towards formation of a ,super-cell,). So, it will be disservice to the residents of these areas if proper timely information is not passed on to them. In addition, well-documented ,safety precautions, such as moving into safe zones and to avoid injury through electric wires should be made handy through all relevant means.

It is suggested that a home-grown classification of such storms, based on its severity, be worked upon to replace the Fujita method. Pakistan is facing host of problems and the people are paying huge cost for inefficiency and un-professionalism. Not all are to be blamed; there are many who want to contribute. Thus, here is an opportunity for hard-working and honest people to serve the nation through their efforts towards alleviation of the some of the sufferings of the poor through effective disaster management.

The writer is a retired Chief Engineer PTCL and a radio engineer with special interest in ionospheric and tropospheric composition as well as climatology.

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Via DAWN.com

PEMRA raid over 50 cable networks to block illegal channels telecast

PEMRA had time and again warned cable operators to observe the law. -File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Enforcement teams of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) raided over 50 cable TV networks in various parts of country on Thursday to stop illegal satellite and CD channels shown by cable operators despite repeated warnings to stop them.

A PEMRA press release said that excessive CD channels on cable networks were not only a peril but a main source of content piracy and plagiarism which the PEMRA was taking seriously to address.

Some illegal Indian and other channels namely Sahara, Zee, Tolo, Shamshad, IRIB, WB, TURBO etc. were also off-aired from cable networks in Sindh and Khyber Pukhtunkhawa.

The cable operators faced PEMRA’s wrath included M/s. Digital Cable Jhelum, M/s. Sun Shine Cable, Jhelum, M/s. Fast Link Cable Chakwal, M/s. Foxtel Cable Islamabad, M/s. Star Tel Cable, M/s. Future Tech Cable, Attock, M/s. Sam Cable Islamabad, Hazara Cable, M/s. A.U. Cable Islamabad, M/s. Al-Shahbaz Cable, Islamabad, M/s. New Touch Cable, M/s. S.S. Cable, M/s. New Star Cable, Sargodha.

Similarly in Lahore PEMRA cracked down on M/s. Gulf Cable, M/s. H.N. Cable, M/s. Vision Multimedia, M/s. Max Cable, M/s. BMC Cable, M/s. Super Tech Cable, M/s. Aashiq Cable, M/s. Sehar Cable, and M/s. Zoom Multimedia.

The gadgets of most of these violating cable TV operators were partially and of some completely seized by PEMRA inspection teams. PEMRA also impounded illegal Indian DTH (Sahara, TATA Sky, BIG TV and Dish TV) which were installed by the cable TV operators for the purpose of distributing illegal channels.

PEMRA had time and again warned cable operators to observe the law. Moreover, public notices were also published in print media on this issue mentioning list of eligible channels to be strictly adhered to by all cable TV networks.

It is further stated that large number of public complaints against cable operators for showing proscribed and illegal channels prompted PEMRA to undertake such decisive action.

It may also be recalled that during similar pursuit, PEMRA had managed to shut down about 86 illegal channels on distribution networks.

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Via DAWN.com

Punjab home secretary put on notice

RAWALPINDI, April 27: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday directed the Punjab home secretary to explain under what law a man and his son, convicted by field general court marshal (FGCM), were transferred from district jail Jehlum to Mirpur in Azad Kashmir.

Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh of the LHC`s Rawalpindi bench told the home secretary to file his response by May 17. The superintendent of Jehlum district jail informed the court that Abdul Karim and his son Khalil Ahmed were sent to AJK on the directive of the Punjab government.

Justice Sheikh asked was there any provision of law allowing the jail authorities to make such transfers.

Citing secretary ministry of defence, judge advocate general JAG GHQ and superintendent jail as respondents the two petitioners through Advocate Col (retired) Anwar Khan Afridi moved the LHC asking for considering their pre-conviction imprisonment as part of their jail term sentence.

“The two men were convicted by FGCM under army act and secret act on March 16, 2007.

Abdul Karim, a resident of Indian-held Kashmir, was given four years rigorous imprisonment of and his son Khalil Ahmed, resident of Mirpur was given 6 years for espionage,” said Advocate Afridi.

“In February this year we moved the LHC`s Rawalpindi bench seeking benefit under section 382-B (period of detention to be considered while awarding sentence of imprisonment) of criminal procedure code. The high court on March 2 this year directed the military authorities to give the two convicts the legal benefits under the CrPC,” the lawyer maintained in the petition.

The authorities did not comply with the court orders and the petitions moved fresh applications seeking the relief.

A legal officer of JAG branch of GHQ appeared in the court on notice on April 15 and stated the trial of the two men was carried out at Mangla and the convicts were sent to district jail Jehlum.

The chief of Jhelum jail informed the court on Wednesday that the men had been shifted to Mirpur on the direction of the Punjab home secretary.

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Via DAWN.com

2,000 cusecs sought from Irsa for Thal Canal Punjab’s request for water release rejected

ISLAMABAD, April 22: Amid a serious water shortage and electricity shortfall exceeding 5,000MW, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) rejected on Friday a request from Punjab for releasing water into the controversial Greater Thal Canal, but allowed additional discharges from Tarbela dam to improve power generation.

Irsa sources told Dawn that the Punjab government had sought a release of 2,000 cusecs of water to operationalise the first phase of the Greater Thal Canal (GTC) completed recently at an estimated cost of about Rs9 billion. Irsa rejected the request in view of the water shortage and said the canal was meant mainly for the flood season and its formal opening could be considered only when water situation improved.

The total cost of the GTC is estimated at Rs31 billion and it is to benefit Khushab, Bhakkar, Layyah and Jhang districts of Punjab. The first phase of the canal has been completed with a total cost of Rs9 billion.

The Sindh government has been opposed to the operationalisation of GTC, saying the canal was a flood canal and could not be used as a regular canal. It has also been opposed to treatment of Chashma-Jhelum canal as a perennial canal.

The sources said that Irsa had also allowed withdrawal of 5,000 cusecs of additional water from Tarbela dam, over and above irrigation requirements of the provincial government, to help Wapda increase its generation capacity. Wapda companies are facing an electricity shortfall of more than 5,000MW and the additional water discharges would help increase hydropower generation by about 500MW.

Under the decision, withdrawals from Tarbela dam had been increased to 20,000 cusecs instead of provincial irrigation requirements of about 15,000 cusecs. Officials said that additional releases from Tarbela dam would be stored in the Chashma barrage where sufficient storage capacity was currently available for later releases and adjustments against provincial shares.

Irsa also increased Sindh’s releases from 45,000 cusecs to 50,000 cusecs for crop requirements while Punjab’s indent was increased from 64,000 cusecs to 69,000 cusecs on Friday. To meet increased provincial requirements, Irsa also increased outflows from Mangla dam to 50,000 cusecs from 40,000 cusecs a day earlier while Sindh’s share through Panjnad had also been increased to 10,000 cusecs for the next 10 days from 8,000 cusecs earlier.

The sources said Irsa had also written a letter to Punjab and Sindh governments to be very cautious in their calculations and be considerate in seeking their irrigation shares in view of unstable water flows in rivers so that available water in dams could be utilised judiciously and carefully as required by shortages.

They said that temperatures in catchment areas had become unpredictable dropping again to 14 degree Celsius in Skardu after rising to 20 degrees a couple of days ago and, as a result, river flows had considerably dropped and were expected to remain so over the next two to three weeks.

The inflows in the river Indus at Tarbela stood at 29,700 cusecs on Friday against its outflows of 20,000 cusecs because its storage level was recorded at 1394.32 feet against its dead level of 1,378 feet.

The inflows in the river Jhelum at Mangla dam stood at 56,550 cusecs on Friday against outflows of 50,000 cusecs. Its water level was recorded at 1,113.5 feet against its dead level of 1,040 feet.

The flows in river Kabul were recorded at 30,400 cusecs on Friday while flows in Chenab stood at 25,000 cusecs. As such, total inflows at rim stations remained 141,717 cusecs on Friday against outflow of 115,467 cusecs.

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Via DAWN.com

Power shortfall increases to over 5,000MW

LAHORE, April 22: The electricity shortfall shot up by 50 per cent of the demand on Friday, keeping half of the country without power and forcing Pepco to carry out up to 16 hours of loadshedding.

According to the Pakistan Electric Power Company, it faces a shortfall of 5,010MW, with the demand at 14,475MW. Pepco officials said that a reduction in supply of furnace oil and gas, shortage of funds to buy oil and reduced water releases from two major dams were the main factors leading to this “disastrous situation”.

They admitted that Pepco’s own thermal units were not working properly; half of them were on forced outage because of lack of proper maintenance and the rest were not getting oil.

“Three main thermal units — Jamshoro, Muzaffargarh and Guddu — are partially on forced outages, leaving a shortage of about 900MW. The 700MW Jamshoro unit is on 180MW forced outrage. Of the 1,130MW GTPS Muzaffargarh, machines generating 300MW are out of order. At the 1,155MW Guddu power plant, units for 400MW are lying idle,” a Pepco official said.

He said that none of the plants got any gas supply, affecting the performance of other units as well. “That is why out of the total capacity of about 3,500MW, the company’s own thermal units could produce only 1,396MW on Friday.”

He said the Faisalabad Combined Cycle Unit (210MW) was completely shut because it neither had gas nor money to purchase diesel.

The non-supply of gas hit three other plants — Sapphire Electric Power (225MW), Saif Power Project (209MW) and Orient Power Project (212MW). They are producing only 495MW.

The fuel crisis has completely shut down Japan Power (135MW) and Saba Power (134MW).

On Friday, Pepco received only 11,000 tons of furnace oil against the total requirement of 36,000 tons. The reduced supply, another Pepco official said, had played havoc with the company’s generation plan.

“Pakistan State Oil cannot be faulted much for reduced oil supplies because Pepco is neither paying nor giving any hope to PSO which has to pay advance to foreign sellers. The huge PSO receivables against Pepco and IPPs (independent power produces) are a fact of the power sector. Pepco has no money, gas, oil and water to generate power,” he added.

The National Power Control Centre (NPCC), which is supposed to balance demand and supply, is also resorting to massive unscheduled loadshedding because it can supply only as much power as it receives.

The official said the NPCC had carried out unplanned loadshedding of 2,000MW ‘over the past 24 hours’. Total shortfall stood at 7,000MW and demand at 14,000MW.

The situation, he said, would worsen over the next few days because weather was getting hotter. “Once air conditioners are switched on throughout the country, which Pepco is expecting in a week’s time, it will add about 5,000MW to the demand, and things can go haywire then,” he feared.

APP adds: Water and Power Minister Syed Naveed Qamar said on Friday that the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) had been asked to prepare a plan for construction of 32 small and medium dams across the country in two phases.

During the question-hour in the National Assembly, he said that 12 small and medium dams would be built in the first phase.

Two reservoirs will be built in Sindh, five in Balochistan, three in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata and two in Punjab. According to the schedule, Mr Qamar said, the dams would be completed by 2014, depending “on availability of funds”.

He said that 20 dams would be constructed in the second phase.

Answering a question, the minister said India had so far built 43 hydroelectric projects on “our western rivers of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab”.

Thirteen of these projects were built before the signing of the Indus Water Treaty in 1960 and about 30 after it.

“Only eight of the 30 can be categorised as major projects and the rest are mini and micro-hydroelectric projects having no downstream effects,” the minister added. He said India was continuously constructing power projects on “our western rivers at an average rate of one project in two years”.

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Via DAWN.com

Water in Tarbela touches dead level

This aerial view shows water leaving the Tarbela Dam spillway in Tarbela on August 24, 2010. AFP Photo

ISLAMABAD: The water level in Tarbela Dam touched the dead level of 1378 feet on Saturday.

According to data released by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), the maximum water level in River Indus at Tarbela was 1378 feet, while inflow and outflow in the dam was recorded same as 26900 cusecs.

The water level at River Jhelum at Mangla was 1092.90 feet, which is 52.90 feet above its dead level of 1040 feet, whereas the inflow and outflow of water in the dam was recorded as 50,956 and 42,000 cusecs respectively.

Irsa released 120,507 cusecs water from various rim stations while the inflow remained as 129463 cusecs.

The release of water at Kalabagh, Taunsa and Sukkur was recorded as 29,403, 28,015, and 41,300 cusecs respectively.

Similarly, from River Kabul a total of 28,600 cusecs of water was released at Nowshera and 23,007 cusecs released from River Chenab at Marala.

Due to low inflow of water in dams, hydel generation has been reduced considerably, deepening the power crisis. The Pakistan Electric Supply Company (Pepco) has been forced to observe up to eight hours of load-shedding in the country.

Pepco’s daily report showed a shortfall of 3,935 MW on Saturday. The reports puts the country’s total power generation at 11,020 MW against a demand of 14,955 MW during the last 24 hours.

The hydel generation stood at 2,711 MW, Wapda thermal 1,571 MW, IPPs 6,538 MW and Rental 200 MW. Some 630 MW of electricity was supplied to the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC), the report further said.

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Via DAWN.com

Irsa meets today to discuss drop in flows

River flows have dropped by around 20 per cent against calculations made by Irsa at the start of Kharif season, said sources.—File photo

LAHORE: The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has called an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss an unexpected drop in river flows caused by a new wave of snowfall in hilly areas and reduced melting of snow.

According to officials of the Punjab Irrigation Department, river flows have dropped by around 20 per cent against calculations made by Irsa at the start of Kharif season.

Till Thursday, Sindh and Punjab received water according to their demands.

The metrological officials predict that weather would get clear by middle of the month and melting would start to bring rivers back to normality.

According to data of the Water and Power Development Authority, the Indus river was flowing at 20,800 cusecs on Thursday against 26,700 cusecs on the same day last year.

The Tarbela Dam was only 2.9 feet above the dead level of 1,378 feet and held only 0.047 million acres feet of water. Irsa did reduce outflows from 43,000 cusecs to 35,000 cusecs, but the drop in river flow might empty the lake by Sunday.

The Mangla Dam, which is in a better position as compared to Tarbela, has also experienced drop in flows of the Jhelum river. On Thursday, its inflow was 32,000 cusecs but outflow increased to 45,000 cusecs.

The Kabul river was flowing at 17,200 cusecs on Thursday against 20,300 cusecs on the same day last year and the Chenab river at 14,200 cusecs against 8,600 cusecs.

“Comparison with the last year’s flows could be misleading because of the difference in the weather pattern, which became the basis of Irsa calculations,” says an official of the irrigation department. Given the amount of snowfall this winter, Irsa hoped for much better flows than last year’s.

Luckily, it is slack period as far as agricultural requirements are concerned, says an official of the agriculture department.

Wheat harvesting has started and cotton sowing will take a while to get momentum even in Sindh where season starts early. But if the cold system persisted in hilly areas longer than expected there would be problem in cotton sowing in Sindh, he warned.

Our Staff Reporter in Islamabad adds: Informed sources said Irsa had already cut provincial water shares by 5 per cent with immediate effect.

As a crisis management exercise, Irsa increased outflows from Mangla dam to 45,000 cusecs from 35,000 cusecs a day earlier to help Sindh meet its early Kharif requirements.

Irsa asked the Punjab government to provide additional water to Sindh from Punjnad, which would be compensated later. Therefore, outflows from Punjnad have been increased to 76,000 cusecs and would be further enhanced by 10,000 cusecs on Friday.

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Via DAWN.com

Moratorium on Kishanganga project urged

“As of now there is no restriction on India to stop the construction work,” said an official engaged with the Pakistani team. “We will try our best to seek a moratorium on the construction when we present our case next month.” — File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan should make efforts to secure a moratorium on the construction by India of the controversial Kishanganga hydropower project on Jhelum River, a government official said on Friday, adding that without such relief Pakistan would be losing precious time while preparing its case for submission to the International Court of Arbitration (COA) that could result in a fait accompli against Islamabad’s water rights.

Talking to Dawn, the official said that during the first meeting of the COA held in January in the Netherlands, the parties to the dispute only agreed to a schedule of proceedings that would be apparently going against Pakistan’s interests.

Under the schedule, Islamabad is required to submit its case memorial before the COA by the middle of April which would be responded to by India in six months, said the official, who holds a senior post in the Water and Power Ministry.

He said the Pakistani team should have pleaded for stopping India from going ahead with the project because New Delhi would have achieved more progress by the end of September, the time when it is required to submit its counter-case memorial.

“As of now there is no restriction on India to stop the construction work,” said an official engaged with the Pakistani team. “We will try our best to seek a moratorium on the construction when we present our case next month.”

A member of the Pakistani team confirmed that the case memorial would be submitted to the international court in the second week of April.

“So far we have not submitted the case memorial,” the official said, explaining that Pakistan had initially filed a ‘request for arbitration’ which had been taken up by UN-constituted court.

The next step is to file a formal case memorial, identifying objections over ,Kishanganga’s design, and its impact on Pakistan’s interests.

In the first meeting, the sources said, Pakistan had objected to some information leaked by Indian authorities to the media.

The COA took a strong note of the leaks and issued a warning to India over making the court’s proceedings and procedures public before it reached any conclusion.

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Via DAWN.com

Focus on indigenous energy sources

PUNJAB has suffered most as compared to any other province because of the persistent energy crisis. Currently, it faces electricity shortage of around 1,500 MW that would further increase in the coming months of summer.

To meet the challenge and ensure energy security, the provincial government has launched a huge programme for power generation , exploiting all its indigenous resources of energy. These schemes, projected to be operational within three years, include a number of coal-based power projects of cumulative 600-MW capacity, two solar thermal power projects of 50-MW capacity each, 15 micro hydroelectric and four micro wind energy units. Another four 50-MW gas/oil-based thermal power
plants are being installed in the industrial estates being developed in four districts including Lahore and Faisalabad.

Coal-based thermal power projects are of vital importance for creating significant additional capacity for power generation.

Unfortunately, the coal-based power projects, which were initiated about three years ago, could not achieve any physical progress. The projects were ill-conceived, poorly planned and the priority topsy-turvy. For example, the first-ever coal-based power project is planned for construction at Ghazi Ghat, District DG Khan that would not use the coal from Punjab. This questions the basic viability of the project.

The government is in the process of appointing foreign consultants for undertaking techno-economic feasibility considered a pre-requisite for implementing the project of this size and nature. It is envisaged to be developed under public-private partnership. The provincial government is seeking 25 per cent equity from the prospective investors, while it would put in an equal equity in the project. Prospective investors are guaranteed a minimum of 15 per cent return on equity (ROE), along various fiscal and financial incentives allowed under the policy. Tariff will be allowed on “cost plus tariff” basis.

Dedicated coal supply from Chamalang coalfields, District Loralai, (Balochistan) and Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) will assure the required quantity of one million tons of coal annually on a sustainable basis. The initial agreement to this effect has been concluded between Punjab and Balochistan governments. Interestingly, Turkey and Australia had shown interest to promote investment in this project through formation of joint ventures with Punjab but there is no headway.

For a variety of factors, the project is not considered economically viable. The plant when in full operation, will require 2,740 tons of coal per day, and its transportation from Chamalang coalfields to plant site at Ghazi Ghat would pose logistic and environmental problems. Necessary infrastructure for long distance transportation by trains has to be created at a high cost.

Furthermore, facilities for coal loading, unloading, storage and subsequent dispatch to plant premises have to be provided at Chamalang. Likewise, coal unloading and storage facilities at plant site need to be constructed.

This will not only impact project cost and timeline, but also involve risks as the coal contains high sulphur and moisture. Also, the risk of disruption to fuel supply due to law and order situation or any other reason would be too high, resulting in discontinuing power plant operations. Comparatively, the mine-mouth projects are most viable, economically and commercially, as practically there is minimal cost and risk involved in transportation of coal to site. The project is roughly estimated to cost $350 million compared to mine-mouth project at Khushab that is to cost $260 million.

Priority given to DG Khan Project has placed other coal-based projects on back burner, which are proposed to utilising Punjab’s own coal. Punjab has the required quantum and quality of coal for power generation, with total reserves of 236 million tons. The coal, classified as sub-bituminous, has heating value between 9,472 BTU/lb and 15,801 BTU/lb, has low ash and high sulphur. A 200-MW mine-mouth power project is proposed to be located at Khushab. The Chinese companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government to participate in the 200-MW project as constructor, operator and technology provider.

Another four mine-mouth projects capable of generating 50-100 MW each are planned in the coalfield areas of Khushab (District Sargodha), Dandot (District Jhelum) and Makerwal (District Mianwali). Letters of Intent (LoIs) were issued to private sector in September 2009 through Punjab Power Development Board for setting up these projects. There has been no further progress however and the government has resorted to inviting the EOIs afresh recently from the potential investors. Now the proposed 50-100 MW coal-based projects could be located anywhere in the province, to the choice of the sponsors.

On the other hand, Punjab government has not done preparatory work as yet. Feasibility studies for 50-100 MW mine-mouth projects have not been carried out. Infrastructure development in the areas of identified sites is not in hand. Punjab Coal Mining Company (PCMC), established in March 2009 for the purpose of supplying fuel to these projects, has not been able to commence mechanised coal mining on large scale as required for power generation. This would be a handicap in attracting private investment. Under the circumstances, the government’s efforts to attract foreign and domestic investment would be an exercise in futility.

It is unfortunate that Pakistan, having the 4th largest coal reserves in the world, of the size of 185 billion tons, is still deprived of a single major coal-fired power generation unit and coal contribution to total energy mix is not even one per cent. It is ironical that we import over 2.5 million tons of coal annually to meet the requirements of domestic cement industry.

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Via DAWN.com

Bench and Bar are integral part of the same system: CJP

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Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry underlining the need of unity amongst the lawyers said that Bench and Bar are the integral part of the same system.
He expressed these views while meeting a delegation of more than 10 lawyers of Jhelum Bar Association headed by its President…

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Bench and Bar are integral part of the same system: CJP

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Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry underlining the need of unity amongst the lawyers said that Bench and Bar are the integral part of the same system.
He expressed these views while meeting a delegation of more than 10 lawyers of Jhelum Bar Association headed by its President…

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Rs 70m grant for PU Jhelum campus

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LAHORE – Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has approved a supplementary grant of Rs 70 million during the current fiscal year 2010-11 for completion of establishment of Punjab University Campus at Jhelum.
The expenditure would be incurred on completing remaining construction work of the Punjab University Jhelum campus after…

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Pak army successfully test-fires anti-tank guided missile

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Pakistan Army conducted training fire of anti-tank guided missile at Tilla Ranges near Jhelum here on Sunday. The test of locally-made missiles has been carried out in different times to examine performance of the weapons and enhance the overall capabilities of Pakistan Army.

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Police seize liquor from ambulance

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Police on Thursday recovered three drums of liquor from an ambulance and arrested four persons. Spokesman of Punjab Highway Patrolling Police said this in a statement here on Thursday. According to detail, Patrolling Police Post Chuk Meeu District Jhelum stopped a suspected ambulance bearing registration number LED/4010. During the search…

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Petition asks SC to resolve Kalabagh dam issue

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court was requested on Friday to intervene and help find a solution to a controversy over the Kalabagh dam by invoking Article 184(1) of the Constitution which provides it exclusive jurisdiction to settle disputes among provincial governments.

The petition, filed by senior Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar on behalf of journalist Zia Shahid and former food and agriculture minister of Punjab Sultan Ali Chaudhry, sought a court declaration that it was an inalienable right of citizens of Pakistan and a binding duty of the state that the controversy over Kalabagh dam be decided one way or the other in accordance with the Constitution.

The four provinces and the authorities concerned, including Wapda, have been made respondent in the petition.

Citing experts’ reports, Barrister Zafar said the country’s water level would drop to 1,000 M3 per capita in 2025 which was considered to be ‘extreme water scarcity’, while Tarbela and Mangla reservoirs were rapidly losing their storage capacities because of sedimentation. “This is pushing Pakistan towards a national disaster, making the construction of Kalabagh dam imperative.”

He also cited statements of past and present prime ministers, chief ministers and governors and contradictory resolutions passed by provincial assemblies, including that of the Punjab Assembly on Oct 5, to plead that Kalabagh dam was a dispute among the provincial governments and the Supreme Court had an exclusive jurisdiction to settle such disputes under Article 184 (1) of the Constitution.

Barrister Zafar argued that utilisation of water by building dams for the welfare of citizens was a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution and by not building the dam the federal government was violating such rights of millions of Pakistanis.

As a result of the Indus Water Treaty 1960, the petition said, Pakistan had lost water of Ravi, Beas and Sutlej and because of constant infighting had been unable to fully utilise water of the remaining three rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. On the other hand, it said, India had built 4,291 dams and planned to build another 695 even on Pakistani rivers of Chenab and Jhelum.

“Pakistan has only been able to build Tarbela and Mangla dams while Kalabagh remains shelved as a pipedream because of internal differences,” it said. As a result, Pakistan wasted 38 MAF (million acres feet) of river water every year into the sea.

“If we want to safeguard our future generation from living in a dry, famine-stricken and barren Pakistan and counter the sales pitch of India, we have to build (Kalabagh) dam and, that too, immediately,” the petition said.

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Via DAWN.com

Kashmir didn’t merge with India, says Abdullah

NEW DELHI: Days after Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna told the world that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India, the chief minister of the disputed Himalayan region claimed on Thursday that his state had acceded to India not merged with it.

India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) condemned the remarks by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as anti-national.

India’s ruling Congress party which lends support to Mr Abdullah was silent on the issue.

Jammu and Kashmir “cannot be placed at par with Hyderabad or Junagarh”, Mr Abdullah told the state assembly in Srinagar.

“The accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India has occurred under an agreement. We have not broken that agreement nor we have taken it back but you have gradually demolished it. We both (referring to BJP) were required to uphold and respect the agreement. Many say that much water has flown down the Jhelum since then,” Mr Abdullah said.

“We also agree, but it is still a fact that Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India is under an agreement and it is not the merger. For this reason special provision has been made in the Constitution of India.”

Earlier, taking a dig at the BJP’s approach towards the present situation, he said: “It is easy to say that Jammu and Kashmir is the integral part of India and it sounds nice to the ears but if there is no doubt in your minds and hearts on this account, why you are time and again shouting this slogan from the top of your voices? Why there is any need of saying this again and again?

Why same slogan is not being raised for Tamil Naidu or any other state? At one hand you are granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir, on the other you voice for removing it from the constitution. You have doubt in your hearts”, he said.

The Indian parliament in 1994 passed a resolution that Pakistan’s control over Azad Kashmir was the only wrong that needed to be undone with regard to Kashmir.

A mass campaign against Indian occuption of Kashmir in recent weeks has seen the death of over a hundred peaceful protesters, shot dead by security forces.

Mr Abdullah warned against the consequences of not addressing the political issue of the state politically and said. “Don’t blame me for future consequences on this count. He said either we have to work sincerely to stop this unrest and bloodshed once and for all or we will be contributing to the unabated disturbances and killings.”

Kashmir’s separatist leaders have said that reports of US back-channel diplomacy to urge India to resolve the issue before President Barrack Obama’s visit to India next year offered rare hope for a resolution to the dispute. India says there is no room for mediation by a third country over Kashmir.

Pakistan had accused Mr Krishna of making a ‘self-serving claim’ at the United Nations General Assembly about Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of the country. Mr Abdullah’s comments were equally questioning of India’s off- again on-again stance on the dispute.

AP adds: The assembly erupted in violence when opposition lawmakers scuffled with security guards to protest a suggestion that only a deal between India and Pakistan could bring peace to the region.

Three lawmakers from BJP were treated for bruises and cuts and one security marshal also suffered minor injuries.

To quell the violence, the Indian government has debated easing some harsh security laws in effect in the troubled region, pulled down some bunkers in Srinagar this week and discussed bringing economic development to the area.

But Mr Abdullah told the assembly Wednesday that these measures would not solve the overall dispute over the region.

“Kashmir is an issue between two neighbors. It is an international issue … It is a political issue and cannot be addressed through development, employment or good governance,’’ he said, adding that Kashmiris also should be involved in the discussions on their future.

When the session started on Thursday, angry BJP lawmakers, and legislators from two other local parties, chanting slogans against Mr Abdullah, rushed to the podium and fought against security marshals who were trying to push them back.

The speaker later ordered them ejected. The BJP declared it would boycott the remainder of the session ending this weekend in protest.

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Via DAWN.com

Germans, Britons behind Europe terror plot

ISLAMABAD: Eight Germans and two British brothers are at the heart of an Al-Qaeda-linked terror plot against European cities, but the plan is still in its early stages, with the suspects calling acquaintances in Europe to plan logistics, a Pakistani intelligence official said Thursday. One of the Britons died in a recent CIA missile strike, he said.

The revelations underscore the role of Pakistan as a haven for many would-be extremist militants with foreign ties, a worrying prospect for Western countries who face additional challenges when tracking terror suspects among citizens who have passports and easier access to their shores.

Pakistan, Britain and Germany are tracking the suspects and intercepting their phone calls, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information to the media.

The official is part of an intelligence team that has been tracking the two British brothers of Pakistani origin for nearly a year and the Germans for more than six months.

He said the suspects are hiding in North Waziristan, a Pakistani tribal region where militancy is rife and where the US has focused many of its drone-fired missile strikes.

‘‘They have been making calls to Germany and London,’’ the official said. ‘‘They have been talking about and looking for facilitators and logistics they need there to carry out terror strikes.’’

Western security officials said Wednesday that a terror plot to wage Mumbai-style shooting sprees or other attacks in Britain, France and Germany was still active. Both European and US officials said the plot was still in its early stages and not considered serious enough to raise the terror threat level.

Still, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was briefly evacuated Tuesday — the second time in two weeks because of an unspecified threat — and there was a heavy police presence around Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Big Ben. Police on Thursday evacuated a street near Britain’s Parliament in London after reports of a suspicious vehicle but said they did not regard the incident as serious.

Although he characterized the plot as immature, the Pakistani official warned against underestimating the suspects, whom he said have backing from Al-Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban and the Afghan Taliban, all groups that are separate yet interconnected.

‘‘It does not mean that they are not capable of materializing their designs,’’ the official said. ‘‘They are very much working on it.’’

The US has dramatically stepped up its missile attacks in North Waziristan, and is believed to have launched at least 21 this month. The official said a Sept. 8 strike killed one of the Britons, whom he identified as Abdul Jabbar, originally from Pakistan’s Jhelum district. Jabbar was believed to be younger than 30.

In Brussels on Thursday, Europol director Robert Wainwright said a drop in terror attacks in Europe — coupled with intelligence that had thwarted major plots in the past — masked an ongoing threat.

‘‘There has been a significant decline in the number of terrorist attacks in Europe — certainly committed by extremist groups — that hides the reality that these groups are still active,’’ Wainwright told AP.

Asked about the suspected plot, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Abdul Basit, said the government was unaware of any such plans.

‘‘Let me reiterate that Pakistan is committed not to allow its territory for terrorist actions anywhere in the world,’’ he said.

A German intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media, said Germany regularly tracks suspected radicals leaving the country to go to train in Pakistan or Afghanistan, but cannot do anything to prevent them from leaving the country.

When they return, however, German laws enacted since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the US now let authorities charge people for training in such camps.

In August, for example, a 25-year-old German citizen identified only as Rami M. was extradited from Pakistan and charged with membership in a terrorist organization. According to prosecutors at the time, he left Germany in March 2009 to join a terrorist training camp in Pakistan, where he learned how to handle ‘‘weapons and explosives,’’ prosecutors said when he was charged.

He then joined the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan’s fighting in the region, the prosecutors said. The group is suspected of terror attacks mostly targeting Pakistani security forces or Nato’s international troops in Afghanistan, prosecutors said.

Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office would not comment on the report of eight Germans being involved. But a spokeswoman, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of departmental policy, said there are indications that some 220 people have traveled from Germany to Pakistan and Afghanistan for paramilitary training, and ‘‘concrete evidence’’ that 70 of those had done so. —AP

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Via DAWN.com