Posts Tagged ‘Sibi’

OGDC ‘glossed over’ multimillion-dollar contract

The contract regarding the extraction of liquefied petroleum gas from Kunnar Pasakhi Deep (KPD) field was awarded to JJVL on February 20, 2012.

Following media reports of corruption, NAB wrote a letter on May 3 asking OGDC to submit details of all the contracts worth over Rs50 million awarded since January 1, 2012.

The official document containing the list of contracts was duly signed by Azhar Chughtai, who is the acting general manager of the supply chain management department of OGDC. The copy of this document, which is available with the Express Investigation Cell, indicates that OGDC forwarded a seemingly tampered list of 14 projects awarded to different parties since January 1, 2012.

When asked why OGDC did not include the crucial project in its list sent to the National Accountability Bureau, Azhar Chugtai said since the contract awarded to JJVL is a “state-running contract, it does not fall under the category of projects sought by NAB.”

However, Chughtai then changed his stance and said he was willing to send the above contract to NAB. Asked why it needed to be mentioned separately, he said: “I had to rush to the airport to catch a flight to Karachi on some official business last Thursday and forgot to add the project in the list forwarded to NAB.”

The much sought-after LPG project of KPD was awarded to JJVL, which is owned by a Lahore-based tycoon.

Sources said the extraction contract states an abnormally high LPG processing price of $272 per ton and is being questioned by many quarters. They allege that its conspicuous absence from the list might be an indication of providing undue benefit to a private party.

Insiders also allege that other competitors were sidelined during the process of awarding this particular contract and that the proposed gas processing fees was accepted without any evaluation.

The Express Investigation Cell, in its story published on December 17, 2011, highlighted clear flaws and the possibility of pre-bid negotiations in the draft of the same project’s contract. However, instead of corrective measures, press releases were issued to downplay the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2012.

Afghan forces to take more control from Nato: Karzai

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai. — Photo AFP

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday announced a new transfer of security control from Nato that will see local forces take responsibility for 75 per cent of Afghanistan’s population.

Kapisa province, where French troops are based, will be among 11 provinces to come under Afghan control, a statement from the president’s office said.

It is the third phase of the transition of military control in the war-torn country and another step towards the withdrawal of 130,000US-led Nato  troops by the end of 2014.

The statement did not say when the transfer phase would start or finish, but Kapisa’s inclusion was significant as French president-elect Francois Hollande has pledged to pull out France’s troops this year.

“In today’s national security council meeting it was decided 11 provinces will be transitioned in the handover, including Kapisa, Uruzgan and Parwan,”presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi told a news conference.

Australian forces currently have the lead in Uruzgan province.

“Seventy-five percent of the population will come under local security control,” by the end of the phase, said Faizi.

The first two tranches — the first in July last year — have already put 50 percent of the population under Afghan control.

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Via DAWN.com

Season of politicking : Shah threatens ‘long march’ on Lahore

Sindh Chief Minister and senior PPP leader Qaim Ali Shah threatened a long march against the Pakistan-Muslim League-Nawaz’s Punjab government – one which would travel to Lahore and beyond.

Addressing a large rally at Kamoon Shaheed, Ubaro, Shah claimed that almost a million people were in attendance, and when the time came, the 55 million inhabitants of Sindh will march onto and lay siege to ‘Takht-e-Lahore.’

Flaying PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif for talking about broken promises, Shah claimed that he had once vowed that he would neither be dictated, nor would he resign.

“But when his supporters marched to Lahore to protest against General Pervez Musharraf overthrowing him in a coup in 1999, they discovered that not only had Nawaz taken dictation and resigned, but had put his hands up against the dictator, pleading for mercy,” Shah said.

With general elections due, Shah also hinted at the possibility of elections as early as November. “November, December is not far, you can try. The people are angry that he (Nawaz) wants to push out the public’s government,” the chief minister said.

He said that when the elections come around, the people would once again vote the PPP into power. “Nawaz was twice given the chance, what did he do for you?” Shah asked, adding that the PPP had “served the public, the poor, farmers and the youth.”

Throwing in his reelection pitch, Shah said that the PPP’s business was unfinished, and that it was their party which would empower women, give jobs to the youth and give rights to people.

Earlier, other PPP leaders also addressed the gathering, and said that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani is brave for refusing to resign after being convicted in the contempt case.

They also praised him for defending the party and “the Constitution.” The speakers were also highly critical of the judiciary and Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2012.

Devil within

According to professor Dr Fateh M. Burfat of the department of sociology, University of Karachi, Pakistan’s absolute poverty level is increasing steadily, Currently more than 50 per cent of the people are living on or under two dollars per day. “Our population can be estimated to have a maximum of 20 per cent who possess all the comforts of life while the rest are barely surviving” he says.

The level of tolerance is also reducing. It is directly linked to this economic inequality. It is this gap, Dr Burfat believes, that is the key reason behind the increase of drug abuse, suicide bombing, street crime, child labour and violence against women.

“Thirty years ago, the poor were unaware of the comfort that the affluent class of Pakistan were enjoying. Now, because of the media, they can witness the boons of life on the other side of the divide. When people don’t have sufficient finances for a healthy diet, or vaccines for their children, it gives birth to countless psychological and sociological problems,” he explains.

It is not just the responsibility of the government, but of all stakeholders to strive to cope with this and understand the gravity of the situation. Dr Burfat warns that if effective measures are not taken quickly then our nation could suffer great loss. “A country’s increasing economic inequality can cause it to disintegrate, just as it did to Russia,” he says.

Identifying another problem Dr Burfat explains that though Pakistan is high in giving charity and participating in philanthropic activities, yet there hasn’t been an impact in alleviating poverty or reducing this gap. He suggests that organised developmental charity would reap more positive and long term effects on the society. If Pakistan were to concentrate more on education and technical skills, this gap can be lessened. —R.K.

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Via DAWN.com

State of inequality

Why do you think the rich-poor divide in Pakistan is growing so rapidly?

If we analyse in a non-emotional way, there is actually little evidence that inequality is increasing in Pakistan. The standard economic measure for measuring inequality—the Gini coefficient—in Pakistan shows that it has increased only marginally in the last two decades. Of course, there are problems with official data and there is reason to believe that distribution may have worsened in the last decade, but the important point to note is that we have been a highly unequal society from the beginning and only in the early 1970s did we see some reduction in inequality. But that was a short interregnum.

What are measures needed to close this gap?

There are two direct ways in which inequality has been reduced over the years. The more direct method has been of redistribution of assets. This is associated with socialist and communist countries and happened in the 20th century. So land reforms, nationalisation of industries and services was one way to create economic equity.

The other way — prevalent in capitalist societies — has been through redistribution of income from the rich to the poor. This is the ‘welfare state’ model and is based on progressive taxation. By taxing the rich more and spending those resources directly on the masses as well as on public good created a system of gradual but sustained reduction in income inequality.

Underpinning efforts at reducing economic inequality in both cases was a recognition that social equality through equal citizenship has to be created. This meant that equal citizenship was created across genders, religions, castes, ethnicities and regions through law. Those countries and societies may not have achieved social equality enshrined in law fully but that is the official benchmark they have established for themselves.

In Pakistan, unfortunately, we have been unable to do that. Tradition, backed up by bigoted interpretations of religion, has kept us from recognising the basic principle of equal citizenship in law and the constitution. Without social equality, there is no possibility of equality of opportunity and that is a structural bottleneck in Pakistan.

Another element that is critical to creating conditions for equality of opportunity is State spending on education and health.

Public expenditure in Pakistan on health and education is half of that of similarly placed developing countries and our defence expenditure is double that of similarly placed countries. That tells us what the priorities of the Pakistani state have been.

Would you agree that economic developments in Pakistan only benefit a small segment of the society leaving behind all the rest?

Economic development in Pakistan over time has benefited certain regions and certain classes a lot more than others. The urban middle classes have benefited a great deal from economic growth in Pakistan. Those working in the public sector and the formal manufacturing and service sectors are also much better off than they were say a generation ago. Informal workers in the rural as well as urban areas and those belonging to regions that have been deprived of infrastructure development have been left behind.

What measures can be taken at the government and private level to ensure even distribution of wealth?

In an age where market economics rules the roost and where political forces are still not strong enough to rationalise the defence budget, reallocation of resources towards targeted social protection programmes is the only instrument through which inequality can be reduced. A proper food subsidy and an employment programme for the poorest should be instituted. These programmes can be achieved with some additional taxation and reallocation of resources away from untargeted subsidies provided to the upper and middle classes.

For a nation that is high in philanthropy and donations, isn’t it ironic that the social divide keeps widening?

It is true that philanthropy is high in Pakistan and that is a positive aspect of our culture and social values. This is across sectors and regions. Without this level of philanthropy, imagine how much more poverty and misery there would have been. So in spite of philanthropy there is economic and social inequality which only goes to show that unless state policy does not address the issue, no amount of private effort is sufficient to substantively reduce inequality.

What is the single most important factor contributing to the extremely high inflation in Pakistan besides rising international fuel prices?

The most important factor in the last three years has been the passing on of electricity and gas subsidies to the consumer. In fact, the level of subsidisation is still very high which, in turn, is a major cause of high budget deficit. Further, inflationary expectations have built up in the economy that create a vicious cycle of price increases even when they are not warranted.—R.K.

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Via DAWN.com

Punjab power politics: Amidst violent protests govt offers ‘respite’

Water and Power Minister Naveed Qamar made the announcement on the floor of the Senate where lawmakers from the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) staged a walkout to express solidarity with the people.

Qamar said that 2,000 megawatts of electricity has been added to the national grid, which has ramped up power generation. Blaming technical faults in some of the main power plants for the sudden power shortfall, he said that emergency measures were taken to fix the problem.

Without naming any political party, the minister alleged that the energy crisis was being politicised.

“The energy crisis is a nationwide issue, and the nation’s cooperation is required to deal with it,” he said. “Angry protests that involve damaging public and private property are not a solution to the problem.”

PPP leaders have blamed the PML-N for inciting violent protests against power outages in Punjab in order to put the government under pressure – a charge that the PML-N has denied.

Violent protests were staged on Friday for a second consecutive day as people burnt tyres and put up roadblocks in different cities of Punjab against long-hour outages in the sweltering summer.

The issue overshadowed proceedings of the upper house where legislators from opposition and the government’s coalition partners agitated the matter.

PML-Q Senator Kamil Ali Agha demanded Senate Chairman Nayyar Husain Bukhari take notice of Naveed Qamar’s initial absence. He was scheduled to attend the session at 11.30am but didn’t reach on time.

Qamar was also conspicuous by his absence during Thursday’s session, inviting criticism from Agha.

The criticism stoked a verbal duel between Senator Agha and Leader of the House Jahangir Badar. Both blamed each other for the deepening energy crisis and the economy being caught up in a time warp.

Senator Raza Rabbani of the PPP, on the other hand, spoke about electricity woes in Karachi. He said the metropolitan city had to do without electricity on Thursday. In the evening citizens suffered through extremely low voltage, which was not enough to lead a routine life.

He blamed the situation on the ‘below average’ performance of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC).

Senator Shahi Syed of the Awami National Party (ANP) claimed that the KESC was producing 1,000MW against its capacity of 2,200MW.

Senator Rabbani added that 5,000 KESC employees were sacked by the management. He and some other lawmakers demanded that the government take over the KESC.

However, Minister Naveed Qamar was quick to rule out the possibility: “The water and power ministry does not have the authority to nationalise the KESC because NEPRA (National Electric Power Regulatory Authority) looks after these matters.”

“KESC’s nationalisation will create legal complications,” he said but added that his ministry was in talks with NEPRA and would take stern action against the company once the case was strong enough.

Opposition walkout

PML-N senators staged a walkout from the house to protest the government’s failure to overcome the power crisis and its ‘refusal’ to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

When Najma Hameed of PML-N used the words ‘former PM’ for Gilani, PPP lawmakers protested vociferously, with Ijaz Dharma and Syed Ghani taking the lead. Ghani claimed that an amount of Rs.38 billion was missing from Bank of Punjab’s accounts, for which Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, should be held accountable.

Senate resolution                              

Later, the Senate adopted a resolution condemning the terrorist attack on the mausoleum of former ANP senator Ajmal Khattak and demanded action against the perpetrators. The resolution was moved by Senator Zahid Khan of ANP.

Chairman Bukhari prorogued the session.

(Read: Powerless people)

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2012.

Facebook updates data use policy to give more info

The logo of social networking website ‘Facebook’ is displayed on a computer screen. — Photo by AFP

NEW YORK: Facebook is updating its data use policy in an attempt to give people more clarity on how the company uses information they share.    

As part of the changes, Facebook is also signaling that it may start showing people ads on sites other than Facebook, targeting the pitches to interests and hobbies that users express on Facebook.

The move comes a week before Facebook Inc.’s expected initial public offering of stock.

Facebook held events with potential investors this week, including one in Silicon Valley on Friday, and it has posted a version of its road show online.

The offering could value Facebook at nearly $100 billion more than Kraft, Ford and other major brands.

The policy changes are in response to an audit by Irish data-protection authorities last year, Facebook said Friday.

The commission had asked Facebook to be more transparent about how it collects people’s data and uses it for advertising, as well as how long it keeps such information.

Facebook plans to notify its more than 900 million users of the changes through advertisements around the site and on its mobile apps. Users who want to dig deeper can read a version of the policy that highlights the changes word by word. Erin Egan, Facebook’s chief privacy officer, will host an online chat Monday to answer any questions.

Egan said the company wasn’t substantially changing its business practices, but wants to ”err on the side of providing too much information.”

Facebook’s overseas headquarters are based in Dublin, Ireland, a member of the European Union. This means the company is required to comply with European data privacy laws. Facebook said the changes were also a response to feedback from its users.

As part of the changes to the policy, Facebook has created a section to explain how it uses technologies such as cookies to deliver ads, secure the site and offer various features.

The information could then be used to target ads to their hobbies and interests.

The changes also incorporate updates that Facebook has made to its site since its previous policy revision announced in September. This includes reorganizing people’s profile pages in a ”timeline” format and adding an ”activity log” that lets people see everything they’ve done on the site, as well as who can see it.

The ”cover photo” people put on their timeline is considered public information, along with their gender.

Facebook also has given itself more leeway on how long it keeps information it collects. Before, it has typically kept such data for 180 days. Facebook said it will now retain data for ”as long as it is necessary to provide services.” This could be longer or shorter than 180 days.

For example, if a company creates a ”page” for its brand, Facebook said it wouldn’t delete the information put there ”simply because 180 days had passed.”    ”Instead, we would delete it when it was no longer needed when the page owner deleted it or closed its account,” Facebook said.

Some of the changes give a glimpse of what Facebook might do in the future. Though it doesn’t currently show people ads outside of Facebook.com or its mobile apps, the updated policy gives it the option to do so. This is something other companies, such as Amazon.com Inc.’s Zappos.com, already do.

For example, people who click on shoes while shopping on Zappos might see the same shoes pop up in ads elsewhere, even if they are not logged into Zappos. This is what cookies do.

Justin Brookman, director of consumer privacy at the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology, said Facebook hasn’t been very explicit about this possibility before, ”but now they seem to be calling it out.”

While such ads may ”creep people out,” he added, it doesn’t mean the company would be collecting more information about users than it already does. It’s also a new revenue source.    Jules Polonetsky, director of the Future of Privacy Forum, an industry-backed think tank in Washington, said Facebook’s overall data use policy is ”a really interesting document” that teaches users how the service works sort of like a user’s guide.

Most privacy policies read like legal documents, though there are other exceptions, such as Google Inc.    Still, he added, it’s a ”very small audience that takes the time to read even the most delightful and entertaining privacy policy.”    What’s more useful, Polonetsky said, is to give users advice and options at the time that they need the information. Facebook already does this in many cases.

For example, when users post a status update, they can decide whether that will be visible to their friends or to the broader public.

”That’s how people are really going to learn,” he said.

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Via DAWN.com

State visit to UK: Britain pledges ‘enduring friendship’ with Pakistan

During Premier Gilani’s five-day state visit to Britain, the British prime minister categorically stated that the UK will be an “enduring friend” to the government and the people of Pakistan and vowed to build a “deeper and stronger relationship”.

Both countries also vowed to strengthen bilateral trade to £2.5 billion by 2015 as part of “a jointly-owned” Pakistan-UK Trade and Investment Roadmap.

“Both countries are committed to working together as equals to create conditions for greater prosperity and security in Pakistan and the UK,” a joint-statement issued at the end of the talks said.

Regarding democracy, the joint-statement noted it was an “important time for Pakistan” and the current government was the “longest-serving civilian government in the country’s history”.

The prime ministers discussed trade, economic growth and development, cultural co-operation, security and education and reviewed the progress being made since the two leaders made the commitment in April 2011 in Islamabad for a deeper and broader dialogue.

They also discussed the shared national security challenges and the cooperation in counter-terrorism.

Prime Minister Cameron also pledged his support for a return to international cricket being played in Pakistan and offered to share the UK’s experience in protecting large sporting events. The visiting Pakistani delegation was briefed on the UK’s preparations for the Olympics.

Prime Minister Gilani also briefed his British counterpart on the recommendations approved by parliament regarding reengagement with the US as well as the ongoing Pakistan-India peace process.

Pak-UK Trade and Investment Roadmap

The leaders agreed upon “a jointly-owned” Pakistan-UK Trade and Investment Roadmap to actively pursue joint activities on trade and investment promotion.

The roadmap aims at creating a UK-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce in Pakistan to complement existing trade bodies in the UK and to develop business ties with such entities.

Both premiers urged UK companies to look at the opportunities Pakistani markets present and build on the success of the over 100 UK-based companies already engaged in business with Pakistan.

Prime Minister Gilani pledged his government’s full support in ensuring an enabling business environment to attract and sustain UK trade with, and investment in, Pakistan.

OBL debacle

Pinning the responsibility on the rest of the world and a “universal intelligence failure”, Prime Minister Gilani categorically denied that Pakistan was “complicit” in sheltering former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

“There is no complicity. I think it’s an intelligence failure from all over the world,” Premier Gilani said in an interview with The Guardian.

The premier also denied that Pakistan’s military was aware of Bin Laden’s hideouts, or had deliberately withheld information about his whereabouts.

Responding to Hillary Clinton

Responding to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s claim that al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri was residing in Pakistan, the prime minister denied having any information about it.

He instead pleaded that such intelligence be shared with Pakistani authorities.

He gave the same response when asked about reports that suggested Taliban leader Mullah Omar was present in the country. “The CIA is far more powerful than Pakistan’s intelligence service, and would have a better idea about that.”

Relations with other countries

Premier Gilani also admitted to The Guardian that relations with the US have not been “too normal” of late, but maintained that the premier intelligence agencies of both countries have been working together to “achieve” their high-level targets.

On relations with India, Gilani said that Pakistan was “serious” about resolving all core issues with India, including the thorny subjects of Kashmir and Siachen.

(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM NEWS DESK AND APP)

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2012.

Flashback May 11: Rogue ISI and the real Zaid Hamid

Flashback is an experimental feature looking back at the top articles on this date featured on The Express Tribune website.

May 11, 2011

Bin Laden in Pakistan: ‘Rogue ISI, army men may have known of hideout’

Former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf has said that it is possible that rogue members of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the military knew of Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad.

“As a policy, the army and the ISI are fighting terrorism and extremism, al Qaeda and the Taliban. But rogue elements within are a possibility,” Musharraf said in an interview with ABC News Chief Law and Justice Correspondent Chris Cuomo.

Prayers for Bin Laden in National Assembly

Parliamentarians were stunned on Tuesday when a lawmaker led prayers for al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, defying calls from Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi that he needed permission to do so.

At the National Assembly session, Maulvi Asmatullah, an independent candidate from NA-264 stood up and said Bin Laden had reportedly been given funeral services by the Americans and “we should pray for him”.

The prayer service hardly lasted a minute in which two JUI-F legislators from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, former federal minister Attaur Rehman and Laiq Muhammad Khan, participated.

May 11, 2010

Sania Mirza set to rock Pakistani ads

Pakistani advertising agencies are busy doing consumer research for their clients to gauge Sania Mirza’s acceptability as their brand ambassador, a report of the Economic Times stated.

Both Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik seem to be the flavour of the season for Pakistani companies.

Will the real Zaid Hamid please stand up?

In a sense, he is the Pakistan version of Harun Yahya, the Turkish creationist and one-man marketing machine. Like Yahya, Hamid has his share of enemies and legal troubles; like Yahya, the sources of his funding and backing are rumoured to have an agenda; like Yahya, he often romanticises the past in the face of a changed contemporary context.

That is where the similarities end, however. Where Harun Yahya is on a crusade against Darwinism and evolutionary biology, pitting religion against science, Zaid Hamid’s vision is a martial, conquering, unified Pakistan.

India eyes government deals to shift wheat surplus

In this photo taken Tuesday, May 1, 2012, Indian migrant laborers harvest wheat crop on the outskirts of Amritsar, India.—AP Photo

NEW DELHI: India is considering selling wheat to states in Africa, the Middle East and neighbours such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, its food minister said, to cut its huge stocks as lower global prices deter exports and keep the domestic market in surplus.

India, the world’s second-biggest wheat and rice producer, lifted a ban on exports in September, as bumper harvests filled warehouses to overflowing.

Since then, Indian traders have exported 4.2 million tonnes of rice, mainly to the Middle East and Africa, but have not sold much wheat given unattractive international prices.

“There are some countries like Uganda, the Gulf, Afghanistan and Pakistan which need wheat,” Food Minister K.V. Thomas told reporters on Thursday.

India had around 19.9 million tonnes of wheat in government warehouses on April 1, nearly five times the official target of 4.0 million tonnes for the quarter ending June 30, government sources said last month.

Rice stocks for the same period were 33.3 million tonnes against a target of 12.2 million tonnes.

“We are looking at a number of proposals to reduce government stocks,” Thomas said, adding a panel set up to look at the issue of surplus stocks was examining whether to sell grain under diplomatic deals.

July wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade rose 1.1 per cent to $6.06-3/4 a bushel on Thursday, after dropping 2.4 per cent in the previous session.

India has exported only about 830,000 tonnes of wheat since September when the government freed up exports.

Thomas said the possibility of extending incentives to wheat exports was also being examined.

Last year’s second straight normal monsoon rains combined with attractive support prices paid by the government resulted in a record output of grains in India, but there was huge wastage due to lack of storage facilities in the country.

“Although we are adding storage space, foodgrain stocks are very high due to repeated bumper production which is a result of better prices being paid to farmers,” Thomas said.

As part of the strategy to get rid of the bulging stocks, the federal government has been allocating grains to states.

Thomas said an extra 17.5 million tonnes of wheat could be allocated to the states to meet demand for welfare schemes.

Separately, the minister said the Indian government would issue a formal order removing the limit on sugar exports later on Thursday.

Earlier this month, a ministers’ panel freed exports of the sweetener from the world’s second biggest producer, adding pressure to global prices.

India could export another 1 million tonnes of sugar after freeing exports given unattractive prices, pushing total shipments to 4 million tonnes this year in an over supplied global market.

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Via DAWN.com

Syrian capital rocked by two powerful blasts

Syrian army soldiers are seen through a damaged military truck window which was attacked by a roadside bomb in Syria’s Daraa city, May 9, 2012. — Photo by AP

DAMASCUS: Two powerful blasts in quick succession rocked the Syrian capital early on Thursday, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the sky and rattling windows of buildings, an AFP correspondent said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosions. Damascus has been the target of a number of bombs in past months as President Bashar al-Assad faces a revolt against his regime which his forces are attempting to crush.

The blasts came a day after a bomb attack on a UN observer convoy in the southern city of Daraa, which injured six Syrian troops escorting the vehicles.

Responding to the Daraa attack, UN leader Ban Ki-moon warned Syria’s government and opposition there is only a “brief window” to avoid civil war and indicated the future of the ceasefire monitoring mission was in doubt.

Highlighting an “alarming upsurge” of roadside bombs, alongside government attacks, Ban said both sides “must realise that we have a brief window to stop the violence, a brief opportunity to create an opening for political engagement between the government and those seeking change.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that almost 12,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Syria since the revolt, inspired by Arab Spring uprisings, broke out in March last year.

About 800 of them have died since a UN-backed truce was supposed to have taken effect on April 12.

Damascus was hit by two blasts on May 6, with three soldiers wounded in one of the attacks. Television footage showed a mangled car destroyed by one of the explosions.

A deadly suicide bombing at Zein al-Abidin mosque in the capital’s central Midan district on April 27 killed 11 people and wounded dozens, according to state media.

A group calling itself Al-Nusra Front had earlier claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing on April 20 near the Syrian city of Hama that targeted a restaurant used by the security forces.

The Syrian authorities regularly blame the blasts on “terrorist groups” they say are behind the violence that has swept the country for the past 14 months.

The opposition accuses regime forces of being behind the bombings in an attempt to discredit protesters demanding the ouster of Assad.

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Via DAWN.com

Superb Falcao proves Europa League hitman again

Atletico Madrid’s Gaby holds up the trophy as he celebrates with teammate their 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao’s at the end of the Europa League final soccer match at the National Arena in Bucharest, Romania Wednesday May 9, 2012.   — Photo by AP

BUCHAREST: A double by Colombian striker Radamel Falcao inspired Atletico Madrid to a 3-0 win over fellow Spaniards Athletic Bilbao here on Wednesday and their second Europa League trophy in three seasons.

Falcao, who also became the first player to win successive Europa League/UEFA Cups with different sides having scored the winning goal for Porto last term, scored a brilliant first-half double to take his tally for this season’s competition to 12.

Brazilian attacking midfielder Diego, who missed the 2009 final for Werder Bremen against winners Shakhtar Donetsk because he was suspended, added a third late in the second-half to give Argentinian coach Diego Simeone a trophy just months after he took over the hotseat.

Atletico’s victory also saw them break Barcelona’s record of successive wins in European competition as they recorded their 12th to break the record of 11 set in the 2002/03 Champions League campaign.

Falcao, named after the great Brazilian footballer of the 1982 and 1986 World Cup teams, said he was especially pleased because people had advised him not to go to Atletico.

“I cannot contain my joy,” said the 26-year-old.

“After all that has been said, like that I made a mistake in going to Atletico, I showed them it was no mistake.”

“We had highs and lows but we deserved to finish as we have done. The first goal? I didn’t have an angle so I simply looked for some space.They told me to look for the far post from time to time, and this time I listened,” he said with a smile.

“As for my future well we don’t know whether Atletico will play in the Champions League or Europa League next season.We still have a possibility of the Champions League and we are determined to achieve that.”

Simeone, who was a hard tackling midfielder who won over 100 caps, paid tribute to his players.

“Winning is always marvellous, but you enjoy it more as a player, because one is on the pitch, one can scream, run, do a lap of honour,” said the 42-year-old.

“When you are a coach you leave that sort of thing to the players. I am proud of the players, happy for the fans, and thank those who brought me to the club in December.”

Athletic Bilbao’s coach Marcelo Bielsa took responsiblity for the defeat.

“I am disappointed, we did not play a good match,” said the former Argentina coach, who guided the Argentinians to the 2004 Olympic title.

“I am in charge of the strategy of the squad who failed to achieve its objective, which makes the disappointment even greater.
“Atletico deserved their win, but the scale of it was excessive.

“The feeling of personal responsiblity increases in the sense that the difference in quality of the two teams is not the one shown tonight,” added Bielsa, who coached Simeone when he was in charge of the national side.

Falcao opened the scoring on seven minutes with a spectacular goal taking the ball down the right and then into the box and as defender Fernando Amorebieta slipped he curled the ball round three defenders and the keeper from the edge of the box for his 11th goal in 15 Europa League games this season.

Bilbao’s far younger side – an average age of under 24 – took a while to settle but gradually started to make more of an impact.

Their leading striker Fernando Llorente – scorer of 29 goals this term – had missed with an early header when he was not helped by being shoved in the back but he should have done better in the 19th minute.

Found brilliantly in the box he only had Belgian youngster Thibault Courtois to beat but his usual sure touch let him down and his shot skimmed off his boot and wide.

Falcao, though, was unstoppable at the other end and his second stemmed from the hapless Amorebieta being dispossessed as he tried foolishly to dribble it away from the box.

Turkish playmaker Ardi Turan found the Colombian, who completely fooled centreback Javi Martinez sending him the wrong way as he went the other before curling the ball into the top far left corner to double Atletico’s lead.

The two sides were more evenly matched in the opening 15 minutes of the second-half with Diego going close for Atletico but finding the side netting while Inigo Perez forced a good tip over the bar from 19-year-old Courtois.

Athletic kept pressing but clear chances were rare, though Gomez Ibai had some Atletico fans hearts beating faster with his volley from outside the area which just cleared the bar with 20 minutes remaining.

Markel Susaseta went even closer as the ball ping-ponged round the Atletico area and the ball fell to him unmarked five yards out from goal but with just Courtois to beat the ‘keeper – on loan from Chelsea – produced a great block with his legs.

Diego, though, sealed the win for Atletico with a fine solo goal with five minutes remaining, breaking through a weak tackle by the demoralised Amorebieta and firing home from the edge of the area.

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Via DAWN.com

Ambassador Munter denies meeting Hafiz Saeed

US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter. — File Photo by Reuters

ISLAMABAD: The US embassy on Wednesday categorically rejected an op-ed published in a national daily that claimed a meeting took place between US ambassador Cameron Munter and the chief of Jamaatud Daawa Hafiz Saeed.

An embassy statement mentioned the op-ed titled ‘For how long?’ that appeared on May 9 and said: “Ambassador Munter has never met with Hafiz Saeed.”

“No US official has made any promises to, or agreements with Hafiz Saeed,” the embassy said.

The statement said Hafiz Saeed is a wanted terrorist responsible for the deadly attack on Mumbai in November 2008 that killed 166, including six Americans.

“He is subject to UN Security Council Resolution 1267/1989 sanctions. There is an international responsibility to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice,” the statement said.

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Via DAWN.com

PM Contempt: I have the right to exhaust all avenues, says Gilani

LONDON: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday that he would exhaust all means to have a fair trial and would not be coerced into a move out of office through unconstitutional means.

“I have no yearning to stick to power, but I will take it to finality and exhaust all avenues,” Gilani told a team of journalists as they accompanied him to the United Kingdom on a five-day visit.

He said the Constitution has explicitly spelt out ways to remove a Prime Minister and no one can force him out. The Supreme Court on Monday issued a detailed verdict of Gilani’s sentencing for being found guilty of contempt of court. Gilani, and his legal counsel are yet to file an appeal against that sentence.

When was asked about his stance on the issue of non-implementation of the Supreme Court’s order, for which he was subsequently found guilty and convicted for contempt, Gilani said all his decisions were taken in line with the Constitution. He said that as per his understanding. under Article 248 (1), President enjoyed complete immunity and he only did what he thought was the right thing.

“I took all decisions to the best of my abilities and in line with the rules and procedures, and in good faith,” he said, before adding, “I am proud that I fought for the constitution of Pakistan.”

Commending the support his government has received, and faith reposed in his stewardship of the Prime Minister’s office, said his coalition government enjoyed a two-thirds majority and its partners have stood by it through thick and thin. “Why should I fear those who are against the Constitution,” he stated.

Explaining the process, he said that still reserves the right to appeal the detailed judgment. After the judgment is released, the matter of his disqualification would be presented to the Speaker of National Assembly and finally decided before the Chief Election Commissioner.

“But we must also see what happens to the decision taken by the Election Commission against Waheeda Shah, who was disqualified, but the Sindh High Court stayed the decision,” the Prime Minister said, hinting at another possibility in the saga.

PM’s defiance set a dangerous precedent: SC

The detailed verdict cited 70 reasons for Premier Gilani’s conviction. Besides a six-page additional note made by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Nasirul Mulk, the presiding judge of the seven-member bench that heard the case, authored the judgment.

Citing various orders of the apex court issued from time to time for the implementation of the NRO judgment, the detailed verdict mentions, “We (judges of the Supreme Court) are, therefore, fully satisfied that such clear and persistent defiance at such a high level constitutes contempt which is substantially detrimental to the administration of justice and tends not only to bring this court but also brings the judiciary of this country into ridicule.”

The verdict went on to state that the prime minister’s defiance set a dangerous precedent, and may tempt others to follow his example which would lead to collapse of the administration of justice and judicial authority. The executive authority may question a court’s decision through the judicial process provided for in the Constitution is not entitled to flout it because it believes it to be inconsistent with the Constitution. Interpretation of the law is the exclusive domain of the judiciary, says the verdict, quoting a maxim: “We are not final because we are infallible, but we are infallible because we are final.”

In addition, the prime minister never approached the court for clarification as to the order. He was supposed to give a formal direction or approval to implement the decision of the court, the order held.

Moreover, Article 63(1) read with Article 113 of the Constitution may entail disqualification for at least a period of five years for premier Gilani, according to the verdict – although it does not state disqualification as definitive.

As it turned out during the current proceedings, the verdict states, the prime minister never intended to comply with the orders of this court regardless of any advice. “He (PM) cannot shift the blame or the responsibility to his advisors for not giving him proper advice … The respondent has taken a conscious decision in that and he must accept responsibility for the same,” mentions the order.

“Instead he took a stand that he would not implement the directions as he believed that the same were not implementable,” adding that “this stand of the respondent continued right up to the conclusion of the trial.”

The judgment adds that the counsel for the prime minister was asked whether Premier Gilani would even now agree to write to the Swiss authorities, during the course of the trial. The only response received was that the letter cannot be written so long as Asif Ali Zardari remains the President of Pakistan.

Swiss cases

The court observed that contrary to the prime minister’s claim that cases in Switzerland against the president were closed on merit, documents speak otherwise.  The court held that as per the context of then attorney general Malik Qayyum’s letter, the cases were closed purely due to what it termed his illegal and unlawful communication with Swiss authorities.

The apex court also noted that the criminal cases before the Swiss Courts were initiated by the Swiss Authorities and not by the Government of Pakistan, which later applied to be made civil party claiming that the amount, if any, found to be laundered, be returned to Pakistan, being its rightful claimant. This position was not disputed by Aitzaz, mentions the verdict.

Aitzaz Ahsan’s arguments

The court has turned down Aitzaz Ahsan’s objections regarding a fair trial opportunity for the prime minister under article 10A, saying that the current trial of the prime minister does not infringe upon the PM’s fundamental right to a fair trial. The objection on this account is, therefore, not sustained, the verdict states.

Immunity issues

In addition, the court order says that Aitzaz never cited Article 248 with regard to presidential immunity. Rather, his argument for immunity was based on international law instead. The order says that the arguments regarding immunity under the international law having been urged before the full court in review and not accepted, the bench is in no position to examine the plea.

In essence, the court order states that since the complete facts of the cases in Switzerland were not present before the court, it was in no position to form a definite opinion about either the case, or about immunity with regard to the case. The court had merely asked that Qayyum’s illegal communication be overturned and reversed with the prime minister once again writing a letter to the Swiss authorities.

The order adds that no written reply to the show cause notice was submitted and the PM’s plea and defence in writing came only in the written statement filed by him at the close of evidence.

PM changed his prosecutor

The court order says that it found it intriguing that the prime minister, exercising his powers, changed his prosecutor during the trial, while the newly inducted attorney general did not put forth arguments in favour of the prosecution but rather pleaded that there was no evidence, whatsoever, on the basis of which the prime minister could be held guilty of contempt. “We were, thus, rendered one-sided assistance only,” mentions the verdict.

The allegations against the prime minister were found to be established beyond reasonable doubt in the conclusion of the verdict, which states that the key words used in the charge were “wilfully flouted”, “disregarded” and “disobeyed” – all of which find a specific mention in the the Contempt of Court Ordinance (V of 2003), which derives its authority from Article 204 of the Constitution.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2012.

Middle East nuclear talks thrown into doubt

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The facilitator for the Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone Conference Jaako Laajava from Finland speaks at the Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday, May 8, 2012. Hopes dimmed Monday for staging major nuclear talks later this year between Israel and its Muslim rivals, as Iran and Arab countries at a 189-nation conference piled pressure on the Jewish state, accusing it of being the greatest threat to peace in the region. -AP Photo

VIENNA:  Talks on ridding the Middle East of nuclear weapons looked in doubt on Tuesday as the Western official organising them said he had yet to secure the needed attendance of all countries in the region.

The statement by Finnish diplomat Jaakko Laajava at a meeting in Vienna was a sign of the difficulties involved in getting Israel, its arch foe Iran and other Middle East nations to sit around a table this year to discuss the divisive issue.

Laajava, whose appointment was announced by the United Nations last October, did not say which countries were still leaving their attendance unclear, but both Iran and Israel are believed to be among them.

Underlining the deep divisions on the issue of weapons of mass destruction, Iran and Arab states used the Vienna meeting on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to repeat their criticism of Israel over its assumed atomic arsenal.

Egypt, which originally proposed talks on creating a nuclear arms-free Middle East, said such a conference would represent a crossroads for Arab states and warned that “its failure would invite them to revise” their nuclear policies.

It did not elaborate, but the wording may be interpreted as a veiled warning regarding Arab states’ commitment to the NPT, a pact designed to prevent the spread of atomic arms.

Israel is not a member of the voluntary 1970 pact so was not represented in Vienna but the United States warned that “continued efforts to single out Israel … will make a (Middle East) conference increasingly less likely”.

Egypt’s plan for an international meeting in 2012 to lay the groundwork for the possible creation of a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction was agreed at an NPT review conference two years ago.

“ACHIEVABLE” GOAL

In his first public briefing on the issue since he took up the job, Laajava told delegates in Vienna he had held a series of meetings with regional states and they shared the goal of establishing such a zone, but they differed on how to do so.

“Unfortunately, while much has de facto been already achieved in these consultations in terms of identifying common ground, I cannot yet report that the conference will be attended by all states of the region,” he said.

Laajava said Finland was prepared to host the meeting any time during 2012, suggesting December was a possibility. Iran and Arab states see Israel’s assumed atomic arsenal as a major threat to peace and stability in the Middle East.

Israel – widely believed to be the only regional state with such arms and the only one outside the NPT – and the United States regard Iran as the region’s main proliferation threat, accusing Tehran of seeking to develop such weapons.

The Jewish state has said it would sign the NPT and renounce nuclear weapons only as part of a broader Middle East peace deal with Arab states and Iran that guaranteed its security.

Israel does not rule out taking part in the planned conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said last week, but added it was “awaiting clarification on some issues”.

Thomas Countryman, US assistant secretary for international security and non-proliferation, told the meeting in Vienna that a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction was an achievable, but long-term, goal.

However “a comprehensive and durable peace and full compliance by all countries in the region with their non-proliferation obligations” was needed for this to happen, he said.

Mark Fitzpatrick, a director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies think-tank, said the rationale for creating a zone in the Middle East free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction was stronger than ever.

It could “be an answer to the Iranian nuclear crisis that threatens to spark regional proliferation and engulf the Middle East in another war” and “remove the sense of double standards over Israel’s nuclear programme”, Fitzpatrick said in a report.

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Via DAWN.com

Khyber Agency: Another polio case surfaces in tribal areas

According to the Prime Minister’s Monitoring and Coordination Cell for Polio Eradication report, the new case has been reported from Sara Dand village of Tehsil Bara in Khyber Agency.  Khyber is one of the high-risk areas where vaccination teams have been prohibited access since September 2009, when the military operation began.

This time, the victim is one year-old Iqra, who has been paralysed since April 1 this year.

Task Force meeting

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Shahnaz Wazir Ali expressed her concern over the failure of the Pakistan Polio Eradication programme to achieve goals envisaged in the National Polio Emergency Plan.

At the third National Task Force meeting held at the PM Secretariat on Monday, Ali said that the results of the campaign were certainly not encouraging.

Officials familiar with the matter told The Express Tribune that the only goal accomplished by the PM’s Polio Monitoring and Coordination Cell since the last meeting was the appointment of Ali as the PM’s focal person on polio eradication. Other than that, no other directives have been fully implemented.

One of the prime minister’s earlier orders was that the governor and chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ensure that plans to eradicate polio are prepared for all union councils.

However, this could not be implemented in any tribal agency due to inaccessibility.

It had also been decided in the last meeting that lawmakers, both on the federal and provincial level, were to be made part of polio campaigns.

“However, the response from parliamentarians has not been encouraging,” an official quoted Ali as saying in Monday’s meeting. The prime minister was also told that funds for polio eradication have not been mobilised, but a new ‘media strategy’ is in the pipeline to counter negative reporting on polio.

(WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING FROM MAHWISH QAYYUM IN PESHAWAR)

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2012.