Thursday, December 8, 2011

Bomb blast injures seven in Karachi



KARACHI: Four Rangers personnel among seven people were injured in a planted bomb blast near Safura Chowrangi in Gulistan e Jauhar area on Friday morning, police official said.

According to the police, the bomb was planted at the centre of the road. The explosion also affected the Rangers van.

Rescue teams reached the incident spot and launched relief activities. Injured people are being rushed to hospitals. 

Hyderabad police arrests three in Wali Babar murder case

Investigation officials are hopeful for obtaining vital information about Karachi target killings from the arrested. – File Photo by AFP

KARACHI: Hyderabad police on Thursday arrested three suspects for murdering a Karachi based journalist Wali Khan Babar, DawnNews reported.
Babar, a journalist who worked with a private television channel, was gunned down in January 2011 in the Liaquatabad area of Karachi.
According to police the suspects, reached Hyderabad a few days back, belonged to Karachi and were living in a rented house.
Kamran alias Baba and Fahim alias Dabbu are among arrested.
Hyderabad police has asked for assistance from Karachi police regarding the case and the arrested.
Investigation officials were hopeful for obtaining vital information about Karachi target killings from the arrested.

Twenty trucks torched in attack at Nato terminal in Quetta

Smoke and flame rise from Nato supply oil tankers and goods trucks at a terminal following an attack by gunmen in Quetta on Thursday. – Photo by AFP

QUETTA: Up to 20 trucks were destroyed in a rocket attack Thursday on a Nato trucking terminal in Quetta supplying troops in neighbouring Afghanistan, police said.
A number of oil tankers and goods trucks were parked in the temporary terminal after Pakistan shut down supply lines for Nato forces in anger at a deadly cross-border air strike which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Senior police official Malik Arshad told AFP that unknown gunmen fired bullets and a rocket at the Nato oil tankers and the ensuing blaze engulfed 15 to 20 vehicles in Quetta, capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan.
“We do not know about any casualties yet because the blaze is so huge,” Arshad said.
“First the fire started in two oil tankers and the fuel started leaking which spread the fire to other vehicles,” Arshad said.
“Fire brigade and emergency services were called in immediately after the attack,” he said.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban have in the past said they carried out similar attacks to disrupt supplies for the more than 130,000 US-led international troops fighting in Afghanistan.
Taliban and al Qaeda-linked militants frequently launch attacks on Nato supply vehicles in the northwest and southwest regions of Pakistan, which border landlocked Afghanistan.
Most supplies and equipment required by foreign forces in Afghanistan are usually shipped through Pakistan, although US troops increasingly use alternative routes through Central Asia.
Nato has launched an investigation into the raid last month in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed.
The lethal November 26 air strike has brought the fragile Pakistani-US alliance to a fresh low.
Pakistan sealed its Afghan border to Nato supply convoys, boycotted this week’s Bonn conference on the future of Afghanistan and ordered US personnel to vacate an air base reportedly used by CIA drones.
Pakistan shut its main northwestern border crossing to Nato supply vehicles for 11 days last year after a cross-border Nato helicopter assault killed two Pakistani soldiers.
Scores of Nato supply vehicles were destroyed in gun and arson attacks while that crossing was shut, as Taliban militants stepped up efforts to disrupt the route in response to US drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal belt.

Nawaz for suspension of Nato supplies till apology

PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said that Nato supplies must remain suspended till apology over Nato attacks on Pakistan military checkposts in Mohmand Agency.
Talking to the media reporters at his Raiwind residence, he said the government had taken a firm stand and should stick to it.
Nawaz Sharif said Nato air-strike at Mohmmand Agency which claimed the lives of 24 Pakistani soldiers was an open attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty.
He praised the government’s decision to boycott Bonn conference.
He said the country was passing through history’s most critical phase and there was an urgent need to get united.
The PML-N chief also prayed for early recovery of ailing President Asif Ali Zardari.

Clinton expects ailing Zardari to return

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holds a news conference after a Nato foreign ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.

BRUSSELS: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday she expects ailing Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to return to work after treatment as she refused to respond to rumours he may be forced to resign.
“We have no reason to speculate about that,” Clinton told reporters after Nato talks in Brussels.
“The information that we have is that he has sought medical treatment for a number of medical challenges and we wish him a speedy recovery.
“And certainly we expect that he will receive the treatment he is seeking and then be able to return in full health to his duties.” Zardari was expected to undergo further tests in a Dubai hospital on Thursday after suffering a minor heart attack that forced allies to deny frenzied resignation rumours.
He is facing a major scandal over to what extent he was involved in attempts to seek US help to limit the power of Pakistan’s military.

Hundreds protest against US in capital

Protesters march on a street during a demonstration in Islamabad on December 8, 2011 against the cross-border Nato air strike on Pakistani troops.

ISLAMABAD: Around 800 people poured onto the streets in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Thursday to condemn Nato and the United States over the recent killing of 24 soldiers along the Afghan border.
Lawyers, union members, traders and journalists marched up to the heavily guarded diplomatic enclave to deliver a petition to the US embassy. Only a delegation was allowed to proceed inside to the US embassy.
“It is time to say ‘no more instead of do more’, No to American terrorism, long live Pakistan, long live the Pakistan army, go Americans go, death to the US, Americans are dogs, Nato is a dog,” shouted the protesters.
Holding up Pakistani flags, the crowd marched from the capital’s main commercial Blue Area and burnt a dummy marked Nato outside parliament.
Police official Mohammad Yousaf Malik said 800 people attended the demonstration and that up to 500 policemen deployed around the diplomatic enclave to prevent any untoward incident.
The lethal November 26 NATO air strikes have brought the fragile Pakistani-US alliance to a fresh low.
Pakistan has sealed its Afghan border to Nato supply convoys, boycotted this week’s Bonn conference on the future of Afghanistan and ordered US personnel to vacate an air base reportedly used by CIA drones.

Nato strike was deliberate, part of ‘plot’: DGMO

Senate Standing Committee on Defence was briefed over Nato air strike on Thursday.

ISLAMABAD: Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Ashfaq Nadeem on Thursday said November 26 attack on Salala check post was a deliberate act and part of a ‘plot,’ DawnNews reported.
Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Defence which met here under the chairmanship of Javed Ashraf Qazi, Nadeem said the attack was conducted by US Special Forces as Nato has no control over them in Afghanistan.
He said Nato officials deceived the Pakistani officer on duty at the coordination centre by giving him wrong information about the location of the operation.
The DGMO further said the attack was pre-planned and was aimed to strengthen the Taliban because the two check posts attacked were built to curb militants’ infiltration and had been serving the purpose effectively.
He said terrorists never come up on mountain peaks and always hide inside ditches and cracks.
The security forces have been redeployed after rebuilding the Valcano and Bolder check posts, said the Maj. Gen. Pakistani forces can not afford to leave the area vacant, he added.
Officials of Foreign office and ministry of defence were also present during the briefing.

Doing business with Pakistan

Doing business with Pakistan
Pakistan is suffering horrendous flooding again – and the world has been once more been accused of ignoring her plight. Meanwhile allegations of dastardly involvement in terrorism in Afghanistan make it to the world’s front-pages, ensuring that one side to Pakistan is not forgotten.
Against the context of flooding, terrorism and corruption, it might seem a strange and somewhat misplaced time to be writing about the benefits of economic investment in Pakistan. But those who know me as a writer, will know my attempts to wring out inspiring news stories and splash a spotlight on a side to life that is uplifting, but no less real.
I was recently sitting amongst a sea of suited businessmen in a swanky club in the heart of London, when an American-Pakistani friend shared the news that Forbes Magazine has produced an article saying that Pakistan was a good place to invest. She delivered the revelation in an excited whisper, and I watched the jaw of another friend drop to the floor. As a British-Pakistani businessman, he of course knew this to be true – but the fact that one of the most respected business magazines in the USA was saying it was an utter delight. What the media says does matter – especially in business.
The writer of the article, Helen Coster, talks much about Lahore, the Indus Entrepreneurs and an internet mogul named Monis Rahman. Coster doesn’t shy away from some of the obvious challenges about doing business in Pakistan, but ultimately insists that “the promise of doing business in Pakistan outweighs the frustration”.
I’m right with Rahman when he says: “You tend to hear the worst 5 per cent of the Pakistan story 95 per cent of the time,” but Coster’s story was so focused on the successful entrepreneur that I wonder whether his experience of the business landscape was unique to him, or at least unique to Lahore.
On closer inspection, I discovered many others are saying the same. In an article in Blue Chip Magazine, another businessman from Karachi claims that Pakistan is “entrepreneurial to the core” – something others I spoke to agree on. The Invest in Pakistan website lists the top five reasons for foreign investment in Pakistan as being: abundant land and natural resources; human resources (huge English speaking population); a large and growing domestic market (a growing middle class); well-established infrastructure and legal systems (road, rail, sea, IT); and geographic location – as principal gateway to the Central Asia Republics and connections to the Middle East and South Asia.
Putting it crudely, the labour and raw materials are cheap, the population is 6th biggest in the world and growing fast with over 50 per cent of the 180 million under the age of 20, and tax and set-up incentives for foreign investment are good.
Business giants, like GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare are increasing investment in what it considers a “high growth market”. Rs2 billion will be invested in Pakistan over the next five years. And it’s not just inward investment that holds potential. Last week the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industryannounced that despite economic challenges, Pakistani exports had reached $25 billion (against the government target of $20 billion). One export, which may surprise my fellow British countrymen, is bagpipes – in fact Pakistan is the world’s biggest producer of the Scottish instrument (worth $6.8 million in 2010).
I am not ignoring the floods, or the allegations of terror-funding, my Pakistani friends in London wouldn’t let that happen. I have my eye on the tides of disaster, but as I commit professionally to exploring Business with Britain, I can’t help but think that Business with Pakistan should certainly not be forgotten.
Caroline Jaine is a UK based writer, artist and film-maker with a background in media strategy,training and diplomacy. Her book A Better Basra, about her time in Iraq was published in August 2011. More about Caroline’s work and her contact details can be found onwww.jaine.info and facebook.



Canadian firm interested in cellular business

President of Polar Wireless Network Steve Robert held a meeting with the chairman of the Board of Investment, Saleem H. Madviwalla, in Seoul on Wednesday and made a presentation on the services which the company intends to introduce in Pakistan.



ISLAMABAD: The Polar Wireless Network of Canada is exploring possibilities to enter into the cellular business to introduce SIMs transformative technology in Pakistan, the Board of Investment announced here on Wednesday.
It offers the first ‘Worldwide SIM Card’ that combines with a subscribers home SIM card to provide wholesale prepaid rates on Voice, SMS and Data services when roaming.
The network operates a mobile virtual network that works in combination with subscriber’s current cell phone provider. The Polar Wireless Network eliminates roaming charges while offering competitive calling rates.
The Polar SIMs transformative technology is the first to allow subscribers to keep their existing mobile phones and home phone numbers while taking advantage of discounted roaming rates abroad. All calls are carrier grade voice quality and only premium telecom routes are used.
President of Polar Wireless Network Steve Robert held a meeting with the chairman of the Board of Investment, Saleem H. Madviwalla, in Seoul on Wednesday and made a presentation on the services which the company intends to introduce in Pakistan.
Mr Mandviwalla assured the Canadian company of the government’s support to partner with both local carriers and distributors. The service would be beneficial for the users travelling abroad and seeking connectivity to their home towns as well, he said.
The Polar Wireless SIM activates when subscribers leave their home wireless network.

Imran’s image on business landscape


The attendance of educated youth in Lahore meeting of Imran Khan is seen generally to reflect their distrust of the mainstream politics. The goodwill for Tehreek-i-Insaf in a segment of the business community can be explained probably by its concern about the future amid economic difficulties.
While it is too early to reach any conclusion, the support in elite class for the former cricketer skipper seems to have been generated more by the perceived patrons rather than his own credentials.
Imran Khan’s sudden surge in popularity has yet to pass the test of ballot box but it cannot be denied that Lahore rally did launch him on the country’s political landscape. The frontline leaders of business and trade, when contacted, were cautious in their comments. Many were inquisitive, some favoured him indirectly, wrapping, as usual, their support in national interest while others saw him as a relic of the past.
“Educated youth, hit by unemployment and inspired by ‘Arab spring’ and ‘Occupy Wall Street’ yearns for a just society. It must not surprise anyone if they tilt towards Imran Khan for nothing but a change,” an analyst commented.
“The private sector, though not a monolithic entity, overwhelmingly wants change and a return to the past. They prefer Shaukat Aziz and his likes anytime over PPP and PLM(N) leaders. The big business trusts the choice of establishment unlike leaders thrown up by people through electoral process.”
“Their experience taught them that no one serves them better than dictators and their nominees. They talk about corruption and inefficiency with no end but all they want is to be given preference over others and totally free space to multiply wealth the way they want,” he added.
Many businessmen are inspired by such role models as the take-over by technocrats in the crisis-hit Greece and Italy, with politicians getting a back seat. The preference is for market democracy. The elite has lost its charm for representative democracy.
In Karachi there were reports of fund raising by the private sector for Imran Khan. Mian Abrar Ahmad, president Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry was not aware of any such activity. In Punjab some senior economic journalists impressed by the huge Lahore rally saw a gathering storm ready to submerge both PPP and PML(N) in the next elections.
“Imran Khan is all over the media but I have not seen him being discussed in the business circles so far. Our trade demands of us to be neutral towards politicians. We need to work with whoever is installed in Islamabad, so we like to keep our distance”, he said, commenting on Imran Khan’s future.
In Pakistan, like in many other countries elections are an expensive affair. However, with a severely cash-strapped government and an active media, the chances of grabbing much of public money are thin. The sitting MNAs and MPAs are likely to focus more on state-supported development schemes in their constituencies.
The banks have been used in the past to raise funds for the political parties. Now most banks are in private hands. It would not be easy for the government or politicians to secure money from them.
Many politicians may try to get support from business tycoons to line up resources needed to finance next elections.
“A national assembly seat is a Rs30 million proposition and provincial candidates need at least Rs10 million to put up a decent fight. It is simple multiplication beyond that to give an idea of budget of a national political party aspiring to form government.”
“Everyone cannot spare that kind of money. Be it image building or developing a winning team, money is required at every step. The fund collected through voluntary donations is itself a political activity for mobilisation and raising the level of commitment of supporters,” a businessman who joined PML(N) some time back told this scribe in confidence.
“The spending by all candidates in last elections, according to one estimate, was Rs200 billion. The 2013 election would cost double the amount not only because of inflation but also owing to close fights in many constituencies. I have no doubt that even in the past big chunks of election funds came from liquid corporates. If you ask me money transfers have already started for elections 2013,” another business leader commented.
All political parties have personal relations with their supporters in the business community. However, institutional framework is lacking to raise resources to fund elections.
“The businessmen are divided over political parties. There are few who individually support PPP, PML/N, JI, MQM or others but collectively and generally we like to keep to sidelines”, a business leader from Islamabad told Dawn over phone.
“Yes, we know he was an ace cricketer who earned us the World cup. He is a successful philanthropist. The establishment of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital was a very challenging endeavour. However he has yet to prove his mettle as an able politician and a pragmatic economic manager to let people take him seriously,” a senior leader of the business community commented.
“Some powers are pushing him to the centre stage but he does not fit in the country’s power structure. No one can go far politically without Senate support. He has no one there. At best he will bag 20 seats,” Chaudhry M. Saeed, ex president FPCCI, told this scribe over phone from Mirpur Kashmir.
“Earlier on, the people who did not want to vote for PPP and MQM voted for Jamat-e-Islami. In the coming elections many amongst JI supporters are going to vote for Imran,” Majyd Aziz said.
“The business community has a very simple philosophy. Our job is to contribute to the economy and we would like to do that. Practical politics is not our cup of tea. There are host of examples where businesses went bankrupt as their proprietors indulged in politics. Actually the situation is challenging and middle management is weak. Yes, the business community should develop think tanks to give quality input in economic policy making”, Gohar Eijaz, ex chairman Aptma, told Dawn.

Abbottabad commission to complete report by month end

“As far as the international law is concerned, it is obvious that if he (Osama bin Laden) was present there, he should have been caught alive.”



ISLAMABAD: The judicial commission investigating how Osama bin Laden lived in Pakistan undetected for years until his killing by US special forces said on Thursday it would complete its report within weeks.
“It is hoped that the recording of the evidence will be completed by the end of December and the writing of the commission report as early as possible,” retired senior supreme court judge Javed Iqbal told a news conference.
The Pakistani government set up the five-member panel after US Navy SEALs conducted a secret raid on a compound in the garrison city of Abbottabad on May 2, killing bin Laden and flying off without informing Islamabad.
Parliament demanded an independent investigation into how bin Laden had been able to hide and whether there was any government or military collusion.
Iqbal said the commission would like to examine evidence collected by US Navy SEALs from compound, but that it had not so far made a formal request.
“So far as that evidence is concerned, that is in Arabic language and according to the Unites States authorities it may take more than six months to get it translated into English or some other language,” Iqbal said.
“Therefore it is time consuming and when the relevant time will come definitely we will ask for such information.”
Pakistani-US ties drastically deteriorated over the bin Laden raid, which prompted accusations of incompetence or complicity against the military, and relations are again at new lows over the November NATO killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Iqbal said the commission had interviewed more than 100 witnesses, including army and air force, police and intelligence officials, and visited Abbottabad and the surrounding areas five times.
“We strongly recommend that the commission’s report be made public,” Iqbal told the crowded gathering, the commission’s first such news conference.
Pakistan was awash with conspiracy theories after the Abbottabad incident and in a slightly surprising move, Iqbal said it was too early to comment when asked whether the commission was sure bin Laden was killed in the May 2 raid.
“It would be too premature a stage to say what was and what was not, because the objective is to minutely examine the evidences collected so far, then a conclusion would be drawn and deliberations would take place,” he said.
“And some important witnesses have to be examined yet, so please do not ask what will be in this report.”
Iqbal said the team was investigating whether bin Laden stayed only in Abbottabad or also elsewhere in Pakistan and looking at whether his killing was lawful under international law.
“As far as the international law is concerned, it is obvious that if he was present there, he should have been caught alive,” Iqbal said.
“But the thing is that why it happened like that, should it have happened like this, all these answers you will find in the report that what international law says and what was our stance and what is the US stand.”
He reiterated that bin Laden’s widows and children were now free to leave the country as far as the commission was concerned, saying that they had been “thoroughly investigated” and their statements were recorded.

Zardari has more medical tests in Dubai


ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari was expected to undergo further tests in a Dubai hospital on Thursday after suffering a minor heart attack that forced allies to deny frenzied resignation rumours.
Zardari was on Thursday spending a second day in a UAE bed while facing a major scandal over to what extent he was involved in alleged attempts by a close aide to seek US help to limit the power of Pakistan’s military.
“President Zardari’s condition is stable, he is fine, he is OK,”presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP on Thursday.
Aides have so far been unable to say when he will return home, after one member of the cabinet initially said he would go back to Islamabad on Thursday.
“It depends on the doctors, when he will be discharged. They will tell after receiving results of some more tests,” Babar added.
He said Zardari’s illness stems from a “pre-existing heart condition” and that the president has been fitted with stents. He reportedly suffered a minor heart attack six years ago.

Country’s situation might worsen if elections rigged: Imran


LAHORE: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan warned on Thursday that the country’s situation might worsen if the upcoming elections were rigged, DawnNews reported.
Speaking to media representative at the Lahore airport, Khan said results of any election in Pakistan had never been accepted wholeheartedly and that it was a common practice of the losing party to accuse the successful party of rigging.
The PTI chief said the country had witnessed martial laws resulting due to election rigging allegations.
Khan further said the presence of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry would ensure the holding of free and fair elections.
He also said elections should be held after the completion of the voting lists.

TOP NEWS FROM PAKISTAN: FO condemns terrorist attacks in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sh...

TOP NEWS FROM PAKISTAN: FO condemns terrorist attacks in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sh...: ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday strongly condemned the terrorist incidents in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif resulting in the loss ...

FO condemns terrorist attacks in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif


ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday strongly condemned the terrorist incidents in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif resulting in the loss of lives.
“We strongly condemn the reprehensible terrorist actions in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif resulting in the loss of over 60 innocent lives,” a spokesman for the foreign office said in a statement.
The spokesman said the government and the people of Pakistan are grieved and stand by the brotherly people of Afghanistan at this difficult time.

Uranium sales open to India, not Pakistan: Australia

Australia's ruling Labor party passed Prime Minister Julia Gillard's proposal with 206 votes to 185, reversing a decades-old policy excluding New Delhi from Australia's uranium trade because it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

SYDNEY: Australia’s Defence Minister Stephen Smith said India represented a “unique” case for uranium sales Thursday and denied that lifting its export ban to New Delhi opened the door to countries like Pakistan.
The ruling centre-left Labor party voted to overturn its long-standing ban on uranium sales to India at its national policy summit last weekend despite the fact that it was still not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Smith, on an official visit to India, said the decision had been “warmly welcomed” but rebuffed suggestions that Pakistan may want a similar arrangement.
“The circumstances for India so far as export of uranium is concerned are, in my view, unique,” Smith told ABC television from India.
“Pakistan does not have the same record so far as proliferation is concerned. There have been serious expressions of concern about proliferation in the past.” Though India had not signed the NPT – Labor’s rationale for withholding sales until the weekend’s policy u-turn – Smith said it had agreed to split its civilian and military nuclear programmes and vowed not to engage in atomic tests.
It had also submitted to the authority of civil nuclear regulators.
“India is the world’s largest democracy. There’s never been any serious suggestion or any evidence of proliferation on India’s part,” he said.
He described the ban as “an irritant or a grain of sand in the relationship (that) is now gone” and said he and Indian officials had agreed that they could and should do more to boost strategic cooperation.
“The whole world is moving to the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean, and India is very much a central part of that,” he said.
Smith said he had also discussed the recent announcement of a US troop boost in northern Australia with Indian counterpart A.K Antony and he understood that “Australia has an alliance relationship with the United States.
“India also understands that Australia has a strong view that the engagement of the United States in the Asia Pacific, indeed the enhanced engagement of the United States in the Asia Pacific, is a good thing for peace, prosperity and stability,” Smith said.
Australia describes India – its fourth-largest export market – as at the “front rank” of its global partnerships and aims to strengthen ties beyond economic and trade links into areas such as defence and security.

Rumourgate’ not worth a response: Babar Awan


ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former law minister Babar Awan said on Thursday that nefarious rumour mills were operating against the government which did not merit any discussion or response, DawnNews reported.
Speaking to media representatives in Islamabad, Awan said a media-trial of one individual was being done, the example of which could not be found in the country’s history.
The former law minister said there was ‘no other gate in the country except ‘rumourgate’’ and stressed that the government would complete its tenure.
Awan said those talking about the ‘Bangladesh model’ should keep in mind the Constitution’s Article 6 and its sub-clauses in that regard.
The senior leader further said that President Asif Ali Zardari would hold a joint session of the parliament on the recommendation of the national security council.
Awan assured that no collision would occur among the state’s institutions and no compromise would be made with regard to Pakistan’s security.