TOP NEWS FROM PAKISTAN: Bad start for Pakistan in Champions Trophy

TOP NEWS FROM PAKISTAN: Bad start for Pakistan in Champions Trophy: AUCKLAND: Australia made a stuttering start to their Champions Trophy defence with a 3-2 win over Spain Saturday, while Pakistan squande...

Bad start for Pakistan in Champions Trophy

AUCKLAND: Australia made a stuttering start to their Champions Trophy defence with a 3-2 win over Spain Saturday, while Pakistan squandered the opportunity for an upset victory over Great Britain.

In the Pool A match, Pakistan went down 2-1 to Great Britain in a hard-fought match marked by committed defence from both teams.

Captain Mohammad Imran, who converted a penalty corner to put his side ahead after 31 minutes, said Pakistan created numerous chances in the attacking quarter but failed to capitalise on them.

“We played well but unfortunately we missed our chances and we’re working on that,” he said.

Britain were more clinical in the second half, taking all three points through second half goals to Mark Pearn and Richard Mantell.

However, Pakistan team manager Khawaja Junaid said the Green Shirts, who shocked Australia 4-3 in Perth last month, showed they were making progress.

“We are still in the tournament… we played good hockey and we are not demoralised,” he said.

England were runners-up to Australia at last year’s event and, because the tournament in Auckland is a lead-up event for the Olympics, its players form part of a combined British team this year.

In another match of the same pool, two goals from inspirational skipper Jamie Dwyer helped hot favourites Australia down the committed Spaniards.

Dwyer admitted the Kookaburras, chasing an unprecedented fourth straight Champions Trophy, failed to live up to their billing as the world’s top-ranked team and raging favourites to claim Olympic gold at the London Games.

“We were very passive, we should have been a lot more aggressive and we allowed their ball carriers too much time and space,” the four-time world player of the year said.

“We definitely didn’t play to our potential and we’re probably lucky to get the result in the end. There’s no real excuses.”

Spain peppered the Australian goal as they dominated the opening skirmishes but a well-taken short-range goal from Dwyer against the run of play put the reigning champions ahead after 10 minutes.

The Spaniards, who have only beaten Australia three times in 22 Champions Trophy clashes, hit back 15 minutes later when an off-balance Jorge Dabanch stayed on his feet long enough to fire a shot past goalie Andrew Charter.

Eduard Tubau shot Spain into the lead two minutes later, when he split the Australian defence to again beat Charter.

The Kookaburras wrested control of the second half, with Dwyer netting the equaliser just after the break and a penalty corner conversion from Desmond Abbott sealing the win.

Spain coach Daniel Martin said the performance was a confidence booster for the Beijing silver medallists as they look to bounce back from disappointing recent results.

Pool B matches

The Netherlands beat South Korea 2-0 and Olympic champions Germany defeated host New Zealand 2-1.

New Zealand captain Dean Couzins said the Black Sticks paid the price for defensive lapses.

“I don’t think we played as well as we should have,” he said.

“Germany did well to create a bit of pressure, but if you look back at the two goals they scored, we would be a little disappointed with that, and the softness of the corners we gave away.”

TOP NEWS FROM PAKISTAN: Veena Malik’s photo causes fury

TOP NEWS FROM PAKISTAN: Veena Malik’s photo causes fury: ISLAMABAD: Veena Malik, a Pakistani actress who posed in the nude for an Indian magazine with the initials of Pakistan’s intelligence ag...

Veena Malik’s photo causes fury

ISLAMABAD: Veena Malik, a Pakistani actress who posed in the nude for an Indian magazine with the initials of Pakistan’s intelligence agency on her arm, has triggered fury across this conservative nation.

The photo on the website of FHM India, in advance of its publication in the magazine’s December issue, has been lighting up social network website Facebook and Twitter since earlier this week.

Many here anticipate a backlash.

Malik has broken Pakistani social and national taboos in the past. She is a target for conservative ire and a heroine to some Pakistani liberals.

Conservative cleric Maulana Abdul Qawi declared on Aaj TV on Saturday that the latest controversy was a ”shame for all Muslims.” Farzana Naz, interviewed by the same channel on the streets of Lahore, said that the actress had ”bowed all us women in shame.”

Twitter commentator Umair Javed however called on Pakistanis to ”make copies of the picture and bury it in your backyard. This way, our grandkids will know there were some amongst us who lived free!”

Asked by reporters whether Pakistan would ”pursue the matter” legally, the country’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Saturday, ”First, let us see whether it is real or fake.”

Malik for her part says that the photo at the root of the current uproar was published in violation of her agreement with FHM India.

In an interview with Pakistani Geo television broadcast Saturday, Malik acknowledged having been photographed for a ”bold but not nude shot.” She said the editor of the magazine had promised that he would cover most of the photo with the ISI initials.

Malik said that the photo was intended to poke fun at the Indian fear of Pakistani spies: ”Whatever happens (in India), people say ISI is behind that.”

Malik said she would ”probably” take a legal action against the magazine for violating terms and condition.

Magazine editor Kabeer Sharma said Malik did all with her full consent.

”We have all the record(s),” he told the Pakistani television station. ”Veena was very excited about that ISI idea.”

Malik does most of her work in India. The entertainment sector there is booming, while Pakistan’s is relatively moribund. Her ties to India have landed her in controversy in the past.

During a much-publicised talk show appearance early this year, she lashed out her nemesis Abdul Qawi, who criticised her for having a scripted love affair with an Indian actor on an Indian reality show.

”What is your problem with me?” an angry Malik demanded of the scholar, who had accused her of insulting Islam.

Tariq Khosa refuses to head commission on memogate

ISLAMABAD: Former Director-General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Tariq Khosa has refused to head a one-man commission to investigate the memo scandal, DawnNews reported on Saturday.

The commission was set up by the Supreme Court.

Khosa, who has also served as inspector general of Balochistan police, is a brother of Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Punjab Chief Secretary Nasir Khosa.

Earlier, former law minister Babar Awan had questioned Khosa’s nomination at a press conference by saying that he was a brother of the Punjab chief secretary and a judge of the Supreme Court.

But those who worked with Khosa called him an ‘upright’ man and a ‘clean’ government officer.

The scandal erupted when US citizen of Pakistani origin, Mansoor Ijaz, accused Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, of masterminding an alleged memo sent to a senior US military official asking for help to rein in the Pakistani military after the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad in May.

Haqqani denied the allegation and resigned from his position of ambassador in the wake of the controversy.

Implications of Nato attack

THE unprovoked attack on two Pakistani Army check posts in Salala, Mohmand Agency by multiple Nato aircraft and ground troops on Nov 26, is likely to prove one of the lowest points in deteriorating US-Pakistan relations.

The incident has occurred at a time when a heated debate is under way in Pakistan regarding the contents of a memo sent to Adm Mike Mullen that many believe was another attempt to limit the role of the Pakistani military in politics.

There are reports that the attack occurred when the US Special Operation Forces were operating in the vicinity of the posts.

Could it be that this was the first combined operation against Pakistani forces?

President Obama has called the attack a tragedy. Nato has offered regrets for the incident and ordered an inquiry. Pakistan in retaliation has stopped the transit of material to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Pakistan has also asked for Shamsi airbase, on lease to the US and from where the drones are reportedly operated, to be vacated.At the same time, Pakistan has asked the US not to send any military delegations, and a similar embargo applies to Pakistani military visits to Nato countries.

The net result is the downgrading of US-Pakistan relations. It can be said that the Nato attack on the Salala post in Mohmand Agency perhaps spells the end of Pakistan’s participation as an ally of the US in the war on terror. This will severely limit US/Nato ability to conclude a clean withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Another important aspect related to Afghanistan is Pakistan’s decision not to attend the forthcoming Bonn Conference; without Pakistan’s participation the Afghan endgame cannot be concluded.

It is possible that the Mohmand incident may force the US to continue its presence in Afghanistan into the foreseeable future.

In short, the Nato attack may turn out to be the costliest mistake yet in the Afghan war. It is speculated by many that Pakistan will consider increasing its deterrence capability after this episode to protect its border posts by providing shoulder-fired ground-to-air missiles to its troops stationed there.

Failure to do so will increase dissatisfaction amongst the Pakistani troops guarding the border. The provision of missiles will transform the whole calculus of forces deployed on the Durand Line.

Secondly, Pakistani force commanders will now be less than enthusiastic about cross-border raids. This could lead to further complications. If Taliban attacks increase, Nato will be hard-pressed to protect its mandate. Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s Nato envoy, has said that Russia might suspend the northern supply line that will threaten western operations in Afghanistan.

The Nato position thus appears untenable as the 2014 deadline for withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan draws near. Nato thus may have to brace itself to face new challenges in the days ahead.

One thing is certain — the Nato establishment in Afghanistan will see more militant attacks in the future as Pakistan begins to lose interest in border management.

It is unlikely that Pakistan will conduct independent reprisals against US interests as it has much more to lose. However, it can undertake soft actions by recalling the privileges that have been extended to Isaf/Nato/US forces in the form of provision of supply routes through Pakistan, joint monitoring of borders, exchange of information and closing down of the Shamsi drone base.

Pakistan is also likely to stop joint cooperation with Nato in Afghanistan and the former will be left holding the hammer without an anvil.

Although Nato has expressed regrets, this will not lead to improvement of relations if the current atmosphere of distrust continues to prevail. Some of the steps that could be taken to defuse the situation will include the restitution of losses suffered by bereaved families and the submission of a formal apology.

However, one wonders if this will be done in today’s world where the rule of law and equity in behaviour are rarely seen.

Travelling on this path will require a joint inquiry by Nato and Pakistan into the causes of the tragedy.

If the inquiry finds that some officers neglected to follow the protocol applicable to operations on the border, then such officers would need to face court-martial.

One must also not overlook the consequence of an extended war on the people of the affected region. An examination of the situation shows that both in Afghanistan and Pakistan the majority of the affected people are Pakhtuns. In both countries they have been bearing the brunt of conflict over the last three decades. Death, injury, displacement and economic hardship blight their lives.

In fact, some ask whether the war in Afghanistan and in the Pakistani Pakhtun areas does not fall under the definition of ‘genocide’ as stated in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG).

The convention notes, among other things, that actions committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part would constitute the crime of genocide.

Some argue that this attack was the first salvo of a new phase in the war in this region and directed against Pakistan. However, this projection does not fit into the other time lines that indicate a commitment to withdraw by 2014. One thing is certain that when the fighting ends, the Pakhtuns will be the main beneficiaries of peace.

The writer is chairman of the Regional Institute of Policy Research in Peshawar.

azizkhalid@gmail.com

Dial ‘F’ for FBR

GIVEN the advanced state of collapse of so many public-sector enterprises, which one institution or agency should we be most worried about?

Railways, with a loss of ‘only’ Rs40bn? PIA, needing a bailout this year of ‘only’ Rs22bn? Steel Mills, requiring a monthly injection to stay afloat of ‘only’ Rs6bn? Sindh Bank — a potential Rs30bn disaster (‘only’) in the making?

Out of all the institutions being merrily run into the ground by the ‘awam dost’ coalition government, there is one that is not only much larger, has far greater consequences for its acts of omission and commission, but is being pillaged without fear of public scrutiny. Welcome to Federal Board of Revenue, a Rs1,550bn behemoth.

While things have been in a state of secular decline at the FBR for a long time, its one redeeming feature has been its fairly professional cadre. On the whole, a judgment about FBR as an institution has always been corrupt, yes, but competent. Now, however, prima facie it appears FBR has moved to a dangerous new category of ‘corrupt and incompetent’.

This is indicated by the tax-to-GDP ratio hitting rock bottom in 2011, declining to a record low of 8.6 per cent, or by the fiasco of reporting an inflated figure of tax collection on the night of June 30, when even provisional figures are not fully available (and then promoting those responsible while blaming the field formations). Clearly, there are good reasons to worry about the situation with regard to FBR.

Two worrying, and inter-related, developments best illustrate the true state of affairs in FBR, and the scale of the clean-up required. The first is the so-called ‘ISAF missing containers’ case, which the Supreme Court took suo motu notice of. Initially, the Supreme Court entrusted the inquiry into the matter, in which FBR itself estimates that a loss of around Rs50bn at least was caused to the exchequer, to the Federal Tax Ombudsman’s (FTO) office.

The FTO’s inquiry report is a damning indictment of corruption at senior levels in FBR. Excerpts from the report’s findings will best illustrate the issue at hand:

“One-Customs manual clearance system was found particularly prone to huge transit scams.

“The investigation of four mega scams of containers in the past few years indicates a clear pattern. The phenomena of pilferage is not new, neither are the glossing over efforts by senior officers to provide cover up through creating hindrances in

investigations, manipulation of record and data, diverting focus by ‘fact-finding committees’.”

(In one case, the collector who had failed to prevent wrong clearance of 52 containers was made part of the ‘fact finding committee’, according to the FTO report).

“The picture that emerges is of gross inefficiency, maladministration and corruption in an organisation that is geared to further principally individual and communal self-interest of a few individuals at the cost of Pakistan and her people.”

Against this backdrop, the second shocking development provides an insight into how deep and entrenched the vested interest in FBR really is. FBR insiders, after many attempts, have finally succeeded in killing a third-party developed automated customs clearance and risk-management system called Pakistan Customs Computerised System (PaCCs).

While international best practice, our own experience with maladministration and corruption in Customs, and the damning report by the FTO office, all point to the direction FBR should be taking — of strengthening its automated clearance capability in a transparent manner and instituting a stronger risk management system — FBR has chosen to do the complete opposite:

de-automate customs.

My involvement with the PaCCs issue in 2009 and early 2010 gave me a shocking insight into the scale of deception and fraud that FBR insiders at the highest level were prepared to employ to protect ongoing large-scale corruption in their institution.

When the PaCCs issue was first taken up, we were informed in a ‘secret’ briefing that the reason FBR high-ups wanted to shut the automated clearance system was that the security establishment had objected to it as it was somehow deemed to be ‘against the national interest’. Smelling a rat, their bluff was called and appropriate checks made. It was discovered that FBR’s representation made by no one else than the chairman and member was false!

To my amazement, the same ‘secret’ file was presented to the new finance minister a few months later. (Talk about brazenness and persistence). I briefed the minister on the background and the result of our earlier checks. He made a few calls and was told exactly what we had been informed earlier — no objection had been raised by the security establishment to PaCCs.

And yet, months later, PaCCs has finally been abandoned. The task for developing an automated clearance system and associated risk management has been transferred to Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL), the very agency which: a) has been indicted in the FTO report for facilitating corruption in Customs; and, b) is ‘owned’ and managed by FBR itself.

So, now FBR is expected to police itself — which goes against the basic principles of governance.

To strengthen FBR as an institution, the following measures will need to be taken:

1) Implementation of the report of the Task Force on Tax Administration (the Shahid Husain Committee Report of 2001).

2) Implementation of the findings of the World Bank mission on tax administration reform, which was headed by Carlos Silvani, an expert of international repute;

3) Independent third-party audit of PRAL and its systems, and implementation of PPRA rules on FBR in its relationship with PRAL.

4) Disclosure and audit of personal, business and family assets of chairman and members FBR;

5) More stringent monitoring of measures to improve tax compliance and enforcement. For the past few years, FBR has set itself a collection target of Rs50bn via better administration, but this is not monitored.

Revamping the tax system in Pakistan is the single biggest challenge facing the economy — and should be the single biggest target of any reform effort.

The writer is a former economic adviser to government, and currently heads a macroeconomic consultancy based in Islamabad.