The Joys of Reading Fiction

I have to begin by making a confession. I love to read fiction. Or, let me put it this way, I still love to read fiction. Being as old as I am, doing the job that I do (you could call me a journalist, the ‘senior staff member’ is off-putting I know!) and still wanting to read fiction appears a little odd; even to me sometimes.


But that’s how it has always been. I enjoy good fiction like no other piece of writing.


A colleague in office finds that heartening and tells me that fiction is understood to be the ‘ultimate’ or ‘high’ reality. Conversely, autobiography is the biggest lie, he says. In fiction, you are not compelled to hide anything, so that’s the ultimate truth; everything else is a lie.


Some consolation his words but my sheer inability to read non-fiction makes me think that, perhaps, it’s time to problematise the issue. The issue in question being: why is fiction such a joy and where does it leave a reader who happens to be a journalist.


In my mind, there had always been a linear self-constructed rule — the teens and some part of the twenties are reserved for fiction; soon after, one must turn to non-fiction — history, politics, biography, philosophy, literary criticism, linguistics and what not.


Logistically speaking, I worked as per the linear rule in my mind. I got all the right books (or always had them) placed neatly on the shelves — from Seervai to Hamza Alavi to Feroze Ahmed to Ayeha Jalal. The more than one biography of Gandhi, Nehru and Jinnah keep each other company as well as to that of Mandela, Clinton and Gian Singh Shatir in the shelf. I even have my share of feminist literature (the Germaine Greers and all), philosophy and literary criticism.


Every few months, this huge collection needs to be dusted thoroughly. I do that lovingly but with a profound sense of guilt; for not having read most of it.


Because, to fiction I must return, and with a fondness and interest that is unmatched. The plans of a chronological reading of non-fiction (Taliban must come first before Descent into Chaos) never seem to materialise. I find fiction more liberating because you can break all chronological rules; an Oscar Wilde can be read before or after a Mirza Waheed, and Dickens, Milan Kundera or Rohinton Mistry can all be read together and enjoyed.


This has not been for want of trying I tell you. I have tried reading almost every single non-fiction book that would turn me into a smart reader/analyst/opinion-maker. Somehow I couldn’t finish it. The only books I could read till the end were those that read like fiction. I know that’s a silly un-definable criterion but, to me, that’s that.


In the process of trying, I developed a love for a genre other than fiction and that is the essay. George Orwell has amazed me with his clarity of thought and lucid prose, and Mencken I am still discovering.


But essay I found is closer to journalism; hence limited. The possibilities of fiction, on the other hand, are endless.


Close to home are Intizar Husain and Manto and so many more. The discovery that Manto is a pure genius came to me a little late. To me, Manto is literature, history, politics, biography, philosophy, society and journalism all rolled into one. A master of irony, he is a story-teller par excellence who had the courage to challenge God.


Must I then crib why I’m reading fiction only?

All six Arab Gulf states to close embassies in Syria

RIYADH: All six Arab Gulf states will close their embassies in Syria in protest at the year-long crackdown in the country, said Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) head Abdullatif al-Zayani early Friday.

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait took the step, he said, citing the regime's "massacring its people, choosing the military option and rejecting all initiatives aimed at finding a solution to the crisis."

Zayani asked the international community to "act urgently and decisively to stop the killings and massacres in Syria as well as the gross violations of the dignity and legitimate rights of the Syrians."

Before this collective decision, two GCC countries -- Saudi Arabia and Bahrain -- had announced the closure of their missions in Damascus.

Saudi Arabia took the step Wednesday and announced the return of its diplomats from Syria, followed the next day by Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia, the Arab world heavyweight, has been highly critical of the Syrian regime. Last August, it withdrew its ambassador from Damascus and expelled the Syrian ambassador.

Its five partners in the council have done the same to denounce the "mass slaughter" committed by the regime.

Swiss will follow if Pakistan removes presidential immunity: lawyer

GENEVA: The Attorney-at-law who represented Pakistan in high-profile Swiss corruption cases involving President Asif Ali Zardari and Benazir Bhutto has opined that the re-opening of the Swiss cases is a simple matter and not many complications were involved if only the government of Pakistan willed so.

François Micheli's law firm represented Pakistan in around a dozen cases with the Switzerland authorities from 1997 to mid 2008 when, under the infamous National Reconciliation Order (NRO), the attorneys representing Pakistan were instructed to drop the criminal proceedings against the accused couple, President Zardari and Benazir Bhutto.

As the Supreme Court presses ahead with its determination to get Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to write to the Swiss authorities to re-open the corruption cases, a lot of speculation in Pakistan swirls around the statutory limitation and it is suggested that after 15 years, taking into count 1997 when the famous money laundering SGS/Cotecna cases were opened against the duo, are lapsed the cases could not be opened.

But the former Pakistani state attorney has revealed that the 15 year limitation rule doesn't apply as simply in this matter as, when and if Pakistan makes a request for the reopening of the cases, it will be of paramount importance that what happened to the assets (65 million Dollars) unfrozen in 2008.

“If the assets were moved elsewhere then that’s a new offence and that’s a new period of limitation,” he said, implying that the emphasis on the cut off time was misplaced and he was not aware what happened to the assets after his firm seazed representing Pakistan.

This assertion means that even if a single penny was moved out of the unfrozen accounts then that date will form the start date of any new prosecution – the new start period of statutory limitation.

He said it would be a complex matter if the assets were still in Switzerland and not moved but “it needs a close examination under Swiss law”.

"If the assets were moved elsewhere then that's a new offence and that's a new period of limitation," he said, implying that the emphasis on the cut off time was misplaced and he was not aware what happened to the assets after his firm ceased representing Pakistan.

This assertion means that even if a single penny was moved out of the unfrozen accounts then that date will form the start date of any new prosecution - the new start period of statutory limitation.

He said it would be a complex matter if the assets were still in Switzerland and not moved but "it needs a close examination under Swiss law".

He explained that his law firm represented Pakistan in the mutual legal assistance proceedings where it was on Pakistan's request that the Swiss authorities were cooperating to assist Pakistan's investigations by helping with bank records, money movement etc.

He also represented Pakistan in his country's own Penal proceedings, where the money laundering case was probed.

He said the system for mutual legal assistance was simple; it was more complex when it comes to the local Swiss penal proceedings.

He doubted that the Swiss will re-open their own penal investigations although it was legally possible, but confirmed that Swiss will actively cooperate with Pakistan's own penal proceedings if a request was made through the attorney general.

"It is significantly simpler to reactivate the mutual legal assistance proceedings. What Pakistani authorities must do is to file a request to the Swiss authorities to know what has happened to the assets that were unfrozen in 2008.

It's quite simple to do. What is required is that Pakistan penal authorities actively investigate and prosecute the concerned cases and if that's fulfilled Switzerland will help Pakistan and provide its support. That's the basic requirement under mutual legal assistance."

When asked what would happen if Pakistan requested of Swiss to probe these cases under the Swiss under penal laws, Mr. Micheli replied that “that’s legally possible. There is a question of opportuneness. The centre of gravity of various cases we have been dealing with is in Pakistan, rather than in Switzerland.

The main suspects and offenders are in Pakistan so the natural place where such penal proceedings should be conducted is definitely Pakistan. The Pakistani penal authorities are better placed to cut the Gordian knot.”

When asked what would happen if Pakistan requested of Swiss to probe these cases under the Swiss under penal laws, Mr. Micheli replied that "that's legally possible. There is a question of opportuneness. The centre of gravity of various cases we have been dealing with is in Pakistan, rather than in Switzerland. The main suspects and offenders
are in Pakistan so the natural place where such penal proceedings should be conducted is definitely Pakistan. The Pakistani penal authorities are better placed to cut the Gordian knot."

Explaining the Swiss position relating to immunity, the attorney said the Swiss Department for Foreign Affairs will go by what the foreign state has decided. "If Pakistan lifts this immunity then Swiss will go by what Pakistan has decided. If Pakistan doesn't recognize immunity to head of state or its public officials Swiss will not either".

It was from Mr Micheli’s office in December 2009 when Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan’s envoy to London, and a National Accountability Bureau official removed the files and the scenes of files being transported to the Pakistani diplomatic car made headlines. The attorney stressed that his firm is under legal obligation of carrying “at least a copy of what we have done for our client” and “our obligations is to keep the records for ten years after the closing of the case.

The prosecutor general of Geneva who was dealing with penal cases also keeps his records for a long duration too. I believe that the time period is until the period of limitation is reached which is 15 years for the offences or aggravated money laundering charges”.

It was from Mr Micheli's office in December 2009 when wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's envoy to London, and a National Accountability Bureau official removed the files and the scenes of files being transported to the Pakistani diplomatic car made headlines. The attorney stressed that his firm is under legal obligation of carrying "at least a copy of what we have done for our client" and "our obligations is to keep the records for ten years after the closing of the case".

The prosecutor general of Geneva who was dealing with penal cases also keeps his records for a long duration too. I believe that the time period is at least until the period of limitation is reached which is 15 years for the offences or aggravated money laundering charges".

He said if there has been any movement of the money transferred after 2008 then it can be traced and are evidenced by banking records.

He said if the Swiss cases are reopened, the first thing the Swiss authorities will do is to determine where the monies went. “They will probably also freeze them if they are still in Switzerland. The Swiss authorities have the means of coercion of the penal authorrities in general: hearing witnesses, raiding premises, seizing evidence and assets. It's an easy thing. If assets are moved then the paper trail should be easy to reconstruct too.”

He said if there has been any movement of the money transferred after 2008 then it can be traced and are evidenced by banking records.

He said if the Swiss cases are reopened, the first thing the Swiss authorities will do is to determine where the monies went. "They will probably also freeze them if they are still in Switzerland. The Swiss authorities have the means of coercion of the penal authorities in general: hearing witnesses, raiding premises, seizing evidence and assets. It's an easy thing. If assets are moved then the paper trail should be easy to reconstruct too."

He said the guilty verdicts against Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zaradri in money laundering proceedings in which each was condemned to a 6 months prison term didn’t make any progress to the logical conclusion because “the criminal procedures in Pakistan were not making visible progress”. They both opposed the sentences, and the cases were brought to a trial court, comprising 3 judges.

They concluded that the matter was too serious and sent the case back to the Prosecutor and the examining magistrate who indicted the couple also for aggravated money laundering.

“The investigation was then ruled as being complete. There have been no significant procedural progress thereafter, also because the criminal procedures in Pakistan were not making visible progress. We don’t know what actions was taken by the Swiss prosecutor after we stopped representing the interests of the State of Pakistan.”

The attorney said Pakistani authorities - ambassador in Switzerland, law minister, Attorney General for Pakistan, Prosecutor general NAB and Ehtesab cell - offered satisfactory and promising cooperation up to Spring 2001 and then they went slow.

"We were of course disappointed but were hoping that the cases would tried again shortly thereafter by the competent court, as all material evidence was already on record. There were many postponements, delays, reports of hearings, and in general adjournments.

Cross-examination of Mansoor Ijaz underway

ISLAMABAD/LONDON: Zahid Bukhari, the lawyer for former Pakistan ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani said on Thursday that the memogate star Mansoor Ijaz had not travelled to the US in over a year.

The proceedings of the memo commission are simultaneously underway at the Islamabad High Court and Pakistani High Commission in London via video-link.

Bukhari requested the memo commission to seek Ijaz’s passport so it could be examined for entry and exit stamps.

Meanwhile, Haqqani also appeared before the memo commission via video-link.

Prior to cross-examination, when Bukhari had arrived at the Pakistani High Commission he claimed he would be successful in proving that Ijaz was an enemy of Pakistan.

Bukhari while speaking to the media added that he was appearing before the commission to prove that Haqqani was not a liar.

The counsel for the former ambassador further said that it was not a big deal for the Blackberry sim to be lost, and Ijaz was formulating a conspiracy which is why he was so careful with his sim.

Mansoor Ijaz prior to appearing before the commission said that during his cross-examination, Haqqani counsel will try to use misleading tactics rather than answering the charge of what was his (Haqqani’s) role in the memo issue.

“If he can’t answer any of those questions than his best defence is diversion” Ijaz said.

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka to reach Asia Cup final

DHAKA: Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets on Thursday to virtually book their place in the final of the Asia Cup one-day tournament here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Saturday.

Chasing 189, Pakistan made a disastrous start losing three early wickets for 33 but captain Misbah-ul-Haq and young Umar Akmal came to rescue and steered their team to a comfortable victory in 39.5 overs.

This was Pakistan’s second successive win after a 21-run victory over Bangladesh on March 13. Now, Pakistan will face India in their last league match on March 18.

Both hit half-centuries, 19th for Misbah and 14th for Umar in one-day international cricket.

They were involved in an impressive fourth wicket partnership of 152 runs which was Pakistan’s second century stand for any wicket in this tournament.

Misbah remained not out on 72, scored off 93 balls with a six and nine fours while Umar hammered 77 from 72 balls with two sixes and seven boundaries.

For Sri Lanka, paceman Suranga Lakmal claimed two wickets for 37.

Earlier, the defending champions were bowled out for 188 runs in 45.4 overs after captain Mahela Jayawardene won the toss and decided to bat first.

Kumar Sangakkara (71) and Upul Tharanga (57) hit half-centuries while only openers Jayawardene (12) and Tillekaratne Dilshan (20) were the only other batsmen to get into double figures.

Paceman Aizaz Cheema was the most successful bowler with four wickets for 43 runs and later won the man-of-the-match award while off-break bowler Saeed Ajmal captured three for 27 and pacer Umar Gul two for 20.

Umar Gul also completed his 150 ODI wickets – the tenth Pakistani bowler to reach this milestone.

Sri Lanka were well-placed at 161-4 following a 96-run fifth wicket stand between former skipper Sangakkara before losing their last six wickets for 27 runs.

Saeed Ajmal started the slide when he bowled Tharanga and then removed Farveez Maharoof and last-man Suranga Lakmal.

Cheema, who conceded 21 runs in his first two overs, came back strongly to dismiss openers Mahela Jayawardene (12) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (20) in quick succession before removing Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga.

The Pakistani bowlers were backed by their fielders, with Younis Khan taking a superb catch to his left in the slips to account for Dinesh Chandimal off Gul.

Sri Lanka raced to 33 in the opening five overs before they were reduced to 65-4, with Cheema taking two wickets and Gul and Hammad Azam one apiece.

Modi’s Gujarat defies Gandhi’s India

The past is never dead, wrote William Faulkner, in fact it’s not even past. The past lives on and smoulders in Narendra Modi’s Gujarat. Ten years after the worst communal massacre in the 21st century India under the watchful eyes of the state, the ghosts of Gujarat are yet to be put to rest. Even if the victims of the 2002 pogrom wanted to move on, Modi has seen to it they do not. As India marks the tenth anniversary of the anti-Muslim massacre, justice still remains elusive for the families of more than 2000 victims. The wounds have turned into festering ulcers.

 

After a decade of endless investigations, testimonies of top cops and the supreme court interventions and above all substantial evidence, those who presided over the slaughter haven’t just managed to evade the long arm of the law, they continue in power as defiant and far from repentant as ever.

While India has had a long history of recurring communal violence, Gujarat 2002 remains unique in many ways. The obscene dance of death that went on for weeks in full media glare wasn’t spontaneous. It was carefully calibrated and executed with surgical precision with those high in power enabling, overseeing and encouraging it.

The state didn’t merely watch the madness for weeks on end; it joined in the fun with all the power and resources at its disposal. The findings of the three judicial commissions and special investigative team, not to mention numerous eyewitness accounts, including those by courageous policemen like Rahul Sharma, Sanjiv Bhatt and Sreekumar and investigations by independent media prove the collusion of the state government beyond doubt.

You had senior cabinet ministers like Maya Kodnani, in jail now, personally monitoring the ‘punishment’ meted out to Muslims on the streets of Ahmadabad. Two ministers, Ashok Bhatt and I K Jadeja, took over Ahmadabad and the state police control rooms to ensure no help reached the victims, desperately begging for it even as they were raped, hacked to death or set on fire within their homes.

Mobs armed with swords, trishuls and kerosene and acid bottles went around with voter lists in their hands, systematically identifying and eliminating Muslim families. One such mob surrounded the Gulbarg Society, a largely Muslim gated community. Ehsan Jafri, a former MP and prominent Congress politician, who lived in Gulbarg, made hundreds of desperate calls to senior officials, including to chief minister Modi, even as the mob blasted its way through his apartment block. Help of course never arrived and Jafri – along with 68 others – was hacked to pieces and burnt right before his septuagenarian wife who’s now running from pillar to post for justice.

Which isn’t surprising since the chief minister had issued clear instructions to the top police and administration officials the night before at a meeting at his residence to shut their eyes and ears and allow “Hindus to vent their anger” over the Sabarmati Express blaze, promptly blamed on Muslims without any probe or proof even as many experts discounted the possibility of a running train being torched from the outside.

But then who said this had anything to do with Godhra? It was an excuse for Modi and his party to penalise the minority community, burnishing their own credentials as the protectors of Hindus and the motherland. The love of all things Muslim is the raison d’être of the BJP-RSS-VHP combine. Gujarat 2002 was no aberration. Given an opportunity, they would do it again and again.

The question is, how long will the rest of India tolerate this worldview and treat the bloodthirsty killers with kid gloves? If the 2002 bloodbath in the land of Gandhi’s birth and failure to prevent and stop it was disgraceful, even more scandalous has been the state’s inability to bring the perpetrators to justice. Words like rule of law, fair play and human rights remain just that – mere words. Except in one case, the Sardarpura massacre where 33 people were burnt alive, there has been no conviction.

Let alone finding justice, Muslims are facing continuous witch-hunt at the hands of a vindictive state administration. Locked in their ghettos and deprived of basic amenities, they find themselves totally marginalised and ostracised – politically, economically and socially. They can’t even sell their homes and business to move to safer neighbourhoods for a fresh start, thanks to the new laws.

During a much sobering visit in 2009, one experienced, almost physically, the palpable pall of fear and gloom that has enveloped Gujarat’s Muslims since February 2002. Scores of young Muslims have been bumped off in staged police encounters. Hundreds have been languishing in prisons as ‘terrorists’ and ‘Pakistani spies.’ No wonder thousands of Muslim families have fled to neighbouring states.

What’s most disturbing is the fact that no one seems able or willing to confront Modi or the mindset that he represents. Instead of confronting him on his crimes, the increasingly shrill, TRP-driven media has been lionising the chief minister and portraying him as a market-savvy and forward-looking CEO, committed to good governance.

Indeed, whitewashing his bloody past and numerous cases pending in courts, Modi is increasingly being projected as the prime minister-in-waiting and the hope and future of the billion plus nation. The Congress-led UPA coalition too has failed to rein him in. Ever mindful of its electoral calculations and majoritarian sensibilities, the party has gone to great lengths to avoid a confrontation with the Gujarat satrap.

But is this just the problem of one party or community? The fascist worldview that is at the heart of what is going on in Gujarat, often described as the Hindutva’s lab, has emerged as a challenge to Gandhi’s India and all that it stands for – pluralism, democracy and social justice.

As CPM leader Sitaram Yechury warned this week, ten years after the pogrom, the RSS and BJP have sharpened communal polarisation all across the country, weakening the foundations of India’s secular polity. The creeping saffronisation isn’t limited to Gujarat or other BJP-ruled states. It’s a national project, with thousands of RSS schools and shakhas and saffronised textbooks driving it. With the terror attacks on the Samjhauta Express, Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid and Ajmer shrine now being traced to Hindutva groups, it seems this war for India’s soul is being waged on all fronts.

Where will all this end? I do not know but it’s not going to be pretty. And we will all pay for it. If anyone could defeat these fascist designs, it is the Hindu majority of the country which is peace-loving, reasonable and incredibly tolerant. They have demonstrated the generosity of their spirit time and again, which was seen in the tenacity with which cops like Sharma and Bhatt have confronted the chief minister at great cost to their careers. Let’s hope that spirit will prevail in the end.

The article is printed in today’s newspaper February 28, 2012

Kidney Talk

‘The ratio of kidney diseases in Pakistan is higher as compared to other countries owing to ‘variable’ reasons and a deceased donor can save up to 17 lives by donating different organs with the consent of their families’, reflected Director of Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplant (SIUT) Prof Dr Adeeb Rizvi.

 

Professor Dr Adeeb told that the interior areas of Sindh and Punjab are ‘breeding grounds’ for diseases, owing to the poor hygine and healthy facilities, absence of maternity care and unavailability of safe drinking water. Here’s a brief interview with Dr Adeeb Rizvi on kidney issues and organ donations trend in Pakistan.

1) What are the underlying causes that contribute to renal failures and kidney ailments?

Dr. Adeeb: Diabetes, hypertension, obesity, malnutrition, unattended bacterial infections, self-medication and especially on- the-counter analgesic pills are ‘Kidney Killers’.

2) How can kidney diseases be prevented in the first place?

Dr. Adeeb: A healthy living guarantees prevention from almost all diseases especially this one. Balanced nutrition, clean drinking water, proper drainage system, adequate maternity care, routine check-ups combined with education and awareness structure a healthy society that safeguards people against kidney diseases.
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<3> Are kidney failures deathly?

Dr. Adeeb: In earlier days, kidney failure was considered to be a ‘ black death warrant’, but let me tell you, they are treatable. There are two ways to counter kidney failures. Transplant and `Dialysis. Both are expensive and are somehow meant only for those who can afford it. A normal person needs 10 dialysis to keep him alive and each dialysis cost around Rs.3500 to 5000, while a transplant costs around Rs. 700,000. How many people can afford this much?

4 What are the trends of organ donation in Pakistan? Do people respond to your call?

Dr. Adeeb: For a strange set of societal preconceptions, people are somehow reluctant in donating organs. Knowing a son may expire soon; the father shies away from donating his organ to save the son’s life. A lot needs to be done to change this patterned mindset. They need to understand, it is a Sadqa-e-Jariya which is encouraged in all religions, and has no legal restrictions as well.

5. Your message.

Dr. Adeeb: One deceased/brain-dead person can save 17 lives. So, people should feel encouraged to come forward and pledge their organs and save many precious lives.

Film for Change

Cinema is an extraordinarily powerful medium, much more powerful than television and newspaper. Cinema has been used all over the world to engender positive social change. In our neighbouring India, the film industry has done an admirable job by promoting communal and ethnic harmony, highlighting the ways of corrupt politicians, and pointing out other social issues.

 

In Pakistan, however, the medium has been grossly underutilised—never utilised in fact—for the purpose. Our filmmakers have miserably failed to do justice with their job because of their lack of creativity. They have stuck to the old themes of love triangle and family revenge without bothering about several other cancerous issues.



As a nation, we need films because 70 percent of us are illiterate and few of the literates like to read. In this scenario, there is a huge cultural void in our country that has made our people unimaginative. This unimaginativeness can be cured by developing a healthy film industry. Without giving convincing movies to our people, we cannot hope to make our people creative. And creativity is what makes a nation prosperous.



We have to give our people thought-stimulating movies. Through cinema we can make people fight against injustice, rebel against the rotten system of governance and reform the social environment.



If we manage to stir the thoughts of the common man through cinema we can hope to achieve some harmony in this country of several ethnicities and creeds, a goal that our educational institutions have failed to achieve.



The recent success of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s documentary film ‘Saving Face’ is one testimony to the potential of the medium of cinema. The documentary has won accolades from across the world for highlighting a problem that has remained largely unheeded in the country.



Looking at the success of this documentary, one can imagine what can be achieved by making purposeful films. And we must remember that it is only a documentary. A documentary is always less forceful than a fiction movie. Documentaries do not appeal to the minds of the ordinary, non-educated folk. Fiction movies do.



If our writers and directors start making worthwhile films about the issues that the common man faces in his everyday life, there is no reason why our industry should not flourish.



A flourishing film industry will also be good for the economy of the country. In India, the film making industry provides jobs to tens of millions. If we develop our film industry, tens of thousands of our people can also get decent jobs. It will be the same as has happened in the television industry in the last 12 years where a large number of job opportunities have been created.



It is time someone made a meaningful, captivating movie aimed at building a new Pakistan and realizing the true potential of its people.

President Zardari holds high-level meeting with PM, COAS

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari is holding a high-level meeting with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Sources add that the overall situation in the country along with the status of NATO supplies is being discussed during this meeting.

Israel, India and the Persian Puzzle

This is perhaps what the expression ‘setting the cat among the pigeons’ means.  Just when Israel was putting up that little show,  going around the world crying about the way Iran was targeting its peaceful diplomats around the world, the Ayatollahs come up with their own little performance taking everyone’s breath away.

Not that Ahmadinejad didn’t warn us.  As always, everyone was sufficiently intimated of the glad tidings on the nuclear front were on their way.  Yet it was a master stroke. Give the Iranians their due.  If the Israelis are known for their cunning and craft of obfuscation and manipulation, it’s not easy beating the Persians at mind games either.  After all, they invented the game of chess.
 
Defying years of Western sanctions and the endless talk of war by Israel, the Iranians seem to have gotten another decisive step closer to their goal.And they have all the players and pawns where they want them to be. And for all their bluff and bluster, Israel and its guardian angels can’t do much about it.

As a former Indian envoy to Iran put it, this is like the classic Persian puzzle.  Iran takes one step forward and waits and watches for the reaction of adversaries before taking the next cautious step. Call it the Persian incrementalism or whatever but it seems to have worked so far.

The calibrated ‘diplomatic incidents’ in New Delhi, Georgia and Bangkok were of course a stroke of brilliance.  They were apparently meant to hit two birds with one stone:  First, pin the blame on Iran, as Netanyahu did within minutes of the Delhi blast calling Tehran ‘the biggest exporter of international terror,’ and create a credible pretext to hit the Islamic republic.

Second, derail the growing Iran-India relationship.The Israelis and Americans haven’t been too pleased with India’s refusal to stop buying the Iranian oil after recent sanctions.  By the way India isn’t the only one to do so.China, Japan and South Korea too have refused to toe the Western line.

But Israel has been there and done it all so many times before that these shenanigans do not fool the world anymore.  These attacks purportedly targeting Israeli diplomats are rather too convenient and perfect to be genuine.  Notwithstanding Ahmadinejad’s punch-drunk love of Israel andpreoccupation with its past and future, the Iranians are not stupid.

At a time when they are isolated internationally and the West is looking for an excuse to punish it, why would they stick out their neck and resort to something as suicidal as this? As Dr Trita Parsi, the Iran hand at Johns Hopkins University and author of Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States agues, why would they do something so foolish as this and that too in New Delhi? It’s an insult to the Iranians’ intelligence.

India is, after China, Iran’s biggest trading partner and importer of Iranian oil.  Besides, the two have shared a quiet partnership since Russians left Afghanistan.  It has even survived the Indian vote against Iran in the IAEA.  Incidentally, Thailand is another major trading partner of the Islamic republic.  So why would the Iranians choose the distant tourist paradise to settle scores with the Israelis, hurting their own interests?

Secondly, in both India and Thailand, it’s the Israelis who have been quick to declare that the sticky bombs used in Delhi, Bangkok and Tbilisi are similar to the ones used in killing four Iranian nuclear scientists over the past two years.  Be that as it may, how does that link them to Tehran? Indeed, having repeatedly used the device to deadly effect against the Iranians, why couldn’t the Israelis have used it again in Indian, Georgian and Thai capitals?

The detention of an Iranian, who blew up his legs while handling the explosives, proves nothing.  It’s hardly a secret the Israelis and Americans have been using the Mujahideen-e-Khalq terrorists against Iran.

The Israeli embassy on Aurangzeb Road in New Delhi exists in the sniffing distance of the Prime Minister’s residence. It’s a high security zone with theelite ‘Z’ security force monitoring every inch of the area every minute.  So how come that red bike got so close to the embassy car and got away after sticking that bomb? No wonder Israeli watchers suspect all this is part of a campaign to corner Iran and fortify the case for the war that the world has been waiting with bated breath for some time.

I hate a triumphal I-told-you-so but this is what many of us have feared and warned about all along.  That Israel and its enablers in the US establishment are hell-bent on sparking another Western war to destroy another oil-rich Muslim country.  This is what happened in the case of Iraq.  Remember the comical claims linking Iraq to 9/11 and Niger uranium, not to mention Tony Blair’s 45-minute strike talk?

As the West turns up the heat on Iran by way of economic sanctions, trade blockade, and crippling of its banks, coupled with the rising chatter of coming war, the region has been on the razor’s edge for months now.  All that is needed is a tiny spark to blow it all up.  A minor skirmish here, a misunderstanding there or a perfect false flag in distant lands could prove excuse enough for a full blown conflagration with catastrophic consequences.

That moment seems to have arrived with the explosions in India, Georgia and Thailand.  Israel is desperately looking for a pretext–or a provocation–to punish Iran.  With the arrival of US poll season and Europe being preoccupied with its economic mess, perhaps there cannot be a better time to do so. But it’s easier said than done. Israel cannot do so on its own without the US help. If it was doable, Israel would have done it by now.  Iran is not Iraq.

Unlike Iraq’s Osirak plant which Israel bombed in 1981, Iranian nuclear installations are heavily fortified, many of them underground and spread all across the country, not to mention the forbidding distance. Besides, an Israeli strike might put back the nuclear clock but wouldn’t stop it, especially now when Tehran appears to be a screw-turn away from going full nuclear if it wants.  Iran’s leaders of course insist it is for ‘peaceful’ purposes and that they aren’t interested in the ‘satanic arms.’

Even though a demonstration of the capacity doesn’t mean willingness, would you be terribly surprised if Tehran indeed goes for the nukes? GivenIsrael’s terrorizing of the region over the past six decades and West’s hegemonic wars, it’s actually tempting and makes sense to go for the comforting reassurance that a couple of nukes seem to inspire.
More to the point, what right does Israel–and other world powers–have to lord over their nuclear arsenal while the rest of the world has to submit itself to the IAEA scrutiny? If the international community is indeed serious about a nuke-free world, it has to first address this NPT duplicity. Nuclear weapons are a clear and present danger to the Middle East and the world, no matter who owns them.

Violence across Syria; soldiers killed in ambushes

BEIRUT: Syrian government forces killed dozens of people in the northern city of Idlib, dumping their bodies in a mosque, while some 22 soldiers died in two separate rebel ambushes, opposition activists said on Tuesday.

The army intensified its assault on the Idlib province near the Turkish border, intermittently shelling built-up areas and spraying houses with machinegun fire in a bid to dislodge anti-government fighters.

Clashes were also reported in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor and security forces shelled Syria's third largest city, Homs, as the year-long uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's authoritarian rule increasingly resembles a civil war.

The United Nations says more than 8,000 people have died in the uprising and its refugee agency said on Tuesday that some 230,000 Syrians had fled their homes during the past 12 months, of whom around 30,000 have sought safety abroad.

In an apparent bid to deter the exodus, Syrian forces have laid landmines near its borders with Lebanon and Turkey, along routes used by refugees to escape the mayhem, advocacy group Human Rights Watch said.

Speaking after meeting opponents of Assad in Turkey, U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan said he was expecting to hear later on Tuesday the response from Syria to "concrete proposals" he had made to end the escalating violence.

By evening, there was no word on an answer, although the Syrian parliament said Assad had ordered a legislative election for May 7. It will be held under a new constitution, approved by a referendum last month which the opposition and their Western and Arab backers dismissed as a sham.

Both Russia and China have welcomed Assad's reform pledges, including the promised election, and have blocked moves in the United Nations to censure the Syrian leader.

But the U.S. State Department was dismissive of the plan: "Parliamentary elections for a rubber-stamp parliament in the middle of the kind of violence that we're seeing across the country? It's ridiculous," spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

STREWN BODIES

Following a brutal crackdown in the central city of Homs, the army has intensified its operations in the north and has been shelling the town of Idlib for the past three days.

An activist in the town, speaking by telephone, said security forces had killed more than 20 people trying to leave the area in the past two days and dumped their bodies in al-Bilal mosque. When locals went to inspect the corpses, they too came under fire, pushing the death toll above 50, he said.

Another activist gave a slightly lower death toll.

"When people came from the neighborhood early this morning, the security forces also started firing at them. In total, about 45 people were massacred," said the man, who like many in Syria gave only his first name, Mohammed, for fear of reprisals.

Reports from Syria cannot be independently verified as the authorities deny access to rights groups and journalists.

Video footage showed the bodies of several unidentified men strewn on the floor of the mosque. An unseen voice said it was impossible to move them due to heavy shelling.

Army defectors killed at least 10 soldiers in an ambush in Idlib region, while rebels also killed 12 members of the security forces in the southern town of Deraa, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Following meetings with Assad at the weekend in Damascus, former U.N. chief Annan held talks in Ankara with the Syrian National Council (SNC) - a fractious assortment of Assad opponents whose leadership lives abroad.

"I am expecting to hear from the Syrian authorities today, since I left some concrete proposals for them to consider," Annan told a subsequent news conference.

"Once I receive their answer we will know how to react."

Annan has not disclosed what his proposals entailed, but a diplomatic source said the U.N. envoy had told Assad he wanted an immediate cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access to the conflict zones and political dialogue.

SNC leader Burhan Ghalioun said the aim remained to secure a political and diplomatic solution, otherwise foreign governments would deliver on promises to supply weapons to rebel forces.

Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Qatar have called for arms to be sent to help in the fight Assad, who is a member of the minority Alawite sect and is allied to Shi'ite Iran.

However, the SNC is deeply divided, as resignations from the council showed. Haitham al-Maleh, a former judge and veteran dissident, quit the SNC and another opposition leader, Kamal al-Labwani, said he too was preparing to resign.

"There is a lot of chaos in the group and not a lot of clarity over what they can accomplish right now," Maleh told Reuters in explaining his resignation from the SNC. "We have not gotten very far in working to arm the rebels."

Syria lies in a pivotal position, bordering Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Iraq and Lebanon. Its 23-million population comprises a mix of faiths, sects and ethnic groups, and analysts say the gathering conflict could destabilize the entire region.

While the rebels have only light weapons, the army has repeatedly used tanks, mortars and artillery.

"I have heard shelling in the Old City since 8 this morning," one activist in Homs told Reuters. "There is gunfire everywhere," he added, asking to be referred to only as Sami.

Human Rights Watch said anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines of Russian origin had been found near Syria's borders, with indications they had been planted by the army this year.

Syria, like Russia, the United States and over 30 other states, has not signed up to a global ban on landmines.

"Any use of anti-personnel landmines is unconscionable," said Steve Goose, Arms Division director at HRW.

Caller threatens to abduct, kill Mansoor Ijaz’s daughter

LONDON: An unknown caller has allegedly threatened to abduct and kill the daughter of ‘Memogate scandal’ proponent Mansoor Ijaz,

Reportedly, Mansoor Ijaz’s son received the threat-call on his cellular phone.

Sources said London police have launched an investigation to trace the threatener through Ijaz’s son’s handset.

Moreover, heavy security has also been deployed at the house of American business tycoon of Pakistani origin.

Dangerous UET campuses to be vacated

LAHORE: The University of Engineering and Technology (UET) has decided to get the dilapidated hostels vacated, ........................ Tuesday.

A second-year student of the UET was killed and three others sustained injuries after a single-layer wall of a varsity hostel collapsed on them after rain in Gujjarpura Monday night.

The Vice Chancellor Lt.Gen(R) Muhammad Akram Khan has sent an initial report to the provincial government. A three-member committee had been constituted by the VC to probe the incident.

According to the spokesperson, Tanveer Qasim, the decision to vacate the 1921-built hostels has been taken and the students residing in Kakashah Kaku campus would be sent to KSK Campus.

SC moved to put Shuja Pasha on ECL

ISLAMABAD: The counsel for missing prisoners, Tariq Asad Advocate has filed a petition in the Supreme Court (SC) seeking to put DG ISI Shuja Pasha name on ECL,

The petitioner prayed before the court that he is involved in the cases of 3000 missing persons and killing of prisoners so his name be put on the ECL

US drone strikes kill 15 in South Waziristan

PESHAWAR: US drones killed at least 15 people in two attacks in different areas of South Waziristan, officials sources said on Tuesday.

The first attack took place in the remote Drey Nishtar area of South Waziristan Agency when an unmanned aircraft fired missiles on a vehicle, as a result of which eight people were killed.

Seven more people were killed in a second US drone strike in Shawal area of South Waziristan.

Pakistan has long been publicly opposing the US drone strikes, saying the strikes proved counter-productive in the war on terror.

Relations between both the countries dipped to new low as a US cross border raid killed at least 26 Pakistani soldiers November last years.

Pakistan closed Nato supply routes and got vacated the Shamsi airbase, which experts had been used as a base for dangerous US drones, in the aftermath of the cross border raid.

Azerbaijan says will not allow Iran attack from its soil

DUBAI: Azerbaijan will not allow other countries to use its territory to launch an attack on neighboring Iran, Iranian media reported Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Safar Abiyev as saying on Monday.

The former Soviet republic, which borders Iran, has friendly ties with the United States and Israel and has experienced increasing tension with Tehran in recent months.

Last month, the Islamic Republic accused Azerbaijan of assisting Israeli intelligence in the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, who was killed when a bomb was attached to his car.

“We will not allow Azerbaijan’s soil to be used against Iran under any conditions,” Abiyev was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying after meeting his Iranian counter Ahmad Vahidi in Tehran.

“We want regional security and peace and believe strengthening military ties between the two countries will guarantee that,” he said.

At least four scientists associated with Iran’s nuclear program have been assassinated since 2010 and a fifth was wounded in a bomb attack. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Ahmadi-Roshan’s killing a “cowardly act” and accused the United States and Israel of responsibility.

Relations between the two countries worsened in January after Azerbaijan arrested two men suspected of plotting to attack foreigners, including the Israeli ambassador in Baku and a rabbi. Authorities said the two suspects had been helped by an Iranian linked to Iran’s intelligence services, who supplied them with guns and explosives to smuggle from Iran.

Azeri authorities have also said they thwarted a plan by agents of Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia to set off a car bomb near the Israeli embassy four years ago, and a plot targeting the U.S. and British embassies in 2007.

Tehran has eyed its neighbor with increasing suspicion because of its growing trade links with Israel. Israel signed a multi-billion-dollar agreement with Azerbaijan last month to supply missile defense hardware and imports more than a quarter of its oil needs from the country.

US soldier could get death for Afghan shootings: Panetta

ABOARD A US MILITARY AIRCRAFT: The US soldier suspected of killing 16 Afghan civilians in a shooting rampage could face the death penalty if convicted, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Monday.

The Pentagon chief told reporters aboard his plane en route to Kyrgyzstan that the suspect in the Afghan shooting spree would be brought to justice under the US military legal code, which allows for the death penalty in some cases.

Asked if the suspect could be sentenced to death, Panetta said: "My
understanding is in these instances that could be a consideration."

Panetta condemned the incident as a "terrible loss of life" and said it remained unclear what may have led the gunman to murder civilians.

After walking off his base, the suspect entered Afghan homes and fired on civilian families, "then at some point after that came back to the forward operating base and basically turned himself in. Told individuals what happened," Panetta said.

When asked if that amounted to a confession, Panetta said: "I suspect that was the case."

"We're not sure, what the reasons were. But he is in custody. I have assured President (Hamid) Karzai that he will be brought to justice and held accountable," the US defense chief said.

Panetta repeated the US administration's stance that the shooting, the latest in a spate of damaging incidents that have strained US-Afghan relations, would not derail the war effort or force a change to the current strategy, which calls for a gradual drawdown of US and NATO troops through 2014.

"We cannot allow these events to undermine our strategy or the mission that we're involved in," Panetta said. "It's important that we push on," he said.

The US soldier walked off his base in southern Kandahar province and broke into three village homes before dawn Sunday, killing 16 people including women and children -- an event described by Karzai as "unforgivable."

Egypt brokers Gaza truce after days of bloodshed

GAZA: Israel and militant factions in the Gaza Strip have agreed to an Egyptian-brokered truce to end four days of cross-border violence in which 25 Palestinians have been killed, a senior Egyptian security official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The official said in a telephone call from Cairo that both sides had "agreed to end the current operations", with Israel giving an unusual undertaking to "stop assassinations", and an overall agreement "to begin a comprehensive and mutual calm".

The agreement was set to take effect at 1 a.m. local time (2300 GMT). There was no immediate comment from either side on the agreement. Previous ceasefire deals after earlier rounds of fighting have often got off to a shaky start.

Israeli media quoted Israeli officials as reiterating the longstanding policy that Israel would "answer quiet with quiet" but stopped short of providing any guarantees to withhold fire in response to rocket attacks.

An Israeli military spokesman declined to comment.

Israel signalled earlier it would not halt what it calls "preventive targeting" operations aimed at stopping rocket fire and cross-border attacks.

"The Israeli army will continue to attack the terrorists in Gaza with strength and determination," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told lawmakers in his Likud party on Sunday.

But while Israel was keen to bar rocket fire at its home front there seemed to be little public enthusiasm for waging a longer military campaign reminiscent of a 2008-2009 offensive in which 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.

PALESTINIAN FACTIONS "COMMITTED"

A Palestinian official close to the talks said "the factions are committed," alluding to the Islamic Jihad and Popular Resistance Committees, who were most active in the fighting, but that these groups were waiting to see how Israel would respond.

Gaza's Hamas Islamist leadership, whose own cadres have kept out of the fighting and seemed eager to avoid a larger conflict with Israel, had confirmed on Sunday that Egypt was working on a deal to stop the violence.

The truce agreement also followed appeals from world powers - the United States, the United Nations, France, European Union and the Arab League - for both sides to exercise restraint.

Israel said Gaza militants had fired about 150 rockets at its southern towns and cities from Gaza since fighting flared on Friday after Israel killed a senior militant it accused of plotting to attack Israel from Egyptian territory.

Eight Israelis were injured by the rockets, dozens of which were shot down harmlessly by Israel's "Iron Dome" missile interceptor system.

Twenty of the Palestinians killed since fighting flared in the Hamas-controlled enclave were militants and five were civilians, according to medical officials.

At least 80 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been wounded in the violence which also paralysed life in much of southern Israel, forcing schools to close and hundreds of thousands to remain indoors.

Gaza, home to 1.7 million people, was under Israeli occupation from 1967 until 2005 and remains under blockade.

Hamas has controlled Gaza since seizing it from West Bank-based Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007, and is fighting for an independent Palestinian state but has shunned the stalled peace process supervised by international powers and refuses to recognise the Jewish state.

Violent flare-ups have been frequent between Israel and Gaza's militant factions in the past few years, in most cases lasting no longer than a week.

The last conflagration of this intensity was in August after a cross-border attack launched from Egypt killed seven in Israel and Israel struck back killing 15 Gaza gunmen.

Britain's Hague sued over Pakistan drone attacks: Legal firm

LONDON: A British law firm said on Sunday it was to sue Foreign Secretary William Hague on behalf of a Pakistani man over claims that British intelligence was used to assist US drone attacks.

London-based Leigh Day and Co confirmed they would issue formal proceedings at Britain's High Court on behalf of Noor Khan, whose father was killed by a US strike in Pakistan.

Lawyers will claim that civilian intelligence officers who pass on intelligence to the US are not "lawful combatants", therefore cannot claim immunity from criminal law and could be liable as "secondary parties to murder".

They will also argue that the immunity clause does not apply as Pakistan is not currently involved in an "international armed conflict".

"There is credible, unchallenged evidence that (Hague) is operating a policy of passing intelligence to officials or agents of the US government and that he considers such a policy to be in 'strict accordance' with the law," Richard Stein, head of human rights at Leigh Day, said in a statement.

"If this is the case, the Secretary of State has misunderstood one or more of the principles of international law governing immunity for those involved in armed attacks on behalf of a state."

Britain's Foreign Office said it would not comment on legal or intelligence matters.

Khan says his father, Malik Daud, was killed by a drone missile while at a council of elders meeting in northwest Pakistan.

Drone attacks have become a key feature of US President Barack Obama's fight against terrorism in Pakistan, but many inhabitants are deeply unhappy about the civilian death toll incurred in the raids

Britney Spears rejects $10M bid host 'X-Factor'

LOS ANGELES: Britney Spears has rejected a $10 million offer to host the next season of "The X Factor," TheWrap has learned.

So the question is: How much is Fox going to have to pony up? Try $20 million.

Reports this week that the pop star was considering a $10 million offer to host next fall's seasons of "The X Factor" are out of date, according to a knowledgeable individual in Spears' camp.

The singer rejected that offer three weeks ago and is instead thinking about an offer to become a resident performer at a Las Vegas hotel in the fall, a la Celine Dion.

So here comes a game of chicken. Fox desperately needs a big name to announce on the judge's panel of Simon Cowell's show, now that NBC's hit show "The Voice" will be competing with them in the fall.

Spears' camp wants $20 million.

It's becoming an arms race for singing talent being paid to sit behind tables and... talk.

NBC has put its money where its mouth is, paying Christina Aguilera upward of $10 million to come back and judge the new season of "The Voice." They've given handsome paychecks, if not as much, to the other judges as well.

That pales in comparison to what Fox has shelled out for the "X Factor" judges. Paula Abdul was paid $2.5 million for the last season, according to another knowledgeable insider, and she was announced at the 11th hour.

She was also fired, as were judge Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones.

"X Factor" is already recording its audition phase, but won't need the judges until the end of May.

What the network wants is a big piece of news to present to advertisers at their upfront sales presentations on May 14.

Neither Fox, Spears' or Cowell's camps would comment.

TV actress Tahira Wasti passes away

KARACHI: Renowned television actress Tahira Wasti died today (Sunday) after protracted illness. She was 68,

She was wife of Syed Rizwan Wasti, a famous television and film actor who died last year. He was also English newscaster.

TV actress Laila Wasti is her daughter.

'Afshan' and 'Aakhri Chatan' were among the best drama serials of Tahira Wasti.

Obama, Panetta call Karzai over Afghan shooting

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama called Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday "to express his shock and sadness" over a shooting in Afghanistan which a US soldier allegedly killed 16 civilians, the White House said.

In the phone call, Obama "extended his condolences to the people of Afghanistan, and made clear his administration's commitment to establish the facts as quickly as possible and to hold fully accountable anyone responsible," the White House said.

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta assured Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a phone call that a "full investigation" was under way after a US soldier allegedly killed 16 civilians in Afghanistan.

"A suspect is in custody, and I gave President Karzai my assurances that we will bring those responsible to justice," Panetta said, adding that he is "shocked and saddened that a US service member... clearly acting outside his chain of command" has been linked to the incident.

The shooting spree erupted early Sunday when a US soldier walked out of his base in southern Kandahar province and opened fire on men, women and children in a rampage that has raised new questions about the long-term viability of the US mission

Obama congratulates Russia's president-elect Putin

PRINCE GEORGE: President Barack Obama Friday called Russia's president-elect Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on his election win, despite earlier US concern over reported vote irregularities.

The call inaugurated a relationship that will decide the fate of "reset" US relations with the Kremlin which the White House sees as a key foreign policy achievement headed into Obama's reelection campaign.

The US president called the once and future Russian leader from Air Force One "to congratulate him on his recent victory in the Russian presidential election," a White House statement said.

Obama "highlighted achievements in US-Russia relations over the past three years with President (Dmitry) Medvedev, including cooperation on Afghanistan, the conclusion and ratification of the START agreement, Russia's recent invitation to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) and cooperation on Iran."

Obama and Putin "agreed that the successful reset in relations should be built upon during the coming years" and the US leader said that he looked forward to hosting Putin at the G8 Summit in May at Camp David. (AFP)

Students clash over public transportation in Bogota

BOGOTA: Student protesters demanding better public transportation in the Colombian capital of Bogota destroyed the city's TransMilenio rapid bus transit station on Friday (March 9).

The protesters blocked downtown streets, adding to already jammed traffic, and riot police used tear gas to disperse the demonstors.

The students called for lower student fare bus tickets on the city's TransMilenio rapid bus transit system.

Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro denounced the disturbances.

"With these violent acts, they're not going to detain the mayor's office from publically negotiating the conditions of the city's new model of transportation," he said.

While riders say the service is poor, the city has said the protests are politically charged.

City officials have called on high school and universities to "calm" their students who are blamed for leading the demonstrations.

US signs deal to hand Bagram prison to Afghans

KABUL: The United States on Friday signed a deal transferring control of the Bagram prison to the Afghan government, marking a breakthrough in negotiations over a strategic treaty between the two nations.

Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and the US commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, signed the accord, which will see authority over the prison transferred gradually over six months. (AFP)

US has no comment on new DG ISI

WASHINGTON: The US Department of State spokesperson avoided to comment on the appointment of new DG ISI Lt. General Zaheerul Islam, .

Spokesperson, Victoria Nuland when asked about the development replied: "I can't speak to this individual. I can't speak to that relationship. It's an intelligence-to-intelligence relationship".

While replying to a question about Pakistan-US relationship she said the US always wanted this relationship to be on an upward trajectory.

No extension to Pasha, Lt Gen. Zaheerul Islam appointed new DG ISI

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has appointed Corp Commander Karachi, Lt. General Zaheerul Islam as the DG ISI.

Islam will succeed Lt. General Shuja Pasha whose tenure expires on March 18.

The appointment of Lt. General Zaheerul Islam puts to rest rumours regarding whether Pasha's tenure would be extended.

According to sources DG Rangers Sindh Lt. General Ijaz Chaudhry will succeed Zaheerul Islam as Corps Commander Karachi.

Major General Rizwan Akhter will assume charge as DG Rangers Sindh.

He has earlier served as the deputy director general of the ISI as a major general. He was then promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and moved to Karachi.

Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam is the 18th Director General of the ISI since 1959, the year when this premier spy agency was first headed by Brigadier Riaz Hussain.

Interestingly, only one ISI boss--- Lt Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani-has gone on to become the Chief of the Army Staff during the last 53 years.

The 17 Pakistan Army officials, who have till date headed the ISI, are:

Brig Riaz Hussain (1959 to 1966), Major General (then Brig) Mohammad Akbar Khan (1966 to 1971), Lt General (then Major Gen) Ghulam Jilani Khan (1971 to 1978), Lt General Muhammad Riaz (1978 to 1980), Lt General Akhtar Abdur Rahman (1980 to 1987), Lt General Hamid Gul (1987 to 1989), Lt General (retd) Shamsur Rahman Kallu (1989 to 1990), Lt General Asad Durrani (1990 to 1992), Lt General Javed Nasir (1992 to May 1993), Lt General Javed Ashraf Qazi (1993 to 1995), Lt General (then Maj Gen) Nasim Rana (1995 to 1998), Lt General Ziauddin Butt (1998 to 1999), Lt General Mahmud Ahmed (October 1999 to 2001), Lt General Ehsan ul Haq (2001 to 2004), Lt General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (October 2004 to October 2007), Lt General Nadeem Taj (2007 to 2008 and Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha (since September 2008).

27 students to be produced before court

FAISALABAD: 27 students arrested red-handed while cheating during matriculation examinations would be produced before a local court today,

According to information, superintendents of two examination centres in Chak No 49 informed the police that 33 students have been caught cheating.

The police held 27 while six managed to escape from the spot.

Cases have been registered against them, if proven guilty they could be barred from appearing in exams for three years, police said.

US helps train Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police

PESHAWAR: The United States awarded Criminal Investigation training certificates to 20 police officers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a graduation ceremony held here at Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines on Friday.

"This programme will bolster the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police's ability to counter terrorist elements throughout the province," noted John Puckett, U.S. Police Advisor to the KP Police.

The group of police is the first class of the KP Police Investigation Department to complete the training.

The KP police officers graduated from a "Basic Criminal Investigation Course" designed to increase their investigative capabilities. The 30-week long training is part of a Police Assistance Program sponsored by the U.S. State Department's Narcotics Affairs Section.

"The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police need this program to counter militancy and terrorism in the province, which they have been fighting for the past several years and for which they have laid down their lives," remarked Muhammad Khan Masood Afridi, Additional IG of Investigation, KP Police.

In addition to providing police training, the U.S. Government-sponsored Police Assistance program has provided over 40 million USD of vital police equipment to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, which includes vehicles, communication equipment, body armor, protection gear and other law enforcement related material. (APP)

Lt Gen. Zaheerul Islam appointed DG ISI

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has appointed Corp Commander Karachi, Lt. General Zaheerul Islam as the DG ISI.

Islam will succeed Lt. General Shuja Pasha whose tenure expires on March 18.

The appointment of Lt. General Zaheerul Islam puts to rest rumours regarding whether Pasha’s tenure would be extended.

Opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar has voiced concern over the possible extension in Pasha’s tenure and said if that was to occur it would be the biggest joke with the nation.

According to sources DG Rangers Sindh Lt. General Ijaz Chaudhry will succeed Zaheerul Islam as Corps Commander Karachi.

Major General Rizwan Akhter will assume charge as DG Rangers Sindh.

Swiss, UK govts moved over Baloch leaders anti-Pakistan activities: FO

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office has moved the European countries providing asylum to Baloch leaders to make sure their soil was not used against Pakistan, Geo News reported.

Foreign Office Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit while replying to questions in his weekly press briefing here said, “Pakistan has raised this question with the concerned countries, adding a demarche has been issued to ambassador of Switzerland in Islamabad.”

Abdul Basit said Islamabad has also wrote to the relevant countries in this regard and was assured by them that their soil would not be used to hatch anarchy in Pakistan.

“We are cognizant of the developments in Balochistan and necessary steps have also been taken,” he added.

The spokesman said Pakistan s trying to handle the situation in the province politically adding “it is our internal issue and will be dealt with in accordance with the constitution and our own preferences”.

He said, “The foreign office and our missions abroad are engaged actively in order to ensure that this issue is not portrayed in any other context by the detractors.”

On the issue of Balochistan, the spokesman said Pakistan has been handling the situation politically in accordance with its own laws, priorities and constitution.

He also disclosed that years ago US embassy had applied for opening a consulate in Balochistan but Pakistan declined the request.

To a question, he also said that the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir has not been shelved or put on back burner while normalizing the relations with India.
Basit said, “Pakistan always supported the Kashmir issue and emphasized the need that it should be resolved in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations and peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue is essential for viable peace in South Asia.”

The spokesman said, “there is no question that Kashmir issue has been freezed or put at back burner” adding that Jammu and Kashmir dispute is of people of Kashmir. He said the Kashmir dispute required resolution in accordance with right of self-determination of the people of Kashmir.

Referring to the meeting of United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva on 5th of this month, the spokesman, said the violation of human rights issue was discussed in this meeting and UNHRC also asked India to repeal some of the laws in Jammu Kashmir to protect human rights of Kashmiris.

The spokesman said the Kashmiris have rendered enormous sacrifices for their alienable rights.

The spokesman said, “Pakistan is taking steps to normalize relations with India but reaching the final destination will inevitably contingent upon realization of the aspirations of Kashmiris.”

He said Kashmiris have given innumerable sacrifices in their just struggle for right to self determination and settlement of this issue in accordance with the UN resolutions is essential for viable peace in the region.

The spokesman said the UN special rappateur on Human Rights has recently urged India to repeal all black laws including Jammu and Kashmir public safety act.

Replying to a question about the Siachen issue, the spokesman said, “We seek early resolution of this problem like the other issues including the core Jammu and Kashmir dispute.”

He said Siachen issue has been raised in the resumed dialogue process with India.

US tells Pakistan to leave Iran gas, look to other sources

ISLAMABAD: Suggesting exploring alternative energy sources, deputy US ambassador to Pakistan, Richard Hoagland has once again warned Islamabad against Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project,

Pledging America’s readiness to lend a hand in different projects, Hoagland said that Pakistan better start looking towards energy sources like wind, sun, biogas, and cowdungs instead of Iranian gas.

He said the US fully realizes the energy crisis in Pakistan and was trying to help it out of the present situation.

Australia flood bill mounts, more rain forecast

SYDNEY: Australia's flood crisis was set to cost in excess of Aus$500 million (US$530 million) in New South Wales alone and more rain was on the way, the state government said Friday.

Eastern Australia has endured torrential rainfall for more than a week, leaving hundreds of homes flooded, damaging roads and bridges and soaking farmland in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria states.

"We have a damages bill at the moment that my guys are telling me is heading way north of $500 million," New South Wales Roads Minister Duncan Gay told ABC radio, adding that the state had been "horrendously hurt".

"The weather forecasters are telling me that April will be the worst that we've faced yet," due to a weather pattern known as "La Nina".

La Nina conditions typically bring higher-than-normal rainfall with Sydney on Thursday feeling the force of nature with an estimated 119 millimetres (more than four and a half inches) falling on the city -- the highest daily total since 2007.

As the waters eased in some areas across NSW, communities downstream from the floods were bracing for the surging torrents yet to pour through the Murrumbidgee, Lachlan and Hawkesbury river systems.

In Sydney, where heavy rain Thursday swept away cars and flooded railway lines, residents on the city's northwestern outskirts were being urged to prepare to evacuate their homes.

Further inland, residents of the country towns of Condobolin and Narrandera were bracing for the coming floods and people in the Victoria town of Nathalia were hoping their levee would hold.

Elsewhere, such as in New South Wales's biggest inland city of Wagga Wagga, emergency officials began the massive clean-up as flood waters began to subside. But residents were still faced with waterlogged homes and farms.

"It's fairly devastating but what else can we do? I don't think we are as bad as some people. I don't know what our losses would be," one flood-hit farmer, Lance Gillespie, told the ABC.

Hundreds of fire and emergency workers were hosing out homes, businesses and schools and clearing roads, Deputy State Emergency Operations Controller Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch said.

"While it's not over yet, some areas are starting the process of recovery and that generally begins with cleaning up," he said.

So far two people have died in the floods, after they attempted to cross waterways in cars

Two militants killed in Chaman clash

CHAMAN: Security forces conducted a search and clearance operation against militants in different areas of Chaman and killed two militants while four others were injured Friday, 
 
According to sources, security forces cordoned off Mizai Adda area and conducted search operation. During the operation, militants attacked the security forces with bullets and in retaliation, two militants were killed while four others were injured. Two troops were also injured during the battle.

The injured were shifted to Quetta while traffic was suspended on Quetta-Chaman highway due to operation.

6 5 soldiers killed in Afghanistan in less than 21 years old were

LONDON   Afghanistan's Helmand province, a bomb exploded in bktrbnd car fire in the living water and killed 6 of the 5 military 21 years old were. French news agency, the British Ministry dfa as the Helmand blast killed these 6 soldiers Thursday kutsuyryn and the name has. death toll from the youngest 19-year-old private krstufrkrsaw while three dygrky ages 20 years and one 21 years old. a month less than for Afghanistan sent five officials concerned thrdbtalyn yarksayrrjmnt was. addition of 33-year-old sixth Army Sergeant First battalion the Duke lankstrzrjmnt nayyjl anger was.

'Respect Quran' Training for NATO Forces

KARACHI: Seeking to avoid new desecrations of the Noble Quran, the US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan are being trained on how to respect the Muslim holy book, according to the American newspaper.

"It's probably a little too simplistic to suggest that it's a simple matter of do's and don'ts," Lt. Col. George Robinson, a senior officer in the Marine Corps' language and culture training programs, told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.

"It's more a matter of why is the Quran an important."

A new training program was launched last week for the US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan on how to respect the Noble Quran.

The refresher training aims to prevent any desecration of the Muslim holy book by foreign troops in the Asian Muslim country.

Under the training, soldiers are advised not to throw the Muslim holy book.
It also asks soldiers to be cautious when dealing with Arabic texts, assuming "material is sacred if there is any doubt over its religious significance." (Monitoring Desk)

Five die, 13 injured in Burewala road mishap

BUREWALA: A road mishap killed five people and injured thirteen others as a marriage bus collided with a truck near Gaggo Mandi in Burewala on late Thursday.

The bodies and injured were shifted to local hospital while police started investigation regarding the incident.