KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, SP Rao Anwar Ahmed and four other police officers were finally booked on Friday in the killing case of two workers of the Sindh Tarraqi Pasand Party.
Earlier the police had refused to register a murder case of Baraat Kalamati and Hasan Magsi against the home minister, SP of Gadap, DSP Iftikhar Lodhi, SHO
Nasirul Hasan of the Sohrab Goth police station, SHO Amanullah of the Gulshan-i-Maymar police station and SHO Malik Mazhar Iqbal of the Gadap City police station.
The case (FIR 437/2009) was lodged on the orders of the Malir District and Sessions Judge Ghulam Mustafa Memon on an application moved by Ramzan Kalmati,
brother of one of the victims, under Section 22-A of the criminal procedure code.
The judge had directed the SHO of the Sohrab Goth police station on Wednesday to record the statement of the victim’s brother under Section 154 of the CRPC and register a case against the persons nominated by him.
The Capital City Police Officer, Wasim Ahmed, told Dawn that none of the suspects named in the FIR was so far arrested.
‘The FIR is only a statement of allegations and it has to be substantiated with cogent evidence to justify the arrest of a suspect,’ he said.
He said that a high-level investigation team, headed by DIG Investigation Ghulam Qadir Thebo and comprising two SPs, had been formed to investigate the case.
‘The investigation team has been instructed to conduct the investigation without any fear and favour and irrespective of the status and position of the suspects,’ he added.
‘In fact, the home minister voluntarily contacted the investigation team and asked them to record his statement in the case,’ the CCPO said.
He said that the police could have sought a legal remedy against the court order for the registration of a third FIR in the case. ‘But the home minister
wanted the court orders complied with and said that he believed in the rule of law,’ he said.
In reply to a question, Mr Ahmed said that none of the police officers named in the FIR had been placed under suspension.
‘We will examine the prima facia evidence against them and a legal action as well as a departmental action will be taken against them accordingly,’ he added.
Meanwhile, the victim’s brother, Ramzan Kalamati, demanded the immediate arrest of the suspects named in the FIR.
‘They must be brought to book,’ he added. He also demanded the immediate release of 37 STPP workers booked and arrested in the killing case of their party men.
He told Dawn that he did not have any confidence in the police investigation into the case. ‘The investigation must be conducted under the supervision of a
judicial officer so that the police investigators do not attempt to save their own colleagues,’ he said.
He added that there was little chance of his getting justice, as the suspects in the case were ‘too influential’.
The victim’s brother said that he would move the court again if the police tried to exonerate the suspects from the charges in their investigation

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has felicitated President Barack H. Obama on the US Independence Day falling on July 4. In a letter to President Obama, President Zardari said, “it gives me great pleasure to convey to you and our American friends our warmest felicitations on the Independence Day of the United States of America”. The President said, “We in Pakistan rejoice on the great accomplishments of the American people and highly value the friendship and partnership that has been forged on the basis of shared vision, ideals and values”. He said, “the democratic Pakistan of today looks forward to furthering our partnership for peace and for creating a global society free of want and intolerance and where every one could realize their dreams and utilize their potential for common good”. “Please accept, Mr. President, my best wishes for your personal health and happiness and for the continued progress and prosperity of the friendly people of the United States of America,” the President Zardari said.

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Registrar Dr Faqir Hussain has rejected an impression that the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) of 2007 might have been discussed at the June 6 meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

'It is against judicial propriety to discuss anything like the NRO during a meeting,’ Dr Hussain said at a press conference held here on Friday on the situation relating to backlog of cases one month into the enforcement of the National Judicial Policy.

'Knowing the character of the chief justice, it is incorrect to suggest that any discussion took place on the NRO,’ he said.

The meeting was held on the occasion of the administration of oath to the chief justice of the Federal Shariat Court.

‘The chief justice and all the judges were invited and perhaps the occasion warranted attending the ceremony, otherwise it could have been perceived negatively,’ the registrar said, adding: ‘That was all.’

Regarding the meetings of the chief justice with US Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke and other diplomats, he said they were courtesy calls requests for which had been received through the Foreign Office.

The Foreign Office gave a go-ahead for the meetings when its advice was sought. The Supreme Court office also issued press releases in this regard.
The registrar said the number of cases in the superior and subordinate courts had dropped to 1,650,005 on June 30 from 1,713,486 on May 31, despite institution of 266,641 new cases.

He said that about 10 complaints of corruption against members of subordinate judiciary had been received and forwarded to the registrars of the high courts concerned.

When asked why was the chief justice of the Islamabad High Court not invited to a two-day judicial conference on the implementation of the policy, Dr Hussain said the IHC had not yet been included in the statute.

He said 160 judges working under the executive had been repatriated and posted by the high courts in compliance with the policy to recall such judges.

He said the number of cases pending with the Supreme Court had declined to 17,390 from 18,392 despite institution of 1,920 new cases during the past month

PESHAWAR: A number of more industrial units have halted their operations following suspension of gas supply in Peshawar.Chairman Hayatabad Industrialists Association Malik Niaz talking Geo News termed the decision of suspending the gas supply to Peshawar industries as unfair and as an attempt to dent the economy of the province.He claimed that no industrial unit owes any dues and cited no justification for suspension of gas supply to the industries of Peshawar.Malik Niaz demanded that the gas supply to Peshawar industries be restored at the earliest.

LONDON, July 3: Reading out from a newspaper clipping, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif nailed what he called a falsehood spread by Gen (retd) Musharraf that he did not know about Sharif-Clinton meeting of July 4, 1999 until the former informed him about it just before flying off to Washington. The clipping showed a Dawn report datelined Karachi, June 26, 1999 and carrying the headline: COAS says Pakistan-US leaders may meet on Kashmir. The very first paragraph of the newspaper report read: The Chief of the Army Staff, General Pervez Musharraf, on Saturday hinted at ongoing efforts to arrange a meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and US President Bill Clinton on the Kashmir issue. Mr Sharif was responding to reporters’ questions concerning Musharraf’s assertions in one of his recent TV interviews in which he had again claimed that he was totally in the dark about the scheduled visit of Mr Sharif to Washington to meet Mr Clinton. Mr Sharif said Musharraf had actually wanted a face-saver to cover up the Kargil debacle and so he kept pressing him to approach the Americans for the purpose. “I should have taken him along,” he added with a broad smile.

LONDON, July 3: Reading out from a newspaper clipping, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif nailed what he called a falsehood spread by Gen (retd) Musharraf that he did not know about Sharif-Clinton meeting of July 4, 1999 until the former informed him about it just before flying off to Washington. The clipping showed a Dawn report datelined Karachi, June 26, 1999 and carrying the headline: COAS says Pakistan-US leaders may meet on Kashmir. The very first paragraph of the newspaper report read: The Chief of the Army Staff, General Pervez Musharraf, on Saturday hinted at ongoing efforts to arrange a meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and US President Bill Clinton on the Kashmir issue. Mr Sharif was responding to reporters’ questions concerning Musharraf’s assertions in one of his recent TV interviews in which he had again claimed that he was totally in the dark about the scheduled visit of Mr Sharif to Washington to meet Mr Clinton. Mr Sharif said Musharraf had actually wanted a face-saver to cover up the Kargil debacle and so he kept pressing him to approach the Americans for the purpose. “I should have taken him along,” he added with a broad smile.

BUNER: The security forces on Tuesday launched a fresh offensive against militants in the remote hilly region of Chaghorzai and targeted hideouts with heavy artillery from Ambela, Hashim Sar and Swari.
The mountainous regions of the area including Riyal, Budal, Ghazi Banda, and Sar Qila came under intense firing, forcing the locals to leave their homes.
The district administration enforced curfew in the area right from Kaplani to Topai to facilitate forces to hit the target.
The locals were asked a week before to leave for safe places elsewhere while a plan of setting up a tent camp in Swari yet to be materialized. Displaced people have had to put up with their relatives, friends and vacant houses in low-lying parts of the district. Most of them have taken shelter in the villages of Rega, Takhtaband, Suni Gram, Krapa, Naway Kalay, Mullah Yousaf, Cheena, Dherai and Swari.
The militants are still present in the area right from Kalpani to Topai in Chaghorzai, a local told this correspondent. The source confided that militants are patrolling aboard vehicles with latest weapons and retain control of the area.
The fresh offensive against militants would make their existence difficult in the area and they are expected to leave for the neighboring Kala Dhaka, a lawless area, political figures commented.
A source in official circles told this correspondent that forces have moved towards Kalpani from Swari and would further advance on appropriate time. The source added that the offensive against militants would be continued till its logical end.
It’s pertinent to mention that on Monday curfew was imposed in the area of Nawagai to Nagrai in Chamla and a last offensive is expected in Gokand Valley.
Meanwhile, a beheaded body of army personnel was found in front of destroyed police station in Pir Baba on Tuesday. He was identified from his service card as Qaisar Ali of village Sapal Bandi, Swat. His family members took his corpse to his native village for burial.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday said the military operation against the Taliban will be completed soon with their total elimination and after that they would not be able re-emerge in future.
Talking to reporters after a high level security meeting at the ministry, the minister said: 'Taliban will not be able to re-emerge as the government is utilising all recourse to cure this menace.'
Malik revealed that militants have been receiving aid from foreign countries and the government of Pakistan was taking every step to dry their supply lines. 'At the same time the government of Pakistan is in contact with international community to stop supply of arms and funds to the militants. I have talked to my Afghan counterpart yesterday and he was very kind to offer maximum cooperation in countering terrorism,' he said.
He requested national media to call Taliban Zaliman (brutal) instead of Taliban as Taliban means students and the militants were brutal according to any definition of brutality.
'We have a certain level of respect even for the family of Fazlullah who has put the life of millions of Pakistanis in danger but they have no respect for elders, ladies and even children. They are cruel and brutal in the true sense and deserve no sympathy and soft corner,' said the Minister.
The interior minister said Taliban have been receiving support from Afghanistan. 'The militants are our common enemies and we are committed to fight them. My Afghan counterpart is due in Pakistan soon and we will discuss the issue in details. I don’t blame Afghanistan but there may be some non state actors who are misusing Afghan soul against Pakistan,' he said. Responding to a question regarding Friday’s meetings with religious scholars, the minister said the five boards of religious seminaries have extended their helping hand to the government for countering extremists and their should be unified admission procedure for all Madressahs till mid of August this year.
'We wish to add some modern subjects like mathematics, computer and science etc to Madressah curricula enabling its students to compete a graduate of any other schools. Also a unified system of admission shall stop terrorists to use Maddressahs as safe havens for them.' he added. 'The response of religious scholars to government proposal was very positive and this provides us a forum of the Ulema that give religious decree against suicide attacks,' he said.

LONDON: PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif has said that nobody should be allowed to hold the state at gunpoint and those who challenge the writ of the state should be dealt with sternly.
Sharif, who is visiting the UK reportedly for his wife’s medical check-ups, had a lengthy interaction here on Friday with leaders and workers of the PML-N as well as journalists.
When asked about his party’s position about the ongoing military operation in Pakistan, he said: 'No one has any right to challenge the writ of the state. And those who do that should be dealt with sternly.'
Adding, he said, the frequent takeovers by the army had given rise to such militant trends in Pakistan.
Answering question he criticised what he called India’s refusal to resume the composite dialogue.
'I may sound taking a pro-government position on this but the fact is that the state or the government had had nothing to do with what had happened in Mumbai last year. India needs to understand that and re-engage at the earliest with Pakistan so that the two countries could once again join hands for a peaceful resolution of their outstanding disputes in the larger interests of subcontinent’s poor,' he declared.
He sounded very bitter when talking about the attitude of the PPP leadership and said it seemed to have forgotten all that was promised to the nation in the Charter of Democracy 'which was signed by Shaheed Mohtarma after a great deal of deliberations lasting over two years'.
'The ruling party has even tried to legally block my re-entry into electoral politics and took the very same position in the so-called hijacking case against me as that of the dictator who had fabricated the whole canard,' he said.
Sharif seemed rather puzzled over the delay in announcement of judgment in the hijacking case.
'I don’t know why the judgment has been reserved for such a long time,' he added.
Answering another question, he said those who violated the Constitution should be made accountable for their actions.
He said the frequent army takeovers had brought the country to the current sorry pass. 'As a result things have gone so bad that we seem to be doing nothing but talk of doomsday scenarios about Pakistan all the time. Even the foreigners who come to meet us only voice their concerns about continuing crisis in Pakistan.'
He said ambitious generals like Musharraf did not understand that with every coup that they staged they pushed the country further down the hole, 'and when they finally call it a day after having messed up the country they run away to foreign lands to escape accountability'.
He blamed Musharraf for the massive loadshedding that the country is suffering these days.
'He ruled the country for almost nine long years with dictatorial powers but failed to anticipate as simple a thing as the power needs of an expanding economy and increasing population. We had just a little over two years each time and look at our achievements on the ground. Motorway is one example.'
Responding to another question, he said nothing had changed since the ouster of the dictator.
'The powers that the dictator had gathered in his hands are still there in the office of the president.'
When pressed repeatedly, he said seemingly with a great deal of effort: 'If the people gave me the mandate to govern for a third time I would not shirk the responsibility.'

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday said a new education policy, with a major focus on the promotion of scientific education and equal opportunities for all would be unfurled soon. Speaking at the first convocation of Islamabad Model College for Girls F-10/2, he said the new policy was being firmed up in consultation with all stakeholders.
The prime minister said education was the first step towards creation of a civilised society.
‘Any nation that does not strive hard to achieve 100 per cent literacy rate, tends to leave behind in the race of development,’ he said.
‘Today all over the world every nation invests maximum resources to educate its citizens to fully equip them to contribute in nation building as a productive member of the society.’ He noted that this was essential for sustainable economic growth, which in turn, was essential for creation of a prosperous society.
Mr Gilani said the government was fully alive to the importance of education and understood the educational needs of the country. The government is endeavouring to enhance the literacy rate, he added.
‘Our focus is on creating opportunities for meaningful education and skill development among youth; the female youth is not out of this focus.’
The premier pointed out that the budgetary allocation for overall education programme had been increased to Rs31.1 billion from last year’s Rs24.4 billion.
He said women in Pakistan traditionally possessed strong nerves. ‘In testing hours, they have always displayed sterling qualities of head and heart.’
He recalled the October 2005 earthquake when the affected women braved not only the tremors, but also fought back to overcome the consequences of the deadly earthquake.
He said the women were again facing a very difficult situation, now in Malakand Division. Displaying the typical character of Pakistani women, they have been facing a difficult situation with exemplary courage and patience, caused to them before and in the aftermath of the operation, Mr Gilani said.
‘I appreciated women of Malakand and other the parts of NWFP for displaying fortitude, courage and understanding in this hour of adversity and crisis.’
‘Let me reassure them that they are not alone to face the crisis; the entire nation stands behind them like a rock. I assure them that they will soon go back to their homes with honour and peace.’
Terming women as an important segment of the society, he said they constituted almost half, and in many cases more than half of any country’s population.
‘We cannot neglect them if we want to accelerate the pace of development in the country. We must not forget that only those nations progressed and prospered that ensured active participation of women in nation building’. He said the government had been doing its utmost to bring the women population into the mainstream, provide them equal access to education, create equal job opportunities and ensure respectable working conditions for them.
He said Benazir Bhutto had a vision of gender equality and women empowerment and she always fought to translate her vision into a reality. The government was committed to pursuing the ideals set by the assassinated leader.
Mr Gilani said the budgetary allocations for gender-related projects over the last two years reflected government’s commitment to this end. Benazir Income Support Programme is another initiative to reduce gender inequality in the society.
‘We have also undertaken an Engendering Budget Exercise under the Mid-Term Budgeting Framework. These steps, I am sure, are bound to improve living conditions of our womenfolk.’
Later, the prime minister gave away prizes and certificates to the position holders. They included Mehwish Nawaz (BSc) and Noorul Ain Qureshi (BA) of session 2004-06, Kiran Zeb Abbasi (BSc) and Sitwat Fatima (BA) of session 2005-07 and Huma Zainab (BSc) and Tooba Asif (BA) of session 2006-08.
Minister of State for Education Mahar Ghulam Farid Kathia, Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Acting Secretary Education Shahid Ahmad and Federal Directorate of Education Director General Atiqur Rehman were also present on the occasion.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday expressed concern over slow pace of work on the Prime Minister’s Housing Programme (PMHP), and directed the Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA) to find ways to meet the targets set in the programme, a source in the Presidency said.
‘Out-of-box and innovative solutions have to be found to enable the Pakistan Housing Authority in the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Housing Programme,’ the president was cited as saying.
Chairing a briefing session on construction of houses for government officials, general public and the poor under the PMHP, President Zardari said housing was a basic human need and state’s neglect of this important sector had resulted in social unrest and discontent.
Those who attended the briefing included Housing Minister Rehmatullah Khan Kakar, Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tarin, Secretary General to President Salman Faruqui, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Kamal Majidullah, Sindh Provincial Minister Jameel Soomro, federal secretaries and senior government officials of relevant ministries and departments.
‘Provision of Roti, Kapra Aur Makan is the basic premise of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) when it was launched in 1969 and galvanised the people to rally around the person of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the PPP,’ the president said.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced on the floor of the National Assembly in March last year a programme for the construction of one million housing units in the country. But unfortunately the target could not be achieved.
Briefing the media about the meeting, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the president asked for focusing on providing housing units to the poor and the needy in the first place.
A plan should also be devised to provide affordable housing to the middle and lower middle class through mortgage financing or easy installment financial plans and also to government employees on the eve of their retirement, he said.
President Zardari was of the view the house building activity would revitalise the economy as dozens of downstream industries were directly linked with the housing development.
‘The adoption of a public-private model in the housing sector could prove most beneficial in the development of the housing sector in the country,’ he said.
The meeting was informed that in the short-term, 1,000 housing units were being built in each provincial capital and in Islamabad. In the long-term, 440,000 units would be built in the Punjab, 300,000 in Sindh, 150,000 in Frontier, 40,000 in Balochistan, 40,000 in AJK/Northern Areas and 25,000 in Islamabad, Mr Babar said.
State land in the federal and provincial capitals had been identified and expressions of interest from private land developers have been obtained and about 30,000 acres of land identified for housing development.
In addition 140 acres of land at Kuri Road in Islamabad had also been earmarked by the CDA. But unfortunately the land for the PM’s programme was selected in Zone-IV the area where housing schemes are still banned by the CDA.
The president said land acquisition and development by the state was central to the issue of housing development for the government servants, the poor and the needy and called for devising a viable plan in this regard.
Another meeting on the subject would be convened after a suitable interval to examine proposed plans for land acquisition and development by the state and the mechanism for financing the housing projects.

LAHORE: Lahore High Court chief justice on Thursday ordered the Punjab police inspector general to ensure opening of all the blocked thoroughfares in the provincial metropolis closed in the name of security.
Disposing of three writ petitions filed by Chaudhry Farooq Ahmad Janjua and Chaudhry Muhammad Ishaq Khokhar and the suo motu proceeding on the matter after hearing IG Traiq Saleem, Capital City Police Officer Pervaiz Rathore, SSP (Operations) Muhammad Shafiq and AIG (Legal) Chaudhry Ahsan in his chamber, Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif observed that he appreciated security measures on those roads where the offices of police department and other sensitive agencies were situated, but convenience of public at large should be seen first and given preference.
Earlier, the IG proposed opening of the closed roads only for light traffic but the chief justice rejected the proposal. He undertook to give all possible facilities to the people on the roads closed for security purpose later on.
The CJ had taken a suo motu notice of the newspaper reports on closure of roads for security and summoned the police top brass, observing offices of the IG, CCPO and SSP (Operations) have become ‘no-go areas’ in the name of security.
The reports had mentioned cement blocks had been placed in front of the IG office and the road between Government College Ground and IG office had been totally closed for traffic. The road between IG office Chowk and Civil Secretariat Chowk had also been closed. Moreover, half of the road in front of CCPO office, from Rescue 15 building to the Chief Minister’s House, had been blocked. One-way traffic had been introduced on Queen’s Road, from Lawrence Road to Faisal Square, on Shahrah-i-Quaid-i-Azam.
It was further pointed out in the newspaper reports that one side of the road in front of the office of SSP (Operations) in front of Islamia College Civil Lines had been completely closed. The road between Government Muslim High School and District Courts had also been closed.

HANGU: The gunship helicoptes and fighter jets pounded on the hideouts of extremists in Orakzai Agency, Geo News reported Saturday.The sources said the security forces destroyed at least three hideouts of militants and killed 12 extremists there.

A SUICIDE bomber rammed his motorcycle into a bus carrying employees of the Kahuta Research Laboratories in Rawalpindi on Thursday, mercifully resulting in the death of only the attacker. At least 40 were injured, some critically. Simply yet another horrifying attack to be condemned and blamed on the militants? Not quite. A report in this paper has suggested that the four check-posts on Peshawar Road where the latest suicide attack took place are ineffectual and, worse, a magnet for unscrupulous elements in the police force looking to shake down ordinary civilians. ‘Innocent people are apprehended at one post and released at the other after ‘investigations’ and payment of what some of the police victims called ‘ransom’.’ This is simply outrageous. A suicide attack on March 16 killed 10 people on the same road, and Rawalpindi generally has been attacked repeatedly in recent times. The very point of security check-posts is to make the city safer, not to harass the innocent. And with the threat to the city from militants still at an all-time high, it is doubly damning if inefficiencies and a business-as-usual approach to policing are allowed to reign.
Time and again in these columns we have stressed that the police forces in the cities of Pakistan have to undergo root-and-branch reforms to increase their capacity to handle counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency measures. But while the governments at the centre and in the provinces keep talking of reform, more resources, better training, raising special forces and what not, the situation on the ground appears to have changed little. The police force of Rawalpindi could and should have been a model force by now. Granted change cannot be effected overnight, but we are now looking at a period of several years which appears to have been by and large wasted. There is no doubt that stopping every suicide bomber is an immensely difficult if not impossible task. But if those on the frontlines of the security apparatus are busying themselves with harassing the innocent, there can also be no doubt that they will fail to catch the cleverest and most perseverant of suicide bombers and terrorists. Rawalpindi deserves better from its police.

Metropolitan
Electricity, cable theft irks KESC
ISLAMABAD: The Privatization Commission in its latest report termed the privatization agreement with the KESC, ‘a week agreement.’

‘The Case Study of KESC,’ an analysis conducted by the Privatisation Commission revealed that the new management was in breach of the agreement with the Government of Pakistan.
The report said that the new management, Abraaj Entity, failed to install additional generation capacity of 1,000 megawatts within three years of the privatization and that there was also no improvement in the transmission system. The Commission has recommended that the government conduct a comprehensive ‘technical audit’ of power plants owned and operated by the KESC.When contacted, the Federal Minister for Privatization Syed Naveed Qamar said that the KESC example has overshadowed the entire investment climate in the country.

The minister said that there was a lot of documentation and many legal aspects that missing in the agreement. For example, Qamar said, the purchase agreement which was not as strong as it should be, as it was missing the bank guarantees that required judging the worth of commitments of further investments in both distribution and generation. These commitments were locked in without much needed bank guarantees, he added.

Earlier, in the National Conference on ‘Privatisation with Public Private Partnership,’ the World Bank’s country Director in Pakistan, Yusupha Crookes said that the privatisation policy of the present government was complicated, because of which transactions continued to linger. Mr Crookes suggested the government streamline and simplify its policies so that foreign investors could easily understand them.

Syed Naveed Qamar in his welcome address said that the government has revamped its privatisation policy and decided that the government will not sell more than 26 per cent of share of any entity. He said that 12 per cent shares of an entity will be reserved for workers.

The Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance, Shaukat Tarin, said that the government couldn’t afford paying huge subsidies on electricity for long. Therefore, Tarin said, the government has planned to privitise all the power generation and distribution companies as soon as possible.

Later, talking to reporters, Tarin made assurances that the government would not increase power tariffs until load shedding was completely halted in December 2009. To a question he admitted that the increase in petroleum prices would be inflationary and it would be a challenge for State Bank to maintain the money supply. Tarin went on to say that the government wouldn’t interfere in the setting of petroleum prices and all benefits would be passed to consumers as prices fall in international market.

LAHORE: The traders here are on complete shutter-down strike Saturday against the price hike, load shedding and recent increase in petroleum prices today in the metropolis.Anjuman Tajiran Pakistan and other trade organizations gave a strike call for complete shutter down and announcement was made urging all the traders to keep all commercial and business centers closed today.All trade centers at Mall Road, Hall Road, Bandth Road, McLeod Road, Anarkali, Ferozpur Road will remain closed; while, the trade leaders announced to take out protest rallies and stage public gatherings at Hall Road, Mall Road and Kot Lakhpat.Meantime, Lahore traders have put up banners and posters with slogans against government and Wapda written on them, at Mall Road and all adjoining markets against the unjustified raise in power tariffs, load shedding and hike in petroleum prices.

A marathon brain storming session attended by the party's leading members constituting informal think tank was held late last night in the President house to deliberate on the issue of making the constitution truly democratic, federal and parliamentary in character. PPP co-chairman President Asif Ali Zardari said the party is committed to uphold the principles laid down in the charter of democracy and to the principles enshrined in the party's manifesto. He said that the setting up of the parliamentary committee was a great leap forward towards the realization of the dream of ridding the constitution of all anti democracy clauses introduced into it by dictatorial regimes. He said that internal consultative process within the party should be completed within weeks and not months.

GALLE: Pakistan's teenaged fast bowler Mohammad Aamer grabbed two quick wickets before Sri Lanka recovered from a shaky start in the first cricket Test here Saturday.The hosts went to lunch on the opening day at 104-3 after being sent in to bat by Pakistani captain Younus Khan on a wicket freshened up by early morning rain in this coastal town.Sri Lanka slipped to 21-2 before Tharanga Paranavitana (57 not out) and Mahela Jayawardene (30) retrieved the situation by adding 75 for the third wicket.The 17-year-old Aamer, who was one of Pakistan's heroes in their triumphant World Twenty20 campaign in England last month, justified his Test debut at the expense of seasoned all-rounder Abdur Razzaq.The left-armer struck with the last ball of his first over in Test cricket when he bowled opener Malinda Warnapura for two as the batsman was beaten by pace and chopped the ball on his off-stump.Aamer then removed Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara in his third over, forcing the star batsman to edge a short ball to Shoaib Malik at third slip.Aamer should have taken two more wickets but Malik dropped Paranavitana, then on four, and wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal let off Jayawardene before the batsman had scored a run.Akmal made amends 90 minutes later when he snapped up Jayawardene off fast bowler Abdur Rauf, but not before the former Sri Lankan captain had partnered Paranavitana in the rescue act.The three-match series is the first between the two nations since armed gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in the Pakistani city of Lahore on March 3 while on way to resume a Test match.The attack injured seven Sri Lankan players and killed eight local security men.The first Test began 13 days after Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 final at Lord's on June 21.Pakistan opted for a lone specialist spinner in Saeed Ajmal, while veteran batsman Mohammad Yousuf returned to the Test side after 18 months, having broken links with the unauthorised Indian Cricket League.Aamer was one of the three debutants for Pakistan alongside Ajmal and Rauf.Sri Lanka brought in left-arm spinner Rangana Herath to partner Ajantha Mendis in the absence of world record holder Muttiah Muralitharan, who was ruled out with a knee injury.

Parked on the tarmac at Kabul airport was the gleaming, freshly-painted Antonov plane. We climbed aboard the first ever commercial flight to Uruzgan.
Inside we had a choice of seats. We were the only passengers on the Kam Air flight to Tirin Kot.
Flying above the vast, rugged expanse of southern Afghanistan, snow-capped peaks, barren mountains and fertile, green valleys, the journey took us into the heart of former Taliban territory.
The new air service to Uruzgan is one sign of the small but surprising progress being made by the Dutch who are in charge of international forces in the province.
Uruzgan is a bright spot in an otherwise depressing region for America and its allies.
Almost everywhere else in southern Afghanistan insurgent attacks have risen rapidly.
'Unique approach'
In Uruzgan attacks are falling, and areas under Taliban control are shrinking.
The Dutch say this progress is, in part, down to their unique approach.

Costa Rica is the greenest and happiest country in the world, according to a new list that ranks nations by combining measures of their ecological footprint with the happiness of their citizens.
Britain is only halfway up the Happy Planet Index (HPI), calculated by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), in 74th place of 143 nations surveyed. The United States features in the 114th slot in the table. The top 10 is dominated by countries from Latin America, while African countries bulk out the bottom of the table.
The HPI measures how much of the Earth's resources nations use and how long and happy a life their citizens enjoy as a result. First calculated in 2006, the second edition adds data on almost all the world's countries and now covers 99% of the world's population.
NEF says the HPI is a much better way of looking the success of countries than through standard measures of economic growth. The HPI shows, for example, that fast-growing economies such as the US, China and India were all greener and happier 20 years ago than they are today.
"The HPI suggests that the path we have been following is, without exception, unable to deliver all three goals: high life satisfaction, high life expectancy and 'one-planet living'," says Saamah Abdallah, NEF researcher and the report's lead author. "Instead we need a new development model that delivers good lives that don't cost the Earth for all."
Costa Ricans top the list because they report the highest life satisfaction in the world, they live slightly longer than Americans, yet have an ecological footprint that is less than a quarter the size. The country only narrowly fails to achieve the goal of what NEF calls "one-planet living": consuming its fair share of the Earth's natural resources.
The report says the differences between nations show that it is possible to live long, happy lives with much smaller ecological footprints than the highest-consuming nations.
The new HPI also provides the first ever analysis of trends over time for what are supposedly the world's most developed nations, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
OECD nations' HPI scores plummeted between 1960 and the late 1970s. Although there have been some gains since then, HPI scores were still higher in 1961 than in 2005.
Life satisfaction and life expectancy combined have increased 15% over the 45-year period for those living in the rich nations, but it has come at the cost of a 72% rise in their ecological footprint. And the three largest countries in the world – China, India and the US, which are aggressively pursuing growth-based development models – have all seen their HPI scores drop in that time.
The highest placed western nation is the Netherlands. People there live on average over a year longer than people in the US, and have similar levels of life satisfaction – yet their per capita ecological footprint is less than half the size. The Netherlands is therefore over twice as environmentally efficient at achieving good lives as the US, Nef says.
The report sets out a "Happy Planet Charter" calling for an unprecedented collective global effort to develop a "new narrative" of human progress, encourage good lives that don't cost the earth, and to reduce consumption in the highest-consuming nations – which it says is the biggest barrier to sustainable wellbeing.

GALLE: Pakistani skipper Younis Khan has won the toss and elected to field in the opening game of the three-Test series here at the Galle International Stadium on Saturday.This will be the first Test series between the two teams after attack on Sri Lankan team in Lahore. Ace batsman made come back in the team that consolidates the middle order batting while Ajmal, Amir and Rauf are three debutants for Pakistan. This is the first Test Kumar Sangkkara will play as a captain.Teams:Sri Lanka: Malinda Warnapura, Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath Pakistan: Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Younis Khan (capt), Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Abdur Rauf.

The Obama administration will protect a court filing that reveals conversations Dick Cheney had with top officials over the Bush administration's response to "Plamegate." The information, derived from interviews between Cheney and special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, was kept private during the Bush administration, and now the Obama administration has agreed that it should not be disclosed out of fears that it will discourage future public officials from holding similar interviews. But the document could shed more light on Cheney's role in the Valerie Plame case, in which the CIA spy was outed in the press, setting off a scandal. The document is said to reveal conversations between Cheney and top officials about Bush's mention of uranium in a speech on Iraq and conversations between Cheney and Scooter Libby, who was convicted of obstruction of justice over the Plame case only to have his sentence commuted by the president. As for Plame, Assistant Attorney General David Barron said Cheney discussed "the appropriate response to media inquiries about the source of the disclosure."