War against terror: Nation fully supports the army says Zahid Hamid

SIALKOT: Federal Science and Technology Minister Zahid Hamid said on Sunday that the nation stood united with the armed forces against terrorism. He was addressing a press conference in Pasrur on Sunday. The minister said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government was aware of the existing internal and external threats facing the country and was making all out efforts to deal with them. “The government is committed to rooting out terrorism with the support of the people of Pakistan,” he said. “The country’s armed forces had the capability to eliminate terrorism.” He said the government was strengthening national institutions by promoting democracy. The PML-N had successfully put the country back on the road of progress. “The government is also taking practical steps to pull the country out of the energy crisis,” he said. Discussing development projects in Pasrur, the minister said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had released a grant of Rs50 million for various uplift schemes for the area. He said funds would be spent on building a five-kilometre long dyke on both sides of the Naullah Dek from village Chahoor to Jastiwala. “The chief minister has also approved Rescue-1122 service for Pasrur and the up-gradation of Sialkot-Pasrur Road, Kingra-Sialkot Road and the Sialkot-Bhaagowal Road,” he said. Rs60 million would be spent on establishing a new medical block at the Pasrur tehsil headquarters hospital, Rs25 million on improving the sewage system and Rs90 million would be spent on building a new vegetable market outside the city, he said. The minister said that the federal government had also allocated special funds for establishing new hostels at the cadet college near Pasrur. Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2014.

‘Honour’ crimes: Couple slain six years after they eloped

QUETTA: Three brothers murdered their sister, the man she was married to and the couple’s 30-month-old child in the provincial capital, a police official said on Sunday. The couple, identified Ulfat Bibi and her spouse Noor Muhammad, eloped and married of their own free will six years earlier. Since then, they had gone into hiding. Head constable at the police control room in Quetta, Abdul Hameed Mengal, told The Express Tribune that the couple belonged to the Haji Shehr area of Bolan district. He said the woman’s brothers discovered where the couple was living after they eloped. The couple was living in within the remit of Zarghoonabad police station. “The names of the brothers of the murdered woman are Hidyatullah, Nasrullah and Shakarullah. They managed to escape after the cold-blooded murders,” added Mengal. “The man killed was identified as Noor Muhammad, son of Chita Khan, while the woman was identified as Ulfat Bibi,” he said, adding that this was an honour killing. SHO Almas police station Aashiq Khattak spotted the bodies and shifted them to the Civil Hospital Quetta where they were handed over to their relatives after medico-legal formalities. Police have registered a case and are conducting further investigations Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2014.

K-2 expedition: Local climbers reach base camp

First Pakistani expedition to K-2 reached the advanced base camp of the world’s second highest peak on Sunday, said a press release by the Ev-K2-CNR, which has sponsored the expedition. Eight mountaineers from Gilgit-Baltistan are attempting the K-2 to mark the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of the peak by an Italian expedition on July 31, 1954. “All members are in good health and spirit. We are looking forward to favourable weather to start the ascent. We request the nation to pray for our success,” team leader Muhammad Taqi told the Islamabad office by satellite phone. He hoped that the snowfall will stop in two or three days, before they could start climbing. The mountaineering expedition is supported by the government of Gilgit-Baltistan and has been organised by the Pakistani team that climbed the Broad Peak last year. In the last 60 years, different single Pakistani climbers reached the K-2 summit, but this is the first totally-Pakistani team attempt. Three Italian technical experts are accompanying the Pakistani team. Ev-K2-CNR President Agostino Da Polenza, who reached the K-2 summit in 1983 and has been the team leader of three K-2 expeditions, said, “We are happy to organise the first Pakistani expedition. I hope all Pakistani mountaineers will reach the summit.” Agostino said the expedition will also promote the Central Karakorm National Park, on which the organisation is working in collaboration with the Gilgit-Baltistan government and the Karakoram International University. Youth wilderness camp A youth development organisation has announced a four-day wilderness-based youth leadership programme titled “Markhor 2014” in Nathiagali. Named after Pakistan’s national animal — Markhor — the programme will take place at Mukshpuri top on September 25-28, 2014, said a press release. Youth Impact CEO Abdul Samad Khan said the youth-leadership programme will employ nature as a classroom for the learning and development of young minds. He said Markhor is a symbol of pride, nobility, resilience and courage and the event aims to inculcate and develop those values into the future leaders. Youths from around the country will attend the camp, which will help them learn from the challenges in the wilderness, he added. The programme will feature expeditions, community interactions, nature association as well as talks by corporate, political and social leaders and celebrities. The initiative is supported by the Institute of Policy Studies’ (IPS) Learning, Excellence and Development Programme (LEAD). Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2014.

Syrian rebel groups sending children into war: HRW

BEIRUT: Militant groups in Syria are recruiting children as young as 15 and sending them into battle after promising them a free education, a Human Rights Watch report said on Monday. The report said the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has made rapid territorial gains across the border in Iraq, had given children weapons training in Syria and told them to carry out suicide bombings. Citing personal accounts, the rights group also found evidence of children being mobilized by the more moderate Western-backed Free Syrian Army, the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, the Islamic Front coalition and security forces in Kurdish-controlled areas. “The horrors of Syria’s armed conflict are only made worse by throwing children into the front lines,” said Priyanka Motaparthy, the author of the report which drew on the accounts of 25 children. It said 14-year-old youths had been used in support roles for the fighting. Reuters could not independently confirm the accounts. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an anti-Assad monitoring group, said on Sunday that relatives of kidnapped students in Syria fear that ISIL will use the children to carry out car bombs or suicide attacks. Syria’s conflict started with peaceful demonstrations for political change in 2011 but has descended into a civil war, pitting forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad against a myriad of opposition groups. Infighting among opposition combatants has complicated the conflict, which has stirred sectarian tensions across the Middle East and spilled over into neighboring countries. HRW said the number of children fighting in Syria was not known. The Violations Documenting Center, a Syrian monitoring group, had documented 194 deaths of “non-civilian” male children in the country since September 2011, the report said. “ALLAH CHOSE YOU” The children said they had fought in battles, acted as snipers, manned checkpoints, treated the wounded on battlefields, and brought supplies to front lines, the report said. A 16-year-old boy who gave his name as Majed said the Nusra Front recruited him and other boys in the southern city of Deraa near the Jordanian border. The group provided free schooling at a local mosque that included military training and commanders had asked children as well as adults to carry out suicide attacks, he said. “Sometimes the commanders would say, “Allah chose you,” and sometimes the fighters volunteered,” Majed said, according to the report. Many children followed their relatives or friends into the armed groups, while others lived in battle zones without schooling or other options, HRW said. Others had taken part in protests or were angry with the government. All of the 25 interviewed were boys, but the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) police force and its armed wing had enlisted girls to guard checkpoints and conduct armed patrols in Kurdish-controlled areas, the report said. Human Rights Watch said some armed groups had taken steps to end the use of children in the conflict. The Western-backed Syrian National Coalition said it was examining the allegations. “We take such allegations extremely seriously and are committed to ensuring that anyone responsible for the voluntary or involuntary recruitment of children is held to account,” it told Human Rights Watch in a letter. The Islamic Front, a coalition of several rebel factions, told HRW it had investigated the accounts and found no evidence that its fighters included children. “We never arm a young man, or give him the opportunity to join the Front, including the Ahrar Al-Sham Islamic movement, except after a thorough check of his documents, to ascertain he’s over 18,” it told HRW.

“Why can’t your husband go with you?”: female applicants for work permits

KARACHI: Every Pakistani married woman who wants to proceed abroad on a work visa needs a signed NOC from her husband before she receives the Protectorate of Emigrants’ approval, The Express Tribune has learned. The office requires the husband’s presence before a director as he signs the NOC and often, officials will question why the woman wishes to travel abroad alone. “Why can’t your husband go with you? Have you two had a fight? Are you separated?” are some of the questions that women say they are asked during the application process. “I have never been humiliated like this before,” said a senior executive of a company. Leading Pakistani lawyers were baffled to hear about this requirement, which is diligently enforced by the seven protectorates around the country. The Emigration Ordinance 1979 and its rules do not say anything about this particular condition, the lawyers say. There is no law in Pakistan that bars a woman from going abroad to work without a husband’s permission, says Farooq Ahmed, a Supreme Court lawyer. “The NOC is only needed when the couple is separated and there is a dispute over the children,” he said. “I am really not sure about this. I would have to check with the relevant officer,” said Director General of Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment Habibur Rehman when asked about the verification process. “We were lenient but a few months ago a woman went to Saudi Arabia and her husband went to court and said that she left without his permission. Now the lawyers and even FIA are grilling us. Why should we suffer?” an official at the Protectorate explained. But those seeking work permits insist that the ‘rules’ are just a money-making scheme. “The officials don’t accept just any NOC. You’re told you have to buy a standard NOC form from the Protectorate and only that form is accepted. Why is that?” questioned one male applicant. Many women say they have resorted to making applications through travel agencies. The rate for processing, including official fees of Rs6,500, averages Rs18,000. Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2014.

National Testing Service: Officials fear decline as LHC strips evaluator of powers

KARACHI: The National Testing Service (NTS), the go-to evaluator for university admissions and scholarship tests, has been stripped of its ‘mandatory’ status. The organisation was sponsored and patronised by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) as a ‘national testing service’ since 2003, despite its position as a private entity. The NTS-based tests were a primary barometer used by universities and degree-awarding institutions for admission purposes. In March, the Lahore High Court (LHC) judged that the NTS is not “an officially approved testing body of the HEC”. “We have no plans to challenge the decision in the apex court,” said the commission’s chairperson, Prof. Dr Mukhtar Ahmed. “The NTS will not hold itself out as an HEC-approved ‘national testing service’. It can, however, continue to operate as a private entity under the law,” he told The Express Tribune. Dr Ahmed says the HEC will propose an amendment in the HEC Ordinance, 2002, in order to provide a proper regulatory statutory framework for establishing and supervising a ‘national testing service’. “Till no proper legislation is put in place, the HEC will not initiate the process of selecting and appointing a national testing body. Our aim is to keep up with the quality assurance standards and in that we might or might not have a role for the NTS in the future,” he said. “The universities are not under any lawful obligation to conduct tests organised by NTS in the matters of admissions or scholarships.” Not all members of the HEC, however, agree with this opinion. The commission’s founding and former chairperson Prof. Dr Attaur Rehman says the driving force behind the establishment of the NTS was to boost a system of meritocracy in the country’s higher education system. “The Lahore High Court’s decision will lead to a significant deterioration of educational standards in the country and it should have been challenged by the HEC in the Supreme Court,” said Dr Rehman. “The commission should not let the higher seats of learning revert to the situation wherein a majority of universities were churning out lacklustre graduates.” Representatives of the universities in their written submission before the court stated that a testing body at a national level is required, but this should not be a private organisation. “The tests conducted by NTS were also made mandatory for the purpose of awarding national and international scholarships,” said Syed Hassan Aftab, additional director for academic affairs at the International Islamic University, Islamabad. “Awarding millions of rupees in scholarships is highly risky in the absence of regulatory framework of monitoring and overseeing the services of NTS.” What lies ahead NTS, introduced in Pakistan 12 years ago, offered recruitment tests not only for private institutions, but also for public institutions including the country’s courts of law, security agencies, provincial disaster management authorities, employees’ old-age benefits institution and educational institutions. “Just as we were about to be recognised internationally as a testing and assessment organisation, we have been left in the lurch in our own home,” said Muhammad Imran Khan, the NTS head for Sindh and Balochistan region. The NTS, he said, was established under direct instructions of the HEC former chairperson, Dr Rehman, as a project taken up by the Comsats Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) – a public research university under the federal government. “I assume that the matter will be on the HEC’s priority list to find a way out of the current situation,” said Khan. “Otherwise, we can always directly reach out to every university and degree awarding institution to market our products. There is no legal restriction in this context.” However, in the absence of a ‘mandatory status’ for the NTS, it appears unlikely that university administrations will give preference to a private enterprise over their internal assessment mechanisms, said Dr Abdul Wahab, vice chancellor at Muhammad Ali Jinnah University. Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2014.

Cracking down: PIA official ‘who stole millions’ arrested

ISLAMABAD: An official allegedly involved in the embezzlement of millions of rupees has been arrested, with the assistance of the top management of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The official worked within the Procurement and Logistics department. A statement issued by the prime minister’s office said the issue was brought to the notice of the management and law enforcement agencies subsequently arrested Deputy General Manager Procurement and Logistics Department Shahid Ejaz. He is accused of having embezzled millions of rupees during the procurement of spare parts for different aircraft. The Procurement and Logistics department procures spare parts worth billions of rupees annually as the procurement volume stood at Rs6.74 billion in 2013. Recently, on the directions of the Special Assistant to PM Shujaat Azeem, 338 officials and officers of PIA who forged their educational degrees were removed from service. On Azeem’s request, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt has released five officers to streamline the process of procurement and logistics in PIA. The team, brought in from the PAF, will be headed by an air commodore with experience in logistics, material management and inventory control. The team has previously managed the F-16 Logistics Management System and will implement automated real time inventory management in PIA. Azeem has directed PIA management that spare parts shall be procured on merit with transparency and only through Original Equipment Manufacturers. Furthermore, enterprise resource planning is being implemented all across the organisation including the procurement function. At the same time, the Technical Procurement will be separated from the overall logistics setup and attached to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) setup. The move will put an end to past practices where aircraft spare parts were procured at higher rates and through fake companies. Azeem has also taken notice of the fact that the Procurement and Logistics Department purchased Ground Power Units many years ago, which remain unused. Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2014.

CJCSC meets top US military leaders

RAWALPINDI: General Rashad Mahmood, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), who is on an official visit to the US, held extensive talks with both the military and civilian leadership of the US, ISPR reported. During these talks, the dignitaries discussed matters relating to regional security and defence cooperation between the two armed forces while vowing to further enhance both areas. Armed forces dignitaries with whom CJCSC met included, General Martin Dempsey, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff of USA, General Lloyd J. Austin, Commander US Central Command, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations USA,General Ray Odierno, Chief of Staff USA Army, Admiral William McRaven, Commander US Special Operations Command. During the visit CJCSC also met different officials of US administration which included Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ambassador James F. Dobbins, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and Ms Rose E.Gottemoeller, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security. During the talks, CJCSC highlighted the security perspective of Pakistan and the contributions made by its people and armed forces in fighting the menace of terrorism. The post-2014 Afghanistan situation and ramification upon the region also came under discussion, the press release added.

Live updates: Qadri vows to avenge the death of his workers

ISLAMABAD / LAHORE / RAWALPINDI / KARACHI: A sense of anticipation hangs over the capital as cleric-cum-political leader Tahirul Qadri lands back in Pakistan to throw up one of the bigger political challenges to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) year-old government. As supporters of PAT chief Tahirul Qadri fervently wait for their leader to kickoff his movement against the ruling government, a sense of anxiety and uncertainty has enveloped the country. Major roads have been blocked off and security has been tightened in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Earlier this week, at least ten people were killed and scores injured in Lahore when violent clashes erupted between the police and followers of Qadri – the deadliest political confrontation in Lahore since emergency rule was imposed by General Musharraf in 2007. As Qadri plans to go head-to-head with the government for a second time, get all the updates here. All stories relating to Qadri’s rally can also be found on this trend page as well. [Read: AFP version and Reuters version of the clashes that took place today] June 23, 5:15pm Qadri thanked the media, Sheikh Rasheed, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, Altaf Hussain and MQM and the Sunni Ittehad Council for supporting him. He also says that he will avenge the death of his supporters and will stay in Pakistan till corruption ends, and justice is served. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 5:09pm Qadri is now speaking to the media. He says that such torture has never been incurred by anyone in history as Shahbaz Sharif has done to his workers. “Rana Sanaullah, who implemented Shahbaz’s orders should have taken advice from Sarwar,” the PAT leader says. “I wanted to come to Lahore from Islamabad but the government panicked and diverted my plane.” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 5:04pm The PAT leader has entered Jinnah hospital, Express News reports. This was a condition he presented to the Punjab government before heading home. Qadri, Elahi and Sarwar have been seated in the medical superintendent’s office as the wards have been crowded by supporters. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 4:56pm

PAT supporters gather around a TV watching updates of Dr Tahirul Qadri’s arrival, PHOTO: SHAFIQ MALIK. To view more pictures by our photographer Shafiq Malik, view the slideshow. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 4:46pm The interior ministry has restored cellular service at Lahore airport and surrounding areas, Express News reports. Qadri is still in the vehicle outside the hospital, he has not yet stepped out to visit injured PAT workers. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 4:29pm Qadri has reached Jinnah hospital accompanied by Elahi and Punjab governer, Express News reports.

June 23, 4:21pm No security has been provided by the government outside the Minhajul Quran, says Naeem Qaisar, Express News. It is reported that police have not been deployed there to avoid clashes similar to those that happened last Tuesday. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 4:16pm Express News correspondent Sajjad Shafiq Butt says that PAT workers have gathered at Jinnah hospital and are chanting slogans.

Express News screengrab of PAT supporters outside Jinnah hospital. Qadri is expected to arrive soon and address the crowds before he heads home – where he will have another press conference. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 4:09pm While leaving the airport, Qadri told Express News that protests will continue. Security outside Jinnah hospital has been beefed up. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 4:03pm After a gruelling five and a half hours, Qadri has left the airport and is on his way to Jinnah hospital, Express News reports. Heavy security has been provided to the PAT leader.

Express News screengrab of security convoy. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 3:58pm Our correspondent Anwar Sumra has told us that Qadri, Elahi and Governor Punjab Chaudhry Sarwar will visit those injured during the clashes at Jinnah Hospital before heading to Qadri’s residence in Model town. Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri @TahirulQadri Follow #DrQadri is on his way to Jinnah hospital to visit injured PAT workers of #LahoreMassacre incident. #RiseUpWithDrQadri 4:00 PM - 23 Jun 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 3:52pm Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain expressed concern for Qadri, Ebad says. The Sindh governor adds that Qadri was forced to return to Pakistan after his supporters were killed in the clashes. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 3:47pm “Last night we saw anxiety and bitterness, however, the government has now taken a political approach and things can be dealt with in a better way,” says Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad. “The Emirates airline facet made me feel that this matter was being taken to an international front, which could have serious connotations on the country,” said Ebad on calling Dr Qadri to convince him to step out of the plane. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 3:34pm Elahi says that this is not the first time Nawaz Sharif has hijacked a plane. He further adds that Nawaz did not learn anything from the first time and is repeating history. “The government failed in controlling the situation and is not capable of providing security to anyone,” says Elahi. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 3:32pm PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, while talking to Express News, says that he has spoken to Qadri who says he will sit in Governor Punjab’s vehicle, who will accompany him home. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 3:21pm Our correspondent Abdul Manan reports that dozens of Qadri’s supporters have gathered outside Minhajul Quran Secretariat. Police is not present at the location but Qadri’s private security is. Qadri will hold a press conference after he arrives at his house and telecommunication service has been suspended outside his home. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 3:17pm Express News reports that a convoy is ready outside Hajj terminal to take Qadri to his house. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 3:15pm Express News correspondent Mian Aslam reports that Qadri is still inside the airport. He adds that police have beefed up security on routes from the airport to the hospital and Qadri’s house. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 3:13pm Speaking to Express News, Qadri says Punjab governor has assured him that the removal of the boundary wall outside his house in Model Town was only temporary. Punjab governor Chaudhry Sarwar tells Express News that he will inform the chief minister about Qadri’s demands. “All just demands of Qadri’s will be accepted,” the governor says. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 2:47pm Express News anchorperson Imran Khan says Qadri is walking towards the lounge along with Punjab governor and his supporters. “Punjab governor has promised to provide enough vehicles to carry all the supporters,” Khan says. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 2:42pm Express News now reports that Qadri has disembarked the Emirates’ aircraft. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 2:40pm

June 23, 2:34pm Qadri, while speaking to Express News, says he decided to listen to Punjab governor in his personal capacity and not as a representative of Nawaz Sharif or Shahbaz Sharif. “I will avenge the death of my supporters; I have not compromised on my earlier stance.” “Punjab governor and I will travel together,” he says, adding that he will meet his supporters before he goes to his house. “We will follow the immigration process and then leave with our motorcade.” “Each and every supporter of mine will leave with me; I’m not one of those who leaves his supporters in difficult times,” Qadri says. “My struggle for change in system will continue.” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 2:27pm Punjab governor says Qadri is just like my brother and respects me: “I knew if I would contact Qadri, he would listen to me.” “We cannot reverse the past but we should learn from our mistakes.” “This is my country as much as it is Qadri’s; we all want Pakistan to progress,” he adds. “Shahbaz Sharif was happy when I told him Qadri has agreed to go to his Lahore residence with me,” the governor says. Punjab governor further adds that we all should respect and accept each other’s mandate. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 2:24pm Thanking Qadri for meeting with him, Punjab governor says he will go with Qadri in his vehicle. “Qadri has made a few requests related to his supporters and I have assured him that I will stay with him until we address all his concerns.” “All of Qadri’s supporters will also leave this plane with us,” Punjab governor says. Radio Pakistan @RadioPakistan Follow Punjab govt accepts Qadri’s demand that he will go to his residence in a bullet-proof vehicle with the governor http://radio.gov.pk/newsdetail/68781/1 … June 23, 2:20pm Express News anchorperson Imran Khan says that Punjab governor is in negotiation with Qadri right now. The Punjab governor is also trying to contact IG Punjab and chief secretary. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 2:16pm Qadri, while speaking to Express News, says he will go in his car along with the governor. “I fear Shahbaz Sharif’s terrorists will try to attack me and I want the governor to embrace martyrdom with me,” Qadri says. He further says he will not leave his supporters alone and that he will meet them as soon as he leaves the plane. Qadri also says he will take the usual route to his home. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 2:13pm Express News anchorperson Imran Khan says Qadri will travel to Model Town in his personal vehicle with the Punjab governor. “Qadri says he will first go to the hospital and meet his injured supporters along with the governor and then take the governor to his house and offer him tea,” Khan says. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 2:10pm Express News correspondent Noman Sheikh reports that the Punjab governor will speak directly to Qadri and decide what course of action to take. The correspondent adds that it has not been decided yet if Qadri will leave in the governor’s vehicle or in his personal vehicles that have reached the airport but are still away from the runway. Qadri’s personal vehicles were allowed to enter the airport through the main entrance. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 2:02pm Express News now reports that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s bullet-proof vehicle has reached the airport to take Qadri to his house, however, it has been barred from going near the Hajj terminal. The Punjab governor has also arrived at the airport. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 2:00pm Qadri says he will disembark the plane only if Punjab governor and media are present outside the aircraft. Express News reports that Law Minister Rana Mashood is accompanying Punjab governor on his way to meet Qadri. June 23, 1:49pm Our correspondent Anwar Sumra reports Governor Punjab is on his way to Lahore airport to conduct negotiations with Qadri. Express News anchorperson Imran Khan says Governor Punjab spoke to him over the phone and said he is on his way to the airport. “Punjab governor says he doesn’t want the situation to turn any worse,” Khan says. Express News also reports that PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has offered his car as well to take Qadri to his house in Lahore’s Model Town. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 1:47pm Radio Pakistan reports that over 70 police personnel were injured when PAT workers pelted stones at them near airport in Islamabad. “On the orders of the interior ministry, the police showed restraint and did not use force against the protesters,” Radio Pakistan adds.

Police fire teargas during scuffle between law enforcement and PAT workers on Monday. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVAID The injured police personnel have been shifted to PIMs, Polyclinic and District Headquarters Hospital Rawalpindi. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 1:45pm A source told Express News anchorperson Javed Chaudhry that Qadri was contacted by an army official and asked him to be a little flexible. Express News anchorperson Imran Khan says Qadri has not been directly contacted by any army official. “Qadri, however, claims the army had agreed to come to escort me but the Punjab government has stopped them,” Khan says. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 1:32pm Express News anchorperson Imran Khan says environment inside the plane is very calm as fears of a fierce clash have subsided after Punjab governor’s offer. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Qadri, while speaking to Express News, says bullet-proof vehicles should be allowed to come to the exit of the plane. He adds he will disembark and then immediately get inside the vehicle. “I don’t trust the government and will only let my personal guard come close to me.” Qadri also says media vans should also be allowed to go with him. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 1:00pm Jamaat-e-Islaami leader Sirajul Haq says “the world would have not ended if the plane was allowed to land in Islamabad.” “The government is making mistakes by mishandling the situation and only strengthening Qadri’s movement.” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 12:55pm CAA spokesperson says they want to resolve the matter as soon as possible. “We are in talks with the government,” he says. CAA denies that Emirates had made any request to the aviation authority. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 12:51pm Punjab Law Minister Rana Mashood says Qadri should act responsibly. “PAT supporters attacking Islamabad police reflect the ideas they believe in,” adds Mashood. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 12:49pm Express News reports that Qadri is consulting PML-Q Punjab president Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and AML chief Sheikh Rasheed regarding the issue. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 12:46pm Express News reports that the government has tried to contact Qadri and offered to take him to his house. Government has offered to provide Qadri with a helicopter and bullet-proof vehicle. Qadri has refused all the offers made by the government. An MQM delegation has entered the plane to meet Qadri.

Express News screengrab of Qadri’s plane. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 12:43pm PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, while speaking to Express News, says it is regrettable how government handled the situation. “On top of that, the government is not even admitting its mistakes,” Kaira adds. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 12:32pm PML-N leader Mian Javed Latif says Qadri is bent upon creating disturbance in the country. He questions why PAT supporters are present at the airport armed with sticks if they are peaceful. “If Qadri talks about changing the system, why was he part of this system in 2002,” adds Latif. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 12:24pm According to Express News, Emirates administration wants the plane to be evacuated immediately. The airline officials have contacted DG Civil Aviation Authority and state advisor for aviation. Administration of the airline says the plane has to proceed to the next destination. Emirates says the aircraft needs to fly back to Dubai and continue with its routine flights. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 12:23pm Express News reports that PAT supporters are present inside Lahore airport’s passenger lounge. Airport Security Force did not stop the supporter from entering the lounge because they were in large number. The security around the airport has been beefed up. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 12:12pm PPP senior leader Aitzaz Ahsan, while speaking to Express News, says Qadri might lose support because he is inside Emirates plane and that the government has no control over the international aircraft. Ahsan says Qadri should not be stubborn and make a compromise to resolve the deadlock. Express News anchorperson Javed Chaudhry says Emirates has contacted the government over this issue. The PPP leader says government has overplayed the situation and given advantage to Qadri. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 11:56am Express News correspondent Talib Faridi reports that Qadri has refused to listen to the government. PML-N leader Raja Zafarul Haq assures Qadri that he will provide security to him and make sure he reaches his home safely. However, Qadri refuses to accept his offer and says his plane should be taken back. “Even if I decide to get off the plane, I will leave via the main exit and not old or Hajj terminals.” Qadri expresses fear he will be detained as soon as he disembarks the plane. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 11:51am Our correspondent Akbar Bajwa reports more than 150 police officials in civvies have been deployed at the Lahore airport, a police official told The Express Tribune. Elite police commandos are also present at the airport. Acting CCPO Lahore Zulfiqar Hameed, along with DCO Lahore Capt (retd) Usman have arrived at the airport as well. The acting CCPO is directly monitoring the police deployment in the airport, as well as the city.

Express News screengrab of Qadri supporters (L) and police (R) in Lahore. Cellular services have also been suspended in several parts of the city, including the airport. Two rescue vehicles have been placed at and kept on alert at the airport. Dozens of PAT activists have thronged the international terminal of the Lahore airport. SP Traffic Azhar Gujjer has also arrived at the airport, while extra traffic wardens have also been deployed. Hundreds of policemen have been deployed near the Pakistan Awami Tehreek secretariat, where arrangements for a makeshift helipad are underway. Reporters are not allowed to enter the airport premises while their vehicles have been forced out of the airport parking. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 11:50am The Lahore police had chalked out different security plans for Dr Qadri’s arrival. According to a source, if the PAT chief were to arrive in Lahore from Islamabad through the GT road, 12, 000 police personnel would have been deployed for Qadri’s security all the way from Imamia colony till his residence, while 500 traffic wardens would look after the route. However, the policemen have now been deployed along the route from the Lahore airport to the PAT secretariat in Model Town. According to the plan, containers will be placed near the Punjab assembly, outside the CCPO office and the Governor House on Monday. In a meeting on Sunday, IGP Mushtaq Sukhera directed senior police officials to ensure that policemen deployed at the PAT rally carry rubber bullets and not open fire under any circumstances and should wait for orders from senior officials. An SP in the city, who attended the meeting, said that the IGP also directed policemen to maintain a distance from the rally. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 11:47am Express News reports a four-member government negotiation team has entered the plane to talk to Qadri. Seven passengers have been escorted out of the plane and brought to the waiting lounge. Express News reports that PML-N leader Raja Zafarul Haq fails to convince Qadri. Qadri also refuses to hand his passport to immigration officials. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 11:27am Express News reports that PAT supporters have also gathered at Karachi’s Numaish Chowrangi. This is one of the busiest thoroughfares of the city

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… June 23, 9:14am The official airport website had said that the plane has landed in Islamabad. However, it has transpired that Qadri’s plane has been diverted to Lahore, according to Emirates website.

Preity Zinta offers apology for refusing to talk to media, issues statement on Facebook

Mumbai: Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, who has accused her ex-boyfriend and industrialist Ness Wadia of abuse and molestation, offered apologies for refusing to speak to journalists who were waiting for her arrival at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Sunday. Issuing a statement on her Facebook page, she said, "I would like to apologize to the media, but it will not be possible for me to make any comments or statements as investigation is still on." The 39-year-old outspoken actor, who went to the United States soon after filing an FIR against Wadia on June 12 and hasn’t given any interview since then, said she will comment on the case after the probe is over. The actress has even requested media persons not to call her staff or friends as they have requested me to make this appeal on their behalf.

After landing in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon, Preity dodged questions and went inside her car without talking to the media. The diva looked exhausted at the airport. The Mumbai Police would record her statement in connection with the case either on Monday or Tuesday. "Since she has arrived here, her statement would be recorded either tomorrow or day after," said an official privy to the investigation. Preity had filed a police complaint on the night of June 12 alleging she was molested by Wadia (44) at Wankhede stadium on May 30 when an IPL match was being played between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings.

India TV news anchor attempts suicide, blames seniors in her suicide note

Noida: India TV news anchor attempted to commit suicide on Sunday by consuming poison at the channel’s office in Sector 85, Noida. The anchor was immediately rushed to Kailash hospital and admitted in an ICU, her condition is now said to be stable. Sources in the channel said the 31-yr-old woman had posted a suicide note on a social networking website, in which she had named senior channel officials of betrayal and hatching a conspiracy against her. She reportedly blamed her seniors for pushing her to take the radical step. On the basis of the woman's statement, police have registered FIRs against senior channel officials at Phase II police station for instigating the suicide. According to the police, the anchor had joined the news channel a few months ago and that channel officials had informed them on Sunday morning about she suffering from depression and possibility of her taking some extreme step. The hospital authorities said that she was admitted around 11:50am on Sunday. The woman was in a disoriented state as she had consumed a heavy dose of poison. Her stomach had to be washed to discharge the poison. She is stable now but is under observation in the ICU.

Rhea Pillai files accuses former live-in partner Leander Paes of domestic violence, seeks protection

Mumbai: Model Rhea Pillai has filed a case of domestic violence and demanded Rs four lakh as monthly protection against dispossession from her matrimonial home in Mumbai's Bandra area by her estranged live-in partner and ace tennis player Leander Paes and his father in a local metropolitan magistrate court. Some reports say that Pillai has demanded Rs three lakh for herself and Rs 90,000 for her kid who is admitted to one of the most expensive schools in Mumbai. She has reportedly said that Paes has failed to support her financially in the last two years. "Pillai has filed a case of domestic violence against Paes, his father Vece Paes and has sought monthly maintenance of about Rs four lakh," Paes' advocate Pervez Memon was quoted as saying. The case, filed on Saturday, is likely to come up for hearing on June 30. The couple has already been fighting for the custody of their eight-year-old daughter. Pillai, in her complaint, has accused Paes' father of preventing her and her daughter from entering their Carter Road residence. She has also sought blocking of any transfer of property to any 'third party.' Paes had last month filed 'a guardianship petition' in the family court here seeking permanent custody of his daughter from Pillai.

ISIS militants KILLING Indian hostages who are unable to understand or speak Arabic

New Delhi: The Indians trapped in Iraq and unable to escape the horrors inflicted upon them by ISIS militants have much more to fear now. As per the sources the ISIS militants are toying with the Indian hostages, but the lives of these innocent Indian workers are at stake. Workers are randomly asked to give the meaning of Arabic words. The punishment for wrong answer is being made live target for militants' shooting practice. The other is being forced into performing humiliating tasks. The Punjabi men who were able to establish contact with their kin on phone from the city of Dujail, about 70 km northwest of Baghdad, narrated a horrific tale of a youth from Nawanshahar district in Punjab. He was pulled out of a bus near Dujail by the militants and asked to guess an Arabic word. When he failed, he was shot at. Although he survived, he had to be treated for bullet wounds. The incident, three days back, has left the workers terrified. The militants came across the workers while they were advancing towards Baghdad after capturing Mosul. They were later pushed back by government forces. Dujail is one of the four cities in Salahuddin province north of Baghdad, which the militants have been unable to capture although there has been fighting there. Besides shooting, the punishment included bathing the militants and washing their clothes and footwear. The militants also asked intimidating questions about their beliefs at gunpoint. "They checked our breath to know if we were sober," said another youth. The militants raided their temporary shelters to check for beer cans and whisky bottles. The trapped Punjabi youth recounted his horror and said, "They came to us asking about our religious beliefs and told us to support Sunnis in Iraq. They then took us into their bus and asked us to participate in their game. They would give us a few words to read in Arabic and ask if we could tell the meanings. Those who failed were punished. They insisted that the language and culture of Iraq must be respected if we were to work here."

Son of former Philippines leader arrested in graft scandal

MANILA: Philippine police detained Monday the senator son of former president Joseph Estrada, the second high-profile official arrested within days over a massive corruption scandal. Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, 51, gave himself up to police after the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court said it found probable cause to proceed with the charges and issued an arrest warrant. “I never stole a single centavo from government coffers,” a defiant Estrada told reporters, as he accused President Benigno Aquino of playing politics and cracking down on his opponents. “At the end of the day, I will prove my innocence,” he said. “I will face all charges against me in court. “Flanked by his father Joseph Estrada, the senator then boarded a white van trailed by a long line of media vehicles for a short drive to the police headquarters, where he turned himself in. Estrada is among 54 people indicted for an alleged scam in which lawmakers, their staff, and other officials are accused of embezzling millions of dollars alloted for development projects. In particular, Estrada is accused of pocketing 183 million pesos in “pork barrel” funds that were allegedly diverted to ghost projects. He has been charged with one count of “plunder”, a non-bailable offence referring to massive corruption, punishable by life imprisonment. He also faces 11 lesser counts of graft. Another senator, Ramon Revilla, was arrested Friday on similar charges, while the courts are expected to soon issue an arrest order for a third senator, Juan Ponce Enrile, a 90-year-old veteran politician who was once dictator Ferdinand Marcos's chief martial law enforcer. The case erupted last year when businesswoman Janet Napoles was accused of colluding with lawmakers to embezzle an estimated 10 billion pesos from legislator's “pork barrel” funds, or money for their pet projects. Napoles initially denied any wrongdoing, then in a failed effort to turn state witness gave prosecutors a list implicating more than 100 lawmakers. She has also been charged with plunder. Two of those on the list are now Aquino cabinet members, although they deny the charges and say Napoles is trying to spread false information to deflect blame from herself and the other key players. Corruption has long been a problem in the Philippines' brand of free-wheeling democracy, and accounts for much of the massive poverty in the Southeast Asian nation of 100 million. The elder Estrada himself was ousted from the presidency midway through his six-year term in 2001 for massive corruption and incompetence. He was later convicted, but was subsequently pardoned. Last year, he was elected as mayor of the capital Manila, in what he said was a vindication, proving his innocence.

'Allah' rings out in Malaysian churches despite ban

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian churches defiantly continued to use the word “Allah” to refer to the Christian God in Sunday services despite the Muslim-majority country's leader saying they must obey rules against it. Malay-speaking Christians prayed and sang hymns using the Arabic word, a practice they have observed for hundreds of years but now the focus of an increasingly tense religious row in the Southeast Asian nation. “They all contain the word 'Allah',” a pastor at a church near the capital Kuala Lumpur said of the songs sung by his congregation. “(The Malay-language Bible) contains the word 'Allah'. When we preach we have to read the text. It's a really difficult situation,” he added, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the passions surrounding the issue. Under pressure from Muslim conservatives, Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Friday that Malaysian Christians must heed rules forbidding them from using the word. Islamist leaders in the country say “Allah”, which also is used by Malay Muslims to refer to their creator, is exclusive to their religion and must not be used by non-Muslims. Muslim ethnic Malays make up more than 60 per cent of the diverse country's 28 million people. Malaysia has sizeable ethnic Chinese, Indian and other communities. About 2.6 million people are Christians. Church leaders have vowed not to back down. “Christians in Malaysia have no choice but to use the Malay-language Bibles. To say they cannot use these bibles, it means saying 'you are not allowed to worship in the language that you want',” Rev. Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia, told AFP. The government in 2007 ordered a Malaysian Catholic weekly newspaper to cease use of the word, arguing it could entice Muslims to convert, which is illegal for adherents of Islam in Malaysia. The newspaper has launched a long-running court challenge, angering Muslim conservatives, who have demanded Christians use alternative Malay words. “Why insist? They have an option. They don't really have to use 'Allah' to worship,” said Yusri Mohamad, chairman of Muslim rights group Pembela. “This is unnecessary provocation... This is not healthy for Malaysia.”Muslim conservatives have suggested Christians use other Malay words, such as “Tuhan”, to refer to God. Malaysia has avoided overt religious conflict for decades and is generally seen as a moderate Muslim country. But non-Muslims allege growing intolerance by influential Islamic conservatives. “We feel angry. It's unfair,” a Christian church-goer said after Sunday's service. “It's no longer peaceful between Christians and Muslims now.”The Malaysian Catholic church argues “Allah” has been used by Christians in the country for hundreds of years and that the word predates Islam's founding. Tensions sparked by the issue triggered a spate of attacks in 2010 on places of worship, mostly churches. Najib's Muslim-dominated government responded in 2011 with a compromise allowing Christians limited use of the word. But he backed away from that Friday, saying the compromise was subservient to state laws and royal decrees forbidding non-Muslim use of “Allah”. Those rules have historically been rarely enforced. But as pressure from Muslim conservatives rose, Islamic authorities cited one such law earlier this month to seize hundreds of Bibles from a Christian group.

Top Malaysian court rules word 'Allah' only for Muslims

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia's highest court on Monday dismissed a bid by Christians for the right to use the word “Allah”, ending a years-long legal battle that has escalated religious tensions in the Muslim-majority country. The divisive case, in which the Catholic Church challenged a government ban on its long-time use of the Arabic word to refer to God, came amid concern from minorities who feel their rights are under threat by rising Islamisation in the Southeast Asian nation. The government had previously banned the use of “Allah” in the local Malay-language edition of the Church's Herald newspaper, which had angered Muslims, who say Christians are overstepping religious boundaries. A seven-judge panel in the administrative capital Putrajaya ruled a lower court decision siding with the government stood. “It (the Court of Appeal) applied the correct test, and it is not open for us to interfere,” chief justice Arifin Zakaria said. Analysts termed the ruling a “vote-winner” for the government. S. Selvarajah, one of the church's lawyers, said his team would explore further ways to challenge the ban. “It's a blanket ban. Non-Muslims cannot use the word. It has a major impact,” he told AFP. The Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew said the judgement “didn't touch on the fundamental rights of minorities”. “We are greatly disappointed by this judgement,” he said. Outside the court, which was cordoned off, about a hundred Muslim activists cheered the news of the verdict. Earlier, they had shouted “Allahu Akbar” or “God is great” and waved banners that read “Uniting to defend the name of Allah”. “I'm very pleased and happy that we have won the case. I hope the issue will be put to rest,” Ibrahim Ali, head of Muslim rights group Perkasa, told AFP. “We must defend 'Allah' because this is our religious obligation. I hope other communities, including Christians, understand this. “ Danger of conversion? The dispute first erupted in 2007 when the Home Ministry threatened to revoke the publishing permit of the Herald for using the Arabic word in its Malay-language edition. The Church launched a court case to challenge the directive, arguing “Allah” had been used for centuries in Malay-language Bibles and other literature to refer to “God” outside of Islam. But authorities say using “Allah” in non-Muslim literature could confuse Muslims and entice them to convert, a crime in Malaysia. In 2009 a court ruled in favour of the Church, sparking a spate of attacks on houses of worship. Last October, an appeals court reinstated the ban. Malaysia has largely avoided overt religious conflict in recent decades, but tensions have been growing. Two petrol bombs were thrown at a Malaysian church in January, causing minor damage. Also in January, Islamic authorities seized hundreds of Bibles, which contained the word “Allah”, from a Christian group. About 2.6 million people among the Southeast Asian nation's 28 million people are Christians, who come from mostly ethnic Chinese, Indian or indigenous backgrounds, while 60 per cent are Muslim ethnic Malay. Prime Minister Najib Razak, who took office in 2009, has increasingly rolled back his initial reformist and conciliatory rhetoric in a bid to please hardliners of his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which has ruled the country virtually uninterrupted since 1957 independence. James Chin, a political science professor at Monash University, said it was unlikely authorities would use the verdict to start seizing Malay-language Bibles and other literature containing the word “Allah” on a large scale or crack down on Malay-language church services. “The idea is to use this as a political weapon to raise tensions,” he told AFP. “They (the ruling party) feel that this is a vote-winner for the next election. “

Eight Bangladesh militants to hang for 2001 bombing

DHAKA: A Bangladeshi court sentenced eight militants to death on Monday for a 2001 bomb attack that killed 10 people during new year celebrations in the capital Dhaka. “The attack was carried out to destabilise the country and create panic, “Judge Ruhul Amin said as he delivered the verdict in a crowded court in Dhaka's old city. The head of the outlawed Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami (HuJI) outfit, Mufti Abdul Hannan, was among the eight who were ordered hanged for targeting the celebrations in Dhaka's main park which they deemed unIslamic. The judge also sentenced six others to life in prison for setting off two bombs as thousands of revellers were celebrating the first day of Bengali New Year on April 14, 2001. “It's a heinous attack and unprecedented in our history,” prosecutor Abdullah Abu told reporters after the verdicts were announced. “We're happy with the eight death sentenced, but not satisfied with the sentencing of six people who were given life terms. We'll appeal against the life sentences. “ The HuJI chief, better known as Mufti Hannan, is already on death row having been convicted in 2008 for trying to assassinate the British high commissioner four years earlier in a grenade attack. A lawyer for the defendants, Faruque Ahmed, told AFP that he planned to appeal the verdicts which he said were politically motivated and designed to “make people happy in certain quarters”. Mufti Hannan, who fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan's civil war, is also accused of having been behind a plot to assassinate the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when she was leader of the opposition in 2004.

South Korea captures soldier accused of killing five

A military ambulance transporting a conscript soldier who shot and killed five comrades, travels to a hospital in Goseong June 23, 2014. — Photo by Reuters A military ambulance transporting a conscript soldier who shot and killed five comrades, travels to a hospital in Goseong June 23, 2014. — Photo by Reuters SEOUL: An armed South Korean soldier holed up in a forest two days after killing five colleagues was captured Monday following a suicide attempt as his family pleaded with him to surrender, the Defense Ministry said. The 22-year-old sergeant, surnamed Yim, shot himself in the upper left chest as his father and brother approached, a Defense Ministry official said. He said Yim was taken to a hospital but his life wasn't in danger. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of department rules, gave no further details. Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said the soldier would later be handed over to military investigators. Soldiers retrieved Yim's rifle and ammunition at the site. Troops had been chasing Yim since authorities said he killed five fellow soldiers and wounded seven Saturday night. He then fled his frontline unit with his standard-issue K2 assault rifle. He fired Sunday on the soldiers chasing him, injuring a platoon leader. On Monday, officials said a South Korean soldier was wounded by suspected friendly fire. Earlier Monday, troops surrounding Yim in the forest tossed him a mobile phone so he could talk to his father. They also threw him bread and bottled water. His parents went to the area to try to persuade him to surrender. It wasn't clear what triggered the rampage; there was no indication that South Korea's bitter rival, North Korea, was involved. Yim was scheduled to complete his nearly two years of mandatory military service in September, according to defense officials. Initial personality tests in April of last year put Yim within a group of soldiers who need special attention and are unfit for frontline duty, according to the Defense Ministry. But tests last November concluded he had improved and could serve in the frontline area, defense officials said. The rampage comes as South Koreans grapple with worries over public safety in the wake of an April ferry disaster that left more than 300 people dead or missing. And some in Seoul have raised questions about the discipline and readiness of South Korea's military, which is under near-constant threat from a North Korea that has recently staged a series of missile and artillery drills, traded fire with the South near a disputed maritime boundary and threatened South Korea's leader. Hundreds of thousands of troops from the rival Koreas are squared off along the world's most heavily armed border. The Korean Peninsula is still technically in a state of war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. Shooting rampages against fellow soldiers happen occasionally. South Korea's military maintains a conscription system requiring all able-bodied men to serve about two years because of the North Korean threat. In 2011, a 19-year-old marine corporal went on a shooting rampage at a Gwanghwa Island base, just south of the maritime boundary with North Korea. Military investigators later said that corporal was angry about being shunned and slighted and showed signs of mental illness before the shooting. In 2005, a soldier tossed a hand grenade and opened fire at a front-line army unit in a rampage that killed eight colleagues and injured several others. Pfc Kim Dong-min told investigators he was enraged at superiors who verbally abused him.

WFP distributes aid to IDPs in Bannu

BANNU: The World Food Programme on Monday began distributing aid for hundreds of thousands of people who have fled a military operation in North Waziristan tribal region, as refugees clashed with authorities over delays. Pakistan began Zarb-i-Azb, a long-awaited military offensive aimed at eliminating Taliban militants from their stronghold in the North Waziristan tribal district, last week, following a brazen attack on the country's busiest airport in Karachi. The operation, involving air strikes, tanks and heavy artillery has forced the exodus of more than 400,000 people, mainly to the nearby town of Bannu just outside the tribal zone. It has left nearly 280 militants dead, according to the army, but the figure cannot be independently verified. Safiullah Khan, an official with a local non-government organisation partnered with the WFP, said a food distribution point in Bannu had begun providing rations including wheat flour, cooking oil, lentils and high energy biscuits. “We have made all necessary arrangements, which are enough to cater to ration needs of 15,000 families on daily basis,” he said. Around 2,000 people had gathered at a local football ground where the food centre was set up to wait for the first consignment of trucks. They later scuffled with police when distribution was delayed by several hours, who fired in the air to disperse the protestors. Noor Bat Khan, a 60-year-old resident from Esori village in North Waziristan criticised authorities for taking so long to act and not creating enough centres. “The authorities should set up more distribution points as it will be difficult for the displaced persons to wait for their turn in scorching heat,“ he said. According to a government spokesman, a total of 404,819 people have so far left North Waziristan after the start of the military offensive. Meanwhile influential warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur held talks with a tribal jirga, or council, in North Waziristan where he repeated a threat to join forces with the Taliban if the offensive continued. “Bahadur said he would not launch any retaliatory action against military troops operating in the region until the middle of August provided the government agrees to stop the offensive enabling the refugees to return to their homes,” a spokesman for the jirga, Malik Fida told AFP. Bahadur fought against the Soviets during their occupation of Afghanistan and later against US forces after 2001, but signed a peace deal with the Pakistani military in 2006.

Quality saves Portugal after US ride fitness factor

With one moment of genuine class at the very death, Portugal snatched victory from the grasp of the United States and kept their World Cup hopes alive on Sunday. If football was divided between “triers” and “flyers” then Juergen Klinsmann's uber-fit side would be an embodiment of the former, while World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo could be considered the archetype of the latter. For 14 minutes in the 30 degree heat and 65 percent humidity of the Amazon basin on Sunday, it looked like the triers would prevail courtesy of Clint Dempsey's goal, which he most unglamorously bundled over the line with his stomach. But quality will often emerge and after 94 minutes of contributing very little, Ronaldo whipped in an inch perfect cross which substitute winger Silvestre Varela rocketed into the net with a diving header. It was a brutal end to the evening for the Americans, who had poured heart, sweat and soul into their quest for a second victory and a place in the last 16 for the fourth time in the last seven tournaments. Klinsmann has come under repeated flak for over-training his players, a criticism which gained more currency when his key striker Jozy Altidore limped out of the World Cup with a hamstring strain in the opening 2-1 victory over Ghana. Central defender Matt Besler was withdrawn from the same match in Natal after feeling his own hamstring tightening, although he was fit to start on Sunday. BOOT CAMP Klinsmann's pre-tournament boot camp was vindicated in sultry Manaus, however, when his team made light of the stifling heat and battled back after handing the Portuguese a fifth minute lead through a Geoff Cameron defensive error. Nani snapped up that chance with alacrity and nearly scored again with a thumping shot that came back off the post in stoppage time in the first half with Tim Howard saving brilliantly to deny Eder from the rebound. Those moments apart, the Americans had contained the Portuguese and Jermaine Jones, the rock at the heart of the United States midfield, equalised by a curling the ball into the net with a strike of no small quality in the 64th minute. Whether or not he has a debilitating knee injury, Ronaldo, as he had in the 4-0 defeat by Germany with which Portugal opened their campaign, looked distinctly out of sorts until his decisive contribution at the end. The 2-2 draw means the Americans need only a point from their final match against Germany to guarantee their progress from one of the toughest groups at the World Cup. “The US are known to give everything in every single game,” said Klinsmann. “We have that fighting spirit and determination to try to win every game and therefore we will go for a win against Germany.” Portugal find themselves with their destiny out of their own hands as they prepare for their final group match against Ghana. Coach Paolo Bento was left bemoaning the impact on his squad of so many having played for European clubs competing for silverware. “Many of the players had a very short break before the World Cup and we have hence had many injuries during the tournament,” he said. “This will of course limit our options.”

Slim it may be, but Portugal still has a chance

MANAUS: Portugal still has a chance to advance at the World Cup, albeit a really small chance. But as Cristiano Ronaldo proved again on Sunday, anything can happen when the world player of the year is on the field. The Portuguese earned their first point at this year's World Cup with a 2-2 draw against the United States on a hot and steamy night at the Arena da Amazonia. And as the players appeared to wilt in the stifling heat, it was Ronaldo that sent in a perfect cross for Varela to head past United States goalkeeper Tim Howard in the final seconds of the match. “It's a respectable result,” Portugal coach Paulo Bento said, perhaps understating how much his team needed to avoid a loss. “We know our position is quite difficult now.“ Portugal lost big in the opening match, falling to Germany 4-0, and was seconds away from immediate elimination on Sunday. But now with one point, the team still has an outside chance of beating Ghana on Thursday in Brasilia by a big enough margin to overcome a poor goal differential and advance. However, if the United States and Germany, both with four points, draw in Recife at the same time, Portugal will be out. “We're depending on third parties. We're depending on results of other teams,” Bento said. “There's a high difference in goals, but that's the only hope we have so we have to play. We have to continue and try to do our best.“ Portugal looked good at the start against the Americans, and Nani gave them the lead in the fifth minute. But as the match wore on, the Portuguese looked to be struggling with the high heat and humidity of the Amazon rainforest. Referee Nestor Pitana of Argentina called for a cooling break in the 39th minute, the first such decision to be taken at the World Cup. But it was the Americans who emerged from halftime looking fresh, getting goals from Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey, the latter in the 81st minute. Portugal never gave up. “In terms of opportunities, we could have had more goals,” Bento said. “We never lost control of the match.“ Ronaldo played for second time at this World Cup despite a left knee injury, and again lasted the full 90 minutes. However, Portugal had four starters from the previous match out with either injury or through suspension. “There didn't seem to be any problem with Cristiano Ronaldo,” Bento said. “What happened during the game has something to do with our other players.”

IDPs vs Qadri: Pakistan 'caught in a TuQ'

As local news channels went all out in covering the grand event that was Dr Tahirul Qadri's dramatic arrival in Pakistan, Twitter users on Monday lamented that airtime consumed by the Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief should instead be given to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) pouring out from North Waziristan. Critics observed that the plight of refugees from the Agency that have been displaced by the ongoing Zarb-iAzb operation has been sidelined as Qadri's arrival has taken priority.

SC suspends SHC decision to remove Musharraf's name from ECL

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistn on Monday suspended the Sindh High Court's earlier decision to strike off former military dictator Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf's name from the Exit Control List, DawnNews reported. A five-judge larger bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Nasirul Mulk, accepted the government’s plea challenging the SHC's ruling which ordered the removal of Pervez Musharraf's name from the ECL. While issuing its order the SHC had said the operation of its judgment was suspended for 15 days enabling the federation to file an appeal in the Supreme Court.

Live: Tahirul Qadri disembarks from plane

Chief of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek, Dr Tahirul Qadri arrived in Pakistan to lead an anti-government alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and other political allies. His arrival, announced earlier this month has played out as an open challenge to the PML-N led government. With tensions running high, at least seven people, including two women,were killed in a violent clash between PAT supporters and police personnel in Lahore's Model Town last week. The government stepped up its action imposing Section 144 in Rawalpindi prohibiting the gathering of more than four persons at a place and blocked all routes to and from Islamabad airport, even as PAT supporters hold protests in support of Dr Qadri in various cities. Follow our live updates below to stay abreast of the situation as it develops.

Pakistan needs to make hard choices now: Hillary

WASHINGTON: Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has said that Pakistan’s policy of seeking strategic depth in Afghanistan has been proven wrong and the country now needs to focus all its strength on dealing with the militants. “Their idea, that they have these groups to provide strategic depth, as they like to say, vis-a-vis Afghanistan, or vis-a-vis India, I think if that were ever true, which I doubt, but if that were ever true, it no longer is,” she told Indian NDTV channel. In the interview that focused on her new book, ‘Hard Choices’, Ms Clinton said that Pakistan also needed to make a hard choice now, disconnecting its ties to various terrorist groups and putting together all state powers to “once and for all go after extremists, shut down their training camps, their safe havens, (and) madressahs that are inculcating suicide bombing behaviour.” Former US secretary of state says Islamabad’s policy of strategic depth no longer valid The Pakistanis must also “begin to have a different view of themselves in the future”, she added. Ms Clinton said she believed the Asif Zardari government did not know what the connections were between elements within the military and the ISI and various extremist and even terrorist groups. She also said that those were under the mistaken view that having these kinds of proxies vis-a-vis India, vis-a-vis Afghanistan were in Pakistan’s interests. “It’s like keeping poisonous snakes in your backyard expecting they will only bite your neighbour and what we are seeing now is the continuing threat to the state of Pakistan by these very same elements.” Ms Clinton said that when she visited India after the Mumbai terror attacks, she was “very struck” by how the then government said it was very difficult to exercise restraint. “I don’t think any government could say anything differently.” She said when Sonia Gandhi and former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh conveyed the news of the Mumbai terror attacks to her, she told them: “This is an element within the military intelligence institutional base, but that the civilian government was not involved. But I think that no country can turn away from that kind of attack continuously.” She noted that the terrorists now had moved deeper inside Pakistan, attacking targets in major Pakistani cities. “We’ve just seen the attacks in Karachi. And I don’t see how Pakistan can ignore this much longer.” Asked who she thought was accountable for the terror attacks, she said: “We certainly never had any evidence that it went to the very top, but that may or may not be true.” Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2014

Congress rejects move to stop US funding for Pakistan

WASHINGTON: An amendment to stop US funding to Pakistan has been defeated in the House of Representatives, which accepted the Obama administration’s argument that doing so would hurt key US interests. But at a separate session, a key congressional committee reduced US aid to Pakistan for 2015 by $65.8 million. At the House, 320 of the 435 voting members rejected the amendment, proposed by Congressman Dana Rohra­bacher, to stop American funding to Pakistan. Mr Rohrabacher still managed to get the support of 92 members, although he did not have a co-sponsor. Mr Rohrabacher, who is also campaigning on the Hill for an independent Balochistan, alleged that Islamabad had undermined US efforts to combat terrorism. “The policy which has us funding Pakistan’s military is wrong … it is insane for us to continue borrowing large sums of money from China to give to Pakistan,” he said. But at a separate session, a key congressional committee reduced US aid to Pakistan for 2015 by $65.8 million. The US aid, which was “sometimes deceptively labelled as reimbursements”, could not buy Pakistan’s cooperation in hunting down terrorists, he added. The congressman said that it was the Pakistani establishment that sheltered Osama bin Laden for years and continued to jail Dr Shakil Afridi, the man who helped the CIA locate Osama bin Laden. “Why would Pakistan do that if they are really on our side?” he asked. Mr Rohrabacher, who strongly backed Pakistan during the Afghan war, claimed that US funds were being used to persecute religious and ethnic minorities in Pakistan. “This is especially true for the Baloch and Sindhi, two large ethnic minority groups in Pakistan” who were denied their right to self-determination, he said. “Pakistan is not an ally … they are allied with terrorist elements and our ever more dangerous adversary, Communist China.” His arguments, however, failed to convince the lawmakers most of whom rejected the proposed amendment. On Friday evening, the powerful Senate Committee on Appropriations endorsed the US State Department’s 2015 budget of $48.285 billion. And in doing so, it also approved a total of $959.7 million for Pakistan which is $65.8 million less than the Obama administration’s request of $1.03 billion. The bill increased funding for polio prevention programmes to $59 million, including $7.5 million in Afghanistan and Pakistan, to support a multilateral campaign to eliminate the disease, which is $9 million above the president’s request. The committee has also requested the Secretary of State to consult with the Committee on plans for winding down the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. It supports the reincorporation of SRAP within the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. The Senate Appropriations Committee directed that programmes in Pakistan target unemployment, illiteracy, and disenfranchisement among the most impoverished individuals and communities. Recognising Malala Yousafzai’s courageous advocacy for girls’ education, the bill provided $3 million in addition to increase the number of scholarships under the Merit and Needs-Based Scholarship Program. The committee recommended that no less than 50 per cent of the scholarships should be awarded to Pakistani women. The committee also asked the State Department to ensure that the US assistance was not used in the Iran-Pak gas pipeline. It also urged the Secretary of State to make the release of Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped by extremists in Lahore in 2011, a priority in the bilateral relationship with Pakistan. Published in Dawn, June 23rd , 2014

Who’s afraid of Tahirul Qadri?

Who’s afraid of Tahirul Qadri? RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: The way the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has reacted to Dr Tahirul Qadri’s anti-government protests is being viewed as disproportionate and aggressive, and there is an impression that the government may be feeling ‘insecure’ with all the attention Qadri has managed to attract over the past few weeks. No one seems to know why the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers, who were supposed to meet government representatives to work out a plan for Monday morning, were packed off to Adiala Jail. PAT leaders say they assured the administration that there would not be a law and order situation when party workers gathered at the airport to welcome their returning leader. PAT said they could not understand why their people were being arrested when they had assured the administration that there will be no law and order issue at the rally to welcome Dr Qadri. PAT spokesperson Ghulam Khan told Dawn that the district administration had been trying to ‘trap’ party leaders for the last week on the pretext of a meeting. “At 6pm on Saturday, the Rawalpindi district administration called our office-bearers Tariq Mehmood, Ahmed Nawaz Anjum, Mansoor Khan and seven others for a meeting to decide the venue of the rally. But rather than talking to them, they just kept them waiting until midnight,” Khan said. “A little later, they informed us that they will have a final decision soon. But instead of conveying a decision, the administration simply booked our workers. We have not had any contact with them since Sunday morning,” he said. But the ruling party is unrepentant and insists that Dr Qadri’s party should reconsider its stance. PML-N lawmaker Malik Ibrar said PAT should have accepted the district administration’s offer to shift the rally venue to Rawat or Gujar Khan. “Had they accepted, they may not have been arrested,” he said. He shrugged off the arrests saying that their party workers have had to face ‘protective custody’ several times in the past. Rawalpindi District Coordination Officer Sajid Zafar had stated in a letter sent to the Punjab Home Department that district police had not given security clearance to the planned gathering outside Islamabad airport, which is why PAT’s request for a rally there was turned down. In the wake of this response, many are asking why the PML-N is giving Dr Qadri’s party so much importance, seeing as they aren’t even a major, mainstream political party and have no representation in parliament either. Some feel that the ruling party’s clumsy handling of this event is helping PAT’s cause and, following the Lahore tragedy, Dr Qadri’s party may be able to ride a wave of sympathy going into Monday. PML-N leaders dismissed Qadri’s rallies by saying that such activities have an adverse effect on the country’s economy and are ‘bad for business’. “We are not afraid of PAT or its leader. We just want to protect the economy. During Imran Khan’s rally in Islamabad on May 11, business activities across the country came to standstill as investors feared a major change that day,” former PML-N MNA Hanif Abbasi told Dawn. He said PAT’s sit-in last year also had a similar effect on the economy and that the administration had a hard time providing adequate security to the hundreds of people there. Admitting that the Lahore tragedy could have been averted had the situation been better handled, he defended the government, saying, “The police officers involved were only trying to prove their loyalty to the government”. PML-N leader Malik Shakil Awan said PAT wanted to destabilise the government with rallies and sit-ins over ‘non-issues’. He said that the government could not allow such events for sake of the safety of the people involved. “There is a credible terrorist threat to large public gatherings following the initiation of the North Waziristan operation and certain political actors want to take advantage of the situation,” he said. PML-N Rawalpindi City President Sardar Naseem said Dr Tahirul Qadri was toeing someone else’s agenda and there could be no negotiations with him. The party’s senior leadership in Islamabad too was bent on trying to dispel the impression that the government had panicked in its response to the ‘threat’ posed by Dr Tahirul Qadri’s protest movement. “We are facing a credible threat from militants who are looking for any opportunity to hit back,” federal minister Ahsan Iqbal told Dawn. “There are dozens of groups who want to bring about ‘a revolution’. If we allow one group to stage a sit-in, then tomorrow every one will want to do the same to puch their own agendas,” he said. The party’s information secretary, Mushahidullah Khan, said that following the attack on the Karachi airport, the government could not afford to risk a major gathering at Islamabad airport. He also criticised the media for going overboard with its coverage of Dr Tahirul Qadri’s protest movement. Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2014

Fatwa declares Zarb-i-Azb a jihad

ISLAMABAD: Over 100 ulema from various schools of thought declared on Sunday Zarb-i-Azb, the military operation being carried out against terrorists and militants in North Waziristan Agency, as jihad. The decree [fatwa] was issued after a meeting of religious scholars which was organisd by the Sunni Ulema Board here on Sunday. The decree referred Verse No 33 of Surah-i-Almaidah, which says: “Crushing of the attempts to disrupt peaceful atmosphere in a Muslim state is jihad.” The decree said that the nation was bound to support the ongoing operation in North Waziristan Agency and according to Shariat the people opposing it were rebellious. Nation is bound to support the NWA military operation It said that the state had the right to deal rebels with an iron hand as the militants had murdered hundreds of innocent people and targeted schools, shrines, hospitals, etc. Islam, it added, did not allow individual jihad. The decree was signed by Allama Ghufran Mehmood Sialvi, Mufti Mohammad Shara­fuddin Siddiqui, Mufti Liaquat Ali Rizvi, Mufti Mohammad Usman Rizvi, Mufti Mohammad Hanif Attari, Mufti Mohammad Arif Chishti, Mufti Khateeb Ahmed Alazahri, Mufti Qari Saeedur Rehman, Allama Pir Ghulam Mustafa Shakir, Allama Abdul Latif Qadri, Allama Khalilur Rehman Qadri, Mufti Mohammad Farooq Chishti, Pir Syed Waseemul Haq Naqvi Advocate, Sahibzada Khalid Mehmood Zia, Mufti Sultan Qadri, Allama Mujahid Abdul Rasool Khan, Mufti Mohammad Ayaz Ali Saeedi, Mufti Asif Saeed Qadri, Allama Nisar Ali Noori, Mufti Mohammad Shahbaz Ali, Mufti Mohammad Ahsan Naqeebi, Mufti Mohammad Saleem Qadri, Dr Mohammad Riz­wan Ahmed Rizvi, Dr Ayaz Ahmed Naeemi, Allama Mohammad Shahid Meh­mood Abbasi, Allama Riaz Ahmed Hazarvi and others. Published in Dawn, June 23rd , 2014

Live: Tahirul Qadri lands in Lahore

Chief of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek, Dr Tahirul Qadri is expected to arrive in Pakistan to lead an anti-government alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and other political allies. His arrival, announced earlier this month has played out as an open challenge to the PML-N led government. With tensions running high, at least seven people, including two women,were killed in a violent clash between PAT supporters and police personnel in Lahore's Model Town last week. The government has stepped up its action imposing Section 144 in Rawalpindi prohibiting the gathering of more than four persons at a place and blocked all routes to and from Islamabad airport, even as PAT supporters hold protests in support of Dr Qadri in various cities. Follow our live updates below to stay abreast of the situation as it develops.

Train travel to burn hole in pocket as Railways hike passenger fare by 14.2%, freight charges up by 6.5%

New Delhi: The BJP government on Friday announced the hike in Railway passenger fare as well as freight fare. The passenger fare is increased by 14.2 percent while the freight charges have gone up by 6.5 percent effective from today. It is notable that the rail budget is likely to be presented in the second week of July. The Railways Minister Sadanand Gowda has already been giving indications about the fare hike. The Railway Board had already proposed 14.2 percent and 6.5 percent hike in passenger fare and freight fare respectively. The discussion about fare hike has been going on between Sadanand Gowda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi from a few days. Recently in Goa, Modi had said that some strong decisions are likely to be made soon. This may be one of those decisions by BJP government. Gowda had told reporters "We are discussing the matter and within three-four days, we will come to a conclusion on passenger fare hike." Gowda had also met Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman for discussing the FDI in railways.