Why Imran did not respond to Jang Group’s notice — the real story

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan has developed a habit of hurling baseless allegations against the Jang Group, apparently at the behest of angels.

After losing the May 11 election, he had been crying of rigging. First, he accused the judiciary and now the Jang Group of depriving him of an imminent victory, which the angels had assured him.

Last year, when Geo Television Network’s winning the bid of rights of Pakistan vs Sri Lanka cricket tournament series caused sleepless nights for local media and dark hidden forces, Imran came out with so-called allegations that Geo was favoured by Najam Sethi, the then acting chairman of Pakistan Cricket Broad. However, Imran kept a mysterious silence over a similar series rights (Pakistan vs South Africa) awarded to an Indian sports channel in which Zee TV owns 95% of the shares and is headquartered in Mumbai.

Here are some facts for Imran Khan: This was the first time that a Pakistani TV channel had acquired world rights of an international series with the responsibility to produce in High Definition and the venture was only set to upgrade the standards and expertise of a Pakistani company and production resources.

Importantly, Najam Sethi had no role whatsoever in the bids process of the two series rights. The entire process of award of media rights to sports channels was done through Pakistan Cricket Board’s bids committee. Regarding Pakistan Cricket Board’s bids committee that awarded Pakistan-Sri Lanka series rights to Geo Super after transparent and competitive bidding, it is stated that its chairman was none other than Ehsan Mani.

Mani is a former ICC president and has managed ICC’s bundling of commercial rights since 2000. It included media rights for ICC events that valued millions of dollars. He has also successfully managed media rights for West Indies and South Africa and also PCB since 1993. He has been one of Trustee of 15-member Board of Trustees of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. He also has been Chairman Audit Committee of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital.

Other members of the bids committee included PCB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmed — Masters in Business Administration with 19-year experience in cricket. He has worked with the ICC and wrote the contingency plans for ICC Cricket World Cups in 2003 and 2007; Chief Financial Officer Badar M Khan — Chartered Accountant with pertinent experience of cricket finances and good business practices; Member of PCB’s Governing Board Rafiq Bughio who oversaw and monitored the entire process, and an independent member Justice (R) Shabar Raza Rizvi, former judge who authored the report of Sri Lanka team attack. The whole process was monitored by an independent audit firm Ernst and Young, one of the leading audit firms hired to observe and report on the bid process for transparency.

The bidding committee submitted its recommendations to PCB governing board for approval after finishing their proceedings. This transparent process helped sell media/ broadcasting rights both for South Africa and Sri Lanka at a price more than what it got from the 5-year media rights deal which it had with an India-based sports TV channel for the same South Africa and Sri Lanka series played in Dubai/ Abu Dhabi. In fact, the PCB got around $1 million more from this South Africa and Sri Lanka series as compared to what it got in the last series played against both the countries at the same venues in the UAE.

Geo TV did bid in 2008 for securing media rights for five years, however, these rights were not given to Geo TV, though Ehsan Mani was heading the Bids Committee at that time too. Ten Sports got the contract for 5 years, which expired in 2013. In the case of Pak-SL series, it was the PCB Governing Body which approved the media rights contract and Najam Sethi remained out of this process.

It should be remembered that the Jang Group had issued a notice to Imran Khan for leveling basesless allegations at that time which made Imran angry. Instead of replying to the Jang notice, a hue and cry was made on the pretext of freedom of speech. The Jang Group then sent to Imran all the record showing its clear position and asked him to get the record examined through independent auditors. He should have replied to the notice then so that the Jang Group could move courts to prove his allegations wrong. The Jang Group did not pursue the notice and kept waiting for Imran Khan’s reply till todate. Now Imran had again started leveling the same allegations and Jang Group will have to also pursue its notice. Particular people including Lal Top Wala are following angels’ agenda on a particular channel. Imran Khan has visited that particular channel for five times. The Jang Group has moved courts against this particular channel.

Regarding the bidding process, Imran Khan is informed that the PCB floated a tender for two home series at different venues in the UAE - one against South Africa and the second against Sri Lanka on August 8, 2013. Against which, technical and financial proposals were sought from the interested parties. Two-stage tender process involved opening of financial and technical proposals, of which, the later was to evaluate financial standing, prior sports broadcasting and television production experience, details of company ownership including parent company/ share holdings etc and international distribution plans in case if their bids are successful.

On 30th of August, after careful evaluation, the Bids Committee approved India-based TV channel and Geo TV’s technical proposals and proceeded to the second round of opening the financial proposals. According to the process laid out, the Bids Committee announced reserve price for each series before opening of financial proposals which was not met by either Ten Sports or Geo TV for both series after which both parties were given the opportunity to submit revised offers the next day i.e. August 31, 2013 by 10 a.m. In the second round, Geo TV’s financial offer exceeded the reserved price for Sri Lanka series whereas India-based TV channel retained its original offer which was still lower than the PCB reserve price and not capable of acceptance by any standard and hence Geo TV was declared the successful bidder for Sri Lanka series. On South Africa series, both Geo and India-based sports TV channel could not meet the PCB reserve price and bidding committee decided to award rights to India-based sports TV channel on the basis of comparatively higher offer, though this offer was around $0.8 million, less than the reserve price fixed by the PCB.

The PCB, however, in line with a term of bidding document awarded contract to India-based sports TV channel without further negotiations. However, no one, including Imran Khan, raised any objection for the reasons best known to him.

Importantly, Abdul Rahman Bukhatir had sold 50% stakes in the company (Ten Sports) to India-based Zee TV Network for $57 million in November 2006 with Zee further acquiring further 32.2% stakes against $31 million in February 2010 and finally adding another 12.8% stakes against $13.4 million to take up its stake in the company at 95%. With the completion of 95% of control in Ten Sports by Zee, the corporate headquarters are now based in Mumbai and the entire up-linking operations of channel have now been shifted to Noida in India.

Ten Sports was the rights holder of Pakistan home series during the term 2008-2013 and in this period major changes in its parent company’s shareholding took place. Most television broadcasting agreements done by cricket boards do not allow such changes of corporate/ management controls without prior written consent by the cricket board concerned. In this case, the PCB can clarify whether it actually provided its consent to Ten Sports to continue working as its host broadcaster during the period 2009-2010 when India-based Zee Network gained 95% controlling shares of the company. Imran Khan preferred keeping mum when Indian channel had all the media rights for five years and only woke up when Geo got the rights of only one series.

Dad did ‘Kochadaiiyaan’ not because I am his daughter: Soundarya

 

Soundarya says that she felt blessed to work with her father, Rajinikanth in her debut film.

Filmmaker Soundarya, who is making her directorial debut with Rajnikanth-starrer ‘Kochadaiiyaan’ says her father agreed to be part of this mega project for the script and not because she was his daughter.

“Once he was convinced about the script and that it requires a certain kind of technology then only he said yes. Because the kind of action sequences you will see in ’Kochadaiiyaan’, it is not possible in live action or in visual effects to get this kind of impact.

“Only after he was convinced about this technology he agreed to do the film and not because I was his daughter. That did not even make a difference. I was confident of handling the project and my father said ok go ahead,” Soundarya said in an interview here.

The director says that she felt blessed to work with Rajinikanth, 63, in her debut film. Soundarya added that when the project happened he agreed to do the film not like a doting father but took a professional approach.

“This is a performance capture photo realistic film. It is a first attempt here (in India) but it is very famous abroad (Hollywood). Usually, films like this take approximately five to six years but we have been over ambitious and god has been kind and it took less than two years to make this film.

“It is a commercial film and the technology is new but the story is what a Rajinikanth story should be like. It is commercially packed film with technology that is used for the first time in our films,” Soundarya said.

She says it was not deliberate on her part to cast her father in her debut film. ”We started ‘Rana’ and my father unfortunately fell ill and then he got better. And when he came back (to do films) we did not want him to do undergo much physical strain because ‘Rana’ is a period film and ‘Kochadaiiyaan’ is a prequel to ‘Rana’.. Kochadaiiyaan is Rana’s father. We wrote the story as Rana’s story was already there. We wanted to make it less stressful for my father and decided to use this technology… it is easier compared to live action,” Soundarya said.

Although Soundarya focused on technology, she says she did not compromise on the script. ”I did not change the script. It was a new script. ’Rana’ was a live action script… we decided to do a film that was prequel to the script of ‘Rana’ and we wanted to do it in a technology-oriented manner. I don’t think my father will like compromise,” Soundarya said.

Why did Sunny Deol agree to play a Haryanvi character in Dishkiyaoon?

This will be the first time that the dhai kilo ka haath wala actor is playing such a character

Actor Sunny Deol, who plays gangster Lakwa in Dishkiyaoon, says he fully enjoyed his first Haryanvi character in the movie. ”It’s (Dishkiyaoon) a good film…has a good story and I loved my character in the film,” Sunny said on Tuesday at the press conference of the film.

“This is the first time I am playing a Haryanvi character in a film. I really loved doing this character,” he added. Dishkiyaoon, produced by Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra, will also see Harman Baweja and newcomer Ayesha Khanna. It will release this Friday.

Did Kareena ask Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Mastani role?

Kareena Kapoor Khan

 

While Deepika Padukone has been finalised in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's dream project, Bajirao Mastani, buzz is that Kareena Kapoor Khan had expressed her eagerness to play the female protagonist. The epic love story revolves around Peshwa Bajirao, an early 18th century Maratha general and Mastani, the beautiful and brave woman who became his second wife. And the filmmaker has been planning to make it for over a decade now.

Apparently, Bhansali isn't too keen to cast Kareena. More so after she opted out of Ram-Leela when construction work of his sets had already reportedly begun. Eventually, he cast Deepika Padukone instead as Leela opposite Ranveer Singh's Ram. Now that the film has become a hit, the filmmaker is more eager to cast his Deepika again in Bajirao Mastani. And industry talk is that he has conveyed to Kareena that while she can't be his Mastani, he can offer her the supporting part of Kashibai, Bajirao's first and older wife. Predictably, Bebo is said to have declined the role. Now, reports claim that Priyanka Chopra, who is playing Mary Kom in the biopic produced by Bhansali, has been cast as Kashibai.

Interestingly, Bhansali and Kareena have fallen out earlier too. The first time, she was upset when he cast Aishwarya Rai as Paro in his visually extravagant Devdas. Then he was angry with her for taking up Kyun Ki opposite Salman Khan, when he was planning to cast them together in Bajirao Mastani. Guess after she left Ram-Leela he is too upset with her to sign her up as his leading lady again.

Did Kareena ask Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Mastani role?

Kareena Kapoor Khan

 

While Deepika Padukone has been finalised in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's dream project, Bajirao Mastani, buzz is that Kareena Kapoor Khan had expressed her eagerness to play the female protagonist. The epic love story revolves around Peshwa Bajirao, an early 18th century Maratha general and Mastani, the beautiful and brave woman who became his second wife. And the filmmaker has been planning to make it for over a decade now.

Apparently, Bhansali isn't too keen to cast Kareena. More so after she opted out of Ram-Leela when construction work of his sets had already reportedly begun. Eventually, he cast Deepika Padukone instead as Leela opposite Ranveer Singh's Ram. Now that the film has become a hit, the filmmaker is more eager to cast his Deepika again in Bajirao Mastani. And industry talk is that he has conveyed to Kareena that while she can't be his Mastani, he can offer her the supporting part of Kashibai, Bajirao's first and older wife. Predictably, Bebo is said to have declined the role. Now, reports claim that Priyanka Chopra, who is playing Mary Kom in the biopic produced by Bhansali, has been cast as Kashibai.

Interestingly, Bhansali and Kareena have fallen out earlier too. The first time, she was upset when he cast Aishwarya Rai as Paro in his visually extravagant Devdas. Then he was angry with her for taking up Kyun Ki opposite Salman Khan, when he was planning to cast them together in Bajirao Mastani. Guess after she left Ram-Leela he is too upset with her to sign her up as his leading lady again.

Did Virat Fly To Sri Lanka To Meet Anushka?

Though Anushka Sharma claims to be just friends with the Indian cricketer Virat Kohli, the reports suggest otherwise. According to reports, Virat Kohli was spotted travelling on a flight from Sri Lanka. It is rumoured that Virat flew all the way to Sri Lanka to meet his lady love Anuskha, who is currently shooting for Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet.

 

Earlier, the rumoured couple was caught together on the streets of Auckland. Anushka had allegedly flown down to Auckland to spend quality time with her Virat, who was then playing for the Test matches with team India in New Zealand. If reports are to be believed that the duo has been trying to catch up every time they get a chance.

Did Alia Struggle With Her Tamil Girl Avatar?

Alia Bhatt, who sported a de-glam look in her second film Highway, may not be "constantly fashionable" but she says there is nothing wrong in being fashion conscious.

The actress made her debut as an upmarket glamorous girl in Student of the Year. "I am closer to my second character. But I don't think it's shallow to care about clothes and make-up. Every girl likes to dress up. I didn't really begin to care about my looks until I started acting. Now I enjoy dressing up. But I am not constantly fashionable. There are days when I am in pyjamas at home," she said in an interview.

Excerpts from the interview:
Q. Which is closer to the real Alia, the shallow clothes horse in Student Of The Year or the sensitive pained girl in Highway?
A. I am closer to my second character. But I don't think it's shallow to care about clothes and make-up. Every girl likes to dress up. I didn't really begin to care about my looks until I started acting. Now I enjoy dressing up. But I am not constantly fashionable. There are days when I am in pyjamas at home.

Q. Not looking good is not an option for you?
A. You think so? (laughs) In that case I'll have to be more careful about my appearance.

Q. How do you rate yourself in 2 States?
A. I haven't seen the film. But I love my character in 2 States. She is very different from the girls that I've played in my first two films. She is strong and mature. Which I am at times. At other times, I am not. But the emotions in 2 States were all new to me. I may be speaking too soon. But the director Abhishek Varman is absolutely fantastic.

Q. Will you live up to the audience's expectations in 2 States?
A. Expectations will always be there. But I can't be thinking about that all the time. Only when the film is out, then all the anxieties will sink in. But I still feel I am too new to raise too many expectations. I am okay with failing.

Q. That's Mahesh Bhatt's daughter speaking?
A. My father was the most excited after seeing Highway. He told me he couldn't sleep after seeing my performance. To me that's very personal triumph. My father's approval means a lot to me. Actually, my entire family's approval means a lot to me. But my father's approval means a little more since he is a fantastic filmmaker and can separate Alia the daughter from Alia the actress.

Q. Maybe you bring out the fantastic side of all your directors?
A. Nooooo, that's giving me too much credit. The novel 2 States was so good. We could easily go wrong in the screen adaptation. I hope people don't feel so. Because we’ve worked genuinely hard to keep the spirit of the novel intact in the film.

Q. Which was harder in 2 States - playing a South Indian or playing a wife?
A. Speaking Tamil was really hard for me. Fortunately, I didn’t have to play the Tamil girl in a loud caricatural way. She is a city girl. She can be from any part of the world. The Tamil side of her comes out when she’s speaking to her parents. I didn't have to learn too much Tamil. (IANS)

Did Deepika Catch Ranbir in Bed With Her Rival?

Deepika Padukone was recently at an event where she got quite candid. The leggy lass sure knows how to get all eyes on her. While interacting with the reporters, she had to field a barrage of questions. Another interesting answer was when she was asked how she would react if she sees her boyfriend in bed with her arch rival, "Oh no! I can't go through that again" came her reply! Looks like Deepika is taking an open dig at her ex-flame Ranbir Kapoor.

Did Sangeeta Warn Salman to Stay Away From Kat?

Salman has always stayed in touch with his ex-girlfriends. His ex-girlfriend Sangeeta Bijlani is quite close to his family too and keeps visiting them. When he had an affair with Katrina Kaif, we her that Sangeeta was not too pleased. It's rumoured that though Sangeeta was on good terms with Sallu's other girlfriends; she never trusted Katrina and always wanted Salman to stay away from her company.

ECB did not see enough change to warrant any moves: Draghi

FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank decided not to take any action at its meeting on Thursday because economic and monetary conditions had not changed enough to warrant it, ECB President Mario Draghi said.
The bank left interest rates unchanged but also failed, as many had expected, to suspend weekly operations to soak up money it spent on sovereign bonds at the height of the euro zone debt crisis, known as sterilisation.
"The suspension of sterilisation is one of the instruments that is in our list but we didn't see any development in the money markets that would lead to that unwanted tightening of monetary conditions that would justify the use of this instrument," Draghi told a news conference.
He also said a survey of conditions showed no major changes to prompt any moves.
"We saw our (economic) baseline by and large confirmed," he said. Pausing the so-called sterilisation of the Securities Markets Programme (SMP) would have added around 175 billion euros in liquidity to the market.