Everything should be fair in this terror war

DUBAI: Now that the political government of Nawaz Sharif has come on the same page with the Pakistan Army and a full-fledged military operation has been launched against the terrorists, a full-fledged security and media plan for the rest of the country is immediately needed to face the blowback.

Some of the instant decisions that should be, and obviously will be, part of this whole operation, its planning, strategy and tactics, must include, if not already done:

— Instead of repeated announcements of Red Alerts, all major cities should declare night curfews, at least for three to four weeks, starting at 9 pm to 6 am.

— In sensitive localities, shooting orders be given if anyone violates the curfew and does not stop when checked.

— All businesses in all major cities must shut down at 8 pm so that people can get back to their homes by 9 pm. No exceptions should be allowed except for those with security passes.

— A War Council or War Cabinet must be announced in the Centre and in provinces.

— Other activities of parliament and the cabinet must be put in low gear and diverted to coordinating the war effort for at least three to four weeks. These should include taking care of those hit, affected or displaced by the war.

The army must be deployed at all key installations to protect them from terrorist attacks.

In sensitive cities and super sensitive localities like many areas of Karachi, door-to-door search operations should be carried out when the curfew sets in.

Special summary courts should be set up to try and convict all those who are caught with illegal arms, terrorist equipment like suicide jackets, hand grenades etc and the death penalty should be given to those convicted and sentenced without delay.

Special bulletins should be issued on the Zarb-e-Azb Operation daily or even more frequently and the media should only cover these. Total cooperation of political parties and the media must be ensured.

There can be more such actions taken but if this is a war, it has to be fought like a war. And as now we have decided to fight this war, then lets follow the saying: “Everything is fair in love and war.”We will get to the love portion when we cross the war zones.

ICC doing everything to fight corruption: David Richardson

ISLAMABAD: ICC Chief Executive David Richardson on Wednesday said the Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has zero tolerence against corrruption and was doing everything to curb it.

Richardson spoke in response to recent media coverage of investigations being carried out by the ACSU and also provided an insight into the review of the structures for combating corruption at international and domestic level within the sport says a press release issued here.

Richardson said we are taking all steps available to urgently investigate how certain information in the form of statements has come to find its way into the media so that we can provide reassurances to the stakeholders within the sport so that they can continue to place their trust in the hands of the ACSU and the anti corruption units of the respective Member Boards in protecting the integrity of the sport.

Richardson said “ we wish to emphasize that New Zealand player Brendon McCullum is not under investigation in this matter. We have offered our full support to Brendon we do so now publicly not only to confirm that by assisting with the ACSU s enquiries he has acted quite properly in accordance with his responsibilities as a professional cricketer but also correct any misperception that he is somehow under suspicion.

“He is to be commended for his actions and we deeply regret that aspects of his statement are now in the public domain,” he said.

Responding a question on Lou Vincent, who provided evidence to ASCU regarding corruption including of a former Pakistan cricketer, Richardson said Lou Vincent has cooperated fully with the ASCU's investigators so it would not be appropriate for the ICC to comment on his position at this stage.

Nor is the ICC in a position to identify any other individuals that may or may not have been interviewed as part of this or any other investigation, he said.

Richardson said ACSU has also developed strong links to local law enforcement and investigating agencies in the ICC s key territories. ACSU has available all the experience and resources necessary to enable it to properly carry out its functions he said. (APP)

‘Main Tera Hero’ review: Varun tries everything in his repertoire to be this hero

 

Main Tera Hero movie review: Varun tries everything in his repertoire to be this hero.

Movie Review: Main Tera Hero

Star Cast: Varun Dhawan, Arunoday Singh, Ileana D’Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Rajpal Yadav, Anupam Kher, Saurabh Shukla, Evelyn Sharma, Manoj Pahwa, Shakti Kapoor

Director : David Dhawan

 

A beefy cop besotted by a college girl goes about spouting knock knock jokes. Taking a cue from him, I’ll start with one of mine. Knock knock. Who’s there? Err, me. Me who? Me trying to hoot, that’s who.

I did manage to find a few laughs in ‘Main Tera Hero’, David Dhawan’s showcase created solely for his son Varun, but it was hard work. Because this is David precariously close to making my eyes glaze over, with long stretches of flatness, and forced laughter.

The film may be a Telugu remake, but the template is very Dhawan, with the usual mix of buffoons and goons and mistaken identities playing ‘I spy’ in a Bangkok hotel masquerading as a home.

Layabout Seenu (Varun Dhawan) reaches Bengaluru with the single aim of earning a college degree. Instead, he starts chasing the pretty Sunaina (Ileana D’ Cruz), who is being menaced by a tall, burly policeman (Arunoday Singh). A rival for Seenu’s affections pops up, in the shape of the curvy, lippy Ayesha (Nargis Fakhri), and things get complicated.

That heroes will float around Bollywood colleges without hefting a single book is a very old story: nary a one is to be seen here, nor a classroom. That they will leap from one idiocy to another is equally old. There was a time when Dhawan’s brand of idiocy was sublime. The good Govinda fronted for him, David used his superlative editing skills to keep up a rat-a-tat-pace, and we all happily rolled down the aisles. But it’s been a while since Dhawan hit his stride.

‘Main Tera Hero’ is not as ghastly as a few recent Dhawans have been, but only because it takes itself not at all seriously, and becomes as silly as it should be for some of the second half . The rest of it has its share of the usual unsightly and tasteless gags about women and protruding body parts and the mandatory fat guy in a wheelchair.

“Purani haveli ke paas chikni chameli” is equal to “oh, this old guy with that babe”.  Clap, clap. Here’s another: “ek popat ki do maina” (one parrot, two `mainas’). And a whole series of lines about ‘bajaana’ : either you can tamp down all standards and go hyuk-hyuk at this sort of thing, or you can just sit there and wonder if anything can get worse.

Varun tries everything in his repertoire to be this hero: he fights, dances, and tries to be funny, topping it all up with a man-boob-mobile-nipple moment. But he is no light-on-his feet, beautifully-timed Govinda.  The effort shows. The flimsily-clad Ileana D’Cruz