C’wealth media body concerned over attacks on Jang, Geo Writes to PM Nawaz

LONDON: Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) President Rita Payne has written a letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressing concern on targeting the Geo TV and Jang Group.

According to a press release, Payne said during the past few weeks, many incidents of attacks on the media in Pakistan have surfaced. Attack on Geo TV anchor Hamid Mir in Karachi and torture on resident editor, Jang Multan, are aimed to muffle the voices of rivals, which is a cause of concern for the CJA.

Payne said she understands that it was time when journalists and editors would cross the line between reporting and intentional commentary on an issue. She said the hard-won freedom of press in Pakistan needs to be protected. She appealed to Nawaz to make sure protection of the media against torture and pressure.

World media body warns of taking Geo issue to UN, EU

 

PARIS: International organisation Reporters Without Borders has expressed grave concern over the illegal closure of Geo TV in different cities of Pakistan, warning that if the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) did not stop unilateral action against Jang and Geo, they would raise the issue at the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU).
The Reporters Without Borders Asia Desk in-charge has said that a remedy must be found to counter the dangers faced by the staff of Jang and Geo.

“In our view, the prime minister and the government must take some solid steps to provide protection to journalists. We have already reacted to the notice issued by Pemra to Geo,” he said.

In an interview with this correspondent in Paris, he said, “In Pakistan there are laws and an authority to regulate the media and they should work in accordance with the prescribed rules, and the rules should be implemented in accordance with democratic principles. It is totally against principles if five members of Pemra recommend the closure of Jang and Geo. Moreover, it is never commendable to threaten the media on one pretext or the other. We are reviewing the situation in the wake of pressure on Geo and the Jang Group from different angles.”

He said: “It is more than one month but no progress seems to have been made in the assassination bid on senior anchorperson Hamid Mir. People should be kept on board in this connection. We are waiting for the report of the commission in this regard.”

He said that he was confident that the Supreme Court would provide justice to Jang and Geo. He said that they were much concerned with the situation.

Sethi had nothing to do with selling PCB rights: Imran hospital audit body chief

 

LONDON: The former president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and a senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) adviser Ehsan Mani has said that Najam Sethi, ex-PCB chairman, had nothing to do with the bidding procedures or sports rights for the cricket series against Sri Lanka.
Geo TV’s detractors and Najam Sethi’s critics, without presenting any evidence, have alleged that Sethi, who hosts one of the most watched current affairs shows on Geo called ‘Aapas Ki Baat’, may have helped Geo Super get the sporting rights for the Pakistan-Sri Lanka series held in the United Arab Emirates last year.

But in an exclusive interview over phone with this correspondent from France, Ehsan Mani, who was the head of the PCB committee that approved the Geo Sports’ bid for the Sri Lanka/South Africa series, expressed shock that such baseless allegations were aired without giving any thought to the facts.

Ehsan Mani is a board member of Imran Khan’s Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital and a friend of Imran Khan — who has led the campaign of allegations against the Jang and Geo Group, accusing the group of being involved in election rigging and winning favours from Nawaz Sharif — but Mani said he was astonished that such allegations were being made knowingly by some whose aim was to malign rather than to do anything good.

But the stern rebuttal by Ehsan Mani will come as a shock to Imran Khan who faces court cases from Jang and Geo over these allegations.

Ehsan Mani clarified: “The committee that I headed comprised Justice Shabbar Rizvi, an ex-Lahore High Court judge, Ahmed Hussain and a lawyer. It had three PCB management members Subhan Ahmed, COO, Badar Khan, CFO, and Salman Naseer, PCB’s internal legal adviser. It has had an ex-PCB Board member Bughio, a close aide of Zaka Ashraf.

“It was on my request that renowned accounting firmErnst & Young was taken on board to oversee all the process and to ensure that the whole bidding process was independent and transparent. The aim was to ensure transparency so that no bidder should be given undue advantage. Ernst and Young made the final report with recommendations and sent it to the PCB.”

Ehsan Mani said that the highest bidders were Ten Sports and Geo and they were recommended on the basis of the merit of their bids, the highest amounts they put down to win these rights. “Najam Sethi wasn’t involved at any stage. He had nothing to do with the bidding at any of the stages. There was only one PCB representative Bughio who sat in the meeting as an observer. Najam Sethi didn’t have any influence at any stage. There was no pressure, corruption or manipulation. Everything was independent and the bid was open, negotiations were opened and on board. Everything was on record and minutes were taken down.”

After the bids were received, Mani said, the committee only recommended to the PCB board that the South African series shall go to Ten Sports and the rights for Sri Lanka shall go to Geo Super. “We had no power other than to make recommendations. The PCB governing body finalised the decision. There was no interference at all at any level, there’s no question of any pressure. It was not possible. The highest bidder won and it’s simple. The terms and conditions were provided in writing in advance to all the parties involved.”

Ehsan Mani refused to disclose how much money was offered by Geo Super and Ten Sports because it was “confidential” but he stressed that the rights were won by the highest and the most competitive bidders. “There is no doubt about that. This is all on the record. Ernst & Young witnessed the negotiations and recorded everything. Their report was confidential and private which we didn’t see. Everyone involved was satisfied with the procedures and no objections were raised.”

When asked if the chairman PCB could manipulate at any stage using his powers, Ehsan Mani said that the process of establishing committees was such that the chairman couldn’t do anything. “The PCB chairman cannot manipulate. When I was approached to be a part of this committee, I said I will help.”

Mani said that he has been helping the Pakistan cricket since 1992 and had been involved in many deals and at various stages. “My only condition was that this committee will be independent and the PCB chairman will not be involved. The committee was completely independent and any involvement from any quarter was out of the question. I had done the ICC deal for $500 million in 2000. In 2006 and 2007, I was asked again by the ICC to help with their rights and one of the deals was done for $1.1 billion. When my reputation is so high and I am trusted so much, then why would I do anything untoward?”

When asked again if Najam Sethi had anything to do with the bidding process, Ehsan Mani said that Najam Sethi had no involvement. “Najam Sethi had absolutely no involvement. He couldn’t have done that. We followed a transparent procedure. No bidder knew who was offering what amount. No one knew what was on board. We wanted maximum money. We wanted maximum money for the PCB and that was our aim. Those who failed our targets failed to get the rights. All bidders were there and they knew what was going on.”

Ehsan Mani’s interview has proved the allegation leveled by Imran Khan, Mubashir Luqman and several TV channels as a complete lie. Several channels, particularly ARY, were alleging that Sethi favoured Geo in getting the cricket rights. Imran Khan leveled this allegation in his several TV interviews. He particularly attended Mubashir Luqman’s programme at ARY and repeatedly leveled this baseless allegation.

The Jang Group’s response to this allegation was present at its website, parts of social media and even published several times in newspapers, but no anchorperson ever asked any question from Imran Khan about the role and stand of Ehsan Mani, who is the chairman of the audit committee of Shaukat Khanum Hospital.

As Imran’s allegation has been proven a lie, the lawyers community in the UK is discussing what would be the worth of Imran’s other allegations against the Geo and Jang Group. They think Imran, who enjoys respect in the UK, will face embarrassment on failure to prove his charges against the Geo/Jang Group in the UK courts.

Body recovery from sunken S Korean ferry suspended

JINDO: Concerns are growing among anguished families that the bodies of those who died in the sinking of a South Korean ferry may never be found, as search teams suspended work Saturday because of bad weather.

A looming storm and high tides put a temporary halt to operations to recover the remains of more than 100 people still missing over a week after the huge ferry capsized.

"Over the weekend, strong wind and rain is expected in the Jindo area", a coastguard spokesman told journalists.

"As efforts to find the missing people are becoming protracted, there are growing concerns among their families that bodies might be lost for good", he said.

The confirmed death toll stood Saturday at 187, with 115 unaccounted for -- many bodies are believed trapped in the ferry that capsized on April 16 with 476 people on board.

Making up the bulk of the passengers on the 6,825 tonne Sewol when it sank were 325 high school students -- around 250 of whom are either confirmed or presumed dead.

Although all hope of finding survivors has been extinguished, there is still anger and deep frustration among relatives of the missing over the pace of the recovery operation.

Challenging conditions
Frogmen have battled strong currents, poor visibility and blockages caused by floating furniture as they have tried to get inside the upturned vessel, which rests on a silty seabed.

The challenging conditions have meant divers are unable to spend more than a few minutes in the ship each time they go down.

Even so, they are coming across horrifying scenes in the murky water, including one dormitory room -- that would normally have held around 31 people -- packed with the bodies of 48 students wearing lifejackets.

Around a quarter of the 187 bodies recovered so far have been found in waters outside the sunken vessel, and there are fears that some of the missing may have drifted free from the wreck.

The gathering storm was intensifying worries that remains could be scattered when the sea is churned by strong winds.

Authorities -- wary of the palpable anger among relatives -- have mobilised eight trawlers and installed 13-kilometre (eight-mile)-long nets anchored to the seabed across the Maenggol sea channel to prevent the dead being swept into the open ocean.

Dozens of other vessels, including navy ships as well as helicopters, have also been scouring the site and beyond.

Three fisheries patrol vessels were being pressed into the search operation, expanding the hunt up to 60 kilometres (40 miles) from the scene of the disaster.

Police and local government officials will also be mobilised to scour coastal areas and nearby islands, a coastguard official said.

Widening investigation
Furious families demanded a meeting with Choi Sang-Hwan, deputy head of the Korea Coastguard, near the pier in Jindo Port, urging him to send the divers back into the water.

"We are waiting for the right moment as conditions in the sea are not favourable," said Choi.

Choi was physically attacked by angry parents on Thursday, a victim of the febrile atmosphere surrounding the tragedy, which has already seen multiple arrests and bitter recriminations.

It took divers working in difficult and dangerous conditions more than two days to get into the sunken ferry and two more days to retrieve the first bodies.

Many relatives believe some of the victims may have survived for several days in trapped air pockets, but perished in the cold water after no rescue came.

As a result some have asked for autopsies to be performed, to see if it would be possible to determine the precise cause and time of death.

The Sewol´s captain, Lee Joon-Seok, and 10 crew members have been arrested on charges ranging from criminal negligence to abandoning passengers.

The captain has been particularly criticised for delaying the evacuation order until the ferry was listing so sharply that escape was almost impossible.

Prosecutors have raided a host of businesses affiliated with the ferry operator, the Chonghaejin Marine Company, as part of an overall probe into corrupt management.

As part of their widening investigation, prosecutors issued travel bans Friday on eight current and former executives of the Korea Register of Shipping -- the body responsible for issuing marine safety certificates.

Body found of boy who made first call from Korea ferry: report

SEOUL: The body of a high school student who made the first distress call from a sinking South Korean ferry was recovered from the submerged vessel on Thursday, news reports said.

The student, identified by his surname Choi, had called the emergency 119 number at 8:52am on Wednesday last week, three minutes before the crew of the 6,825 tonne Sewol sent their first distress signal.

The timing of his terrified message -- "Save us. The ship is sinking" -- has fuelled anger over the slow response of the Sewol´s captain and crew as the disaster unfolded.

The confirmed death toll stood at 162 on Thursday, with 140 still unaccounted for -- their bodies believed trapped in the ship that capsized in circumstances that have yet to be fully explained.

Yonhap news agency said divers had retrieved the boy´s body from inside the ferry on Thursday morning and it had been identified by his parents.

A DNA test was being carried out to formally confirm his identity, Yonhap said.

The boy was one of 325 students from the same high school who were on the ferry, bound for the southern resort island of Jeju, when it capsized.

During his 119 call, Choi was bombarded with questions about the ferry´s coordinates and the number of people on board.

A coastguard official later told reporters that emergency services had mistaken him for a crew member.

The captain and 11 crew members have either been arrested or taken into police custody awaiting charges.

UK: Body of missing Pakistani student found

Police searching for a Pakistani student of Bradford University, who went missing in Liverpool more than six weeks ago, have recovered a body from the River Mersey.

Aamir Qudeer, 21, a first-year engineering student, was last seen in Bradford on February 26, before travelling by train to Leeds and then vanishing in Liverpool.

His family have made repeated pleas for information on his disappearance, including appeals in Bradford, Leeds and Liverpool city centres.

Investigating officer Detective Inspector Neil Benstead said: "We can confirm that we were alerted by Merseyside Police to the discovery of a man's body, which was found in the river in South Liverpool on the morning of Sunday, 13 April.

"The body was recovered by emergency services, following a call from a member of the public at about 9am.

Top Nigerian Islamic body accuses military over Muslim deaths

ABUJA: A leading Nigerian Islamic group has accused the country´s military of summarily executing Muslims in the name of counter-terrorism, prompting a swift and strongly-worded denial on Tuesday from top brass.

The Jama´atu Nasril Islam (JNI) umbrella group of Muslim organisations said followers of the faith had "become endangered species, murdered and maimed indiscriminately in the guise of fighting terrorism".

"The dimension of extra-judicial killing of Muslims by the military on a mere whim of unsubstantiated suspicion leaves much to be desired," it said in a statement signed by its secretary-general, Khalid Aliyu.

The JNI´s accusation, which follows claims that troops summarily executing hundreds of suspected Islamist fighters, came after a military operation in Nigeria´s central Nasarawa state last Thursday.

The state government said "scores" of Fulani tribesmen, a mainly Muslim ethnic group primarily made up of cattle herders, were killed as troops tried to disarm locals and enforce a peace deal.

The JNI said 15 died, adding that the incident was the latest example of orchestrated state violence where "innocent Muslims were mercilessly massacred".

Tit-for-tat violence between the Fulani and farmers has been commonplace in central Nigeria, where the mainly Christian south meets the largely Muslim north. The violence, which has claimed more than 10,000 lives since 1992, according to Human Rights Watch, has been attributed to disputes over grazing rights but ethnicity and religion have also been blamed.

Salman Khan's body double injured while filming Kick in Delhi

Salman Khan

 

When you'll watch the high-octane chase between Salman Khan and Randeep Hooda in Sajid Nadiadwala's forthcoming film Kick, if you don't read this, little will you know what happened to the guy who kicked off the scene for Salman.

This guy, who goes by just his first name Ajay in the industry, landed himself in the hospital with serious facial injuries. The incident happened in Delhi last week.

Nadiadwala had rented a row house near a railway track. Ajay (one of Salman's body doubles) was supposed to jump from the first floor of the house onto the railway track. The scene then required Salman (not Ajay) to get onto a moving train with Randeep Hooda (who plays a cop) close on his heels. Ajay went through the sugar glass (a brittle transparent form of sugar used in place of glass) but the timing went wrong and many broken pieces of the glass pierced his face.

Salman and Nadiadwala both rushed to Ajay and the latter immediately arranged for a car to drive him to a hospital. The shooting was called off for the day.

"Salman has four body doubles specialising in different kinds of action for Kick as the movie has several deadly stunts. It would be foolish for Salman to risk his life all the time. What happened was unfortunate," an eyewitness told Mirror.

Till the time of going to the press, Ajay had not returned to the sets. Mirror has learnt that the scene was wrapped up the next day by one of the other three body doubles working on the film.

Journalist body elects women leaders

The Indian Journalists' Association in London has elected a woman president and general secretary for the first time in its 67-year history.

Aditi Khanna, London correspondent for Press Trust of India becomes IJA president, and Rupanjana Dutta, Associate Editor of Asian Business Publications Ltd, its general secretary.

The IJA was set up in May 1947, with the active encouragement from V.K. Krishna Menon, who subsequently became the first High Commissioner of independent India in Britain. He allowed the IJA, whose members included K.S. Shelvankar (then correspondent for The Hindu), Tarapada Basu, and Sundar Kabadi, to use the India League office, located conveniently near Fleet Street and the Indian High Commission. He also located the India Club, which he founded, in the same premises.

Dead Body Found in Actor's Pool

Veteran actor Ranjeet was shocked to find his driver Nagraj Gowda's dead body in his bungalow at Juhu. Nagraj is like one of the members in the family and has been working with them for 30 years. Ranjeet said, "Last night when my wife went to check his sugar level he was not in his room. We searched around the house but found him in the pool. We immediately pulled him out and took him to the hospital, but he was declared dead before admission," Rajeev said to Mid-Day.

 

"His health complications had been troubling him for some time now. But we were taking care of him like family and he was undergoing treatment," he added.

 

According to Ranjeet, he said he was clueless if it was an accident or a suicide. The Juhu police have taken over the case and it is yet to find out if it’s a case of suicide or accident. "I really don't know whether he fell into the water or jumped. We don't know how he slipped out of the room when his brother and son both were there," Ranjeet said. As per Nagraj's mother's wish, his last rites will be arranged at his hometown in Karnataka.