Players unconvinced by pink ball for day-night Tests

SYDNEY: The Australian Cricketers´ Association says the pink ball is not ready for day-night Tests and have cautioned administrators not to rush into the concept.

Australia trialled night sessions using the pink ball during the domestic Sheffield Shield season and has mooted hosting a first day-night test against New Zealand in November 2015.

"The overwhelming majority of players believe the pink Kookaburra ball isn´t yet ready for test cricket," ACA chief executive Paul Marsh said in a statement on the association´s website on Tuesday (www.auscricket.com.au).

"They´ve told us that it went soft very quickly, didn´t swing, didn´t seam and didn´t reverse swing. As such it is a ball that is very difficult to get batsmen out with, but also difficult to score runs against because it gets soft quickly."

Only 11 percent of players rated last season´s Sheffield Shield trial a success and just a quarter felt it provided a fair contest between bat and ball. "These stats are significant because they challenge the notion that Day/ Night Tests are a fait accompli."

The enthusiasm some have for the concept is understandable, however, in the ACA´s view the possibility of improved short-term commercial outcomes should not be enough to force this on the game prematurely.

"Cricket Australia and other administrations have weighed the concept for a number of years, hoping to tap into the possibility of broadcast dollars from bigger television audiences at home and abroad.

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen is among those far from bowled over by the innovation.

"Day/night Test cricket - what a joke! Hope all statistics start again then!" the South Africa-born player who was controversially dumped in the wake of England´s Ashes debacle earlier this year, said on his Twitter page.

"Public don´t watch cos there is too much cricket! And it´s expensive! Play less & public will be more interested!" wrote the 104-Test veteran, whose crowd-pulling aggressive batting is now confined to Twenty20 leagues and county cricket.

Finance ministry challenges figures given in report by The News

ISLAMABAD: The finance ministry has issued a rebuttal to the report in The News titled “GDP Growth Worked Out?” written by Khalid Mustafa, published on June 23, and called it misleading and based on an ignorance of the system of computation of GDP estimates followed in Pakistan as well as internationally.

It said the reporter is harping on the issue that the GDP growth number for 2013-14 are much lower than those estimated by the PBS.

This issue has already been responded by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) in different newspapers.“It is clarified that annual estimates of GDP as well as GFCF for the year 2011-12 (Final), 2012-13 (Revised) and 2013-14 (Provisional) were approved by the National Accounts Committee (NAC) Meeting on 15th May, purely on the basis of data available up to that point of time and not in accordance with the desires of any one in the government hierarchy. The data for the balance of the year is projected, which is the reason that these numbers are provisional and remain provisional till full data becomes available over the following months.

The correspondent has also commented on the quarterly GDP estimates.

The first quarter growth and the second quarter/mid-year growth, both were released by PBS; one is acceptable to the writer while the other is not. The IMF accepted the figure of PBS which should be ample proof of the reliability of the statistics released by PBS.

As far as the question of withholding the information of large scale manufacturing is concerned, it is completely baseless. The Quantum Index Manufacturing Industries (QIM), the indicator being used to measure the performance of this sector, is compiled on the basis of information received from three major sources including Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC), Ministry of Industries and Provincial Bureau of Statistics which takes time and is published after certain time lag. The latest available information was up to the month of February, 2014 was used to derive the estimates of large scale manufacturing which were approved by the NAC. Further, the writer has completely misstated the facts by quoting that the budgeted PSDP of Rs1150 billion has been used in the compilation of value addition of construction. The fact is that total value addition of construction sector even at current prices is Rs494.3 billion; therefore, the question of inclusion or exclusion of these PSDP figures is not relevant.

The correspondent has also mistakenly attributed the profits of commercial banks with the value addition of finance and insurance sector. The value addition of this sector, being compiled through Financial Intermediaries Services Measured (FISM), is based on the amount of advances and loans and not on profits of banks.

The correspondent gives his verdict that the GDP growth is 3.5 %. He has not given any analysis to support his claim but has picked up a number that is being bandied about in the press. The commentators need to familiarise themselves with the methods of GDP computation before commenting on technical issues.

In connection with his view on budget number to show lower budget deficit; it is stated that writer’s view is not correct. PTA is a government authority responsible to collect the licensing / auction fees on behalf of the federal government and such auction fees on behalf of the federal government and such auction fees are always form part of the Federal Consolidated Fund. Similarly, the non-tax revenues receipts are revenue of the federal government administered by various ministries/divisions/departments and comprise of following main sources: i) Income from property and enterprise, ii) Receipts from civil administration and other functions, iii) Miscellaneous receipts.

The income from property includes the mark up recovered from the provinces and public sector enterprises, dividend and other receipts of the regulatory bodies. The receipts from civil administration comprise of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Profit, Defense Receipts, Law & Order Receipts etc.

The foreign grants are reflected under non-tax receipts according to the Chart of Accounts, as per International Best Practices. These are always form part of the federal government and the actual receipts under these heads can be verified from the historical data disseminated on the Website of the finance division.

Khalid Mustafa adds: I am grateful that the Ministry of Finance has given me the opportunity to further highlight the mistakes the government has committed in calculating the provisional GDP growth of current financial year 2013-14 at 4.1 percent. The article I wrote in Money Matters — the magazine of The News International which was published on June 23, is not misleading, rather it mirrors the manipulations done to show better GDP growth.

Some of the issues the finance ministry has raised in the clarification I have factually not mentioned in my article. For example, I have not mentioned anything about the revised GDP growth targets; rather I kept my focus on provisional GDP growth which the government has worked out based on the numbers of first 9 months of the current fiscal which suit the government.

Coming to paragraph three of the clarification, I know very well that PBS came out with the work-in-progress quarterly estimates of GDP and according to PBS calculations, as per the work in progress, the real GDP grew by 5.1% in the first quarter of 2013-14. The officials of PBS went to show this number to finance minister; because that was the first time they calculated quarterly GDP. The finance minister got excited knowing the fact that this is a work in progress and went ahead and informed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and leaked the number to the press.

It attracted widespread criticism from professional economists because the number was beyond their expectations. After that the finance minister started saying, “I don’t own this number, but at the same time I don’t disown this number.”

In the paragraph 4 of the clarification, finance ministry claimed that it has not withheld the information about Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM). I do not agree with the ministry as it has withheld the information of large manufacturing scale for the month of March that shows negative growth of 2.7% and for July-March period, the number was down to 4.3% as opposed to 5.3% used in calculation of the GDP keeping in view of the number of first 8 months not the 9 months. Here the government has visibly played the foul.

About the 11% growth in construction sector the government has worked out is highly questionable as there is no one-to-one correspondence between PSDP and value added in construction. It is known to everyone that construction growth is derived from the cement production and growth in cement production has alarmingly stayed at 0.13% which is almost flat. When there is flat growth in cement production, then how construction sector can grow by 11%. The 11% growth in construction sector becomes more controversial when the PSDP has already been slashed to Rs393 billion. Here I would appreciate if the government shares with the masses and with me the methodology of calculating value added in construction as the 11% growth in construction sector is not understandable. If the cement is not utilised, then what’s the rationale of 11% growth in construction? Here I’ll be happy to see the methodology used by the government.

In the clarification, the ministry has criticised the author of the article saying he had given his verdict that the GDP growth is 3.5% without any analysis to support his claim. Here I want to clarify that I have mentioned 3.5% growth with supporting facts by stating both saving and investment have declined sharply compared to last year. How on the earth, GDP growth can accelerate in the midst of declining saving and investment rate. I will appreciate if the government clarifies this anomaly.

In the clarification the ministry stated that writer’s view is not correct on government’s intention to show the better growth arguing that PTA is a government authority responsible to collect the licensing / auction fees on behalf of the federal government and such auction fees on behalf of the federal government and such auction fees are always form part of the Federal Consolidated Fund. Similarly, the non-tax revenues receipts are revenue of the federal government administered by various ministries/divisions/departments and comprise of following main sources.

Here I clearly want to mention that I did not raise the said issue what clarification says. However, I did mention about the utilisation of Universal Services Fund (USF) for which cellular companies contribute a certain portion of their profits. USF is meant for infrastructural development in telecommunication sector and the huge amount in the fund was accumulated over the last several years and how can the government use the resources accumulated over the years in just one year. To the best of my knowledge, cellular companies have already gone to Supreme Court and challenged the taking over of this amount as non-tax revenue.

In the last paragraph of the clarification, the finance ministry says that the foreign grants are reflected under non-tax receipts according to the Chart of Accounts, as per International Best Practices. If this is the best international practice, then why does IMF treat fiscal deficit separately with and without foreign grants.

The Finance Division is best advised to look at the IMF program document. By treating foreign grants as revenue, the government has eliminated the difference and readers can see in the IMF document, particularly in fiscal table that foreign grants appear as separate line item and has never been treated as part of non-tax revenue.

Therefore, the author stands by its article.

Country in grip of corruption by democratic govt: Dr Tahirul Qadri

LONDON: Leader of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Tahirul Qadri Saturday said upon arrival to Pakistan he would not allow police to put him under arrest but wouldn’t resist in case Pakistan army took him into custody.

Addressing a press conference upon reaching London on his way to Pakistan, Dr Qadri alleged the ‘so-called’ political and democratic governments had stomped democracy, law and fundamental human rights.

He said the entire country is in the grips of corruption of the democratic governments. “Every organization has been politicized. Not a single institution has been left independent,” he added.

He went to say that in the past elections used to be rigged but now the entire polls are hijacked.

Dr Qadri said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif should not compare the tragedy of Model Town with the situation in Karachi. “The police resorted to state terrorism and direct firing on the innocent people,” he alleged.

He said the law minister Rana Sanaullah only implemented the orders and that the directive to open direct fire on innocent people must have come from the Chief Minister Punjab.

Rana Sanaullah resignation sought by CM Punjab

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has sought Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah's resignation over the incident in Lahore outside the Minhaj-ul-Quran International secretariat in which nine people lost their lives.

While addressing a press conference in Lahore, the Punjab Chief Minister said, that he has asked Rana Sanaullah to resign and has also removed his secretary who had been serving with him for the last 15 years.

The Chief Minister added that one more victim of the Model Town incident expired today, and he is in favour of a judicial inquiry and if the MQI is not satisfied with a High Court commission they may approach the Supreme Court as well.

Salaries, pensions raised by 10pc

 

QUETTA: A tax-free budget for the next financial year 2014-15, with a record outlay of Rs215.71 billion, was presented in the Balochistan assembly on Thursday.
The provincial budget showed a total deficit of over Rs15.66 billion.Adviser to Chief Minister for Finance Mir Khalid Lango presented the budget, which is the second of the present coalition government led by Dr Abdul Malik Baloch. Speaker Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali chaired the budget session.A ten percent increase in the salaries of government employees as well as in the head of pensions of retired employees has been made in the budget.

Delivering the budget speech, Mir Khalid Lango said that the new budget includes Rs50.741 billion of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) and Rs164.971 billion for non-development expenditure.

The federal direct receipts to the province in the budget are estimated at over Rs141 billion with Rs39 million to be received through other heads.Balochistan will collect income of Rs8.97 billion from its own resources, he added. The budget deficit, Lango said, would be met through strict savings and austerity measures to be adopted by the government to cut down its expenditure.

Mir Khalid Lango said that over Rs17 billion have been allocated in the budget for the maintenance of law and order. Similarly, he said, over Rs28 billion have been allocated for the education sector and over 14 billion have been earmarked for the health sector.

In the new fiscal budget, 3,925 new vacancies would be created in order to resolve the issue of unemployment, he announced.Lango also mentioned certain measures proposed for the uplift of different sectors in the province, including livestock, agriculture, industries, irrigation, the roads sector and sports.

He said that establishment of the Balochistan Revenue Authority has been proposed while the Balochistan Mineral Board would also be established during the next financial year.He said the provincial government would do everything possible to provide necessary relief to the masses.

He said an educated, self-sufficient and prosperous Balochistan is the provincial government’s dream.Earlier, the provincial cabinet headed by Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch approved the budget for the fiscal year 2014-15.

APP adds: Mir Khalid Lango said Rs1 billion funds have been earmarked in the new fiscal budget for the execution of solar home systems to provide electricity to 300 villages, adding that such projects after implementation would help in meeting the energy requirements.

He said the Balochistan budget for 2014-15 includes Rs2.723 billion in foreign aid.Referring to the water issue, he said that an amount of Rs400 million was allocated for the installation of a solar energy system to supply electricity to water supply schemes.

He said Rs200 million have been allocated for repairing and renovating schools damaged in the earthquake in Awaran district. He said Rs50 million have been allocated for the repair and renovation of the Quaid-i-Azam Residency in Ziarat that was damaged and burnt down in a terrorist attack.

Mir Lango said the Public Accounts Committee of the Balochistan Assembly would be set up with immediate effect and there would be a ban on spending government funds for medical treatment in foreign countries and reception ceremonies in hotels on government expense. He added that a complete ban has been imposed on the purchase of luxury vehicles for government departments.

Minority MPA shot dead by bodyguard in Quetta

 

QUETTA: Minority MPA Handery Masieh, who belonged to the ruling National Party (NP) in Balochistan, was shot dead by his bodyguard here in the Nawan Killi area on Saturday.
Official sources said MPA Handery Masieh along with his nephew Owais Masieh was heading towards his vehicle that was parked near his home in Nawan Killi, when they were attacked. The attacker sprayed bullets from his automatic weapon injuring the MPA and his nephew. Later, the MPA succumbed to his injuries on his way to hospital.

Reports suggested that the incident happened at around 1:15pm. The attacker fled the scene after the incident.

Official sources said the MPA was hit by two bullets, one each in the head and neck.

Police and FC officials rushed to the spot and started the probe into the matter.

Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch expressed deep grief over the cold-blooded murder of his party’s senior activist. He said he had directed top police officials to apprehend the murderer.

The body of the MPA was later shifted to Civil Hospital for autopsy.

Moving scenes were witnessed in Civil Hospital where people belonging to the Christian community strongly protested the killing of their leader. They blocked Jinnah Road for several hours and chanted slogans against the cold-blooded murder of the MPA. They demanded of the government to apprehend those involved in the killing.

The murder created tension in the provincial capital and the law enforcement agencies were deployed in the Nawan Killi area to prevent any violent reaction to the assassination. The law enforcement agencies also set up checkposts to apprehend the culprit.

Agencies add: Handery Masieh belonged to Balochistan’s Mastung district and was an active leader of the ruling NP.

“The same guard was serving with Handery Masieh for the past 15 years,” Rehmat Baloch, provincial health minister, said.

Abdul Razzaq Cheema, the city’s police chief, said: “The bodyguard had some personal dispute with Handery Masieh’s nephew and both had a brawl outside the residence of the lawmaker. “The bodyguard opened fire on the nephew as Handery came out of his home to stop him. He was hit in the neck and died on the way to hospital.”

Cheema added that the bodyguard was “loyal” and bore Handery no personal enmity.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi and MQM chief Altaf Hussain strongly condemned the assassination of Handery Masieh.

In their separate messages, they expressed sympathies with the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul.

Coasts of Karachi, Thatta, Badin hit by torrents

KARACHI: Due to a storm in the Arabian Sea, the coastal lines of Karachi, Thatta, and Badin have been hit by torrents and 34 villages were inundated.
Muhammad Ali Shah of the Fisherfolk Forum claimed that around 800 houses in Dabla Mullah of Rohri Goth were submerged due to the high tide while jetties in Ibrahim Hyderi were also flooded for the same reason. Rohri Goth and Ibrahim Hyderi are located in the Bin Qasim limits.According to him, Lath Basti, Chashma Goth and Pand Mullah in Bin Qasim and Sumar Goth near Sandspit were also flooded due to a high tide in the sea. Around 50 islands of Keti Bandar and Joho areas were also inundated. Gusty winds were also reported from these locations.

Shah mentioned that around 200 fishermen were still on the open sea. No contact could be made with them due to the bad weather. In the affected areas, fishermen had brought their boats to safer places. He added that luckily no human or financial loss was reported so far.

Inhabitants of the coastal areas of the metropolis, particularly residents of posh localities, were quite worried after getting the news of a cyclone in the Arabian Sea from local television and social media.

However, the Chief Meteorologist, Muhammad Touseef Alam, while talking to The News, said that this cyclone would not affect any part of the country. Some parts of the coastal belt of Balochistan might get rain with thunderstorm during the next 24 hours whereas there are chances of light rain in some coastal parts of Sindh, including Karachi on Friday (today). Otherwise, there is no danger from this cyclone and it would not cause any harm at all, he mentioned.

The Nanauk Cyclone is travelling at the speed of 10 kilometres per hour in the Arabian Sea. Presently, it is almost 680 kilometres away from the country. The cyclone’s direction is south/south-westerly and so far, it has been approaching the coastline of Oman, chief meteorologist Alam said.With the passage of time, the cyclone would turn from serious to very serious but will gradually start losing its intensity, he observed.

At the moment, the wind speed is calculated between 50 to 60 nautical miles, which is expected to reach up to 80 nautical miles in the next 24 to 48 hours, he said. Due to the development in the Arabian Sea, it would become rougher and rougher in the next couple of days, he added.

According to the Met chief, people should avoid going into the sea and fishermen and others related with the industry should also remain offshore for at least a week. “The fishermen travelling in open and deep sea might face serious difficulties. The beachgoers would not beat the high waves in the sea. That is why the people should adopt precautionary measures to safeguard their lives.”

The centre pressure of cyclone is around 986 millibar, which would further increase in the next 24-hours. Afterwards, it would start dropping. The intensity of the Nanauk Cyclone is expected to escalate on Friday (today). But there are high chances that from Saturday, the intensity of the cyclone would drop a great deal. There are probabilities that this cyclone would end up in the sea or slightly affect the lands of Oman, the chief meteorologist explained.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast the city would have partly cloudy to cloudy weather with chances of drizzle or light rain on Friday (today). The range of maximum temperature would remain between 34 degrees Celsius to 36 degrees Celsius.

Taliban aimed to hit another target by hijacking aircraft

 

PESHAWAR: Claiming responsibility for the high-profile attack on the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the Pakistani Taliban said that they had planned to hijack the aircraft and to use them for hitting targets at another place.
“We proudly claim responsibility for the attack on the Karachi airport. It was revenge for the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone attack in Miranshah with the help of Pakistani government. This is the beginning of our attacks we planned against the government and important security installations,” said Shahidullah Shahid, the spokesman of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Another senior member of the Taliban also claimed that one of the aims behind storming the airport was to hijack the aircraft and to use them against targets. “We started preparations for the attack a few months ago and we knew that planes from around 30-40 countries are coming here. There were different reasons why we chose to attack the airport in Karachi. First, as I stated aircraft of 30-40 countries come here and it would send a message all over the world that Pakistan is an insecure place for flying. Secondly, we wanted to damage Pakistan economically. We wanted the country suffer losses but not the people. And then we wanted to convey a message that the Taliban have not been defeated but are still active,” the TTP leader explained. He claimed to have damaged about 12 aircraft there.

Also, he said the Karachi city and the airport there were considered to be the most secured installation in the country, and they decided to launch their strikes from the same place and give a message that no place was beyond their reach. “We had engineers and skilled people in the squad that stormed the airport. They knew how to operate a plane,” the TTP leader claimed.

He said some other ‘brotherly Jihadi organisations’ had helped them in the attack on the Karachi airport. However, when asked, he did not reject the involvement of al-Qaeda. “Besides other Jihadi organisations, al-Qaeda people are our brothers and we admit that we carried out this attack with the help of our other brotherly Mujahideen groups but it’s not important to us to name them publicly,” the Taliban leader argued.

Asked about the targets, the Taliban commander said they don’t mention their targets before attacking them. “As I stated, hijacking the planes was one part of our strategy of attacking the airport,” the militant commander noted.

Also, the Taliban issued a statement in Urdu language about the Karachi attack, which said the attack began at 10pm on Sunday night. They praised their suicide bombers and called them ‘eagles’ for successfully entering the airport. “During the overnight fighting with thousands of Pakistani security forces, our fighters used to set ablaze their targets at the airport. In the fighting, hundreds of security personnel were killed and dozens of aircraft were destroyed. We selected the target (Karachi airport), as we wanted to inflict heavy losses on the government and fewer fatalities to the people. And the Mujahideen succeeded 100 percent in this technique,” the Taliban claimed in the statement.

The Taliban claimed that they were serious and had started the peace talks with sincerity with the government as Hakimullah Mehsud had clarified during his last interview. “But we had made it clear initially that we would not allow the government to use the peace talks with the Taliban for their political and military purposes which the previous governments had done. The government responded to our sincere offer for peace talks to the killing of our leader Maulana Waliur Rahman and Hakimullah Mehsud, by conducting an announced military operation in the country against us and by killing our jailed colleagues and throwing their bodies on roads and bombing the innocent tribal people,” the Taliban stated in the statement.

It said that the Pakistani Taliban and their ‘brotherly Jihadi organisations’ were serious and sincere in talks but alleged that the government had responded to their offer in the form of preparing a military operation against them.

They announced to support Hafiz Gul Bahadur in North Waziristan and the tribal people in their fighting against the Pakistani security forces. “The attack on the Karachi airport is a message to the Pakistan government to avoid the use of force as the Taliban are still ready for holding serious peace talks with the government,” the Taliban said.

Fresh ODI rankings announced by ICC

DUBAI: International cricket council (ICC) has released fresh ODI rankings according to which Pakistan has maintained its sixth position.

As per the list Australia is number one in ODI rankings where as Sri Lanka has now climbed up to number two and India has gone down to number three.

Virat Kohli remains at the summit of the ODI batsmen’s ranking while S.African AB de Villiers is at number two. Pakistan skipper Misbah ul Haq is at number nine.

Off spinner Saeed Ajmal maintained his number one position amongst the ODI bowlers and speedster Daryl Steyn is at number two.

World Cup city gripped by dengue fever

RIO DE JANEIRO: The Brazilian city where Portugal´s Cristiano Ronaldo and Nigeria´s John Mikel Obi will train for the World Cup is in the grip of a crippling dengue fever epidemic.

Workers in Campinas have embarked on a huge operation to eradicate mosquitos, which spread the disease, before the Portuguese and Nigerian teams arrive.

Some 32,384 people have been infected by dengue this year in the southeastern city about one hour from Sao Paulo.

At least three people have died. "It´s a record epidemic. It´s bigger than the 11,500 cases registered in all of 2007," said Andrea Von Zuben, who coordinates the Campinas dengue control program.

Dengue is a viral infection carried by the aedes aegypti mosquito. The fever is like chronic influenza with severe headaches, muscle and joint pain, vomiting and a rash. Severe cases can be deadly. Three people have died of dengue this year in Campinas, women aged 27, 69 and 81. Three other deaths are being investigated to see if they were caused by the disease. There is no cure for dengue, so prevention is the best medicine.

The World Health Organization recommends people in infected areas prevent mosquito bites with window screens, insect repellant and mosquito coils.It also suggests covering up exposed skin -- advice that may cramp Portuguese captain Ronaldo´s bare-chested style, a topic of much commentary after his pectoral-flexing goal celebration at this year´s Champions League final.

Brazil has been hit harder by dengue than any other country so far this century, with seven million cases reported between 2000 and 2013.

Von Zuben said the Campinas outbreak was being driven by a heatwave at the beginning of the year, the prevalence of a particularly virulent dengue strain and poor sanitation that leaves pools of standing water where mosquitos breed. But she said the areas where the Nigerian and Portuguese squads will be are a mosquito-control priority for health officials. "We put larvicides and anti-mosquito poisons at the airport, in the training centers and in the hotels, so the teams will run a much smaller risk than the local population," she told AFP.

The authorities have been in touch with the teams´ doctors, who were "concerned," Von Zuben said. She said her staff had recommended insect repellant. "We´ve been guaranteed that the situation has been identified and is under control. There shouldn´t be any reason for alarm," said the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).

In early May, when Portuguese coach Paulo Bento visited the training center, city officials told him three mosquito-control operations would be carried out before the team arrives on June 11.

The army has helped sanitation workers clean up 83,000 tonnes of rubbish and dozens of buildings have been sealed off and sprayed.

Campinas is not the only city facing the dengue threat. Medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases recently said World Cup host cities Natal, Fortaleza and Recife in the northeast were also at risk. Of course, infectious diseases are a two-way street. Campinas has also launched a program to give citizens free vaccinations before World Cup fans descend on the city from Africa and Europe, where "polio and measles are still persistent," it said.

Priority will be given to taxi and bus drivers, employees at restaurants and tourist attractions, and the staff of six major hotels. (AFP)

What AI revealed was earlier censored by Jang Group

ISLAMABAD: The Jang Group was not publishing my stories for the last many days giving full details with evidence that Pakistan Army officials working for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) were directly, and in some cases indirectly, contacting cable operators and pressurising them to put the Geo News and other Geo channels off air without waiting for the decision of the constitutional governmentNow my exclusive stories are wasted, as an independent and credible international body, Amnesty International has come up with its report disclosing most of these facts.
I always wondered as to why Geo and Jang Group was not carrying my stories about ISI’s role in challenging the writ of the government and in shutting down Geo TV despite the fact that Geo channels were being blacked out across the country and Group was being badly pressed — one of the worst attacks on freedom of expression and independence of media following General Musharraf’s November 2007 Geo-specific censorship during which Geo News remained off air for 72 days.

This has been a basic principle across the world that intelligence agencies work under cover. But, during course of our investigative journalism, we easily tracked down the ISI networks, which, instead of working to ensure national security, were busy taming street cable operators to disturb Geo channels, and later close them. They were even found involved in incidents of kidnapping and torture, and evidence of such acts are present. Severe threats were being hurled at cable operators and others concerned to ensure that Geo remains blocked. All these facts were being reported but Jang Group’s top editorial management remained hell bent not to publish factual stories being filed with evidence and versions.

While Amnesty report came on scene on May 30, the investigative reporting to this fact that media is being badly censored and pressurised in Pakistan by the powerful institution of ISI were being filed since April 30. However, the Group continued to censor the stories in the name of national interest, while the Constitution, liberty of citizens, basic human rights, right of access to information, right to freedom of expression and independence of media were being compromised.

Not only involvement of the ISI officials in the instances of controlling cable operators, in some cases regular army officers, came on scene but also army vehicles were used to pressure the officials of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), the regulatory body of electronic media.

It didn’t stop here. Two of Pemra private members, who are active against Geo, were in constant contact with intelligence agency officers. PPP leaders say that lawyer of ISI Babar Awan got Israr Abbasi inducted as member Pemra during the PPP government and now he remains in touch with the intelligence agency. He himself admitted that his initial so-called 13-pages fact finding report was prepared by officials of the intelligence agency.

Any highest level probe can check call records of these members, cable operators and officials to verify some of the facts. However, most the stories filed were stopped or edited in a way that name of the ISI was deleted or edited and people remain deprived of the facts.

Even the federal government was repeatedly asked to take action against officials of the intelligence agency and stop them from interacting with the cable operators or Pemra officials directly, as, in this way, writ of the government was being challenged. However, a weak prime minister and a weak government remained unmoved and silent and never initiated any action against the ISI officers or Pemra officers involved, and thus compromised its own writ. In latest events government officials are being attacked and tortured. A senior federal minister himself told this correspondent that a senior government official was kidnapped and later badly tortured. However, so far no action has been taken and despite having a democratically elected heavy mandated government, Pakistani citizens and media is being harassed by a state institution, and there is no one to help.

Worst-ever confrontation with judiciary by cable operators, hidden backers

 

ISLAMABAD: After the complete and shocking failure of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to get the transmission of Geo News restored despite the clear and strict judgment of the Supreme Court and inaction of the authority against the cable operators, Geo has written a letter directly to all the cable operators, pressing them not to ridicule the orders of the Supreme Court.
In its letter, Geo has reminded all the cable operators that though Pemra has conveniently failed to get the orders of the apex court implemented, the cable operators themselves were also violating the terms of their licence by first shuffling the Geo News number and later suspending the transmission.

The channel has reminded all the cable operators that suspending the transmission of a channel was the worst violation of the Constitution and law and after the SC verdict it was tantamount to making a mockery of the institutions and the state.

Regarding the cable operators’ claim about threats to them, it is also stated that the cable operators have been either blacking out the Geo channels or shifting them to the furthest numbers since April 24, but they have never contacted the police or the authorities concerned with proof. They never gave the police any phone number from where the threats were received. The cable operators were also reminded that when in the past they changed Geo position, the Supreme Court issued strict orders to them, Pemra and the government to set the things right.

Geo has highlighted that due to mysterious reasons, the cable operators were openly confronting the apex court and were punishing the Geo/Jang Group for taking its case to the Supreme Court to get justice after operators across the country blocked the transmission of all other channels of the group, including Geo Super, Geo Tez, Geo Kahani and Geo Entertainment.

This attitude of cable operators and hidden forces backing them is the worst example of confronting the judiciary.The letter was sent to all the cable operators and also copied to Pemra, all members of the authority and the Federal Ministry of Information and Broadcasting by the legal counsel for Geo Faraz Raza.

The relevant portions of the letter are reproduced here:

1. For the last several weeks, you have been violating the terms of your license by deliberately and illegally first shuffling the channel from its normal position and then completely suspending the transmission of Geo News.

2. Our client repeatedly reported your violation of license to Pemra, requesting that Pemra must take immediate steps to have transmission of Geo News restored but Pemra illegally in violation of its statutory obligation, failed to get Geo News transmission restored at its previous position.

3. Your continued violation of your license, and Pemra’s illegal omission to have Geo News transmission restored, left our client with no option but to approach the Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan with the grievance that Pemra is not implementing the order of Hon’ble Supreme Court of 2010 in which, relying on the Court’s appointed Mediator Mr. Javed Jabbar’s Report, Honourable Supreme Court had directed Pemra to ensure that two channels Geo News and ARY News were not shuffled from their current position.

4. On 26.05.2014, the honourable Supreme Court disposed off our client’s petition on the basis of Pemra’s counsel Mr. Ibrahim Satti and Pemra’s Head Legal Department Mr. Zahid Malik, undertaking that Pemra “shall abide by the terms of order dated 13.08.2012 passed in Constitution Petition No.51 of 2010, by which the report of Mr. Javed Jabbar, the Mediator, was made part of the said order and that the Pemra will ensure that there is no shifting of the channels contrary to or in violation of the order dated 13.08.2012.”

5. It may be noted that the illegal so-called order supposedly passed by three members of Pemra, preceded the hearing of our client’s petition in the Hon’ble Supreme Court. Neither Pemra accepted the so-called decision of three private members, nor did Pemra or any anyone else bring it to the Honourable Court’s attention at the time of hearing and the order of Honourable Supreme Court does not even mention the illegal meeting of three private members who have been announcing their decision on rival TV channels.

6. You therefore have absolutely no excuse to disobey the clear orders of Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan.

7. However, it is shocking to note that despite the above clear direction of Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan, you still continue to keep Geo News ‘transmission suspended without realising that it is not only illegal and a clear violation of your license, but now it amounts to contempt of court too’.

8. For your easy reference, we are producing below certain relevant excerpts of the order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan on a petition filed by our client and that was clubbed with a petition of ARY News, titled Shahid Masood versus The Federation of Pakistan and published PLD 2010 SCMR 1849, that the Supreme Court has now directed to be implemented:

“11. Such was then the importance attached to the obligations, inter alia, cast on the Cable T.V. Network Operators offering the distribution of services and the importance attached to the undisturbed distribution of the said services by such operators. It would also be noticed from the said provisions that:

(iii) the license of any such operator causing any interference/obstruction in the distribution of any broadcast could result in suspension or even revocation of the license granted to such an operator;’ and

(iv) such an act of interference and obstruction was also a penal offence carrying a sentence of imprisonment up to three years or a fine of rupees ten million or both and such an offence was a cognizable offence authorizing the police to arrest the accused persons without any warrant. [emphasis provided]

The reason for such weight being attached to the said business is not far to find as the same stems out of the fundamental rights of freedom of speech, expression and of press as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Constitution and equally importantly, if not more, the right of every citizen to have access to information in all matters of public importance as guaranteed by the recently inserted provisions of Article 19-A of the Constitution.

13. In this view of the matter, we find that the act of the respondent Operators of the Cable T.V. Networks blocking/obstructing the transmission of ARY News and GEO News and the consequent denial of distribution service to the said Channels and to the viewers who were paying the said operators for the said service, prima facie, was a gross violation of the terms and conditions of the licenses granted to them under sections 20 and 24 read with the provisions of sections 27 and 28 of the said Ordinance of 2002 and thus attracted penal provisions of sections 30 and 33 of the said Ordinance in respect of not only the ones committing the said violations but also those abetting the same. [Emphasis provided].

15. ... ... ... The said blockade, prima facie, was not only a denial of duty towards the law, towards Pemra and towards the two broadcasters, but was also a serious breach of the constitutional, legal, moral and financial obligations of the cable operators in question to the hundreds and thousands of subscribers who had the right to information and who had paid for their right to viewership. ... ... ...

17. Having thus examined the factual, the legal and even the constitutional aspects of the matter; the factually incorrect claims being made before us and the consequent legal violations, it is ordered, for the present, as under:

(i) .... Pemra shall ensure immediate distribution of broadcast services of Pemra licensed channels, namely, ARY News and GEO News, even if the same involves strict legal action against the delinquent cable T.V. operators, if any;

(ii) ... Pemra shall personally monitor and ensure that the transmission of the broadcast of the said two channels i.e. ARY News and GEO News is continued to be aired without any hindrance or obstruction of whatever kind.”

9. It is in view of above clear directions of Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan that we call upon you to immediately restore transmission of Geo News on its original position at which you were showing it a month ago.

10. As, despite above clear direction of Supreme Court of Pakistan, you have illegally continued to keep Geo News off air, Pemra was required by the statute as well as under the above-quoted direction of Supreme Court to not only proceed with formalities to suspend and then revoke your license, but also to prosecute you for the offence of causing obstruction in the broadcasting of Geo News. Unfortunately, to-date, Pemra has failed to do either of the above.

11. This letter is being copied to Pemra and Ministry of Information. In case Pemra still fails to have Geo News’ transmission restored, our client shall have no option but to approach the Honourable Court for appropriate actions that may be available under law against any person who may be committing the offence of disobeying clear orders of Hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan or being party to an effort not to allow the Court’s order to be implemented.

12. In addition to what has been stated in this letter, it is shocking to discover that instead of complying with the direction of Honourable Supreme Court by restoring the transmission of Geo News to its original position, as if in order to punish us for approaching Supreme Court for relief or to show extra contempt to Honorable Court, you have illegally suspended the remaining channels of Geo TV network too, namely Geo Tez, Geo Kahani, Geo Entertainment and Geo Super. There could not be worse example of showing contempt to the Honorable Court.

13. Suspension of all our channels is causing huge losses to Geo TV network on a daily basis for which, apart from other legal remedies against you, we shall seek compensation from you for the financial damages that you are causing to our client by illegally suspending all the channels of Geo TV network.

Jang Group boycott by PTI chief a bid to fool nation: PPP leader

LAHORE: Hyder Zaman Qureshi — senior vice-president of PPP south Punjab — said the press conference by PTI chief Imran Khan in which he announced a complete boycott of Geo News and Jang Group after one year of the general elections was another gimmick to fool the nation.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Qureshi said the abrupt position vis-a-vis a media group and the former CJP almost a year after the general elections was shocking and equally disturbing to say the least as it raised many questions for the PTI brigade to answer.

He asked what had happened that forced Imran Khan to blast and target a media group and the former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP). “Does Khan Sahib think the people of Pakistan are so naive and ill-informed or does he think he can play around with their perceived political immaturity or a memory lapse phenomena?”

He asked why it took Imran 12 months to finally realise and identify the real bad guys behind the alleged election rigging and the warehouse where the punctures were sorted out. “Did Khan not know this when he was all praise for the former CJP in Court Room No 1 and rendering an unconditional apology to the former CJP and when he had to eat his own words,” questioned the PPP leader.

Qureshi further asked if Khan had not spotted the so-called rigging nexus (Geo and the former CJP) when he used to praise the media group and its coverage and programming content and independence in dozens of media programmes, including ‘Capital Talk’.

Qureshi also questioned the timing of the sudden move and said Imran opted to speak against the Jang Group at a time when it was being targeted and involved in an unpleasant situation with the armed forces that mattered for all Pakistanis.

“Did Khan realise and formulate conclusively that the media group was the real engine of rigging and for creating perceptions in favour of the PML-N in winning the elections,” the PPP leader asked.

Forex reserves to reach $15 bn by Sept 30, says Dar

 

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Saturday said that forex reserves have increased to $12 billion and will reach $15 billion by September 30.
He was talking to prominent UK fund managers, including Chief Executive Officer (CEO) London Stock Exchange Xavier Rolet, who called on the minister, says a statement of the Finance Ministry.

The minister apprised them that the country’s macro-economic indicators have shown steady improvement as a result of the stabilisation and structural reforms undertaken by the government.

He also informed the delegation that the capital market in Pakistan grew by over 40% since the government took over and apprised them that the country was open to business and offered attractive investment opportunities with high returns.

Dar said the response of international investors was overwhelming and the subscription was 14 times over the amount originally intended.

He mentioned that with the launch of the Euro bond Pakistan has returned to the international bond market after seven years of absence.

He said Pakistan’s recent dollar bond received bids totalling $7 billion, reflecting the strong demand for Pakistan’s sovereign paper.

The minister also informed that Pakistan will issue an Islamic bond denominated in dollars for Islamic banking institutions and funds.

He informed the group that after initiating home grown economic reforms with successful implementation, Pakistan’s standing in the international markets has improved considerably.

While talking about the energy crisis, the minister told the delegation that the government was launching various energy projects and taking necessary steps to add around 10,000 megawatts generation to the national grid which

will eliminate the energy shortfall in the next four years.

He said the government has already managed to clear the circular debt of Rs500 billion within 45 days of taking oath. He added that the World Bank has approved two concessionary loans to Pakistan after a period of five years and will provide $1 billion for energy and development reforms.

He said the government has secured the necessary financing for the construction of the Dasu Hydropower Project. The financing of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam is in progress and the government has already started acquisition of land from its own resources for this project.

The minister also highlighted the opportunities in the telecommunication sector and informed the group about the recent auction of 3G and 4G licences which has fetched over $1.1 billion recently in a transparent manner.

Speaking about the privatisation agenda of the government, Dar informed the delegation that financial advisers have already been appointed through due process for the disinvestment of shares of United Bank Limited, OGDCL and PPL through London as well as Pakistan’s stock exchanges.

On the occasion, the UK fund managers appreciated the positive steps taken by the Pakistani government to put the economy back on track.

Rolet informed the minister about the institutional appetite of British companies towards Pakistan after the phenomenal growth in its capital market.

While praising the reform initiatives of the present government, he said Pakistan’s economic success story is gaining momentum and now needs to be told in a right way to the right people. He mentioned the ongoing collaboration between the London and Karachi stock exchanges with praiseworthy results.

He added that the London Stock Exchange is looking at ways to maximise partnership opportunities with Pakistan’s corporate sector.

Rolet congratulated Dar on the impressive success of Pakistan’s Euro bond issue in the international market.

Pakistan's pledge to expand media freedom welcomed by US

WASHINGTON: Voicing support for an independent media in Pakistan the United States has welcomed Islamabad's pledge to expand media freedom and address insecurity facing the country's journalists.

We appreciate the recent public comments from the government to expand media freedoms and address the insecurity plaguing the country's journalists, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said.

We urge the government to do everything possible to create a safe environment for journalists and to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for attacks against them she added.

The United States Harf said strongly supports a vibrant and independent media in Pakistan just as we do in the United States and around the world. We applaud the efforts and commitment of professional principled and dedicated journalists who are working in perilous conditions to provide credible and informed analysis of developments in Pakistan.

We remain concerned about the safety of journalists both local and international working in Pakistan.

Petrol down by Re0.34 per litre, diesel by Rs4.51

ISLAMABAD: The government has reduced the prices of petroleum products with petrol going down by Re0.34 per litre, diesel Rs4.51 per litre and kerosene Rs3.8 per litre.

The overall reduction in the POL prises is up to Rs4.51 per litre from today (May 1, 2014) after accepting the recommendations of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).

In line with Ogra’s recommendations, this time the government has decreased the price of petrol by only Re0.34 per litre, which is nominal. While the dollar has depreciated against the Pak rupee, even then consumers will not get the required relief because of the fact that the price of petrol has surged to a reasonable level in the global market and this has deprived the consumers of petrol from the Rs1.20 per litre relief.

However, the government has substantially reduced the price of High Speed Diesel, which will provide a reasonable solace to the masses as most of the transportation of all kinds of goods, including kitchen items, takes place on diesel-run vehicles. The tumbling in the price of diesel will help reduce the prices of daily use items.

The price of kerosene has been decreased by Rs3.8 per litre, Light Diesel Oil Re0.94 per litre and High Octane Blending Component (HOBC) Rs1.94 per litre.

This means that the new price of petrol (motor gasoline) will be at Rs107.97 per litre from (today) May 1, 2014, High Speed Diesel Rs109.34 per litre, Light Diesel Oil Rs94.13 per litre and Kerosene Rs98.07 per litre.

According to a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar called on Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif in London. The finance minister briefed the prime minister on the cumulative reduction in the POL prices in the last three

months and told him that the economic policies, stabilization in the value of rupee and an increase in the foreign exchange reserves had stimulated the recent reduction in the POL prices.

The prime minister directed the finance minister that benefits of the strong economy should reach the common man. The finance minister suggested a reduction in the POL prices after consultation with the Ogra and the Ministry of Petroleum and the prime minister approved a reduction in the POL prices.

The Nawaz government, during March-May 2014 period, reduced the petrol price by Rs4.71 per litre, diesel by Rs7.41 and kerosene by Rs8.69 per litre.

Punjab beat Kolkata by 23 runs

ABU DHABI: Kings X1 Punjab restricted Kolkata Knight Riders to 109 runs to win by 23 runs at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Kolkata won the toss and put Punjab in to bat who only managed 132 runs in their 20 overs with the help of a 30 ball 37 by V.Sehwag. His innings was laced with 3 boundaries and a maximum.

The spin duo of SP Narine and PP Chawla bowled extremely well for Kolkata to get 3 wickets a piece for 24 and 19 runs respectively.

In reply Punjab kept losing wickets at regular wickets and were finally dismissed for 109 falling 23 runs short of their target.

The only resistance came from SA Yadav who played a 17-ball cameo of 34 with 3x4s and a six.

Sandeep Sharma was the most successful bowler for Punjab picking up 3-21 for which he was later adjudged player of the match.

MG Johnson and AR Patel also bowled well for the winners.

33 killed by bombers at Iraq campaign rally

BAGHDAD: Suicide bombers killed 33 people Friday at a sports stadium hosting a campaign rally for thousands of supporters of a militant Shia group before parliamentary elections, authorities said — an attack that could unleash more sectarian violence.

An al-Qaida breakaway group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, claimed responsibility for the attack at the Industrial Stadium in eastern Baghdad, which drew about 10,000 backers of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq group.

It said on a militant website that the bombings were to avenge what it called the killing of Sunnis and their forced removal from their homes by Shia militias.

The authenticity of the claim could not be independently verified. The attack was a stark reminder of the sectarian violence that has plagued Iraq more than two years after U.S. troops ended an eight-year presence that often served as a buffer between the nation´s Shia majority and its Sunni Arab minority.

Last year, the death toll in the country climbed to its highest levels since the worst of the sectarian bloodshed between 2006 and 2008. The U.N. says 8,868 people were killed in 2013, and more than 1,400 people were killed in the first two months of this year alone.

The rally was organized to introduce the group´s candidates for Wednesday´s vote. More than 9,000 candidates are taking part and will vie for 328 seats in parliament

Kolkata beat Bangalore by 2 runs

SHARJAH: Vinay Kumar kept his nerve to defend 9 runs in the last over as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Royal Challenger Banglore by 2 runs in a nail bitter at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Winning the toss and electing to field first Bangalore must have been happy with their effort after keeping Kolkata to 150/7 in 20 overs.

Main contributors for Kolkata were J.Kallis(43) and CA Lynn (45).

V.Aaron finished with 3-16 in his 4 overs for the Royal Challengers.

In reply Bangalore were going comfortably towards the total with a 67 run 1st wicket partnership.

But after the dismissal of skipper V.Kohli (31), Yuvraj once again struggled to maintain the scoring rate and when he was dismissed in the 19th over for a slow 34 ball 31, Kolkata started smelling victory.

Still with 9 runs needed in the last over Kolkata needed some brilliant bowling by Vinay Kumar and one of the best catches taken so far in the tournament by Lynn to record a 2 run win.

SP Narine bowled some tight lines to finish with 1-17 off 4 overs with the prize scalp of V.Kohli.

CA Lynn was declared player of the match.

Ethics flouted by media groups

ISLAMABAD: Contrary to established journalistic norms, some media groups blacked out the news of the first official statement of Hamid Mir after an assassination attempt on him.

While the media did cover the actual story of the attack on Hamid Mir but on Thursday, for reasons best known to them, they hesitated in airing the statement that gave credence to the earlier news item aired by Geo, which had invited the wrath of some so-called anchors and even media groups.

Geo was the only channel that gave live coverage to Amir Mir who read out the statement of his injured brother outside the Karachi hospital.At a time when Amir Mir was reading out the first statement of Hamid Mir, other TV channels were running routine transmissions and no one was covering it live. Even the social media pointed out this fact that no other channel had covered the first official statement of Hamid Mir and most of the people even stressed showing unity among the media groups.

Although, almost all channels gave no coverage to Hamid Mir’s statement yet when it was pointed out by Geo and Jang Group and by others on the social media and other platforms, then other TV channels held talk shows on the issue yet no news was aired.

Interestingly, some media organisations criticised Geo and Jang Group and blamed that the group had set all media ethics aside during the whole episode of attack on Hamid Mir. But they forgot the fact that even the rest of the media also played a negative role and did not follow media ethics, a thing which they preached even throughout their bulletins.

Instead of playing a role to cool down the situation, these media groups and even senior journalists, anchorpersons and columnists ganged up against the Jang Group. The whole episode of attack on Hamid Mir is being played by the anti-Geo and Jang Group as a tool to add fuel to the fire by spreading conspiracy theories, so that the issue may not die down. Meanwhile, recalling Pervez Musharraf’s counsel Ahmed Raza Kasuri who would often exclaim, “shame, shame, shame,” journalists and intellectuals were heard saying “shame on you” at the vilification against Jang and Geo. These channels, it was observed, often invite journalists who have poisonous angling and perception of facts, and that is why they are far behind in rating.

A few journalists who openly associate themselves with the establishment are labeling the journalists questioning the role of rogue elements in the spy agency as traitors, have forgotten the fact that the role of intelligence agencies in many cases, including the missing persons cases, has already been questioned.

Not only their role has been questioned, but also the courts have summoned the heads of these agencies. At that time nobody ran any campaign for protecting the institutions and issued any certificates of patriotism and loyalty.

After observing the media trend during the last three days, particularly after the attack on Hamid Mir, one can clearly suggest that some media groups have ganged up against Geo and Jang Group out of jealousy or patriotism or any other reason known to them.

The Pakistani media, which is in the phase of evolution, has even committed mistakes but these mistakes provide opportunities to learn. In the recent past, almost every TV channel displayed the pictures of many top politicians in fake degree cases and many other issues as well.

However, the politicians never termed the media organisations or their management traitors. But displaying the picture of a general who has been accused in an incident in which a person was attacked and had almost lost his life is considered treason.