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Karachi: National T20 Tournament in full swing
COAS Squash Championship semis today
Dr Usman termed as GHQ attack mastermind
PML-N for joint parliament session to discuss Pak-US tension
US asks Pakistan to act tough against extremists
Pakistan says trade, not aid, key to economy
US confident of ties with Pakistan despite links to Haqqani network
Cost of training Afghan forces can be cut: US general
Civilians flee Gaddafi loyalist stronghold Sirte
Four Syrian army deserters shot dead: activists
US says ready to work with next Russian president
Russian finance minister out after Medvedev spat
China scales back military ties with US over F-16s
Obama defends push to raise taxes on rich
Wide spread graft hitting Iraq development: ICG

Karachi: National T20 Tournament in full swing

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In the first match, Sialkot Stallions thrashed Hyderabad Hawks by nine wickets. Batting first, Hyderabad Hawks managed 96 runs for the loss of eight wickets. Rizwan Ahmad was top scorer with 30 runs. Sarfraz Ahmad grabbed 4 wickets. In reply, Sialkot Stallions achieved the target for the loss of just one wicket. Captain Shoaib Malik led the run chaise with a half century as Sialkot Stallions reached the target in 16th over. In the second match of the day Karachi Zebras beat Quetta Zebras by 44 runs while Lahore Eagles defeated Abbottabad Falcons by 15 runs in the last match of the day.

COAS Squash Championship semis today

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In the quarterfinal matches played at the Mushaf Squash Complex Islamabad, Waqar Mehboob edged out Danish Atlas 6-11, 8-11, 13-11, 12-10 and 11-8. Experienced Mansoor Zaman defeated Waqas Mehboob, Yasir Butt beat Nasir Iqbal and Farhan Mehboob outplayed Shahnawaz for a place in the semifinals to be played on Tuesday. Waqar Mehboob will take on Masoor Zaman in the first semifinal while Farhan Mehboob will face Yasir Butt in the second semifinal.

Dr Usman termed as GHQ attack mastermind

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In his statement before a military court, accused Khaleeq-ur-Rehman said that Aqeel alias Dr Usman was mastermind of attacks on GHQ, Pervez Musharraf and Sri Lankan cricket team. He informed the court that his vehicle was used in carrying ammunition for the attacks. He also monitored the attacks on former president Pervez Musharraf and Sri Lanka team. Another attacker Muhammad Usman in his statement before the court said that he was given the responsibility to deliver the ammunition to Aqeel alias Dr Usman. The SNG cylinder of the vehicle was cut to hide the arms and he the ammunition to Rawalpindi on four occasions.  The third attacker said that not telling anyone about GHQ attack despite having knowledge was his mistake.

PML-N for joint parliament session to discuss Pak-US tension

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Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Ishaq Dar wrote letter to the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and asked him to summon a joint session of the parliament on national security after statements of US officials against Pakistan’s security institutions. Ishaq Dar in his letter said: “The anti-Pakistan joint briefing in Washington DC on Sept 22, 2011, by Messrs Panetta and Mullen appears to have been aimed at stemming the nosedive in the morale of the US soldiers in Afghanistan. Reportedly, both persons share large responsibility for America’s failure to achieve peace objectives in Afghanistan and to protect the lives of US soldiers in that country. “It seems that Pakistan came as an easy scapegoat as no creditable evidence has been produced till date by the said persons relating to the allegations elucidated by them against Pakistan.”

US asks Pakistan to act tough against extremists

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The US today said it wants to work with Pakistan in fight against terrorism, but insisted Islamabad in a "clear message" has been asked to act against the extremist groups such as Haqqani network that operate from its soil. "The clear message that is being conveyed over the last week that we hope the Government of Pakistan would take steps against the militants located on the Pakistani side of the border, who carry out attacks against American and Afghan forces inside Afghanistan," Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters. Insisting that the lines of communication remain open with Pakistan, Little said the relationship is complicated but an essential one. There is a need to find out ways to work together especially when it comes to terrorism as both countries have common interest in fighting terrorists. Both Americans and Pakistanis have been victims of terrorist attacks, he said. "The Secretary of Defence was clear on Thursday in testimony (before a Congressional committee) that in terms of options that might be looked at to pursue militants, we are not going to discuss what options may or may not be," Little said. Responding to questions about the recent series of high visibility attack, he said by doing so the terrorist outfits were trying to "create a perception" which was far away from reality. "The bottom line is, it is this fighting season for the Taliban and insurgents in Afghanistan has been less effective. They are resorting to new tactics that resemble what we have seen in last several weeks and they have been able to...large scale offences," Little said.

Pakistan says trade, not aid, key to economy

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Pakistan s finance minister said Monday that trade including with rival India would be key to turning around his country s economy, saying that aid handouts were not a long-term solution. Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, on a visit to Washington for annual IMF and World Bank meetings, also repeated promises to expand the tax base in Pakistan where many wealthy citizens pay virtually nothing to state coffers. "We are not looking for (a) perpetual kind of government-to-government help. What we are looking for is a chance for our people to be allowed to compete with the rest," Shaikh said at the Atlantic Council think tank. "We feel if we are simply allowed to trade like other countries, if barriers are not imposed... we will do just fine," he said. Shaikh said that Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who is on a visit to India, was given flexibility to negotiate on trade with Pakistan s arch-rival whose economy has posted soaring growth since the 1990s. "I think that no country, no region of the world, has really shown true development if regional ties are not on a solid foot. That s a lesson of experience that we want to learn and we want to adopt," Shaikh said. Pakistan last year signed a trade agreement with Afghanistan. Pakistan has also been pressing for years for greater access to the US market for textiles, hoping that the private sector can lead its economy forward. The International Monetary Fund has forecast growth of 3.8 percent in the current year in Pakistan, which was devastated last year by floods and has been hit hard by violence linked to Islamic extremism. The United States in 2009 approved a five-year, $7.5 billion-dollar civilian assistance package for Pakistan, but some US lawmakers have sought to cut civilian aid due to concerns over extremism. Admiral Mike Mullen, the outgoing chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, charged last week that Pakistani intelligence was involved in attacks on US interests in Afghanistan. Shaikh voiced gratitude for assistance by the United States and other foreign countries but played down the importance for Pakistan s bottom line. "Clearly at a time when most countries in the world are facing budgetary constraints, there are limits to what one can expect in terms of government-to-government external assistance," he said.

US confident of ties with Pakistan despite links to Haqqani network

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The State Department said that the United States remains confident it can work with the Pakistani government, despite concerns that Pakistan s intelligence service supports the Haqqani network -- a militant group blamed for attacks in neighboring Afghanistan. State Department Spokesman Mark Toner told reporters that there are "very clear challenges" for the United States and Pakistan. Still, he said, US officials believe they can work constructively with Pakistani authorities to address concerns about the Haqqani network. "We recognize very clearly that this is an area of concern, and we ve identified that," said Toner. "We ve raised it at the highest levels with the Pakistanis. We ve said,  You know, we need to take action against the Haqqani network,  and we re committed at this point to working constructively with them to do that. We recognize that this is a clear threat to our security in Afghanistan." US officials say the Haqqani network is responsible for an attack on the US embassy in Kabul earlier this month and a prior assault on a NATO outpost south of the Afghan capital as well as other attacks. The outgoing chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, linked the Haqqani network to the government in Islamabad. Mullen made the comments at a US Senate hearing last week. "The Haqqani network, for one, acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan s internal services intelligence agency," said Mullen. "With ISI support, Haqqani operatives planned and conducted that truck bomb attack, as well as the assault on our embassy." The Haqqani network is based in Pakistan s North Waziristan province, a tribal area along the border with Afghanistan. State Department Spokesman Mark Toner said "We believe that these kind of safe havens are extremely troubling and, indeed, a matter of great concern and a dangerous development for both the United States and for Pakistan," he said. "So we want to see action taken against them." Earlier Monday, Pakistani and foreign media quoted anonymous Pakistani security officials as saying Islamabad will not launch an offensive against the Haqqani network. Toner said he had seen the news reports, but that he had not seen such statements by Pakistani officials. He added that he would not discuss private US conversations with Pakistan s government, and he reiterated that the United States is committed to the bilateral relationship. Pakistan repeatedly has rejected US accusations that it aides militants. On Sunday, Pakistan s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said his nation has no links to the Haqqani network. The US State Department has not added the Haqqani network to its list of terrorist organizations. But Toner said that is under review.

Cost of training Afghan forces can be cut: US general

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The United States has forecast that the annual price tag of training and equipping Afghan security forces in coming years would drop to about $6 billion but the officer overseeing the effort, Lieutenant General William Caldwell, said the cost likely will be much less. "So what I will tell you is, from the efforts that have been ongoing here, it s going to be significantly lower than that ($6 billion)," Caldwell told reporters by video link from Kabul. "We do in fact expect the level of insurgency to go down, we do in fact expect to find more efficiencies in how we do things...," he said. Caldwell did not offer estimates as to how much money could be saved in coming years. The general s comments come amid growing pressure to scale back US defense spending -- including the cost of the Afghanistan war -- as politicians struggle to tackle the government s budget deficit and debt. Caldwell s prediction that the Taliban would gradually recede has been echoed by some other senior officers, but violence levels remain high and the insurgency has proved resilient as it exploits safe havens in neighboring Pakistan. The US military s top officer told lawmakers last week the Pentagon was looking to reduce the cost of building up the Afghan security forces, which are due to take over from NATO-led troops by the end of 2014. The Pentagon has proposed spending $12.8 billion in 2012 on training and arming the Afghan army and police, with the force due to expand to 352,000 by November 2012. Caldwell said the NATO-led mission had found ways to save money in the training effort. Fans were being installed at Afghan bases instead of air conditioning units and boots and uniforms were being bought from Afghan firms instead of US companies, he said. The general said Afghan security forces are improving steadily and that they performed heroically in fending off a September 13 attack on the US embassy and NATO headquarters. Only two battalions out of about 180 were now able to operate independently, and even then they required some logistical or other support from NATO forces, he said. Once Afghan troops and police take the lead throughout the country by 2015, the force will still need some support from the NATO-led coalition to help with intelligence and air power, he said.

Civilians flee Gaddafi loyalist stronghold Sirte

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Hundreds of civilians fled Moammar Gaddafi s hometown Monday to escape growing shortages of food and medicine and escalating fears that their homes will be struck during fighting between revolutionary forces and regime loyalists. Anti-Gaddafi fighters launched their offensive against Sirte nearly two weeks ago, but have faced fierce resistance from loyalists holed up inside the city. After a bloody push into Sirte again over the weekend, revolutionary fighters say they have pulled back to plan their assault and allow civilians more time to flee. NATO, which has played a key role in decimating Gaddafi s military during the Libyan civil war, has kept up its air campaign since the fall of Tripoli last month. The alliance said Monday its warplanes struck eight military targets near Sirte a day earlier, including an ammunition and vehicle storage facility and rocket launcher. Sirte, 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast, is one of the last remaining bastions of Gaddafi loyalists since revolutionary fighters stormed into the capital last month, ending Gaddafi s nearly 42-year rule and sending him into hiding. The fugitive leader s supporters also remain in control of the town of Bani Walid, southeast of Tripoli, and pockets of territory in the country s south. But even as fighting continues, Libyans have been working to restore a sense of normalcy in the North African nation of some 6 million people. In a boost to the economy, Italian energy giant Eni said Monday it has resumed oil production in Libya after months of interruption for the civil war, tapping 15 wells and producing some 31,900 barrels of oil per day. French energy company Total said it restarted some production last week. Libya s economic future could hinge on the performance of its lucrative oil and gas sectors, whose production ground to a halt during this year s insurgency against Gaddafi. Libya sits atop Africa s largest proven reserves of conventional crude, and raked in $40 billion last year from oil and gas exports. Still, experts say it could take about a year or more to get Libya back to its pre-war production of 1.6 million barrels a day. British Trade Minister Stephen Green also visited Tripoli and said his country s businesses are eager to take part in the rebuilding of Libya and will also assist with British expertise. But he said no strategic decisions would be made in Libya until the country has completed writing a new constitution and an elected government is in place. Libya s new leaders have struggled to form a new interim Cabinet that could guide the country to elections.

Four Syrian army deserters shot dead: activists

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Syrian security forces shot dead four soldiers trying to desert on Monday, as troops deployed in several villages and China voiced concern over events in Syria. "Four soldiers in Maar Shamsa in (northwestern) Idlib were shot dead while trying to flee the Wadi Deif military camp," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, reporting gunfire, arrests and murders over the weekend and on Monday across the country. Meanwhile, China s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi highlighted his country s concern about Syria in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly. In a marked call to Syria s President Bashar al-Assad s forces and opposition demonstrators, Yang said "we hope that parties in Syria will exercise restraint, avoid any form of violence or more bloodshed and conflict, and act quickly to ease tension." The international community should "handle the Syrian issue in a prudent way so as to prevent further turbulence in Syria and its repercussions on regional peace," Yang said. China has joined Russia in leading opposition to UN sanctions against the Assad government in Syria, where the United Nations says that more than 2,700 people have been killed since March. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged China to back strong UN action on Syria when she met Yang just before his speech, a senior US official said. And a global human rights group urged a UN probe into the killing of Syrian civilians and slammed the "timidity" in tackling the crisis amid evidence of crimes against humanity. "We are demanding an international investigation to document exactly what is happening and really identify the problems -- an independent investigation by the United Nations because this can t continue," Khadija Cherif, secretary general of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights said in Warsaw. "We must do this, or we ll continue to see this kind of timidity in the reaction to what is happening in Syria," Cherif said, at once warning there was "certainly no need for an armed intervention" similar to the NATO-led air strikes in Libya. On the ground in Syria, the Britain-based Observatory also reported soaring tensions in central Homs province, a hub of protests against the Assad regime. "Tension is high in Homs province. The army has deployed in the villages of the Qusseir region (south of Homs), where two unidentified bodies were found in the Assi river." "There are also mutilated bodies at the National Hospital" in Qusseir, where 12 people were killed and 15 were reported missing in military operations on Saturday, the Observatory said.

US says ready to work with next Russian president

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President Dmitry Medvedev, who took over the Kremlin from Putin in 2008, announced on Saturday he would step aside for the incumbent prime minister in the March 2012 polls and instead serve as government chief. Vladimir Putin announced he planned to return to the top job. "We look forward to working with whoever is the next Russian president because we believe clearly that this is in the mutual interest of the United States and Russia and the world," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. President Barack Obama s "reset" of US-Russia ties marks one of his most tangible claims to foreign policy success. Toner insisted the United States did not think the return of Putin to the Russian presidency would jeopardize future cooperation. "We will continue to work on the reset, we believe it s been valuable so far," Toner said. "Obviously, Putin in his current role has been a part of those discussions and cooperation. But, again, this is a matter for the Russian people to decide. We re getting ahead of ourselves."

Russian finance minister out after Medvedev spat

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Russia s influential finance minister was forced out Monday following a televised confrontation with President Dmitry Medvedev, who had angrily demanded that Alexei Kudrin immediately explain his criticism of Medvedev s policies or resign. The open conflict within Russia s leadership follows the announcement over the weekend that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plans to return to the presidency next year and Medvedev would then take his old job as prime minister. Russia will have a presidential vote in March, but Putin is sure to win. The departure of Kudrin is likely to unsettle investors and further shake Russia s markets. A close Putin ally, he has been finance minister since 2000 and his tight hold over the budget has been seen as key to Russia s economic stability. "It is difficult to see how Mr. Kudrin s resignation can be anything but market-negative," said Neil Shearing, chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics Ltd in London. "With oil prices starting to slide and financial markets still jittery, now is not a good time for the government to lose its arch fiscal hawk." On Saturday, Kudrin said he would refuse to serve in the government if Medvedev was made prime minister because of policy disagreements he had with him, including plans to substantially boost military spending. Addressing Kudrin on Monday, Medvedev called the minister s remarks "irresponsible chatter" and "improper," especially since they were made while the minister was in Washington for meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

China scales back military ties with US over F-16s

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China plans to cancel or postpone some US-China military exchanges after Washington last week announced it would upgrade Taiwan s fleet of F-16 fighter jets, a senior US official said. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met Monday with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and urged the U.S. to reconsider the arms sale, warning it would undermine the trust and confidence between the two sides. China regards self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory and cut military ties with the US for several months after the last major arms sale, including Black Hawk helicopters, announced in early 2010. China s response this time has been more restrained, apparently because the U.S. did not agree to sell new F-16 plans that Taiwan also wants. The US is obligated under legislation passed by Congress in 1979 to supply Taiwan with weapons for its self-defense. The military balance across the 100-mile (160-kilometre) -wide Taiwan Strait has tipped heavily in the mainland s favor, as Beijing has ramped up defense spending in the past decade or more. At Monday s meeting, Yang did not threaten any specific consequences over the latest $5.85 billion sale. But the senior US official said he was told by Chinese officials in other meetings that China would suspend, cancel or reschedule some military-to-military exchanges. The official gave no further details and spoke on condition of anonymity because of diplomatic sensitivities. The Obama administration has deepened ties with Beijing, and sees the military exchanges as mitigating the risk of US forces tangling with China s in East Asia and the West Pacific. In July, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, traveled to China, the first visit of its kind in four years. That followed a visit to the U.S. in May by his Chinese counterpart, Chen Bingde.

Obama defends push to raise taxes on rich

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At a town hall, one man set up the president to make his point, saying: "Would you please raise my taxes?" The questioner said he was unemployed by his own choice, having done well at a nearby start-up search-engine company in Silicon Valley, and was willing to pay more. Obama said he did not want to punish the rich, but rather to return income tax rates to the level of the 1990s. "During that period, the rich got richer," the president said. "The middle class expanded. People rose out of poverty." Obama is in a deadlock with Republicans in Congress, including leaders of the House, over raising taxes as part of a formula for helping a staggering economy. He has put forward a debt-reduction plan that would raise $1.5 trillion in new revenue, including about $800 billion over 10 years from repealing tax cuts enacted during the presidency of George W. Bush for couples making more than $250,000. Obama spoke during an event hosted by LinkedIn, the career-focused social networking site, midway through a three-state Western swing. The event was at the Computer History Museum, near LinkedIn s Silicon Valley headquarters.

Wide spread graft hitting Iraq development: ICG

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Widespread corruption throughout Iraq s government has hampered development, resulting in slow improvement of public services, the International Crisis Group said in a report published on Monday. The Brussels-based organisation s sharp criticism comes around two weeks after Iraq s anti-corruption chief stepped down, citing political interference in his work and describing graft as "part of the struggle for power." ICG said in its 38-page report that Baghdad s government had succeeded in reducing nationwide violence in recent years, but "has allowed corruption to become entrenched and spread throughout its institutions." "Public services continue to be plagued by severe deficiencies, notably widespread corruption, which spread like a virus throughout state institutions during the years of lawlessness that prevailed until 2008," the report said. It said Iraq s anti-corruption institutions had been hampered by "government interference, intransigence and manipulation, a deficient legal framework and ongoing threats of violence." ICG said that parliament was "hopelessly sectarian" and the judicial system was "highly vulnerable to political pressure." "The impact is palpable: billions of dollars have been embezzled from state coffers, owing mostly to gaps in public procurement; parties treat ministries like private bank accounts; and nepotism, bribery and embezzlement thrive," it said. "Partly as a result, living standards languish, even paling in comparison with the country s own recent past. This applies to practically all aspects of life, including the health, education and electricity sectors, all of which underperform despite marked budget increases." The organisation recommended Iraq strengthen its anti-corruption framework, require political parties to publish annual accounts listing sources of income and expenditure, reform cumbersome parliamentary bylaws and streamline the legislative process. It also called on the international community, particularly the United States, to support such efforts and publicly express disapproval of the government and parliament s "failures regarding long-overdue reform." The report comes after anti-corruption chief Rahim al-Uqailee resigned on September 8. After stepping down, Uqailee issued an open letter to parliament, saying: "The fight over stealing the money of the state and its property is the unspoken part of the struggle for power in Iraq today." Watchdog Transparency International ranks Iraq among the world s four most corrupt countries, and the country has seen periodic protests since February decrying, among other things, official graft.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

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