KARACHI: A Saudi diplomat was shot dead in a drive-by shooting near the consulate in Karachi on Monday, the second attack on Saudi interests in Pakistan’s biggest city in less than a week, officials said.
An official from the media section of the Saudi embassy identified the man as a Saudi diplomat. Another official from the embassy earlier identified him as a security official working for the consulate in Karachi.
Pakistani police in Karachi told AFP that the Saudi had been driving in a vehicle with diplomatic plates when two motorcycle riders opened fire at a crossroads in the city’s upmarket Defence neighbourhood.
“The consulate employee died of multiple bullet wounds on the spot,” said Fayaaz Leghari, the police chief of southern province Sindh, of which Karachi is the capital.
“The attackers fled on the motorbike,” he added.
Provincial home ministry official Sharfuddin Memon identified the dead man as a junior officer at the consulate.
“We are investigating if it was linked to the Abbottabad operation or was an isolated incident,” he said in reference to the killing by US Navy SEALs of the Saudi-born al-Qaeda mastermind in the garrison city of Abbottabad on May 2.
Last Wednesday, drive-by assailants threw two grenades at the consulate in Karachi in what officials said could have been reaction to bin Laden’s death.
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Japan’s nuclear crisis timetable on track: PM
TOKYO: Japan said Monday it was still on target to achieve the shutdown of damaged reactors at a crippled nuclear plant by around the year-end, despite damage being worse than earlier thought.
“We will manage to continue working without changing the timeline prospects of putting (the reactors) in to a state of cold shutdown in six to nine months” from April 17, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said in parliament.
Kan was referring to the “roadmap” that Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) announced on April 17 to bring closure to the world’s worst atomic crisis in 25 years, sparked by the March 11 tsunami which hit its Fukushima Daiichi plant.
The premier’s pledge came despite the abandonment of the latest attempt to cool the number one reactor at the plant by filling the containment chamber with water.
TEPCO said that around 3,000 tons of highly radioactive contaminated waste water had leaked through holes created by melted fuel into the reactor basement, forcing officials to think of ways to pump it out and process it.
Nine weeks after the disaster, TEPCO last week gave a snapshot of the stricken plant that confirmed experts’ fears, in which it said fuel rods inside reactor one had been fully exposed to the air and had melted.
TEPCO said the fuel started melting just five hours after the quake and most of it had fallen into the bottom of the reactor’s pressure vessel 16 hours after the earthquake and tsunami that has left 25,000 dead or missing.
But it has also said that relatively low temperatures indicated that the fuel is now submerged under water at the bottom of the vessel, preventing it from going into full meltdown.
TEPCO has targeted cold shutdowns of all four damaged reactors at the Fukushima plant between October and January.
The company is to release a review of the roadmap on Tuesday, one month after the announcement of the plan.
Also on Tuesday the government will issue a timeframe detailing when evacuated residents near the plant will be able to return home, Kan said.
More than 80,000 people have been forced from homes, farms and businesses in a 20-kilometre (12-mile) zone around the plant that has leaked radiation into the air, ground and sea.
The power company faces compensation payments worth tens of billions of dollars for victims of the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl a quarter of a century ago.
TEPCO and the government have yet to release estimates for the payout bill, but analysts say it could range from four trillion yen (dollar 50 billion) to 10 trillion yen depending on how long the nuclear crisis lasts.
“We will manage to continue working without changing the timeline prospects of putting (the reactors) in to a state of cold shutdown in six to nine months” from April 17, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said in parliament.
Kan was referring to the “roadmap” that Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) announced on April 17 to bring closure to the world’s worst atomic crisis in 25 years, sparked by the March 11 tsunami which hit its Fukushima Daiichi plant.
The premier’s pledge came despite the abandonment of the latest attempt to cool the number one reactor at the plant by filling the containment chamber with water.
TEPCO said that around 3,000 tons of highly radioactive contaminated waste water had leaked through holes created by melted fuel into the reactor basement, forcing officials to think of ways to pump it out and process it.
Nine weeks after the disaster, TEPCO last week gave a snapshot of the stricken plant that confirmed experts’ fears, in which it said fuel rods inside reactor one had been fully exposed to the air and had melted.
TEPCO said the fuel started melting just five hours after the quake and most of it had fallen into the bottom of the reactor’s pressure vessel 16 hours after the earthquake and tsunami that has left 25,000 dead or missing.
But it has also said that relatively low temperatures indicated that the fuel is now submerged under water at the bottom of the vessel, preventing it from going into full meltdown.
TEPCO has targeted cold shutdowns of all four damaged reactors at the Fukushima plant between October and January.
The company is to release a review of the roadmap on Tuesday, one month after the announcement of the plan.
Also on Tuesday the government will issue a timeframe detailing when evacuated residents near the plant will be able to return home, Kan said.
More than 80,000 people have been forced from homes, farms and businesses in a 20-kilometre (12-mile) zone around the plant that has leaked radiation into the air, ground and sea.
The power company faces compensation payments worth tens of billions of dollars for victims of the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl a quarter of a century ago.
TEPCO and the government have yet to release estimates for the payout bill, but analysts say it could range from four trillion yen (dollar 50 billion) to 10 trillion yen depending on how long the nuclear crisis lasts.
Twenty-seven killed in Guatemala massacre
GUATEMALA CITY: At least 27 people were found dead in a Guatemalan village near the border with Mexico Sunday morning in one of the worst mass killings in the country in a generation, local police said.
The bloody incident started when raiders attacked the small town of Caserio La Bomba about 275 miles north of the capital, police said.
Two women were among the victims of the attack, said police, who were trying to determine the exact time of the attack and searching for more bodies. Many of the victims were shot and beheaded, police said.
“This is the worst massacre we have seen in modern times,” police spokesman Donald Gonzalez told Reuters, saying it was hard to remember a mass killing on this scale since Guatemala’s 36-year civil war ended in 1996.
Police said the slayings could be linked to the Saturday slaying of 56-year-old Haroldo Waldemar Leon, the brother of suspected drug trafficker Juan Jose Leon, who was gunned down in a rural area of northern Guatemala.
Jose Leon was wanted by the US Drug Enforcement Administration when he was killed in a 2008 attack that involved 30 men ambushing his home. Ten other people were killed in the gun battle.
Police linked Jose Leon’s killing to the powerful Mexican drug cartel, Las Zetas. Guatemala’s northern border is an active drug transfer point for cocaine moving north from South America.
The bloody incident started when raiders attacked the small town of Caserio La Bomba about 275 miles north of the capital, police said.
Two women were among the victims of the attack, said police, who were trying to determine the exact time of the attack and searching for more bodies. Many of the victims were shot and beheaded, police said.
“This is the worst massacre we have seen in modern times,” police spokesman Donald Gonzalez told Reuters, saying it was hard to remember a mass killing on this scale since Guatemala’s 36-year civil war ended in 1996.
Police said the slayings could be linked to the Saturday slaying of 56-year-old Haroldo Waldemar Leon, the brother of suspected drug trafficker Juan Jose Leon, who was gunned down in a rural area of northern Guatemala.
Jose Leon was wanted by the US Drug Enforcement Administration when he was killed in a 2008 attack that involved 30 men ambushing his home. Ten other people were killed in the gun battle.
Police linked Jose Leon’s killing to the powerful Mexican drug cartel, Las Zetas. Guatemala’s northern border is an active drug transfer point for cocaine moving north from South America.
US Defense Sec’y was unsure of bin Laden raid intel
WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he did not have full confidence in the underlying intelligence when US Navy SEALs were conducting the raid on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan.
“I was very concerned, frankly,” he said in an interview on “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday on CBS.
“I had real reservations about the intelligence. My worry was the level of uncertainty about whether bin Laden was even in the compound,” he said.
“There wasn’t any direct evidence that he was there. It was all circumstantial. But it was the best — information that we had — since probably 2001,” Gates said.
The decision to go ahead with the raid by President Barack Obama was “one of the most courageous calls” a president has made, given the uncertainty of the intelligence and the riskiness of the operation, he said.
Gates admits to a case of nerves while watching the raid in real time with the president and other officials in the White House situation room.
“I think like the rest, I was just transfixed. And, of course, my heart went to my mouth when the helicopter — landed in the — courtyard, because I knew that wasn’t part of the plan. But these guys were just amazing,” he said.
Gates said it was “premature” to say whether bin Laden’s death could accelerate US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, but added that the war could turn the corner by the end of this year “and more troops could come home.” – Reuters
“I was very concerned, frankly,” he said in an interview on “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday on CBS.
“I had real reservations about the intelligence. My worry was the level of uncertainty about whether bin Laden was even in the compound,” he said.
“There wasn’t any direct evidence that he was there. It was all circumstantial. But it was the best — information that we had — since probably 2001,” Gates said.
The decision to go ahead with the raid by President Barack Obama was “one of the most courageous calls” a president has made, given the uncertainty of the intelligence and the riskiness of the operation, he said.
Gates admits to a case of nerves while watching the raid in real time with the president and other officials in the White House situation room.
“I think like the rest, I was just transfixed. And, of course, my heart went to my mouth when the helicopter — landed in the — courtyard, because I knew that wasn’t part of the plan. But these guys were just amazing,” he said.
Gates said it was “premature” to say whether bin Laden’s death could accelerate US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, but added that the war could turn the corner by the end of this year “and more troops could come home.” – Reuters
India’s politician of love
CHENNAI: Kumar Sri Sri wants to bring a bit of love to India’s parliament.
Even in a democracy known for its political diversity, the 35-year-old part-time make-up artist stands out as founder and leader of one of the country’s unlikeliest political groups, the All India Lovers Party (ILP).
Motivated by the prejudices he had to overcome to marry his own wife, Kumar created the ILP in 2008 to support couples who wish to marry despite parental disapproval over differences in caste, religion, and social rank.
Those who stray outside the norm can end up estranged from their parents or, in the worst cases, as victims of “honour killings” carried out by outraged relatives to protect what they see as the family’s reputation and pride.
The ILP’s political platform demands affirmative action in the workplace, as well as free housing and childcare for couples living without family support.
Sitting in the party HQ, a small room papered with political posters in Chennai, the state capital of Tamil Nadu, he boasted how he had helped 25 couples get married in the last three years.
“My goal is that we must get at least 10 people from the party in the national parliament by 2014,” said Kumar, who has an unashamed desire for lasting fame.
“Even after I die, my name should be known, for creating the All India Lovers Party,” he told AFP.
Kumar first tried to make a splash as a movie star.
After dropping out of school in 1989, he headed to Chennai, home to India’s massive Tamil film industry, where he struggled to break into a business where connections count for everything.
“When I left my village I had told everyone I will either come back as a big star, or I won’t return,” he said.
He worked as a waiter in a diner and a video store clerk before finally landing a job in the film studios, as a junior make-up artist.
It was at this time that he met his future wife, Mangadevi, a make-up assistant whose father was a tailor on the film sets.
Laughing, Mangadevi recalls how Kumar “would come by, talk to my father, and leave. Then one day he told me, ‘I love you’.” The couple dated for nearly a decade while they worked and tried to win over Kumar’s parents, who wanted their son to marry someone wealthy.
“My parents wanted a girl who would come with a hefty dowry, maybe 200,000 ($4,500) or 500,000 rupees,” he explained.
Unable to secure his parents’ support, the couple eventually went ahead and got married without telling Kumar’s family.
“It made me realise all the problems lovers face, because their families want them to marry according to caste and money,” Kumar said.
“People laughed when I told them I wanted to create a party for lovers, but I know there are millions of lovers in this country who will vote for me.” The ILP has around 20 volunteers who help paste posters and hand out leaflets, and Kumar claims a 100,000-strong following, although his survey techniques are questionable.
“I know because they call and talk to me. I get at least 15-20 calls a day from people who want to support the party,” he said.
His salary from his two jobs, as a make-up artist and a neighbourhood milkman, pays for the ILP’s running costs.
The party logo is a heart pierced by Cupid’s arrow and, just in case the meaning still isn’t clear, the heart is filled with an image of the world’s most famous monument to love, the Taj Mahal.
A few months after he launched the party, Kumar met Lakshmi, 23, and Srinivasan, 36 — his first success story.
The Chennai-based couple fell in love while working in the same clothing shop, but Srinivasan’s parents objected, citing the vast difference in their social backgrounds.
His father held a coveted government job, working for the railways, while her father was a poor labourer.
Seeing Kumar’s posters around town, Lakshmi’s father got in contact and asked him for help, after which Kumar arranged a meeting with both sets of parents.
“I told them, don’t worry about money, they are both young and they can work hard and make money,” he said.
The couple married in August 2008, with grudging consent from Srinivasan’s parents.
“If we hadn’t met Kumar Sri Sri and we weren’t married now, I can’t imagine how unhappy I would have been,” Lakshmi said.
But not everyone is enamoured of Kumar’s politics.
The conservative Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) party has campaigned against the ILP, objecting in particular to Kumar’s support for Valentine’s Day.
“It’s against our tradition, it’s against our culture, it’s trying to spoil the family system of our nation,” said HMK organising secretary Thomas Kannan.
“We want to nip it in the bud, these type of people,” he said.
It is clearly going to be some time before Kumar’s ambition flowers into political success.
When the ballots were counted Friday in Tamil Nadu’s state election, Kumar had only managed a couple of hundred votes and lost his deposit in the Chennai constituency he contested.
But his enthusiasm was undimmed.
“No problem! It’s my first election, there are many ahead of me.
“One thing I know for sure though is that without love there can be no success. Without love you can’t do anything,” he said. – AFP
Even in a democracy known for its political diversity, the 35-year-old part-time make-up artist stands out as founder and leader of one of the country’s unlikeliest political groups, the All India Lovers Party (ILP).
Motivated by the prejudices he had to overcome to marry his own wife, Kumar created the ILP in 2008 to support couples who wish to marry despite parental disapproval over differences in caste, religion, and social rank.
Those who stray outside the norm can end up estranged from their parents or, in the worst cases, as victims of “honour killings” carried out by outraged relatives to protect what they see as the family’s reputation and pride.
The ILP’s political platform demands affirmative action in the workplace, as well as free housing and childcare for couples living without family support.
Sitting in the party HQ, a small room papered with political posters in Chennai, the state capital of Tamil Nadu, he boasted how he had helped 25 couples get married in the last three years.
“My goal is that we must get at least 10 people from the party in the national parliament by 2014,” said Kumar, who has an unashamed desire for lasting fame.
“Even after I die, my name should be known, for creating the All India Lovers Party,” he told AFP.
Kumar first tried to make a splash as a movie star.
After dropping out of school in 1989, he headed to Chennai, home to India’s massive Tamil film industry, where he struggled to break into a business where connections count for everything.
“When I left my village I had told everyone I will either come back as a big star, or I won’t return,” he said.
He worked as a waiter in a diner and a video store clerk before finally landing a job in the film studios, as a junior make-up artist.
It was at this time that he met his future wife, Mangadevi, a make-up assistant whose father was a tailor on the film sets.
Laughing, Mangadevi recalls how Kumar “would come by, talk to my father, and leave. Then one day he told me, ‘I love you’.” The couple dated for nearly a decade while they worked and tried to win over Kumar’s parents, who wanted their son to marry someone wealthy.
“My parents wanted a girl who would come with a hefty dowry, maybe 200,000 ($4,500) or 500,000 rupees,” he explained.
Unable to secure his parents’ support, the couple eventually went ahead and got married without telling Kumar’s family.
“It made me realise all the problems lovers face, because their families want them to marry according to caste and money,” Kumar said.
“People laughed when I told them I wanted to create a party for lovers, but I know there are millions of lovers in this country who will vote for me.” The ILP has around 20 volunteers who help paste posters and hand out leaflets, and Kumar claims a 100,000-strong following, although his survey techniques are questionable.
“I know because they call and talk to me. I get at least 15-20 calls a day from people who want to support the party,” he said.
His salary from his two jobs, as a make-up artist and a neighbourhood milkman, pays for the ILP’s running costs.
The party logo is a heart pierced by Cupid’s arrow and, just in case the meaning still isn’t clear, the heart is filled with an image of the world’s most famous monument to love, the Taj Mahal.
A few months after he launched the party, Kumar met Lakshmi, 23, and Srinivasan, 36 — his first success story.
The Chennai-based couple fell in love while working in the same clothing shop, but Srinivasan’s parents objected, citing the vast difference in their social backgrounds.
His father held a coveted government job, working for the railways, while her father was a poor labourer.
Seeing Kumar’s posters around town, Lakshmi’s father got in contact and asked him for help, after which Kumar arranged a meeting with both sets of parents.
“I told them, don’t worry about money, they are both young and they can work hard and make money,” he said.
The couple married in August 2008, with grudging consent from Srinivasan’s parents.
“If we hadn’t met Kumar Sri Sri and we weren’t married now, I can’t imagine how unhappy I would have been,” Lakshmi said.
But not everyone is enamoured of Kumar’s politics.
The conservative Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) party has campaigned against the ILP, objecting in particular to Kumar’s support for Valentine’s Day.
“It’s against our tradition, it’s against our culture, it’s trying to spoil the family system of our nation,” said HMK organising secretary Thomas Kannan.
“We want to nip it in the bud, these type of people,” he said.
It is clearly going to be some time before Kumar’s ambition flowers into political success.
When the ballots were counted Friday in Tamil Nadu’s state election, Kumar had only managed a couple of hundred votes and lost his deposit in the Chennai constituency he contested.
But his enthusiasm was undimmed.
“No problem! It’s my first election, there are many ahead of me.
“One thing I know for sure though is that without love there can be no success. Without love you can’t do anything,” he said. – AFP
Osama compound becomes an election issue in US
WASHINGTON: Osama bin Laden`s discovery in a compound in Abbottabad has become an election issue in the United States where at least one candidate for the 2012 presidential election emphasised the need to reassess America`s relations with Pakistan after the discovery.
“When I learned that after paying $20 billion since 9/11, they had been housing him in Pakistan, I kind of forgot what the word `ally` meant,” said presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.
“There is a point when you have to say to people around the world, `How stupid do you think we are?`”
Since President Barack Obama, being the incumbent, does not have to fight for nomination, all the candidates seeking nomination are from the Republican Party. President Obama is assured a ticket from his Democratic Party.
Former Alaska governor and another 2012 possible candidate, Sarah Palin, raised “serious questions that demand answers” about Osama bin Laden`s presence in Pakistan.
In remarks posted on her Sarah-PAC website, Ms Palin, who was a vice presidential candidate in 2008, questioned how long Bin Laden lived in “an affluent city outside Islamabad” and not “in a dark cave in the mountains”. She asked why the “most wanted man in the world” was able to avoid detection and whether Pakistani leaders were assisting him.
“There are lots of questions, lots of questions about the burial, about photos; and those things will certainly be disclosed, we must trust,” she said.
“I said Osama bin Laden was in Pakistan, and I was very loud and clear,” said a third presidential candidate, Donald Trump. “We give Pakistan billions and billions of dollars a year, I said, long before the event took place. `You tell them, we`re not giving you any money unless you hand over to us Osama bin Laden` and nobody else picked it up.”
But Mitt Romney, arguably one of the top contenders for the Republican nomination to face off against President Obama in 2012, sought not to politicise Bin Laden`s.
“I think the killing of Osama bin Laden is an enormous success, and I don`t know if it helps or hurts the president politically, but I really don`t care,” said the former Massachusetts governor.
“The right thing is we got the bad guy, and the nation celebrates that,” Romney added. “We`re all Americans. This is not a Republican or a Democrat thing; this is an American thing.” President Obama, being the incumbent, also has to be careful in using a foreign policy matter as an election issue.
“We think that there had to be some sort of support network for Bin Laden inside of Pakistan. But we don`t know who or what that support network was,” he told an interviewer when asked if he believed Pakistan knew Bin Laden was hiding in Abbottabad.
“When I learned that after paying $20 billion since 9/11, they had been housing him in Pakistan, I kind of forgot what the word `ally` meant,” said presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.
“There is a point when you have to say to people around the world, `How stupid do you think we are?`”
Since President Barack Obama, being the incumbent, does not have to fight for nomination, all the candidates seeking nomination are from the Republican Party. President Obama is assured a ticket from his Democratic Party.
Former Alaska governor and another 2012 possible candidate, Sarah Palin, raised “serious questions that demand answers” about Osama bin Laden`s presence in Pakistan.
In remarks posted on her Sarah-PAC website, Ms Palin, who was a vice presidential candidate in 2008, questioned how long Bin Laden lived in “an affluent city outside Islamabad” and not “in a dark cave in the mountains”. She asked why the “most wanted man in the world” was able to avoid detection and whether Pakistani leaders were assisting him.
“There are lots of questions, lots of questions about the burial, about photos; and those things will certainly be disclosed, we must trust,” she said.
“I said Osama bin Laden was in Pakistan, and I was very loud and clear,” said a third presidential candidate, Donald Trump. “We give Pakistan billions and billions of dollars a year, I said, long before the event took place. `You tell them, we`re not giving you any money unless you hand over to us Osama bin Laden` and nobody else picked it up.”
But Mitt Romney, arguably one of the top contenders for the Republican nomination to face off against President Obama in 2012, sought not to politicise Bin Laden`s.
“I think the killing of Osama bin Laden is an enormous success, and I don`t know if it helps or hurts the president politically, but I really don`t care,” said the former Massachusetts governor.
“The right thing is we got the bad guy, and the nation celebrates that,” Romney added. “We`re all Americans. This is not a Republican or a Democrat thing; this is an American thing.” President Obama, being the incumbent, also has to be careful in using a foreign policy matter as an election issue.
“We think that there had to be some sort of support network for Bin Laden inside of Pakistan. But we don`t know who or what that support network was,” he told an interviewer when asked if he believed Pakistan knew Bin Laden was hiding in Abbottabad.
Cracks in ‘Q’ widen as Muqam quits cabinet
ISLAMABAD: Cracks in the ranks of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q widened on Sunday when president of the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter Amir Muqam who had taken oath on May 2 as minister of production submitted his resignation from the cabinet to the chief of his party, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. Talking to journalists, Mr Muqam said he had taken the extreme step in line with a decision of the party’s provincial general council taken last week because of the failure of the party leadership to meet the promise of sharing with them the written agreement signed with the Pakistan People’s Party.
The PML-Q leader said when negotiations were being held with PPP the party leadership had assured him that their demands for creation of Hazara province and introduction of political reforms in tribal areas would be made part of the agreement with the PPP.
However, he said, the party leadership had not shown him the agreement, forcing him to submit the resignation.
He said he had also informed the leadership about his reservations on other issues. But, he added, he would continue to abide by party decisions and discipline.
The PML-Q leader said that President Asif Ali Zardari had called him earlier in the day and asked him to withdraw his resignation.
Talking to a group of reporters later in the day, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain claimed there was no rift within the party and that Mr Muqam’s reservations would soon be redressed.
He said Mr Muqam had abided by the party discipline by handing over the resignation to him, instead of sending it directly to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Replying to a question, the PML-Q chief said that agreements were not necessarily always written and they were reached verbally, thus clearly indicating that there had been no written agreement between the PPP and the PML-Q.
In reply to another question, Chaudhry Shujaat said the party had decided to join the ruling coalition “in the best national interest” and after carrying out an “extensive consultative process” within the party.
The Chaudhrys of Gujrat are facing a difficult situation because some of the recently-inducted PML-Q ministers were unhappy with what they term their “lowly portfolios” and they have also threatened to resign if their portfolios are not changed.
There is a feeling within a section of the party that the PPP had given them ministries which are set to be devolved to provinces under the 18th Constitution Amendment by the end of next month.
Last week, the prime minister had to change the portfolio of Riaz Pirzada from minorities affairs to health on the request of the Chaudhrys.
Mr Muqam, who was among the seven PML-Q men who had taken oath from President Zardari on May 2 as the federal minister, had threatened last week to resign from the cabinet and given a one-week deadline for the Chaudhrys to meet his demands.
Speaking at the general council of the party’s KP and Fata chapters on May 8, Mr Muqam had asked the party leadership to call a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee to get its approval of the decision to join the PPP-led ruling coalition.
This is the demand being made by dissidents within the party who have been criticising the Chaudhrys for deciding to join the government in haste, without taking party workers and office-bearers into confidence.
Mr Muqam, who is apparently unhappy over bifurcation of the Ministry of Industries and Production and induction of some of his opponents in the cabinet, has also said that the PML-Q would not sit with the Awami National Party in the provincial assembly.
During the last session of the National Assembly, PML-Q MNAs Marvi Memon and Awais Leghari submitted applications to the Speaker for allocation of their seats on opposition benches.
Another group of five dissidents besides members of the breakaway faction of the PML-Q known as “like-minded” has also submitted an application to the Senate chairman for separate seats and has refused to sit on treasury benches.
The PML-Q leader said when negotiations were being held with PPP the party leadership had assured him that their demands for creation of Hazara province and introduction of political reforms in tribal areas would be made part of the agreement with the PPP.
However, he said, the party leadership had not shown him the agreement, forcing him to submit the resignation.
He said he had also informed the leadership about his reservations on other issues. But, he added, he would continue to abide by party decisions and discipline.
The PML-Q leader said that President Asif Ali Zardari had called him earlier in the day and asked him to withdraw his resignation.
Talking to a group of reporters later in the day, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain claimed there was no rift within the party and that Mr Muqam’s reservations would soon be redressed.
He said Mr Muqam had abided by the party discipline by handing over the resignation to him, instead of sending it directly to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Replying to a question, the PML-Q chief said that agreements were not necessarily always written and they were reached verbally, thus clearly indicating that there had been no written agreement between the PPP and the PML-Q.
In reply to another question, Chaudhry Shujaat said the party had decided to join the ruling coalition “in the best national interest” and after carrying out an “extensive consultative process” within the party.
The Chaudhrys of Gujrat are facing a difficult situation because some of the recently-inducted PML-Q ministers were unhappy with what they term their “lowly portfolios” and they have also threatened to resign if their portfolios are not changed.
There is a feeling within a section of the party that the PPP had given them ministries which are set to be devolved to provinces under the 18th Constitution Amendment by the end of next month.
Last week, the prime minister had to change the portfolio of Riaz Pirzada from minorities affairs to health on the request of the Chaudhrys.
Mr Muqam, who was among the seven PML-Q men who had taken oath from President Zardari on May 2 as the federal minister, had threatened last week to resign from the cabinet and given a one-week deadline for the Chaudhrys to meet his demands.
Speaking at the general council of the party’s KP and Fata chapters on May 8, Mr Muqam had asked the party leadership to call a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee to get its approval of the decision to join the PPP-led ruling coalition.
This is the demand being made by dissidents within the party who have been criticising the Chaudhrys for deciding to join the government in haste, without taking party workers and office-bearers into confidence.
Mr Muqam, who is apparently unhappy over bifurcation of the Ministry of Industries and Production and induction of some of his opponents in the cabinet, has also said that the PML-Q would not sit with the Awami National Party in the provincial assembly.
During the last session of the National Assembly, PML-Q MNAs Marvi Memon and Awais Leghari submitted applications to the Speaker for allocation of their seats on opposition benches.
Another group of five dissidents besides members of the breakaway faction of the PML-Q known as “like-minded” has also submitted an application to the Senate chairman for separate seats and has refused to sit on treasury benches.
Kerry arrives with ‘tough message’
ISLAMABAD: With Pak-US relationship at a crossroads, President Barack Obama’s trouble-shooter for Af-Pak region Senator John Kerry landed in Islamabad on Sunday with his toughest yet diplomatic assignment in Pakistan as Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee; this time for assessing if Pakistan could continue to be an ally.
His visit comes at a time when the two countries are possibly facing the worst crisis in their relationship ever since they allied in the war on terror in 2001, which has compelled both sides to reassess the future of ties and parameters of cooperation.
So when Senator Kerry meets President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and other civil and military leaders, he would be asking some frank questions about how they perceive to carry on with the relationship.
According to a TV channel, Mr Kerry met Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
Before leaving the US for Pakistan, Senator Kerry had said he would press Pakistani leadership to demonstrate ‘real commitment to fight terrorism’.
That Mr Kerry hinted at “disturbing evidence” of Pakistani officials’ knowledge of terrorists’ sanctuaries in his pre-departure statement was in itself suggestive of the fact that the Obama administration was now readying to apply squeeze on Pakistan,
notwithstanding some of the supportive statements that had come earlier, soon after Osama bin Laden’s killing in a US raid on May 2.
“Yes, there are insurgents coming across the border, yes they are operating out of North Waziristan and other areas of the sanctuaries, and yes, there is some evidence of Pakistan government knowledge of some of these activities in ways that is
very disturbing,” the influential Senator had said.
Analysts believe that Mr Kerry was the best choice available with President Obama to convey a firm message to Islamabad, which many think would be much similar to President George Bush’s “either you are with us or against us” soon after 9/11.
Mr Kerry is known as a friend of Pakistan in Washington and he isn’t brash even when delivering tough messages.
The calculated manner in which Senator Kerry set the tone for the visit indicates that unlike his previous visits to Islamabad, almost all of which came at crucial junctures, the messaging wouldn’t be all that subtle this time around.
Senior Fellow at Council on Foreign Relations Dr Daniel Markey, replying to a question from Dawn, cautioned that there could be very detrimental effects for the bilateral relationship if Mr Kerry, who lands in Islamabad as somebody supportive of partnership with Pakistan, were to return with a changed mind.
Dr Markey says the sense that Mr Kerry takes with him to Washington would depend on “How he is received. This would be very important. It is not just a matter of tactics or game playing or expressing frustration for political gains. It would have meaning to the relationship and perhaps in very significant ways.”
Dr Markey sees Pakistani politicians, military and intelligence joining together in US critique and fears that “pressure and politics can seize our leaders and force them to say and do things that seem tactically correct and potentially beneficial, but then are counter-productive”.
A joint sitting of parliament through a resolution after an in camera session on the Abbottabad US raid urged the “government to revisit and review its terms of engagement with the United States, with a view to ensuring that Pakistan’s national interests are fully respected and accommodated in pursuit of policies for countering terrorism and achieving reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan.”
Reuters adds: Senator Kerry will press Pakistani leaders for answers on Osama bin Laden but he will be keen to ensure Pakistani anger over the raid does not subvert vital security cooperation.
Pakistan might be a tricky ally but it is vital to US efforts to combat militants and to efforts to stabilise Afghanistan, where US forces depend on Pakistani supply lines for water, food, fuel and other essentials.
But officials in Pakistan’s civilian government said security cooperation with the United States would go on.
“There is difference of opinion but we’ll continue our cooperation with the world as well as the United States,” said one senior government official who declined to be identified.
The United States is likely to seek Pakistani help in an investigation into an imam of a Florida mosque and his two sons, arrested in the US on Saturday on charges of financing the Pakistani Taliban.
Three others charged were living in Pakistan, US officials said. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it had yet to get a request for help but was ready to assist.
“As far as countering terrorism is concerned, there has been constant cooperation with the United States and there is no suspension of it,” said ministry spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua.
Mr Kerry told reporters in Afghanistan at the weekend that serious questions remained after the killing of Bin Laden.
The United States wanted Pakistan to be a “real” ally in combating militants, and while it needed to improve its efforts, the death of Bin Laden provided a critical chance to move forward, he said.
“We obviously want a Pakistan that is prepared to respect the interests of Afghanistan, and to be a real ally in our efforts to combat terrorism,” Mr Kerry told reporters in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
“We believe there are things that can be done better,” he said. “But we’re not trying to find a way to break the relationship apart, we’re trying to find a way to build it.”
The US administration has not accused Pakistan of complicity in hiding Bin Laden but has said he must have had some sort of support network, which it wants to uncover.
Mr Kerry said earlier it was “extraordinarily hard to believe” Bin Laden could have been in Pakistan for so long without any knowledge.
His visit comes at a time when the two countries are possibly facing the worst crisis in their relationship ever since they allied in the war on terror in 2001, which has compelled both sides to reassess the future of ties and parameters of cooperation.
So when Senator Kerry meets President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and other civil and military leaders, he would be asking some frank questions about how they perceive to carry on with the relationship.
According to a TV channel, Mr Kerry met Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
Before leaving the US for Pakistan, Senator Kerry had said he would press Pakistani leadership to demonstrate ‘real commitment to fight terrorism’.
That Mr Kerry hinted at “disturbing evidence” of Pakistani officials’ knowledge of terrorists’ sanctuaries in his pre-departure statement was in itself suggestive of the fact that the Obama administration was now readying to apply squeeze on Pakistan,
notwithstanding some of the supportive statements that had come earlier, soon after Osama bin Laden’s killing in a US raid on May 2.
“Yes, there are insurgents coming across the border, yes they are operating out of North Waziristan and other areas of the sanctuaries, and yes, there is some evidence of Pakistan government knowledge of some of these activities in ways that is
very disturbing,” the influential Senator had said.
Analysts believe that Mr Kerry was the best choice available with President Obama to convey a firm message to Islamabad, which many think would be much similar to President George Bush’s “either you are with us or against us” soon after 9/11.
Mr Kerry is known as a friend of Pakistan in Washington and he isn’t brash even when delivering tough messages.
The calculated manner in which Senator Kerry set the tone for the visit indicates that unlike his previous visits to Islamabad, almost all of which came at crucial junctures, the messaging wouldn’t be all that subtle this time around.
Senior Fellow at Council on Foreign Relations Dr Daniel Markey, replying to a question from Dawn, cautioned that there could be very detrimental effects for the bilateral relationship if Mr Kerry, who lands in Islamabad as somebody supportive of partnership with Pakistan, were to return with a changed mind.
Dr Markey says the sense that Mr Kerry takes with him to Washington would depend on “How he is received. This would be very important. It is not just a matter of tactics or game playing or expressing frustration for political gains. It would have meaning to the relationship and perhaps in very significant ways.”
Dr Markey sees Pakistani politicians, military and intelligence joining together in US critique and fears that “pressure and politics can seize our leaders and force them to say and do things that seem tactically correct and potentially beneficial, but then are counter-productive”.
A joint sitting of parliament through a resolution after an in camera session on the Abbottabad US raid urged the “government to revisit and review its terms of engagement with the United States, with a view to ensuring that Pakistan’s national interests are fully respected and accommodated in pursuit of policies for countering terrorism and achieving reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan.”
Reuters adds: Senator Kerry will press Pakistani leaders for answers on Osama bin Laden but he will be keen to ensure Pakistani anger over the raid does not subvert vital security cooperation.
Pakistan might be a tricky ally but it is vital to US efforts to combat militants and to efforts to stabilise Afghanistan, where US forces depend on Pakistani supply lines for water, food, fuel and other essentials.
But officials in Pakistan’s civilian government said security cooperation with the United States would go on.
“There is difference of opinion but we’ll continue our cooperation with the world as well as the United States,” said one senior government official who declined to be identified.
The United States is likely to seek Pakistani help in an investigation into an imam of a Florida mosque and his two sons, arrested in the US on Saturday on charges of financing the Pakistani Taliban.
Three others charged were living in Pakistan, US officials said. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it had yet to get a request for help but was ready to assist.
“As far as countering terrorism is concerned, there has been constant cooperation with the United States and there is no suspension of it,” said ministry spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua.
Mr Kerry told reporters in Afghanistan at the weekend that serious questions remained after the killing of Bin Laden.
The United States wanted Pakistan to be a “real” ally in combating militants, and while it needed to improve its efforts, the death of Bin Laden provided a critical chance to move forward, he said.
“We obviously want a Pakistan that is prepared to respect the interests of Afghanistan, and to be a real ally in our efforts to combat terrorism,” Mr Kerry told reporters in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
“We believe there are things that can be done better,” he said. “But we’re not trying to find a way to break the relationship apart, we’re trying to find a way to build it.”
The US administration has not accused Pakistan of complicity in hiding Bin Laden but has said he must have had some sort of support network, which it wants to uncover.
Mr Kerry said earlier it was “extraordinarily hard to believe” Bin Laden could have been in Pakistan for so long without any knowledge.
Pakistan go down fighting against Australia
KARACHI: Pakistan put up an impressive fight against Australia as they lost the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 3-2 to the world champions.
Australia sealed the win with a golden goal in the 83rd minute courtesy of Christopher Ciriello who also scored the opening goal of the match during which Pakistan were left trailing twice but equalized through Sohail Abbas and Rehan Butt. Australia grabbed the lead the second time through Glenn Turner.
Australia were awarded their first penalty corner in the 7th minute but Pakistan’s goal keeper Imran Shah made a good save to deny Ciriello. The save from Shah was in vain as Ciriello scored in the 12th minute through another penalty corner.
After Australia had the lead, Pakistan were looking dangerous and Butt’s rebound shot off Mohammad Rizwan’s attempt was saved by George Bazeley followed by another attempt by Haseem Khan which was sent wide into the side netting.
The Green Shirts’ first penalty corner which came in the 28th minute was wasted as Abbas failed to score. However, two minutes later, Pakistan were awarded another penalty corner and Abbas made no mistake as he scored the equalizer.
Minutes before half time, Australia were awarded another penalty corner which they failed to convert.
Australia grabbed the lead in the second half through Turner in the 44th minute minutes after which Butt missed a sitter. But soon Butt got a chance to make amends for his miss when he equalized through a penalty corner in the 62nd minute.
Australia were denied once more by Shah before the match went into extra time with the score tied at 2-2.
Australia’s first penalty corner in extra time was well saved by Shah who made another brilliant save off Turner’s shot to help the Green Shirts hold on. Pakistan’s chance to win came in the 78th minute but it was wasted as Mohammad Imran’s strike was saved by Bazeley.
Australia wrapped up the final and were crowned champions in the 83rd minute as Ciriello scored from a penalty corner.
Pakistan had started off their tournament with two successive wins against New Zealand and South Korea followed by successive defeats against Great Britain and Australia after which they came out on top against India and Malaysia to reach the final.
Pakistan’s former Olympian Samiullah praised Pakistan’s performance and said that the Green Shirts had put up a marvelous performance.
“Australia is the best team in the world, however it was very good to see the green-shirts perform brilliantly against them and took the game into extra-time, which frankly I didnt expected from them” Samiullah told PPI.
“Australia won through the golden goal and in that phase the match could have gone either way and I think it was only bad luck for Pakistan as they lost in extra-time, otherwise Pakistan was the better side in the final” he added.
Australia sealed the win with a golden goal in the 83rd minute courtesy of Christopher Ciriello who also scored the opening goal of the match during which Pakistan were left trailing twice but equalized through Sohail Abbas and Rehan Butt. Australia grabbed the lead the second time through Glenn Turner.
Australia were awarded their first penalty corner in the 7th minute but Pakistan’s goal keeper Imran Shah made a good save to deny Ciriello. The save from Shah was in vain as Ciriello scored in the 12th minute through another penalty corner.
After Australia had the lead, Pakistan were looking dangerous and Butt’s rebound shot off Mohammad Rizwan’s attempt was saved by George Bazeley followed by another attempt by Haseem Khan which was sent wide into the side netting.
The Green Shirts’ first penalty corner which came in the 28th minute was wasted as Abbas failed to score. However, two minutes later, Pakistan were awarded another penalty corner and Abbas made no mistake as he scored the equalizer.
Minutes before half time, Australia were awarded another penalty corner which they failed to convert.
Australia grabbed the lead in the second half through Turner in the 44th minute minutes after which Butt missed a sitter. But soon Butt got a chance to make amends for his miss when he equalized through a penalty corner in the 62nd minute.
Australia were denied once more by Shah before the match went into extra time with the score tied at 2-2.
Australia’s first penalty corner in extra time was well saved by Shah who made another brilliant save off Turner’s shot to help the Green Shirts hold on. Pakistan’s chance to win came in the 78th minute but it was wasted as Mohammad Imran’s strike was saved by Bazeley.
Australia wrapped up the final and were crowned champions in the 83rd minute as Ciriello scored from a penalty corner.
Pakistan had started off their tournament with two successive wins against New Zealand and South Korea followed by successive defeats against Great Britain and Australia after which they came out on top against India and Malaysia to reach the final.
Pakistan’s former Olympian Samiullah praised Pakistan’s performance and said that the Green Shirts had put up a marvelous performance.
“Australia is the best team in the world, however it was very good to see the green-shirts perform brilliantly against them and took the game into extra-time, which frankly I didnt expected from them” Samiullah told PPI.
“Australia won through the golden goal and in that phase the match could have gone either way and I think it was only bad luck for Pakistan as they lost in extra-time, otherwise Pakistan was the better side in the final” he added.
Manchester United crowned English champions for the 19th time
LONDON: Wayne Rooney scored the goal that gave Manchester United a record 19th English title in a 1-1 draw away to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday.
United needed just a point from this game to regain the Premier League title from Chelsea and they got it when England striker Rooney scored from the penalty spot 17 minutes from time after Rovers keeper Paul Robinson brought down Javier Hernandez.
Australia’s Brett Emerton had fired Rovers, still not certain of top-flight survival, into a 20th minute lead before Rooney settled United’s nerves with a powerful spot-kick.
The result gave United, now in sole possession of a record they had shared with arch-rivals Liverpool an unassailable seven-point lead at the top of the English Premier League table, with closest pursuers Chelsea only able to win a maximum of six points from their two remaining matches.
At the other end of the table, Wolves climbed a point clear of the relegation zone after a 3-1 win away to Sunderland.
Former Sunderland defender Jody Craddock gave Wolves a 22nd minute lead on his return to the Stadium of Light before a failure to clear a corner allowed Stephane Sessegnon to smash home a 34th minute equaliser at the far post.
But Matt Jarvis, a half-time substitute, provided the cross from the right that allowed Steven Fletcher to head Wolves in at the far post.
George Elokobi sealed Wolves’ victory with a header 12 minutes from time.
Blackpool – who started the day in the bottom three – remained in the relegation zone despite a dramatic 4-3 win at home to Bolton Wanderers ahead of their final game of the season away to Manchester United next weekend.
But victory put them level on 39 points with Birmingham, ahead of the Blues’ match against Fulham on Sunday.
Five goals came in a frantic first half at Bloomfield Road with striker Kevin Davies firing visitors Bolton into a second minute lead only for Blackpool forward DJ Campbell to equalise seven minutes later.
Campbell then teed-up strike partner Jason Puncheon in the 19th minute as Blackpool went 2-1 in front.
But a defence that had conceded 71 league goals this season before this match kicked-off could not deny Bolton an equaliser through Matt Taylor’s angled shot.
However, on the stroke of half-time, Campbell scored his second when he turned in Charlie Adam’s cross.
Bolton though were back on level terms at 3-3 when Daniel Sturridge headed in Lee Chung-Yong’s cross in the 53rd minute.
There was yet another twist when Adam, who led a sweeping counter-attack, shot past Jussi Jaaskelainen from 15 yards to put Blackpool 4-3 in front with just under half an hour left.
Saturday’s other match saw West Brom beat Everton 1-0, Youssouf Mulumbu scoring the only goal of the game at The Hawthorns in the 10th minute before the Toffees’ Russian substitute, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, was sent-off minutes after coming on for a challenge on James Morrison.
Basement club West Ham are away to second-bottom Wigan on Sunday where defeat for the Hammers will see them relegated.
Sunday also sees Chelsea at home to Newcastle while Arsenal, still not assured of third place, face Aston Villa as Europa Cup League place rivals Liverpool and Tottenham clash at Anfield.
Manchester City and Stoke, who meet in the FA Cup final at Wembley later on Saturday, face each other again in the league at Eastlands on Tuesday.
United needed just a point from this game to regain the Premier League title from Chelsea and they got it when England striker Rooney scored from the penalty spot 17 minutes from time after Rovers keeper Paul Robinson brought down Javier Hernandez.
Australia’s Brett Emerton had fired Rovers, still not certain of top-flight survival, into a 20th minute lead before Rooney settled United’s nerves with a powerful spot-kick.
The result gave United, now in sole possession of a record they had shared with arch-rivals Liverpool an unassailable seven-point lead at the top of the English Premier League table, with closest pursuers Chelsea only able to win a maximum of six points from their two remaining matches.
At the other end of the table, Wolves climbed a point clear of the relegation zone after a 3-1 win away to Sunderland.
Former Sunderland defender Jody Craddock gave Wolves a 22nd minute lead on his return to the Stadium of Light before a failure to clear a corner allowed Stephane Sessegnon to smash home a 34th minute equaliser at the far post.
But Matt Jarvis, a half-time substitute, provided the cross from the right that allowed Steven Fletcher to head Wolves in at the far post.
George Elokobi sealed Wolves’ victory with a header 12 minutes from time.
Blackpool – who started the day in the bottom three – remained in the relegation zone despite a dramatic 4-3 win at home to Bolton Wanderers ahead of their final game of the season away to Manchester United next weekend.
But victory put them level on 39 points with Birmingham, ahead of the Blues’ match against Fulham on Sunday.
Five goals came in a frantic first half at Bloomfield Road with striker Kevin Davies firing visitors Bolton into a second minute lead only for Blackpool forward DJ Campbell to equalise seven minutes later.
Campbell then teed-up strike partner Jason Puncheon in the 19th minute as Blackpool went 2-1 in front.
But a defence that had conceded 71 league goals this season before this match kicked-off could not deny Bolton an equaliser through Matt Taylor’s angled shot.
However, on the stroke of half-time, Campbell scored his second when he turned in Charlie Adam’s cross.
Bolton though were back on level terms at 3-3 when Daniel Sturridge headed in Lee Chung-Yong’s cross in the 53rd minute.
There was yet another twist when Adam, who led a sweeping counter-attack, shot past Jussi Jaaskelainen from 15 yards to put Blackpool 4-3 in front with just under half an hour left.
Saturday’s other match saw West Brom beat Everton 1-0, Youssouf Mulumbu scoring the only goal of the game at The Hawthorns in the 10th minute before the Toffees’ Russian substitute, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, was sent-off minutes after coming on for a challenge on James Morrison.
Basement club West Ham are away to second-bottom Wigan on Sunday where defeat for the Hammers will see them relegated.
Sunday also sees Chelsea at home to Newcastle while Arsenal, still not assured of third place, face Aston Villa as Europa Cup League place rivals Liverpool and Tottenham clash at Anfield.
Manchester City and Stoke, who meet in the FA Cup final at Wembley later on Saturday, face each other again in the league at Eastlands on Tuesday.
Former Pakistan spinner held over IPL bets
LAHORE, Pakistan: Former Pakistan Test spinner Akram Raza, fined in a match-fixing inquiry eleven years ago, was arrested over betting on lucrative Indian league matches, police said Sunday.
The 46-year-old Raza, who played nine Tests and 49 one-day internationals for Pakistan, was one of seven men arrested from a busy Lahore shopping area when police raided a gang of bookmakers who were taking illegal bets on Indian Premier League (IPL) games.
“Seven men were arrested after a tip-off that they were taking bets on IPL matches, and one of them has been identified as Raza, a former Pakistan player,” a police officer at Gulberg police station, who did not want to be named, told AFP.
Police said they recovered telephone sets, computers, televisions and a large amount of money in the raid, and will charge the arrested men later Sunday.
Raza, who currently stands as umpire in Pakistan’s domestic matches, was one of six Pakistan players fined in a match-fixing inquiry conducted by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum in 2000.
The former off-spinner was regarded as a close friend of former Pakistan captain Salim Malik, who was banned for life by the Qayyum inquiry. Former paceman Ata-ur-Rehman was also handed a life ban.
Pakistan’s government ordered the inquiry after Australian players Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and Tim May accused Malik of offering them bribes during Australia’s tour to Pakistan in 1995.
Raza, who made his debut in the same series in which Indian master batsman Sachin Tendulkar started his Test career in 1989 in Pakistan, was also part of the team in that series against Australia.
Match-fixing has rocked Pakistan cricket since the accusations by the Australian trio.
Three Pakistani players — Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer — were handed lengthy bans by the International Cricket Council in February this year over claims of spot-fixing in last year’s Lord’s Test against England.
The trio also faces criminal charges in United Kingdom, a hearing for which is scheduled for May 20.
The 46-year-old Raza, who played nine Tests and 49 one-day internationals for Pakistan, was one of seven men arrested from a busy Lahore shopping area when police raided a gang of bookmakers who were taking illegal bets on Indian Premier League (IPL) games.
“Seven men were arrested after a tip-off that they were taking bets on IPL matches, and one of them has been identified as Raza, a former Pakistan player,” a police officer at Gulberg police station, who did not want to be named, told AFP.
Police said they recovered telephone sets, computers, televisions and a large amount of money in the raid, and will charge the arrested men later Sunday.
Raza, who currently stands as umpire in Pakistan’s domestic matches, was one of six Pakistan players fined in a match-fixing inquiry conducted by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum in 2000.
The former off-spinner was regarded as a close friend of former Pakistan captain Salim Malik, who was banned for life by the Qayyum inquiry. Former paceman Ata-ur-Rehman was also handed a life ban.
Pakistan’s government ordered the inquiry after Australian players Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and Tim May accused Malik of offering them bribes during Australia’s tour to Pakistan in 1995.
Raza, who made his debut in the same series in which Indian master batsman Sachin Tendulkar started his Test career in 1989 in Pakistan, was also part of the team in that series against Australia.
Match-fixing has rocked Pakistan cricket since the accusations by the Australian trio.
Three Pakistani players — Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer — were handed lengthy bans by the International Cricket Council in February this year over claims of spot-fixing in last year’s Lord’s Test against England.
The trio also faces criminal charges in United Kingdom, a hearing for which is scheduled for May 20.
Bin Laden was a US prisoner before being killed: Ahmadinejad
TEHRAN: Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was a prisoner in US custody for “sometime” before he was killed by the American military, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday.
“I have exact information that bin Laden was held by the American military for sometime… until the day they killed him he was a prisoner held by them,” the hardline president said in a live interview on Iranian state television.
“Please pay attention. This is important. He was held by them for sometime.
They made him sick and while he was sick they killed him,” Ahmadinejad added.
He accused US President Barack Obama for announcing the Al Qaeda leader’s death for “political gain.” “What the US president has done is for domestic political gain. In other words, they killed him for Mr Obama’s election and now they are seeking to replace him with someone else,” Ahmadinejad said without elaborating.
Bin Laden was shot dead on May 2 in a US commando raid on a heavily fortified compound near Islamabad, Pakistan.
On May 4, Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi too had cast doubt on bin Laden’s death, saying there were “ambiguities” over the way he was killed.
The Americans said they threw his body in the sea. “Why did they not allowed an independent expert to examine the body to say if it was bin Laden or not?” Vahidi said.
Shia Iran has always considered Al Qaeda as a Sunni ultra-radical and anti-Shia threat to its security.
Ahmadinejad further said that Tehran is “ready for a dialogue” with the world powers on the nuclear issue and hopes that future meetings will yield results.
“The best solution is cooperation,” Ahmadinejad insisted in the interview on state television. “We hope that in future meetings (with world powers) if they occur, we get faster results.” He criticised the West’s muted reaction to the letter sent by Iran in early May to European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton proposing resumption of talks over Tehran’s nuclear issue.
A spokeswoman for Ashton earlier this week said that Iran’s letter “does not contain anything new and does not seem to justify a further meeting”between the six world powers and Iran.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany represented by Ashton are engaged in a dialogue with Iran over the latter’s controversial nuclear programme which the world powers suspect is masking a weapons drive.
Iran denies the charge.
“I was surprised to hear that Ashton has taken such a position. We have stated our readiness for a dialogue in various fields based on mutual respect, within the framework of international laws and in a spirit of cooperation,”Ahmadinejad said Sunday.
“Maybe Ashton expects that we have to accept her position when we have a dialogue. But then this is not a dialogue, this is a diktat.”An attempt to resume nuclear talks between the two groups in December and in January ended in a failure, with both sides sticking to their positions.
While the world powers want to focus on the Iranian nuclear programme, Tehran wants to expand the discussions to issues such as global security, global nuclear disarmament, the possession of nuclear weapons by Israel and the right of all countries to civilian nuclear cooperation. – AFP
“I have exact information that bin Laden was held by the American military for sometime… until the day they killed him he was a prisoner held by them,” the hardline president said in a live interview on Iranian state television.
“Please pay attention. This is important. He was held by them for sometime.
They made him sick and while he was sick they killed him,” Ahmadinejad added.
He accused US President Barack Obama for announcing the Al Qaeda leader’s death for “political gain.” “What the US president has done is for domestic political gain. In other words, they killed him for Mr Obama’s election and now they are seeking to replace him with someone else,” Ahmadinejad said without elaborating.
Bin Laden was shot dead on May 2 in a US commando raid on a heavily fortified compound near Islamabad, Pakistan.
On May 4, Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi too had cast doubt on bin Laden’s death, saying there were “ambiguities” over the way he was killed.
The Americans said they threw his body in the sea. “Why did they not allowed an independent expert to examine the body to say if it was bin Laden or not?” Vahidi said.
Shia Iran has always considered Al Qaeda as a Sunni ultra-radical and anti-Shia threat to its security.
Ahmadinejad further said that Tehran is “ready for a dialogue” with the world powers on the nuclear issue and hopes that future meetings will yield results.
“The best solution is cooperation,” Ahmadinejad insisted in the interview on state television. “We hope that in future meetings (with world powers) if they occur, we get faster results.” He criticised the West’s muted reaction to the letter sent by Iran in early May to European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton proposing resumption of talks over Tehran’s nuclear issue.
A spokeswoman for Ashton earlier this week said that Iran’s letter “does not contain anything new and does not seem to justify a further meeting”between the six world powers and Iran.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany represented by Ashton are engaged in a dialogue with Iran over the latter’s controversial nuclear programme which the world powers suspect is masking a weapons drive.
Iran denies the charge.
“I was surprised to hear that Ashton has taken such a position. We have stated our readiness for a dialogue in various fields based on mutual respect, within the framework of international laws and in a spirit of cooperation,”Ahmadinejad said Sunday.
“Maybe Ashton expects that we have to accept her position when we have a dialogue. But then this is not a dialogue, this is a diktat.”An attempt to resume nuclear talks between the two groups in December and in January ended in a failure, with both sides sticking to their positions.
While the world powers want to focus on the Iranian nuclear programme, Tehran wants to expand the discussions to issues such as global security, global nuclear disarmament, the possession of nuclear weapons by Israel and the right of all countries to civilian nuclear cooperation. – AFP
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