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Tuesday, 5 July 2016

Time for Giggs to stand on his own feet: Ferguson

LONDON: Ryan Giggs did the right thing leaving Manchester United, the club he served so loyally for nearly 30 years, his mentor Alex Ferguson said on Monday.
Ferguson, 74, and who guided Giggs and United to 13 Premier League title successes, two Champions League wins, four FA Cup triumphs and four League Cup crowns before retiring in 2013, added he felt Giggs possessed the qualities to make it as a manager.
Giggs, 42, and presently in France as a TV pundit where his compatriots face a Euro 2016 semi-final with Portugal on Wednesday, left the club on Saturday after manager Jose Mourinho said he wanted long-time associate Rui Faria to be his assistant manager which meant a different role for the former Welsh wing.
Giggs, who made a record 963 appearances for United, had been assistant manager under Mourinho's predecessor Louis van Gaal.
“It is time Ryan stood on his own feet, got out there and accepted the challenge,” Ferguson, the man who gave Giggs his debut, told the BBC.
“I talk about his poker face. He has a bit of steel about him.
“It is such a highly intense results industry, you need people who go into it to have a bit of steel about them, a bit of character and personality.”
Ferguson, who has had to watch from the sidelines as both David Moyes and van Gaal failed to build on his legacy and seen United drop away from title contention, said it was understandable Mourinho would bring his own faithful lieutenant with him.
“You have got to have, in your assistant, someone you have trusted all your life,” said Ferguson.
“When I came to United, I brought Archie Knox because he was a valuable person for me. I trusted him 100%. Jose Mourinho has had his assistant for years and, quite rightly, has stuck by his own man.
“If Jose hadn't had an assistant, I know he would have taken Ryan.”
Ferguson, who has unlike fellow United legend and director Bobby Charlton always been a fan of the volatile Mourinho, said he hoped Giggs chose his first management job wisely.
“I think he is ready to manage and he has a lot of quality,” said Ferguson.
“He doesn't want to spoil that quality by going to a club where it is sacking a manager every two minutes.”
As for when he first saw him as a teenager Ferguson said he had no doubts Giggs would develop into a superb player.
“You knew right away... the way he ran over the ground,” said Ferguson.
“I referred to it like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind. His feet never seemed to touch the ground.”
Posted by at 03:50:00 0 comments

Analysis: Govt can breathe freely, for now

FOR the nine-party opposition bloc, the parliamentary committee on Panama papers has hit a dead end unless the government significantly reviews its stance. To put pressure on the government, both PPP and PTI have filed separate references against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Since the prime minister has publicly admitted that his three children own properties which he never mentioned in his declaration of assets, the two main opposition parties are of the view that Mr Sharif should be disqualified. Separately, leaders of the PPP and PTI have declared that they also intend to take their cases to the Supreme Court if the ECP fails to address the questions they have raised against the prime minister and members of his family.
The leaders of the two parties contend that as far as formulation of the terms of reference (ToR) for an investigation is concerned, the ball lies in the government’s court now as they would not relent on their demand of an investigation against the prime minister, along with his children, for owning offshore companies. On the other hand, the government line is that since foreign properties and companies are in the name of Nawaz Sharif’s children, only they can be investigated.
The question arises what could be the possible scenario if the ToR committee is dead, ECP incomplete and the Supreme Court unwilling to intervene unless political parties forge a consensus over the nature of the inquiry? According to a key PTI leader, who requested anonymity, his party leadership had absolutely no doubt that in the end it was Imran Khan who will hit the streets against the government.
At a TV talk show, PPP General Secretary Latif Khosa said his party leadership had asked him to prepare a separate reference to be filed with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) after Eid.
Legally speaking, all these options constitute no threat to the government. With the completion of the tenures of its provincial members last month, the ECP at the moment is completely a non-functional entity. After facing relentless criticism following the May 2013 general elections, especially by the PTI leadership, the ECP is wary of getting into any fresh controversy.
Until the new provincial members of the ECP are appointed, the commission has even refused to hold by-elections. “Therefore, if somebody thinks or believes that the ECP will take any action on the PPP and PTI references, he must be out of his/her mind,” commented a mid-level ECP official while talking to Dawn. He added that even a complete election commission would have stayed away from these politically sensitive cases.
Likewise, in background discussions insiders from the two parties say they believe that the ECP option has been used just to exhaust available legal means so that if tomorrow they decide to hit the streets, they could argue that they did approach the commission but to no avail.
More or less same goes for the Supreme Court. In its reply to the government’s request to set up an inquiry commission, the top court had said between the lines that until there was a broad political consensus among major parties, it’s difficult for the proposed commission to probe as thorny an issue as that of the Panama papers.
The Supreme Court had adopted the same stance when the government wanted an inquiry commission of its choice to investigate the last general elections, until the two sides—PML-N and PTI—agreed upon a special commission set up through a presidential ordinance. The parliamentary committee on Panama Papers was actually meant to have a special commission, but so far it has failed to reach an agreement over the proposed investigations.

Ambivalent PPP

On a question about the PPP’s current belligerence towards the government and an unequivocal stance that the Panama probe must begin from the prime minister, the PTI leader said Asif Ali Zardari and his aides might further harden their position, but would resist the launch of an anti-government campaign.
“When was the last time the PPP launched an agitation against the government,” wondered the PTI leader, claiming that at the moment only Imran Khan had the charisma to attract big crowds and he would like to do on his own. However, he added, the party would welcome all political forces which were willing to join the anti-corruption struggle.
A senior PPP leader conceded that the party leadership was certainly in no hurry to hold rallies against the government. However, in the same breath, he offered a word of caution to the PTI leadership that the moment they distanced themselves from the PPP over the Panama papers issue, the government would heave a sigh of relief.
All said and done, political insiders and analysts agree on one point: regardless of what the PPP and PTI leaderships decide to do in the coming days, Panamagate is certainly going to be a watershed moment in the country’s political history. It will determine the new political configuration as well as the future of the PML-N government.
Posted by at 03:46:00 0 comments

Pakistani man carried out bombing near US consulate in Jeddah: Saudi ministry

RIYADH: A suicide bomber who blew himself up near the United States consulate in Jeddah early Monday has been identified as a Pakistani citizen, the Saudi interior ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry identified the man as 35-year-old Abdullah Gulzar Khan, who worked as a driver in the kingdom.
Khan had been living with his wife and her parents in Jeddah for 12 years, the interior ministry said in a tweet.
Early on Monday, security officers became suspicious of a man near the parking lot of Dr Suleiman Faqeeh Hospital in Jeddah, which is directly across from the US diplomatic mission.
When they moved in to investigate “he blew himself up with a suicide belt inside the hospital parking”. Two security officers were lightly injured in the incident.
Interior ministry spokesman General Mansour al-Turki had told state Al-Ekhbaria news channel that the bomber was closer to a mosque in the area than to the consulate.
The ministry said in the statement published on the official SPA news agency that the bomber's explosive belt had “partially” exploded.
The US embassy in Riyadh reported no injuries among the consulate staff.
A picture carried by the Sabq online newspaper, which is close to authorities, showed a large body part lying on the ground between a taxi and the open door of another car that was peppered with holes. The attack coincided with the US July 4 Independence Day holiday.

Gen Raheel condemns Saudi attacks

Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif on Tuesday called Saudi Defence Minister Prince Muhammad bin Salman over phone and condemned terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia.
An Inter-Services Public Relations communique said the army cheif sympathised with the families of attack victims, adding, "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Saudi brothers in fighting the menace of terrorism."

Multiple attacks

The bombing in Jeddah was the first of three attacks to have hit the kingdom on the same day.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the bombings one of which, at the Masjid-i-Nabawi (PBUH) in Madina, left four members of the security forces dead and others wounded.
Since late 2014 Saudi Arabia has been hit by bombings and shootings claimed by the militant Islamic State (IS) group but multiple attacks on the same day are unusual.
The Prophet's Mosque, in the west of the kingdom, is one of Islam's holiest sites — where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is buried and which attracts millions of visitors each year.
The Prophet's Mosque is particularly crowded during Ramazan, which is supposed to be a time of charity but has seen spectacular attacks around the region.
Undeterred by the blast at the sprawling Madina mosque complex, thousands of worshippers performed prayers on Monday night, live Saudi television showed.
Extremists from IS claimed, or were blamed for, a suicide bombing in theIraqi capital Baghdad on Sunday that killed more than 200 people as well as attacks in Bangladesh Friday night and at Istanbul's Ataturk airport last week.
Monday's bombings in Madina and at near a Shia mosque in Qatif took place simultaneously.
Posted by at 03:42:00 0 comments

Eastern route not part of economic corridor, claims NHA chief

ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the National Highway Authority (NHA) Shahid Ashraf Tarar has given a new twist to the controversy over the eastern and western routes of the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) by claiming that the eastern route is not part of the project.
“The actual corridor comprises the western route whereas the eastern route is aimed at improving the existing north-to-south motorway connectivity,” he said while talking to Dawn.
The claim made by the NHA chief is significant amid strong criticism by opposition parties that the government had given priority to the eastern route of the CPEC and ignored the western route.
Some standing committees of the Senate and National Assembly have also raised concern over the government’s attitude towards the western route that starts from Burhan on Peshawar-Islamabad motorway and, after moving through Dera Ismail Khan, Zhob, Quetta, Surab and Hoshab, ends at Gwadar.
“It is a misconception that the route named as eastern route is part of the CPEC. Rather it is the NHA’s own project aimed at improving motorway connectivity to share traffic burden of the corridor,” Mr Tarar said.
He said some of the missing portions of motorway connectivity would be constructed by the NHA, simultaneously with the western route, in three years.
A recent report of the Senate’s Special Standing Committee on the CPEC said the government was giving priority to the eastern route of the corridor while ignoring the western one.
But the NHA chief said most of the western route-related projects would be completed in two years and those on the so- called eastern route in three years.
“We have split construction of a 285km road between Halka, an area near Islamabad, and Dera Ismail Khan into five parts to ensure that the work is completed in two years.”
He said Halka-Dera Ismail Khan road was the biggest missing link in the proposed western route, which would be completed by Aug 2018.
He said contracts for three of the five parts of the highway had been awarded to the National Logistic Cell, the Frontier Works Organisation and a joint venture of a Chinese firm, Limak, and a local company, ZKB.
The Senate committee’s report said the China-Pakistan Joint Cooperation Committee on the CPEC had excluded the western route from the project. But a document containing minutes of 5th meeting of the committee held on Nov 2015 says: “The two sides have reached consensus on the principle of one corridor with multiple passages for CPEC transport planning, aiming at directly benefiting social-economic development of Pakistan, particularly the western route and north-western regions.”

Project cost

The NHA chief cleared an ambiguity about the cost of the CPEC and Chinese investment in it and said the cost of the project would be borne by the government of Pakistan, local investment on a build-operate-transfer basis, the Chinese government and international donors.
Of the $46bn, he said, $35bn would be invested by international power companies and $11bn would be spent on road projects, including $4 to $5bn local investment. The remaining amount will be invested by the Chinese government and international donors.
The local investment will also cover projects like development of Gwadar city, port and airport, a railway line project called ML-I, a road project in Gwadar called East Way Express, etc.
He said the investment of $11bn had been proposed for short-term or early harvest projects which would be completed in three to five years. The remaining amount will be utilised for medium- and long-term projects which will be completed within five to 10 years and 10 to 15 years.
One of the long-term projects is the widening of 533km two-lane Dera Ismail Khan-Quetta road. Under the project, the road will be turned into a four-lane carriageway. Its feasibility study is being carried out by the National Engineering Services of Pakistan.

Land acquisition

The NHA chairman said land was being acquired for the western route-related projects in phases. A study has been carried by his department under which land for the six-lane road and 100m right-of-way will be acquired to meet future requirements.
About the proposed power generation projects and economic zones along the western route of the CPEC, he said once the road was completed, the facilities would be provided at the proposed sites.
It has been learnt that the Board of Investment has prepared a plan for establishment of 38 economic zones along the corridor.
Posted by at 03:40:00 0 comments

Two Muslim teens beaten outside New York mosque: rights group

NEW YORK CITY: Two Muslim teenagers were beaten outside a New York City mosque by an attacker who shouted slurs at them, a rights group said on Monday, calling for police to investigate the incident as a bias crime.
The attack early on Sunday was at least the third involving Muslims in the United States (US) over the weekend. A law enforcement source said investigators had ruled out the incident as a bias crime.
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement that a 16-year-old boy was attacked outside Brooklyn's Muslim Community Center as he took a break from prayers.
A surveillance video released by CAIR showed a man punching, kicking and stomping the youth as he lay in the street. Another teenager on a bicycle was chased and attacked when he rode past the boy.
CAIR said the man was reportedly heard shouting: "You Muslims are the cause of all the problems of the world" and calling the youths "terrorists".
The 16-year-old suffered a concussion, cuts, bruises and a badly swollen eye, and was taken to a hospital. The second teenager had a black eye, CAIR said.
Afaf Nasher, the executive director of CAIR in New York, said the slurs warranted an investigation into a possible bias motive.
A spokesman for the New York Police Department said the 16-year-old suffered bruises to the head and was treated at a hospital. The second teenager refused medical attention. The spokesman gave his age as 17.
The law enforcement source said the police hate crimes unit had rejected the incident as a bias crime.
He said the two youths were harassing a 40-year-old woman in a car and her 37-year-old boyfriend assaulted them.
The man has been identified and a search for him is under way, the source said.
In Houston on Sunday, a Muslim doctor headed for morning prayers at a mosque was shot in an attack by three men.
The motive was unclear, but came a day after another Muslim man was beaten outside a Florida mosque.
Posted by at 03:37:00 0 comments

Pakistani wanted for murder, terror attempt arrested in Philippines

MANILA: The Philippines Bureau of Immigration arrested over the weekend a Pakistani wanted for various crimes in his country, including terrorism, rioting and murder.
New Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Malik Muhammad Sharif, 39, was arrested Saturday in Subic, Zambales, in northern Philippines by agents of the bureau and other law enforcement agencies.
He said Malik was the subject of an Interpol red notice and went by the alias Sharif Ahmad.
"According to Interpol, the suspect faced the death sentence in Pakistan," Morente said Monday.
It was unclear how long Malik had been hiding in the country.
Morente said Malik was wanted in his country for double murder, attempted murder, terrorism and rioting.
Posted by at 03:34:00 0 comments

11 injured as IED blast hits Mardan marketplace

MARDAN: Eleven people, including a police officer, were injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated in Mardan's Khawaja Gani Bazaar on Tuesday.
A bomb containing 800 grams of explosive material was planted in front of one of the shops in the busy marketplace, Superintendent of Police (SP) Operations Saifullah told DawnNews.
The SP Operations said those injured in the blast were shifted to Mardan Medical Centre for treatment, adding that authorities have initiated a search operation following the attack.
Posted by at 03:28:00 0 comments

Sunday, 3 July 2016

OIC, China supporting Pakistan's stance on drone strikes: Lodhi‏

NEW YORK: Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi on Sunday said the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) and China are supporting Pakistan's stance on drone strikes in the UN.
Talking to Geo News, the ambassador who had demanded immediate cessation of such strikes in the UN General Assembly on Saturday, said Pakistan has successfully gathered support over the issue, and OIC, China and a number of other countries agree over the point that UN should take notice of the Human Rights Council's (HRC) reports on the subject.
The HRC called on the international community to stop drone strikes as they are counter productive and further fuel extremism and terrorism.
"We got the opportunity as UN reviews its 2006 global counter terrorism strategy biannually and the review takes place through a resolution, it is in a way a norm-setting exercise and legal demands are also endorsed. My team and I based our stance over Human Rights Council's reports on drones," said Lodhi.
Regarding the White House's report on civilian deaths in US drone strikes, she said that regardless of statistics, the report is a confession that the US drone strikes have killed civilians.
"Pakistan has carried out the largest counter terrorism operation involving 180,000 of troops," said Lodhi, while answering a question related to Pakistan’s demand.
She added that Pakistan will always cooperate and fulfil its international obligation in regards to reigning in terrorism.
Speaking in the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Lodhi demanded an immediate cessation of drone strikes in its territory at the United Nations, terming it a violation of "territorial integrity and sovereignty of states".
Answering a question in today's interview, she said that she has also raised the issue in the UN Security Council earlier, especially over the May 21 drone strike which killed Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Mansour in Balochistan province.

Posted by at 16:37:00 0 comments

McCain lauds Pakistan's anti-terror efforts

ISLAMABAD: A visiting US delegation led by Senator John McCain lauded Pakistan's anti-terror efforts and expressed satisfaction over the improved security situation in North Waziristan and adjoining areas.
According to a statement released by the Foreign Office, Senator McCain and his colleagues deeply appreciated the enormous success achieved by Pakistan in its counter-terrorism campaign during a meeting with Pakistani diplomats in Islamabad.
“We come back with a message that we have a common enemy in ISIS, radical Islam and terrorism, and we look forward to closer relations and resolving the differences we have,” McCain said.
The US delegation also visited Miranshah, and said the effects of the operation were impressively visible in North Waziristan.
McCain also lauded Pakistan's role in the Afghan reconciliation process.
He called for joint efforts by the two countries to curb the menace of terrorism, adding that the US Congress will be briefed appropriately about Pakistan's efforts towards economic development and complete eradication of terrorism from its territory.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, who led the Pakistani delegation, reiterated the importance of regular high level contacts and added that parliamentary exchanges were particularly useful to understand each other’s perspective on issues of mutual interest and concerns.
Aziz appreciated Senator McCain for his positive comments regarding the importance of Pakistan-US relations at a time when the region is facing complex challenges.
The US delegation also included Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Joseph Donnelly and Senator Benjamin Sasse.
The Pakistani delegation comprised Adviser to Prime Minister Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry and other senior officials
Yesterday, the US delegation met Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif.
During the meeting, the army chief listed unregulated border and rocky ties with Afghanistan as major challenges for sustaining achievements borne out of Pakistan's war on terror.
“[The] COAS dilated upon security challenges faced by Pakistan and Pakistan’s contribution to regional stability and global peace. Pakistan’s successes in war on terror, [and] need for an effective border management across [the] long porous Pak-Afghan border to check illegal movement on either side of the border were also discussed,” a statement from ISPR said about the meeting.
The delegation is visiting Pakistan on an invitation by Gen Sharif. During its stay in the country, the delegation members will study the actions Pakistan has taken against terrorism and their impact on regional peace and security.
“I was very impressed with the progress (on the ground),” said McCain, who is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The US delegation also visited the operational area in North Waziristan and paid tribute to the achievements and sacrifices rendered by the Pakistan Army.
Posted by at 09:40:00 0 comments
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