Woman cries for justice outside court

By Fawad Ali Shah

KARACHI: Hajra lies half conscious outside a local court. Her eyes are wet and her face betrays wrinkles. She is crying for justice because she was mercilessly widowed and the killers of her husband have escaped justice.

Her hair has prematurely turned white, the fatigue of a long journey has torn her black shoes. “They have escaped prison despite court orders,” the middle-aged women, gripping her head with both hands kept yelling. Hajra is one of the hundreds of women who having been pleading cases of their slain husbands, brothers and sons in courts for years. And even after they win and come close to getting justice their enemies manage to escape prisons due to police negligence. This happened to Hajra on Wednesday. Additional District and Sessions Judge Ubaid Hamza rejected the bail before arrest application of the alleged murderers of her husband. “According to the law, in murder cases, police arrest the accused after the rejection of applications of bail before arrest. However, the accused in the murder case of Rahim Khan, my husband, all the three men (Behraman, Bakht Amin and and Abid) escaped from the premises of the court,” Hajra said. According to a police report, her husband was killed on December 30, 2008 within the jurisdiction of Mominabad Police Station. Hajra had lodged an FIR of her husband’s murder in the police station concerned. She accused the police officials of being accomplices of her enemies. Now that the alleged killers of her husband have escaped the court, she fears for her life. “They are free now and will threaten me again to not pursue the case,” she narrates her sorrow ordeal. “Now that they have escaped arrest, they will kill me,” she says, cursing her fate and the police system. “They are not the police, they are dacoits themselves.”

When asked by the scribe, none of the police officials concerned offered any comments, however, the court officials confirmed that the court rejected the bail application of the accused killers. “Where should I seek justice now,” she asked this scribe, adding that the custodians of her life, the police, have turned out to be her enemies. (Daily Times)

Younis Khan excels on pitch of his own choice

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

It’s really childish to believe that the newly installed Pakistan captain, Younis Khan, had no say in the preparation of the pitch that very nearly produced a result on the final evening at the National Stadium, Karachi.

Equally bewildering was the statement of the Pakistan coach, Intikhab Alam, at the end of the second day in which he had blasted the curators for preparing a pitch where the Sri Lankans had piled up a huge total.

It’s an open secret that the curators had prepared the pitch in accordance with the guidelines from the Pakistan management that indeed included both Intikhab Alam as well as Younis Khan.

Obviously the home team desired a track that did not assist the spin bowling because Sri Lanka had a couple of great spinners in their folds. They didn’t dare putting their own batsmen to risk by ordering for a lively track with the procession that followed in the third One-day International at the Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore, still at the back of their minds.

When you don’t wish a pitch that doesn’t assist the spinners or fast bowlers then what else are you going to get other than a perfect batting strip. So why blame the ground staff if you yourself are short of confidence. It was Pakistan's first home Test in 16 months and they were not willing to take chances.

Intikhab Alam, it’s generally believed, had a go at the curators at the end of the second day because he was still unsure whether the home batsmen will be able to cope with the pressure after Sri Lanka had posted a mammoth total.

Much to the satisfaction of the home batsmen, the pitch remained as docile on the last three days as it was on the first couple of days. Younis Khan was the major beneficiary, scoring a triple century. He was in fact eyeing Brian Lara’s record of 400 when play began on the final day.

The Pakistan skipper made the most of the favourable batting conditions before being finally dismissed after scoring 313, easily his highest Test score. The Sri Lankan bowlers faced greater embarrassment as wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal slogged them at will. He could have a gone on to score a triple century had the innings not been declared.

Sri Lanka would not have hoped for conceding a first innings lead of 123 after having rattled 644 for 7. Pakistan declared at 765 for 6 and more drama was to follow in the afternoon. The visitors could have become the first team to lose a Test match after having 600 runs in the first innings.

Sri Lanka faced defeat after losing fifth wicket when still in the red. Pakistan were still in with a chance of pushing for a victory but the visitors played out the final overs to earn a draw.

The lackluster captaincy of Mahela Jayawardene passed the impression that he had made a correct decision of giving up the leadership at the end of the tour. He did score a double century in the first innings but his body language in the field was not all that positive and his soft dismissal in the second outing didn’t help the cause of his team either.

Yunus Khan’s captain inning ends at 313

KARACHI: The last day play of the first test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, being played in the National Stadium here, continued when the host captain Yunus Khan after brilliantly scoring triple ton finally lost concentration at 313 and went back to the pavilion.

Yunus Khan yesterday added feather to his cap as the only batsman thus far scoring triple ton against Sri Lanka and playing a record captain’s inning from Pakistan.

Yunus Khan today came to the field having an eye on Brian Lara’s record and was seen chasing the highest ever score of 400 runs, but sadly he couldn’t achieve the target, as he was bowled out by Sri Lankan bowler Fernando at 313, when his team’s score was at 596.

Pakistan team with four wickets in hand, still struggling to equalize the Sri Lankan first inning scores and save the follow-on.

Hijacked school van recovered in Karachi

KARACHI: Unknown militants abandoned school van of special children in Lines Area Karachi on Monday, police sources said.

Three gunmen hijacked special children’s school van on gunpoint while children were on board from Nazimabad. After a while, they let children get away from van in Temoria police station jurisdiction and made off with van, police sources added.

Police said they do not know why suspects abandoned school van in Lines Area. Meanwhile, police have taken it under their control.

Ehsan Qureshi’s Fiasco launched with great fanfare

By Mohammad Nazakat Ali

Ehsan Qureshi’s masterpiece by the name of Fiasco was launched at the picturesque Karachi Club Annexe on the evening of February 20. What a wonderful setting it was and even more glittering was the presence of Pakistan’s cricket luminaries.
There could not have been a better venue for the launching of such a wonderful book. Although the day had been unusually hot by February standards there was plenty of cool breeze in the banquet hall of the Karachi Club Annexe when the ceremony started about an hour before the sunset.
Fiasco: An Eyewitness Account of World Cup 2007 is presented in hardbound and there are 272 pages between covers. It’s sixth book to be authored by Ehsan Qureshi, working as the Senior Sports Reporter at the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) for the past couple of decades.
Fiasco contains many untold stories about the mega event in which Pakistan crashed and coach Bob Woolmer died under mysterious circumstances has been published by Jumbo Publishing and its priced Pak Rs 800.

Federal Sports Minister, Pir Aftab Hussain Shah Jilani, who was the chief guest in the launching ceremony, demanded an apology from Jamaican Police for mental torture, trauma and embarrassment caused to the Pakistanis in the alleged Bob Woolmer murder case.
“The Jamaican Police had gone overboard with their investigations and they should not have treated the Pakistan cricketers and journalists as suspects. The then officials of PCB did not handle the situation properly which allowed the Jamaican Police to act freely,” the Federal Minister believed.
Pir Aftab Jilani, himself a former cricketer, spoke at length about the issues of the game and assured the governmental support to the present PCB setup headed by Ijaz Butt, whom he considered a committed and energetic administrator.
The Minister disclosed that he had been stunned to learn some of the facts that have been brought to light by Ehsan Qureshi in his book. He lauded the efforts of the author for coming up with an excellent publication.
The Chairman of the PCB, Ijaz Butt, who presided over the ceremony, did not throw light on the World Cup 2007 but he commended the author for having done a fabulous job.
He reckoned that the journalists and authors producing books should be encouraged by the PCB as well as government and private sector.

The Pakistan Captain Younis Khan, who was a part of the World Cup 2007 team in Caribbean, hoped that the national team would be performing better and their goal was to win the 2011 World Cup.
The Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam showered Ehsan Qureshi with praise for producing his fourth book on the World Cup and sixth overall.
The Group Sports Editor, Jang Group of Newspapers, Gul Hameed Bhatti, was of the opinion that such books are of great historical value and Ehsan Qureshi’s contribution needs to be acknowledged.
Ehsan Qureshi, in his speech, talked about the distress caused to him and his family by the screening of the footage by BBC in their programme Panaroma in which he and fellow journalist Abdul Majid Bhatti were shown as the last persons to have met Bob Woolmer before his death.
Seniors journalist Abdul Qadir Qureshi, who is also the mentor of Ehsan Qureshi, presented the vote of thanks. The ceremony was conducted in his vintage style by the famous anchor Sardar Khan.
The Sindh Sports Minister, Dr.Muhammad Ali Shah, Pakistan’s vice captain Misbah-ul-Haq, ex-captain Shoaib Malik, Danish Kaneria, Faisal Iqbal, former cricketers Waqar Hasan, Mushtaq Muhammad, Aaqib Javed, Shoaib Muhammad, Iqbal Qasim, Yawar Saeed, Salahuddin Ahmed, Abdul Raquib, hockey Olympian Islahuddin Siddiqui, KCCA Vice Presidents, Ajmal Ansari and Nadeem Omar were also present on the occasion.
There was a large turnout of the media professionals as well. The duo of A Aziz Rehmatullah and Haji Abdul Razzaq, who had launched the Cricket World Quarterly in late 1970s, was very much there as was Riaz Ahmed Mansuri, who brought out the famous magazine The Cricketer Pakistan.

PSO among the top 100 companies of the Muslim World for 2008

Pakistan State Oil (PSO) ranked 29th among the list of top 100 companies of the Muslim World released here.
US Consultancy, Dinar Standard in their 5th Annual Ranking released the list of 100 top companies of 57 member countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), which depicted Turkey�s 23 companies among the list bagging most, while the largest oil company of the world Aramco topped the list.
PSO ranked 29th whose revenue as compared previous year was seen surged by 41 percent. Previous year PSO was ranked at 31st and Sui Northern Gas at 99th.

KCCA President puts his weight behind Younis Khan

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The President of the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA), Dr Mohammad Ali Shah, reckons that the newly installed skipper Younis Khan has the temperament and the skills to come good in the hot heat.

“Having known him closely for a number of years, I firmly believe that he has the potential to rise to the occasion. Captaining the Pakistan team presents a very big challenge to anyone but Younis is one man who has the capability to deliver,” Dr Shah stated in a recent conversation.

Dr Shah, who is also the Minister of Sports in the province of Sindh besides being the President of the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA), appeared convinced that Younis will handle the demanding situation pretty well.

“I don’t think that his batting will be affected or he will feel burdened by captaincy. He knows how to handle the pressure. A truly gifted batsman, having scored heavily for the past many years, he seems to be possessing the leadership qualities to motivate the national team whose morale is on the lower side after the defeat in the recent ODI series against Sri Lanka,” Dr Shah, who is himself an iconic figure in the field of medicine and surgery, observed.

“Younis has had very time little time at his disposal because the Sri Lankans have now returned for the two-Test series. He was appointed the national skipper soon after the debacle in the ODI series. Here is an opportunity for him to lead by example and turn it around,” he believed.

“Younis is basically an enterprising cricketer. He has batted well in all parts of the world, having scored consistently against the strongest of bowling attacks. He has been rated as one of the best number three batsmen in the business. He needs to continue scoring heavily because his team would be looking forward to him. He is the senior most batsman in the side and he will need to bring all his experience into play to lead from the front,” Dr Shah stated.

The words of encouragement from Dr Shah should be a source of inspiration for Younis, who was appointed as captain of Pakistan soon after Shoaib Malik had stepped down following 234-run defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the third ODI at the Qaddafi Stadium.

Younis was indeed the automatic choice to take over provided he was willing to accept the job. He had been offered the national captaincy in the past as well but he had made a mess of the opportunity that came his way.

It was described as a collective decision of the PCB to appoint Younis as the skipper once Shoaib Malik was out of the way.

Younis was playing the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match for his employers Habib Bank Limited (HBL) at the Qaddafi Stadium when he was summoned for a meeting with the PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt. According to the reports the meeting didn’t last more than 15 minutes and the middle-order batsman consented to lead the national team without having a second thought.

Probably in order to make the new skipper a little more comfortable, the PCB Chairman, had ruled out the possibility of having separate captains for Tests and One-day Internationals as Younis was installed as captain for Tests as well as ODIs for an indefinite period.

Mushtaq Mohammad Considers Younis Khan better captain than Shoaib Malik

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Mushtaq Mohammad, acclaimed as the greatest cricket captain produced by Pakistan, has no doubts in his mind that Younis Khan, having been recently appointed the skipper of the national team, is far more suited to the job than his predecessor Shoaib Malik.

“Younis does have the leadership qualities that are so essential in getting the best out of the team. When you are the captain of the side you to inspire the members of your team, lift their spirits and back them,” Mushtaq remarked in a one-to-one chat at the Customs Cricket Academy in Karachi on February 16.

Having arrived from England only the other day, Mushtaq reckoned that the appointment of Younis as captain could help Pakistan in becoming a major force in world cricket once more.

“To be honest, Shoaib Malik never impressed me as a captain. In my book he wasn’t the right candidate to be offered the job. May be the cricket board had no other choice at that moment but this didn’t help the cause of the team,” Mushtaq believed.

“But let me add here that Shoaib Malik is an exceptionally gifted batsman who is capable of playing big knocks. He has already scored a few centuries and there seems no reason why he should not be scoring many more in future,” he asserted.

He dispelled the impression that Pakistan would be at any disadvantage in the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka for not having played Test cricket for over a year.

“I don’t think this would matter when the two teams take the field. As professionals every cricketer is expected to deliver in all sorts of situation. It’s a new series and the Pakistan team should think positively,” Mushtaq remarked.

“I do sincerely hope that our team doesn’t use this as an excuse if they are unable to perform in the two-Test series. Our boys would be advised to forget about the layoff and concentrate on the job in their hands instead,” he advised.

Mushtaq, who is remembered for having galvanized a bunch of high-profile individuals into a world beating outfit in the 1970s, remains convinced that Pakistan could give the Sri Lankans a run for their money in the Test series if they played to their potential.

Having led the team to victories in Tests in Australia and the West Indies during the 1976-77 season he regretted that Pakistan were not playing enough international cricket for the past few years.

“One can understand that the conditions in Pakistan might not have been entirely to the satisfaction of the visiting teams in the last few years but why haven’t Pakistan toured other countries more regularly than before to make up for the cancelled home engagements,” he questioned.

“I think the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) needs to be more proactive in their approach and they should look for the ways and the means to meet the challenge. Everyone knows that the situation is not ideal but you know one has to work harder for creating opportunities,” Mushtaq observed.

THE AMAN FOUNDATION DONATES Rs 905 MILLION TO IBA

Mr. Arif Naqvi, the Chairman of Aman Foundation and the Chief Executive of Abraaj Capital signed an agreement with Dr. Ishrat Husain, Dean & Director IBA, under which a substantial grant amount of Rs. 905 million would be given to the Institute of Business Administration. The money will be used to construct two new IBA buildings and upgrade its Information Technology infrastructure and services, which is part of a larger strategic IBA plan to develop the future capacity for Management and Leadership in Pakistan. Governor Sindh, Dr. lshrat UI Ebad Khan hosted the signing ceremony followed by dinner at the Governor House in Karachi.
Aman Foundation is a new philanthropic organization operating in Karachi, committed to making strategic interventions to support and strengthen educational institutions and take other initiatives related to human development that are critical to providing the people of this mega-city with the resources they need to reach their full potential.
Mr. Naqvi said the mission of Aman Foundation is the relentless pursuit of sustainable, substantial and systemic development in the areas of Pakistan's education, health and food security. The Foundation combines the skills of experienced management professionals with the know-how of technical experts in these areas.
Aman Foundation is also currently supporting other private sector education projects, including a food supplementation programme for school-children in under-privileged localities of the city. It has also laid the groundwork for a major emergency health care initiative in the form of a state-of-the-art ambulance service, scheduled to launch in Karachi later this year.
In his address, Governor Dr. lshrat UI Ebad Khan appreciated the contribution of Aman Foundation to IBA as a commendable example for others to facilitate higher education in the country. He said, "The Government of Pakistan and Sindh are facing serious financial constraints and despite our wish we are unable to cope with the growing demands of our higher education institutions. In order to face the challenge, I appeal to the private sector and philanthropist of Pakistan to step forward and make generous contributions to institutions such as IBA which have an established track record as well as a future full of promises."
Dr Ishrat Husain, Dean and Director IBA, expressed his gratitude to the Aman Foundation for its generous contribution to IBA. He said, "Management of knowledge which is exploding at an exponential basis is going to be as tough a problem as the dissemination and assimilation of knowledge is. Institutions such as IBA will have to sift out the chaff from the grain and embed this attribute in the graduates they will provide over the next few decades."
He urged the guests and the philanthropists of Pakistan to emulate the initiative taken by the Aman Foundation and extend financial, moral and intellectual support to IBA in its endeavor to be ranked among the top 100 Global Business Schools and top 10 Business Schools in the Middle East and South Asia region. "The commitment you make today by your support can be disbursed over next few years." He added.
Shaukat Tarin, advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs & Statistics, and members of the IBA Board of Governors, Alumni and other distinguished personalities were also present at the occasion.

Data of foreign students to be compiled

KARACHI: The high ups of the Sindh police have ordered the Sindh Special Branch (SB) to collect details of foreign students studying in educational institutions across the province, sources privy to the matter told Daily Times. The sources added that the SB received a letter stating that the foreign nationals/students studying at different colleges and universities in various jurisdictions should verify their antecedents, status of their stay as well as the validity of their passport, visa, permission and other details.

Authorities have given a limited time period to the officials concerned to conduct this inquiry. A major reason behind collecting the data was to examine the activities of foreign nationals staying in Pakistan. It was also learnt that extremist groups engaged in fighting the country’s security forces have planned to kidnap foreign nationals, especially those that hail from western and European countries, so that they can demand the release of their captured associates in exchange. The sources added that the kidnapping of Satesh Anand a Hindu business man, John Solecki, an American UN official kidnapped earlier this month in Quetta and Iranian envoy Hesmatollah Atharzadeh were probably done by the same extremists.