KARACHI: The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) has restored electricity supply to KESC on Monday. KANUPP was shut down on January 24, 2009 for routine maintenance work. Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Spokesman Tariq Rashid said that KANUPP was started and synchronised with the KESC grid at 8:50 am on Monday.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Pervez Musharraf for reconciliatory politics in country
KARACHI: Former president Pervez Musharraf Monday said that there should be politics of reconciliation in the country which is passing through a critical juncture.
He was addressing a press conference held immediately after his arrival at Karachi airport from India.
Pervez Musharraf said Sharif brothers are themselves responsible for whatever is happening with them.
Commenting on dealing with terrorist elements in the country, he said Pakistan must use iron clad hand to crush terrorists.
The former president extremist elements exist in our society but he ruled out success in war on terror only through use of force.
He expressed satisfaction to the kind of security being provided to him in Pakistan and added that he knows how to take care of himself.
Pervez Musharraf said he went to India as a common citizen for delivering lecture where he was provided security protocol of a former president. This kind of visits help remove misunderstandings, he added.
The scholars with whom I interacted during the visit questioned me with an open mind and also listened attentively to what I had to say.
He said he felt that India has more misperceptions.
Pervez Musharraf said good progress was being made on Kashmir issue during his regime.
He was addressing a press conference held immediately after his arrival at Karachi airport from India.
Pervez Musharraf said Sharif brothers are themselves responsible for whatever is happening with them.
Commenting on dealing with terrorist elements in the country, he said Pakistan must use iron clad hand to crush terrorists.
The former president extremist elements exist in our society but he ruled out success in war on terror only through use of force.
He expressed satisfaction to the kind of security being provided to him in Pakistan and added that he knows how to take care of himself.
Pervez Musharraf said he went to India as a common citizen for delivering lecture where he was provided security protocol of a former president. This kind of visits help remove misunderstandings, he added.
The scholars with whom I interacted during the visit questioned me with an open mind and also listened attentively to what I had to say.
He said he felt that India has more misperceptions.
Pervez Musharraf said good progress was being made on Kashmir issue during his regime.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Pir Sahib Pagara sees ‘revolution’ coming
KARACHI: Chief of Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) Pir Pagara Saturday said a ‘revolution’ is on its way to the country.
Talking to newsmen here at Kingri House, he said just like Chaudhry brothers the political future of Sharif brothers is also bleak.
“If people would say wrong things and commit wrong deeds, it automatically paves way for a marshal law,” Pir Pagara predicted.
He observed that the lawyers’ work is to fight cases and not to hold long marches.
Talking to newsmen here at Kingri House, he said just like Chaudhry brothers the political future of Sharif brothers is also bleak.
“If people would say wrong things and commit wrong deeds, it automatically paves way for a marshal law,” Pir Pagara predicted.
He observed that the lawyers’ work is to fight cases and not to hold long marches.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Sri Lankan cricketers attacked on Pakistan's darkest hour in sports history
By Syed Khalid Mahmood
March 3, 2009 will go down in Pakistan’s sporting history as the darkest day. It was for the first time in Pakistan when the sportspersons were directly targeted. The visiting Sri Lankan cricketers were attacked when they were on their way to the Qaddafi Stadium on what was to be the third day of the second and final Test.
Half a dozen Pakistani policemen sacrificed their lives in the process of protecting the lives of the Sri Lankans, five of whom were among 19 wounded, in the daylight attack.
Skipper Mahela Jayawardene, his deputy Kumar Sangakkara and the mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis received minor injuries but star batsman Thilan Samaraweera and opener Tharanga Paravitarana were seriously injured.
The Test match was abandoned right away and the tour was called off. The Sri Lankan squad, having endured nightmarish moments earlier in the day, must have heaved a sigh of relief after safely landing in Colombo.
The Sri Lankan captain was quick to point out, upon his arrival in Colombo, that it was their own terror background that helped them in saving their lives when the bus carrying them to the stadium was ambushed.
"We have been brought up in a background of terrorist activities. We are used to hearing, seeing these things - firing, bombings. So we ducked under our seats when the firing began. It was like natural instinct," he was quoted as saying.
Jayawardene, very sportingly, also said that the attack on the team could have happened anywhere and could not be pinned down to Pakistan.
The other teams might have panicked in such circumstances that would have obviously caused greater damage. The Sri Lankans handled the situation very well during and after the attack.
Sri Lanka, after having piled up a total in the excess of 600 in the first innings for the second Test running, must have believed that they had a realistic chance of winning the game which would have also given them the series.
Thee march towards victory was in their thoughts when they boarded the bus at 8.30 am. As Sangakkara wrote in his diary they were all looking forward to the third day's play and trying to win the series.
He added: The bus was full of the normal banter. Players traded stories, mostly about Lahore shopping, and cracked jokes. Others chatted about the cricket and the crucial first session. Then, as we approached the large roundabout before the Gaddafi Stadium, we suddenly heard a noise like a firecracker. The bus came to a halt and some of the guys jumped out of their seats to see what was happening. Then came the shout: "They are shooting at us!"
“The truth is we owe our lives to the courageous Mohammad Khalil, the driver. I will forever be grateful to him. The tyres of the bus had been shot out and he was in grave personal danger, exposed to gunfire at the front of the bus. But he was hell-bent on getting us to safety and, somehow, he got us moving again. Had Khalil not acted with such courage and presence of mind most of us would have been killed,” Sangakkara acknowledged like a true sportsman.
March 3, 2009 will go down in Pakistan’s sporting history as the darkest day. It was for the first time in Pakistan when the sportspersons were directly targeted. The visiting Sri Lankan cricketers were attacked when they were on their way to the Qaddafi Stadium on what was to be the third day of the second and final Test.
Half a dozen Pakistani policemen sacrificed their lives in the process of protecting the lives of the Sri Lankans, five of whom were among 19 wounded, in the daylight attack.
Skipper Mahela Jayawardene, his deputy Kumar Sangakkara and the mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis received minor injuries but star batsman Thilan Samaraweera and opener Tharanga Paravitarana were seriously injured.
The Test match was abandoned right away and the tour was called off. The Sri Lankan squad, having endured nightmarish moments earlier in the day, must have heaved a sigh of relief after safely landing in Colombo.
The Sri Lankan captain was quick to point out, upon his arrival in Colombo, that it was their own terror background that helped them in saving their lives when the bus carrying them to the stadium was ambushed.
"We have been brought up in a background of terrorist activities. We are used to hearing, seeing these things - firing, bombings. So we ducked under our seats when the firing began. It was like natural instinct," he was quoted as saying.
Jayawardene, very sportingly, also said that the attack on the team could have happened anywhere and could not be pinned down to Pakistan.
The other teams might have panicked in such circumstances that would have obviously caused greater damage. The Sri Lankans handled the situation very well during and after the attack.
Sri Lanka, after having piled up a total in the excess of 600 in the first innings for the second Test running, must have believed that they had a realistic chance of winning the game which would have also given them the series.
Thee march towards victory was in their thoughts when they boarded the bus at 8.30 am. As Sangakkara wrote in his diary they were all looking forward to the third day's play and trying to win the series.
He added: The bus was full of the normal banter. Players traded stories, mostly about Lahore shopping, and cracked jokes. Others chatted about the cricket and the crucial first session. Then, as we approached the large roundabout before the Gaddafi Stadium, we suddenly heard a noise like a firecracker. The bus came to a halt and some of the guys jumped out of their seats to see what was happening. Then came the shout: "They are shooting at us!"
“The truth is we owe our lives to the courageous Mohammad Khalil, the driver. I will forever be grateful to him. The tyres of the bus had been shot out and he was in grave personal danger, exposed to gunfire at the front of the bus. But he was hell-bent on getting us to safety and, somehow, he got us moving again. Had Khalil not acted with such courage and presence of mind most of us would have been killed,” Sangakkara acknowledged like a true sportsman.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Pakistan's World Cup hopes under threat
Pakistan cricket is facing a bleak future, with visiting teams certain to boycott tours to the troubled nation for the foreseeable future in the wake of Tuesday's terrorist attack in Lahore. As international cricket pondered the ramifications, it became almost certain that Pakistan would be stripped of its status as the co-host of the 2011 World Cup.
Asked about plans for the World Cup, ICC president David Morgan was blunt in his assessment. "Things will have to change dramatically in Pakistan, in my opinion, if any of the games are to be staged there."
The chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, was less blunt but the message was the same. "It is pretty, pretty serious and it is very obvious that the landscape and the thinking has changed dramatically," Lorgat told Cricinfo. "We are going to have to reevaluate what we do and where Pakistan plays its cricket."
Those views were echoed by Sharad Pawar, the ICC vice president and former head of the Indian cricket board, a close ally of the Pakistan Cricket Board. India had been forced to abandon their tour of Pakistan in January following a government directive after the attacks on Mumbai.
Visting teams have experienced brushes with terrorism in the past but only now, with the Sri Lankans directly targeted by militants, is Pakistan faced with a blanket boycott. Even those who urged international teams not to abandon Pakistan have now accepted the inevitable.
Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, said Pakistan hosting the World Cup in 2011 was now a "distant dream".
"How do you expect a foreign team to come to Pakistan now? We took pride in hosting our guests," Akram told ESPN Star. "This image has taken a beating. It's sad for Pakistan."
Waqar Younis, Akram's bowling partner, said the chances of foreign teams coming to Pakistan were now remote. "We have to agree with whatever the ICC decides," he said.
Ramiz Raja, another prominent voice in Pakistan, said he had never thought there would be a situation where sportspersons would be targeted in Pakistan.
The series against Sri Lanka was cancelled immediately after Tuesday's attacks, and similar announcements regarding other tours are expected in the coming months.
Australia, India, New Zealand and the West Indies are among the teams to have postponed or cancelled tours to Pakistan in recent years, and New Zealand will almost certainly call off their scheduled series there in November. The Black Caps experienced first-hand the dangers of touring Pakistan in 2002, when a bomb exploded outside their Karachi hotel, and NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan hinted strongly that the team would not return in the near future.
"It's very frightening that for the first time a cricket team appears to be the specific target of terrorist action," Vaughan told NZPA. "That's never happened before - all previous incidents have been about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is a very different proposition and I think just a very frightening one for world cricket. You'd have to say this would throw further doubt over that tour but we don't make those decisions off the cuff like that. This is really serious."
Reg Dickason, the security consultant contracted by the ECB and CA, said he had long feared that terrorists in Pakistan would target cricketers. "A lot of the concerns we raised during the Champions Trophy have unfortunately come home to roost," Dickason said. "The notion of sporting teams being a protected species was held by many, but it was not a view that we shared, unfortunately.
"There were a number of factors we considered, including the global exposure an attack on an international sporting team could have. (Tours of Pakistan) are highly unlikely for the forseeable future given the present environment. How could you go there now? The Australians were supposed to have played there in March. This, unfortunately, is the realisation of many of the things we thought, and it is a terrible way to find out."
Geoff Lawson, who served as Pakistan coach until last October, feared the team would suffer from being cast into a nomadic existence. "Cricket won't be played in Pakistan for the foreseeable future," Lawson said. "Pakistan look like they will become a wandering cricket team now. They will be playing at neutral venues, because you can guarantee that there won't be games there [at home]. Obviously, there is no chance of the Champions Trophy or the World Cup going ahead there."
In a small vote of confidence, Cricket Australia confirmed its intention to proceed with an ODI series against Pakistan which, due to security concerns, had already been shifted to the United Arab Emirates.
"We do not expect this to affect the series (in the UAE)," CA spokesman Peter Young said. "We are due to complete a security inspection tour at the end of the week, and that is expected to go ahead as planned." (Cricinfo Report)
Asked about plans for the World Cup, ICC president David Morgan was blunt in his assessment. "Things will have to change dramatically in Pakistan, in my opinion, if any of the games are to be staged there."
The chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, was less blunt but the message was the same. "It is pretty, pretty serious and it is very obvious that the landscape and the thinking has changed dramatically," Lorgat told Cricinfo. "We are going to have to reevaluate what we do and where Pakistan plays its cricket."
Those views were echoed by Sharad Pawar, the ICC vice president and former head of the Indian cricket board, a close ally of the Pakistan Cricket Board. India had been forced to abandon their tour of Pakistan in January following a government directive after the attacks on Mumbai.
Visting teams have experienced brushes with terrorism in the past but only now, with the Sri Lankans directly targeted by militants, is Pakistan faced with a blanket boycott. Even those who urged international teams not to abandon Pakistan have now accepted the inevitable.
Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, said Pakistan hosting the World Cup in 2011 was now a "distant dream".
"How do you expect a foreign team to come to Pakistan now? We took pride in hosting our guests," Akram told ESPN Star. "This image has taken a beating. It's sad for Pakistan."
Waqar Younis, Akram's bowling partner, said the chances of foreign teams coming to Pakistan were now remote. "We have to agree with whatever the ICC decides," he said.
Ramiz Raja, another prominent voice in Pakistan, said he had never thought there would be a situation where sportspersons would be targeted in Pakistan.
The series against Sri Lanka was cancelled immediately after Tuesday's attacks, and similar announcements regarding other tours are expected in the coming months.
Australia, India, New Zealand and the West Indies are among the teams to have postponed or cancelled tours to Pakistan in recent years, and New Zealand will almost certainly call off their scheduled series there in November. The Black Caps experienced first-hand the dangers of touring Pakistan in 2002, when a bomb exploded outside their Karachi hotel, and NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan hinted strongly that the team would not return in the near future.
"It's very frightening that for the first time a cricket team appears to be the specific target of terrorist action," Vaughan told NZPA. "That's never happened before - all previous incidents have been about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is a very different proposition and I think just a very frightening one for world cricket. You'd have to say this would throw further doubt over that tour but we don't make those decisions off the cuff like that. This is really serious."
Reg Dickason, the security consultant contracted by the ECB and CA, said he had long feared that terrorists in Pakistan would target cricketers. "A lot of the concerns we raised during the Champions Trophy have unfortunately come home to roost," Dickason said. "The notion of sporting teams being a protected species was held by many, but it was not a view that we shared, unfortunately.
"There were a number of factors we considered, including the global exposure an attack on an international sporting team could have. (Tours of Pakistan) are highly unlikely for the forseeable future given the present environment. How could you go there now? The Australians were supposed to have played there in March. This, unfortunately, is the realisation of many of the things we thought, and it is a terrible way to find out."
Geoff Lawson, who served as Pakistan coach until last October, feared the team would suffer from being cast into a nomadic existence. "Cricket won't be played in Pakistan for the foreseeable future," Lawson said. "Pakistan look like they will become a wandering cricket team now. They will be playing at neutral venues, because you can guarantee that there won't be games there [at home]. Obviously, there is no chance of the Champions Trophy or the World Cup going ahead there."
In a small vote of confidence, Cricket Australia confirmed its intention to proceed with an ODI series against Pakistan which, due to security concerns, had already been shifted to the United Arab Emirates.
"We do not expect this to affect the series (in the UAE)," CA spokesman Peter Young said. "We are due to complete a security inspection tour at the end of the week, and that is expected to go ahead as planned." (Cricinfo Report)
Monday, March 2, 2009
Nawaz Sharif, Qazi Hussain Ahmed agree to participate in long march
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Qazi Hussain Ahmed have agreed to fully participate in lawyers’ Long March.
Addressing a news conference with PML-N chief at Mansora, Qazi Hussain Ahmed said that November 2 judiciary should be restored without any delay. He termed present situation in the country a constitutional deadlock.
JI Amir said that his party would fully participate in lawyers’ long march; he also thanked Mian Nawaz Sharif for visiting Mansora.
Addressing a news conference with PML-N chief at Mansora, Qazi Hussain Ahmed said that November 2 judiciary should be restored without any delay. He termed present situation in the country a constitutional deadlock.
JI Amir said that his party would fully participate in lawyers’ long march; he also thanked Mian Nawaz Sharif for visiting Mansora.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Does China love Pakistan
Sorry for the delay on this, but did anyone else notice that Pakistan's president, Asif Ali Zardari, was in China last week?
Over four days, he went to Hubei, had a look at the Three Gorges Dam and visited Shanghai. I'll forgive anyone who didn't spot him, however, since his trip was totally eclipsed by the arrival of Hillary Clinton.
It was Zardari's second trip in just five months, and he has promised to come back to China every three months. To India's irritation, Pakistan has jumped into bed with China with gusto.
Zardari wrote a fawning editorial in the China Daily to mark his visit, exalting the Sino-Pakistan relationship as "higher than the peaks of the Himalayas" and paying tribute to China as "shining star" on the world stage thanks to the "sound management" of the Communist Party.
He offered up Pakistan's ports, Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar (which the Chinese built) to Chinese ships and said that Pakistan could "help channel energy supplies from the Gulf to China".
Pakistan has even laid down and asked the Chinese to intercede in its negotiations with India over the Mumbai bombings, a move that left Indian politicians spitting mad.
But the Chinese side seems a little less enamoured. The highest official available to speak to Mr Zardari was a member of the State Council, Dai Bingguo, who is relatively senior, but not the sort of figure the Chinese would normally trot out for a head-of-state.
Zardari glumly admitted on his trip that his country "has not benefited to the extent it should from its relations with China".
And while China is splashing money around Africa and South America, it hasn't given Zardari huge sums. Pakistan needs around $14 billion to get its bankrupt economy back on its feet, but China has only coughed up a $500 million loan and told Pakistan to go to the IMF.
In fact, the Communist Party is apparently doing business with Zardari's enemies, the Pakistani Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami. The Chinese have agreed with JI that it won't help any terrorists to attack China in Xinjiang, the far-western province.(Telegraph UK)
Over four days, he went to Hubei, had a look at the Three Gorges Dam and visited Shanghai. I'll forgive anyone who didn't spot him, however, since his trip was totally eclipsed by the arrival of Hillary Clinton.
It was Zardari's second trip in just five months, and he has promised to come back to China every three months. To India's irritation, Pakistan has jumped into bed with China with gusto.
Zardari wrote a fawning editorial in the China Daily to mark his visit, exalting the Sino-Pakistan relationship as "higher than the peaks of the Himalayas" and paying tribute to China as "shining star" on the world stage thanks to the "sound management" of the Communist Party.
He offered up Pakistan's ports, Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar (which the Chinese built) to Chinese ships and said that Pakistan could "help channel energy supplies from the Gulf to China".
Pakistan has even laid down and asked the Chinese to intercede in its negotiations with India over the Mumbai bombings, a move that left Indian politicians spitting mad.
But the Chinese side seems a little less enamoured. The highest official available to speak to Mr Zardari was a member of the State Council, Dai Bingguo, who is relatively senior, but not the sort of figure the Chinese would normally trot out for a head-of-state.
Zardari glumly admitted on his trip that his country "has not benefited to the extent it should from its relations with China".
And while China is splashing money around Africa and South America, it hasn't given Zardari huge sums. Pakistan needs around $14 billion to get its bankrupt economy back on its feet, but China has only coughed up a $500 million loan and told Pakistan to go to the IMF.
In fact, the Communist Party is apparently doing business with Zardari's enemies, the Pakistani Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami. The Chinese have agreed with JI that it won't help any terrorists to attack China in Xinjiang, the far-western province.(Telegraph UK)
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