Sunday, July 18, 2010
Afridi wants to lead Pakistan to World Cup glory
| Sunday, 18 Jul, 2010 6:51 pm | ||
 LONDON : Former Pakistan Test captain Shahid Afridi vowed to return to England on Sunday, saying the limited over series starting next month will be the launch pad for his ambitions to win the 2011 World Cup. The 30-year-old announced he would retire from Test cricket after the second and final Test against Australia at Leeds starting Wednesday, citing a lack of temperament for the five-day game. His announcement came minutes after he led Pakistan to a 150-run defeat against Australia in the first Test on Friday, where Afridi slogged 31 in the first innings and hold out for two in the second. But a side strain meant the batsman was ruled out of the second Test and he was released from the Pakistan squad which, after the Australia series, will stay on to play four Tests against England. However, Afridi - who led Pakistan to the 2009 World Twenty20 title - is determined to return for the subsequent limited over series against England. "I took a decision which I felt was right and now all my concentration is on the limited overs series against England which will be our first step towards winning next year's World Cup," Afridi told AFP. "I have won the World Twenty20, beaten England and India in Tests at home and have achieved some other milestones as well, but before I leave the game I want to win the World Cup," he added ahead of next year's tournament in Asia, where Pakistan will try to add to their lone World Cup title won in 1992. Opener Salman Butt will lead Pakistan at Leeds and in the Tests against England. "Butt must take coach Waqar Younis and others with him because this team will be tested against England," said Afridi who may join English county side Hampshire if they qualify for the domestic Twenty20 quarter-finals. "I had to abandon the contract with Hampshire because I was here for the Test series but now they want me to play the last three matches of the Twenty20, provided they qualify," said Afridi, known as a Twenty20 specialist. Afridi rubbished speculation his Test retirement came after differences with Pakistan team-mates. "This team was unified and there were no problems, nothing. I took the decision in the best interest of the team and hope a youngster with a Test temperament takes my position. "I also feel that there are other players who are not fit for the longer version of the game and my advice to them is to concentrate on the shorter forms," said Afridi, without naming names. Afridi hopes a month's break will revive him for the two Twenty20 and five one-day internationals against World Twenty20 champions England which follow the Test series. "I will be fresh for the limited over series which will be very tough because England have been doing very well in both ODIs and T20s, so if we could beat them it would be good for the progress of the team," said Afridi. Pakistan's one-day squad is due to be announced next month. | ||
Clinton to announce aid package for Pakistan
| Sunday, 18 Jul, 2010 3:48 pm | ||
 ISLAMABAD : US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will announce Monday a massive aid deal for Pakistan, a senior US official said, as it seeks to build relations with its wavering anti-terror ally. The money will focus on vital energy and water sectors, the official said, shortly after Clinton arrived in Islamabad on Sunday for high-level talks, adding that full details of the projects would be announced on Monday. The projects will be part of a five-year, 7.5 billion-dollar aid package approved by US Congress last year. The plan includes several water dam projects in the areas of Gomal Zam, Satpara and Balochistan. Three hospitals will also be renovated and expanded in Karachi, Lahore and Jacobabad. Two specific programmes are to be devoted to agriculture, one for the training of farmers in dairy production, and the other to increase production and export of mangoes. | ||
One dead, 18 injured in Sargodha Imam Bargah blast
Updated at: 2017 PST, Sunday, July 18, 2010
SARGODHA: One person was killed and 18 others injured in a blast that ripped through an Imam Bargah here in Sargodha block 19.
The injured, some of them severely, have been shifted to District Hospital Sargodha and announcements are being made to donate blood for the wounded. Emergency has been declared in city hospitals.
Rescue and relief activities have been kick-started at the site of the incident while heavy contingent of police arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area.
The blast occurred when preparations were being made for Namaz-e-Maghribain in the Imam Bargah located in a bustling market place.
Normally strict security is maintained at the Imam Bargah. But for reasons not known extraordinary security seemed not to have been put in place today.
SARGODHA: One person was killed and 18 others injured in a blast that ripped through an Imam Bargah here in Sargodha block 19.The injured, some of them severely, have been shifted to District Hospital Sargodha and announcements are being made to donate blood for the wounded. Emergency has been declared in city hospitals.
Rescue and relief activities have been kick-started at the site of the incident while heavy contingent of police arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area.
The blast occurred when preparations were being made for Namaz-e-Maghribain in the Imam Bargah located in a bustling market place.
Normally strict security is maintained at the Imam Bargah. But for reasons not known extraordinary security seemed not to have been put in place today.
SU seeks 2 months for verification of degrees: HEC
Updated at: 1027 PST, Sunday, July 18, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) suspects that the Sindh University is protecting fake degree holders as it needs almost two months for verification of degrees sent by the HEC.
Sources in the HEC confided to The News that the Sindh University management was approached by the Commission on Saturday but it was non-cooperative and indifferent.
The commission officials, it is said, spoke not only to the controversial Vice Chancellor of the Sindh University Dr Nazir Mughal but also to its controller but their responses were found to be discouraging.
“We think they want to hide the facts,” a senior Commission source said, adding that the vice chancellor, when approached, appeared totally oblivious of the deficiencies in the Sindh University’s verification of over 100 degrees of parliamentarians already rejected by the HEC.
The source said that Dr Nazir Mughal told the commission official, who contacted him, to talk to the university controller. The controller, however, sought two months’ time to complete the verification process to the satisfaction of the HEC.
“We were told by the Sindh University that the verification as per the requirement of the HEC could not be done in days or a few weeks’ time though none of the universities had said so,” the source said, adding that the HEC, however, did not agree with Sindh University’s arguments.
Next week, the HEC sources said, the commission would again approach the Sindh University to do the needful at the earliest instead of using dillydallying tactics.
The Sindh University is said to be under the influence of the provincial government, which has started using all sorts of third-rate arm-twisting tactics to stop Prof Dr Javed Leghari, HEC Chairman, from verifying the degrees of members of parliament particularly from Sindh.
Javed Leghari, who is so far braving all sorts of pressures exerted on him, is determined to complete his job honestly and fairly. He is being pressurised to resign and in order to bring him in line, the provincial government has arrested his younger brother on hastily half-cooked corruption charges.
A number of his family servants have too been reportedly apprehended by the police, his farm house in Hyderabad was also raided besides sending him threatening messages.
All this state hostility against the HEC chairman has reportedly been let loose to secure from disqualification a large number of provincial assembly members and some high profile PPP leaders from Sindh.
The HEC chairman has sought a meeting with the prime minister to discuss the fake degree issues. Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani, however, told the media on Saturday that he had yet to receive the HEC chairman’s request for the meeting but hinted that he would call Javed Leghari for a meeting in a couple of days and would not allow anybody to victimise anyone.
It is yet to be seen whether the prime minister could do anything when the home minister Sindh and close confidant of President Asif Ali Zardari, Zulfiqar Mirza, is already being blamed by the Chairman NA Standing Committee on Education for harassing Javed Leghari’s family.
ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) suspects that the Sindh University is protecting fake degree holders as it needs almost two months for verification of degrees sent by the HEC.Sources in the HEC confided to The News that the Sindh University management was approached by the Commission on Saturday but it was non-cooperative and indifferent.
The commission officials, it is said, spoke not only to the controversial Vice Chancellor of the Sindh University Dr Nazir Mughal but also to its controller but their responses were found to be discouraging.
“We think they want to hide the facts,” a senior Commission source said, adding that the vice chancellor, when approached, appeared totally oblivious of the deficiencies in the Sindh University’s verification of over 100 degrees of parliamentarians already rejected by the HEC.
The source said that Dr Nazir Mughal told the commission official, who contacted him, to talk to the university controller. The controller, however, sought two months’ time to complete the verification process to the satisfaction of the HEC.
“We were told by the Sindh University that the verification as per the requirement of the HEC could not be done in days or a few weeks’ time though none of the universities had said so,” the source said, adding that the HEC, however, did not agree with Sindh University’s arguments.
Next week, the HEC sources said, the commission would again approach the Sindh University to do the needful at the earliest instead of using dillydallying tactics.
The Sindh University is said to be under the influence of the provincial government, which has started using all sorts of third-rate arm-twisting tactics to stop Prof Dr Javed Leghari, HEC Chairman, from verifying the degrees of members of parliament particularly from Sindh.
Javed Leghari, who is so far braving all sorts of pressures exerted on him, is determined to complete his job honestly and fairly. He is being pressurised to resign and in order to bring him in line, the provincial government has arrested his younger brother on hastily half-cooked corruption charges.
A number of his family servants have too been reportedly apprehended by the police, his farm house in Hyderabad was also raided besides sending him threatening messages.
All this state hostility against the HEC chairman has reportedly been let loose to secure from disqualification a large number of provincial assembly members and some high profile PPP leaders from Sindh.
The HEC chairman has sought a meeting with the prime minister to discuss the fake degree issues. Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani, however, told the media on Saturday that he had yet to receive the HEC chairman’s request for the meeting but hinted that he would call Javed Leghari for a meeting in a couple of days and would not allow anybody to victimise anyone.
It is yet to be seen whether the prime minister could do anything when the home minister Sindh and close confidant of President Asif Ali Zardari, Zulfiqar Mirza, is already being blamed by the Chairman NA Standing Committee on Education for harassing Javed Leghari’s family.
Four industrialists nabbed for PSM fraud
Updated at: 1218 PST, Sunday, July 18, 2010
KARACHI: At least four industrialists have been nabbed for embezzlements in iron purchase in Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM).
But, the PSM’s Re-rolling Mill Associations said they are being victimized to show recovery.
According to sources, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested at least four people involved in the PSM scam.
The chief of Re-rolling Mill Association Ismat Pervaiz said, ‘We are being made the scapegoat to show recovery to the Supreme Court (SC). Re-rolling Mill Association cannot earn unwarranted profits as it is a consumer dealer.’
‘The members of Re-rolling Mill Association never took any illegal benefit; however, to save some people, we are being pressurized,’ he stressed.
Warning to take recourse to the courts if the action against them is not halted, he further said, ‘The PSM never provided us with material as per our requirements.’
Ismat Pervaiz said the PSM chief acknowledged that the RMA workers did nothing wrong, adding he would lay bare the facts in tomorrow’s press briefing.
KARACHI: At least four industrialists have been nabbed for embezzlements in iron purchase in Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM).But, the PSM’s Re-rolling Mill Associations said they are being victimized to show recovery.
According to sources, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested at least four people involved in the PSM scam.
The chief of Re-rolling Mill Association Ismat Pervaiz said, ‘We are being made the scapegoat to show recovery to the Supreme Court (SC). Re-rolling Mill Association cannot earn unwarranted profits as it is a consumer dealer.’
‘The members of Re-rolling Mill Association never took any illegal benefit; however, to save some people, we are being pressurized,’ he stressed.
Warning to take recourse to the courts if the action against them is not halted, he further said, ‘The PSM never provided us with material as per our requirements.’
Ismat Pervaiz said the PSM chief acknowledged that the RMA workers did nothing wrong, adding he would lay bare the facts in tomorrow’s press briefing.
Hillary Clinton arrives in Pakistan
Updated at: 1145 PST, Sunday, July 18, 2010ISLAMABAD: Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has arrived in Islamabad for a two-day visit that will focus on economic aid and Pakistan's role in the war in Afghanistan, .
Clinton arrived here today to attend at least one public event in Islamabad. Her talks on Monday will include several senior Pakistani officials, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the foreign minister.
The US top diplomat will meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani today.
Clinton is slated to attend strategic dialogues tomorrow.
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