Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
'Questions, answers, months of brutality' - ISI torture Story
After two weeks in a secret prison run by Inter-Services Intelligence, the Pakistani security agency denounced by human rights activists as one of the most vicious in the world, Salahuddin Amin says he was ready to do whatever he was asked. The college graduate from Luton claims he had been deprived of sleep for several days before being beaten, whipped and threatened with an electric drill. Then, he says, he was suspended by his wrists and beaten some more. His suffering appears to have been filmed, through a poorly concealed camera in the corner of the ceiling of his cell.
After about 15 days of interrogation, he says, he was taken from his cell, blindfolded, hooded and shackled and pushed into the back of a car. After 20 minutes the car stopped and he was led into a building, up some stairs, and left alone in an air-conditioned room.
In an account that Amin has written of his 10 months in the ISI's prison, he describes what happened next.
"The door opened and a few people entered. When my hood was taken off I saw two white men standing in front of me. One of them looked at the major and asked if my handcuffs could be taken off.
Read the full story at GUARDIAN
Monday, April 28, 2008
Father, Son manufacture power plant to produce 10 MW electricity - Alternative Power Plants
SWAT, April 26 (APP) :Father and son emerge successful after twelve years of experiment in manufacturing a ten thousand horse power plant that would produce ten (10) Mega Watt electricity.
According to our correspondent, a Mechanical Engineer by profession and
his son Ikram Shah succeeded in manufacturing a 10,000 horse power plant at a cost of Rs.70,000 after twelve years experiment. The power plant could be mounted on 60x60 feet area. He has worked in Saudi Arabia and Karachi in Mercedes car assembly factories for about 35 years.
Talking to newsmen both father and son told that with the use of plant, pollution would controlled to a maximum extent. They said that the plant could run for about eighty (80) hours with twenty (20) liters fuel.
They also disclosed that they have manufactured four and a half horse
power engine at a cost of Rs.100,000 which could run with 120 kilometers per hour speed. It could carry fourteen (14) persons and its weight is fourteen monds. It’s consumption in the hilly areas is ten (10) kilometers per liter while it is 20-25 in the plan areas.
They expressed the confidence that if backed by the government, they could bring revolution in the world of technology as they could produce sixty (60) such cars in the market for Rs.180,000 a car.
According to our correspondent, a Mechanical Engineer by profession and
his son Ikram Shah succeeded in manufacturing a 10,000 horse power plant at a cost of Rs.70,000 after twelve years experiment. The power plant could be mounted on 60x60 feet area. He has worked in Saudi Arabia and Karachi in Mercedes car assembly factories for about 35 years.
Talking to newsmen both father and son told that with the use of plant, pollution would controlled to a maximum extent. They said that the plant could run for about eighty (80) hours with twenty (20) liters fuel.
They also disclosed that they have manufactured four and a half horse
power engine at a cost of Rs.100,000 which could run with 120 kilometers per hour speed. It could carry fourteen (14) persons and its weight is fourteen monds. It’s consumption in the hilly areas is ten (10) kilometers per liter while it is 20-25 in the plan areas.
They expressed the confidence that if backed by the government, they could bring revolution in the world of technology as they could produce sixty (60) such cars in the market for Rs.180,000 a car.
Troubled rock star Pete Doherty turned to Islam
Troubled rock star Pete Doherty has reportedly turned to Islam after being imprisoned in London's Wormwood Scrubs jail. Doherty asked for a translation of the Quran and is now "lapping it up", British tabloid The Sun reported on Saturday.
One of Doherty's friends said, "He's been reading the Quran since he went into segregation. He's got a lot of Muslim friends and they've been on at him for ages to study it. Now he's on his own and he's got time on his hands to study it.
"I'm surprised how much it has calmed him down as he was very on the edge inside. He definitely seems more chilled. He's lapping it up and really interested in it. I think it's helping him in there."
The singer was given a 14-week sentence for violating probation by taking drugs.
Source: THE SUN
One of Doherty's friends said, "He's been reading the Quran since he went into segregation. He's got a lot of Muslim friends and they've been on at him for ages to study it. Now he's on his own and he's got time on his hands to study it.
"I'm surprised how much it has calmed him down as he was very on the edge inside. He definitely seems more chilled. He's lapping it up and really interested in it. I think it's helping him in there."
The singer was given a 14-week sentence for violating probation by taking drugs.
Source: THE SUN
US will pursue Osama if he is in Pakistan - NegroPonte
United States Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte has said that if Washington has explicit proof of Osama Bin Laden's presence in Pakistan's border regions, it will categorically pursue him. Negroponte said that as far as Osama bin Laden was concerned, Washington would pursue him regardless of any permission from Pakistan to conduct a military operation within its borders.
"I'm pretty confident that that's the way the president would react," the Daily Times quoted Negroponte, as saying. Describing Pakistan as a very important country to the United States because of its proximity to Afghanistan and because of the warm ties enjoyed between the two countries since the post-9/11 period, Negroponte said Washington had full faith President Pervez Musharraf, but is equally aware of the prime minister's role (Gilani) acquiring greater importance.
"I'm pretty confident that that's the way the president would react," the Daily Times quoted Negroponte, as saying. Describing Pakistan as a very important country to the United States because of its proximity to Afghanistan and because of the warm ties enjoyed between the two countries since the post-9/11 period, Negroponte said Washington had full faith President Pervez Musharraf, but is equally aware of the prime minister's role (Gilani) acquiring greater importance.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Energy Drinks, Anyone??
Fears have been raised over the safety of high-caffeine energy drinks after an inquest heard they could have brought on a fatal heart attack.
 | |
Alfredo Duran, 40, who drank four cans of Red Bull every night, collapsed and died after working a supermarket night shift.
An inquest into his death heard that he had an enlarged heart and that caffeine may have triggered an attack.
Dr Ian Roberts, a pathologist, said the amount of Red Bull Mr Duran drank could have contributed to his death.
Levels found during the post mortem examination were not fatal, but were dangerous for a man with an underlying heart condition.
Read the rest here
Benzair's Cursed Apartment in Manhattan
I wrote an article last year about the complications of selling my New York City apartment. To recap, my first buyer dropped dead at the closing. The second, with contract in hand, bolted down 47 flights of stairs, never to be heard from again. Why? My building is the one New York Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle flew an airplane into, tragically crashing it five floors below my apartment—where my buyer was signing our contract.
My real estate broker felt uneasy after these two disasters, and while my penthouse was pristine, beautifully furnished, and had panoramic views overlooking the East River, she felt two tragedies in so short a time were a bad omen. She insisted the apartment’s “karma” was questionable at best. I countered, “But not so bad that you will pass up listing it?” “Truthfully Mrs. Boesky, I cannot wait to get rid of this apartment for both of us,” was her comment.
We agreed on that point. A sale that included “title passing” would be welcome news! A few months later another prospect surfaced, only this time, because of the plane incident, my building insisted all visitors be accompanied by an owner. That meant I had to drive from Westchester each time the interested couple brought consultants or wanted to see the space.
My broker called to say my potential buyers preferred anonymity, something I understood given my past history. The husband came alone for the early meetings. He was charming, attractive, in his 50s, and extremely chatty while his crew took measurements and photos. He mentioned this was their first home in New York, and that his wife was a workaholic who traveled constantly. He was curious about the neighborhood, and asked for my recommendations of places to go, and things to do and see.
When my broker summoned me a fourth time, I refused. “No more trips to Manhattan until they make an offer,” I said, digging in my heels. “Oh, this time it’s to meet the wife,” said my broker. “She makes the decisions and she wants to explore the possibility of purchasing some furnishings.” Ugh, back on the road again!
Minutes after I arrived, a stunning woman with an engaging smile rang my doorbell. She took a full tour, including closets, and was very complimentary. “I love what you’ve done here. Your color sense and style sensibility is much like mine.” She spoke of the vibrancy of New York City and how she enjoyed visiting. She took an interest in my family photos too, and, seeing pictures of my children, she commented that theirs were in school elsewhere so would not be living in the apartment.
“The feng shui is not right here and is very important to me, so I will be changing the location of the entry doors,” she said. I wondered, could feng shui account for my apartment’s bad luck? She made a list of items she wanted, mostly 18th-century antiques, and asked for prices. We rode down the elevator together, and before bidding me farewell, she mentioned it was nice meeting me and felt we shared similar family values.
Driving home, I thought how much I liked her and hoped this couple would ultimately make the purchase. A few days later, they made an acceptable offer, but passed on my expensive antique furniture. “Reproductions will suffice,” she said. Our closing went quickly and easily, and while unpacking my belongings for the third and final time in Westchester, I remember thinking how silly my broker was for believing my apartment was jinxed.
One year later, newspaper headlines proved her right after all, and the sale has left me feeling sad ever since. My buyer? Benazir Bhutto.
Source: The Wag Megazine
See the Manhattan Apartment location & its price here
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Should we keep an eye on Provinicial minister after some years??
PP new provincial minister for Balochistan Assembly Younas Mullahzai on his way to Governor House for oath taking ceremony
Taxi driver from Twin City - A Taxi EYEVIEW
When Asif Hussain Shah was a student of grade 7, he packed his schoolbag and decided to quit studies. Now this 40-year-old cab driver has written an interesting book comprising short stories of his experiences while driving his cab on the roads of Rawalpindi.
“I thought that what I used to study in school doesn’t match what we do in our practical life,” Asif said about his decision to quit school in Quetta as a young student.
However his family members and friends forced Asif to resume his studies and with a heavy heart he got back to school. But Asif could study only till 12th grade before he finally called it a day and entered into practical life.
He got expertise in making water-boring machines and when he got married in Rawalpindi he made up his mind to live in this city in the year 1993. For one year, he remained glued with his work as a water-boring machine maker.
“It was good, but I am a man who believes in hard work,” Asif said.
One day he finally decided it’s better to drive a cab in the city. Unlike other cab drivers, Asif believes that ‘time is money’ and perhaps that’s the reason he prefers to ask a passenger how much he or she could spend on their travel.
“I don’t like spending my time in having a cup of tea in a roadside restaurant and smoke cigarettes, like most cab drivers in this city do,” he said.
Giving example, Asif said that he prefers to drop a passenger from Raja Bazaar to Saddar for Rs40 instead of asking for Rs60 or Rs70.
“That’s what most cab drivers are doing, but for me time is money,” he said.
Last year, the idea of writing a book in Urdu sprung into Asif’s mind. He felt that he had met various passengers, with whom he had exchanged views on a number of topics during his 15 years of cab driving in the city.
“I thought why not write these short stories in simple Urdu and I started the project,” he said as he showed his 116-page book.
Maybe the name of the book could have been something else instead of ‘For Hire,’ but Asif said that soon his book would be translated into English and even in Arabic.
Among other incidents, there’s one chapter ‘Mind Your Language’ in the book in which a passenger got annoyed when Asif said he would charge ‘rupees one hundred and fifty’.
“How dare you speak in English, can’t you say it in Urdu,” the passenger said.
The digital version of the Urdu book could be seen on azupress.com and soon readers could have an access to all contents of Asif’s book.
“It’s the era of computers and that’s the main reason I’ve uploaded this book on a website so that more and more people could read it all over the world,” he said.
“Very soon, people would have access to all chapters of the book because I want it to be free of cost,” he added.
Highlighting the problems of cab drivers in Rawalpindi, Asif said that there’s no proper taxi-stands in the city.
“If there’s more and more cab stops, it would not only help commuters, but also generate money for the administration,” he suggested.
Despite becoming a writer, Asif said that he would never give up the profession of a cab driver, because whatever he is today is just because of this profession.
Source: THE NEWS
SHORT STORIES GLIMPSES
“I thought that what I used to study in school doesn’t match what we do in our practical life,” Asif said about his decision to quit school in Quetta as a young student.
However his family members and friends forced Asif to resume his studies and with a heavy heart he got back to school. But Asif could study only till 12th grade before he finally called it a day and entered into practical life.
He got expertise in making water-boring machines and when he got married in Rawalpindi he made up his mind to live in this city in the year 1993. For one year, he remained glued with his work as a water-boring machine maker.
“It was good, but I am a man who believes in hard work,” Asif said.
One day he finally decided it’s better to drive a cab in the city. Unlike other cab drivers, Asif believes that ‘time is money’ and perhaps that’s the reason he prefers to ask a passenger how much he or she could spend on their travel.
“I don’t like spending my time in having a cup of tea in a roadside restaurant and smoke cigarettes, like most cab drivers in this city do,” he said.
Giving example, Asif said that he prefers to drop a passenger from Raja Bazaar to Saddar for Rs40 instead of asking for Rs60 or Rs70.
“That’s what most cab drivers are doing, but for me time is money,” he said.
Last year, the idea of writing a book in Urdu sprung into Asif’s mind. He felt that he had met various passengers, with whom he had exchanged views on a number of topics during his 15 years of cab driving in the city.
“I thought why not write these short stories in simple Urdu and I started the project,” he said as he showed his 116-page book.
Maybe the name of the book could have been something else instead of ‘For Hire,’ but Asif said that soon his book would be translated into English and even in Arabic.
Among other incidents, there’s one chapter ‘Mind Your Language’ in the book in which a passenger got annoyed when Asif said he would charge ‘rupees one hundred and fifty’.
“How dare you speak in English, can’t you say it in Urdu,” the passenger said.
The digital version of the Urdu book could be seen on azupress.com and soon readers could have an access to all contents of Asif’s book.
“It’s the era of computers and that’s the main reason I’ve uploaded this book on a website so that more and more people could read it all over the world,” he said.
“Very soon, people would have access to all chapters of the book because I want it to be free of cost,” he added.
Highlighting the problems of cab drivers in Rawalpindi, Asif said that there’s no proper taxi-stands in the city.
“If there’s more and more cab stops, it would not only help commuters, but also generate money for the administration,” he suggested.
Despite becoming a writer, Asif said that he would never give up the profession of a cab driver, because whatever he is today is just because of this profession.
Source: THE NEWS
SHORT STORIES GLIMPSES
Cheerleader during IPL are distracting
Cheerleaders during Indian Premier League (IPL) matches may have added glitz and glamour to the cricket but Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi is not amused.
The explosive hitter wants IPL organisers to remove the cheerleaders.
“The girls in skimpy dresses should be removed from the ground as this is distracting the batsman,” he told newsmen on Wednesday.
“Cricket itself is an entertainment. It does not require such cheerleaders to entertain,î said Afridi, who played his first IPL match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here last night.
Afridi could score only two runs as his team Deccan Chargers lost to Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets.
This was his team’s second defeat in a row.
Afridi had missed his team’s first match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.
Two teams of cheerleaders were standing on specially erected platforms on either side of the ground, dancing to every run scored by Deccan Chargers’ batsmen. They were also seen dancing to the hit Hindi film numbers.
Source: THE NEWS
Cheerleaders of IPL
The explosive hitter wants IPL organisers to remove the cheerleaders.
“The girls in skimpy dresses should be removed from the ground as this is distracting the batsman,” he told newsmen on Wednesday.
“Cricket itself is an entertainment. It does not require such cheerleaders to entertain,î said Afridi, who played his first IPL match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here last night.
Afridi could score only two runs as his team Deccan Chargers lost to Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets.
This was his team’s second defeat in a row.
Afridi had missed his team’s first match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.
Two teams of cheerleaders were standing on specially erected platforms on either side of the ground, dancing to every run scored by Deccan Chargers’ batsmen. They were also seen dancing to the hit Hindi film numbers.
Source: THE NEWS
Cheerleaders of IPL
Water at Nano-level - a mind blowing work by Dr. Emoto - Healing by Qurani Verses
I got this email which persuaded me to do some more research in this aspect..
Water at Nano Level
The Japanese author of best-selling book “Message from Water” scientist Masaru Emoto presented his experiments in proving the high response and flexibility of water crystals during the “Water at the Nano Level” at Dar Al-Hekma Girls College Sunday night in his first visit to the Kingdom.
He founded a theory proving that water takes on the vibration and energy of its environment whether polluted or natural and pure.
He said he believes that water can send messages telling us to look inside ourselves.
Experiments and researches of Emoto, who has a doctorate in alternative medicine, focused on exposing water in glasses to different words, pictures, or music, and then freezing and examining the aesthetics of the resulting crystals with microscopic photography or nanotechnology.
“I paid a lot of effort in taking the first photo of the water crystal using the nanotechnology and equipments that I installed. As I cannot stay in cold places for long, a chemist took this picture in a –35 C atmosphere. He refused the idea of taking pictures of the crystal before convincing him,” Emoto said.
The professor also did the same study on Zamzam water. He had to lighten the water 1000 times in order to be able to freeze it and take a photo of its crystal that looked like a diamond. He said he was at a conference in Hamburg presenting his researches and a Saudi educationalist from Jeddah was present and was impressed to see the different shapes of water crystals. “She told me that this is related to the Islamic concept and told me to come to Jeddah to present that and here I am.”
The shape of a crystal does not stay for more than two minutes. It changes after that with the different temperature. He thought that there must be vibes in water. He experimented surrounding water with music.
He placed a glass of water between two speakers and played Beethoven’s 9th symphony. He took a photo of the water crystal before listening to music. Then he displayed the process of transforming after playing the music to the public. The crystal changed to a beautiful shape. “After that experiment, I knew I was right when I thought that water has vibes and responds to the surrounding environment,” he said.
When he played Tchaikovsky music, water crystals came in a different shape.
He also showed that positive words make beautiful crystals. Negative words make ugly crystals. Words like “you fool” shows a disorganized unclear shape of the water crystal whereas words like “happy” show a more beautiful shape.
More interesting to the attendees was exposing water to pictures where water crystals reflect the different shapes they are exposed to. A glass of water was place on an elephant picture. The water crystal he froze and viewed showed that shape of the elephant’s trunk clearly. And so did a picture of a traditional Japanese house with the triangle shape of the ceiling.
When Emoto was in France once, a Muslim couple gave him a paper that has the 99 names of God delivering it upon the request of their friend. He took it with him to Japan. He left it at his office for almost a year. He then tried using God’s names in exposing them to water. It showed different beautiful shape every time. The water crystal looked simple after listening to Qur’an and Adhan. Emoto stressed on the importance of water and how we should appreciate it. Our bodies consist mainly of water the moment we come to life and until we die. A fertile egg consists of 95 percent of water, newborns have 80 percent water, adults have 70 percent and elderly have 60 percent. It decreases by age and that is what causes Alzheimer because loss of water in the human body.
“Saying prayers and positive words before drinking water changes its crystals and medical reports proved that some patients were actually cured of cancer after drinking water and saying prayers,” said Emoto.
Emoto wrote about his experiments in his book “Message from Water” was translated to 40 different languages and sold around two million copies published in 70 countries. The book came in two volumes; the first in 1999 and the second in 2001.
Source: Water at Nano Level published in ArabNewsFurther googling made me come to this page.
Quranic Verses Effect
Question Answer Session
Read on.. and do the research.. if anyone wants the first book of Dr.Emoto.. then write it down in comments.. i will forward it to him..
Rs 1.5bn spent on Musharraf’s foreign visits
President General Pervez Musharraf and his wife had spent Rs1.5 billion from national kitty on their foreign trips during the last five years, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi disclosed in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Qureshi also disclosed that the president took at least 1,325 visitors along with him in 37 trips since February 2003. Musharraf's visit to the USA to attend the book launching ceremony of his autobiography "In the Line of Fire" turned out be the most expensive trip, as it cost Rs227 million.
Likewise, Musharraf's desperate visit to Abu Dhabi to hold a historic meeting with the late Benazir Bhutto on July 26 2007 to seek her help after restoration of the chief justice of Pakistan on July 20, cost Rs15 million as the president took 43 people along with him.
Musharraf paid eight visits to Saudi Arabia in these five years, and Rs142 million were spent on his these trips where he also performed Umrah. The latest trip of Musharraf to the European countries cost the nation Rs146 million amid the confirmation of British foreign office that the president himself had expressed the wish to visit London as no official request was extended from the host country. In the same trip, Musharraf stayed at a hotel in London on Park Lane where one night room rent was Rs1.8 million.
In these five years, President Musharraf visited a total of 80 foreign countries and the USA, Saudi Arabia and the UK were the most visited destinations. The president paid six official visits to the USA which were made in the name of improving bilateral relationship between the two states.
The most expensive trip in the history of Pakistan was made to Belgium, Cuba, the USA and the UK where Musharraf along with 52 entourage spent Rs227 million within 16 days. Earlier, PML-N MNA Raja Mohammad Asad Khan had asked the foreign minister to give the details of President Musharraf's visits abroad during the period from January 2003 to February 2008 along with the expenditures incurred and the names of entourage of those visits separately along with the reasons of nominations.
Talking to The News, MNA Raja Asad said that he was surprised to see the details of the foreign trips of Musharraf. He said this was the taxpayers money and was spent in such a manner which had greatly disappointed him.
The major beneficiary of these foreign trips after Musharraf were the personal staff of the president, who accompanied him almost on every visit. Personal and security staff always exceeded the official members of such trips.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmad accompanied Musharraf more than any minister as he was with him for eight times. Followed by the minister, Sumaira Malik went with Musharraf five times and Hina Rabbani Khar to four visits.
According to other details, Musharraf spent Rs21 million on his trip to Russia, Rs22 million to Malaysia, Rs7.4 million to Saudi Arabia, Rs17.2 million on the USA, UK, Germany and France, Rs28 million on Tunisia, Algeria, Rabat, Rs38 million to the USA, Canada, Rs33 million to Malaysia, Rs28 million to China, Korea, Rs29 million to Turkey, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Rs12 million to Sweden, Finland, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Rs31 million to USA, Netherlands, Italy, Rs60 million to UAE Rs5 million to Afghanistan, Rs90 million to Kyrgzsatan, Uzbekistan, Rs20 million to India, Indonesia, Philippines, Rs37 million to UAE and Qatar, Rs9 million to Australia and New Zealand, Rs40 million to New York Tampa, Rs53 million to Saudi Arabia, Rs11.4 million to Kuwait, Yeman, Saudi Arabia, Rs1 million to Switzerland, Norway, Dubai Rs45 million to China, Rs168 million to UAE, Rs0.3 million to Afghanistan Rs3.4 million to Belgium, Cuba, the USA, UK Rs227 million to Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia Rs54 million to Indonesia, Malaysia, Rs56 million to Iran and Turkey, Rs11 million to Spain, Poland, Bosnia and Turkey, Rs44 million to Saudi Arabia and UAE, Rs14 million to Afghanistan, and lately his trip to France, Switzerland, the UK and Belgium cost Rs146 million.
Source: THE NEWS today
By Rauf Klasra
Qureshi also disclosed that the president took at least 1,325 visitors along with him in 37 trips since February 2003. Musharraf's visit to the USA to attend the book launching ceremony of his autobiography "In the Line of Fire" turned out be the most expensive trip, as it cost Rs227 million.
Likewise, Musharraf's desperate visit to Abu Dhabi to hold a historic meeting with the late Benazir Bhutto on July 26 2007 to seek her help after restoration of the chief justice of Pakistan on July 20, cost Rs15 million as the president took 43 people along with him.
Musharraf paid eight visits to Saudi Arabia in these five years, and Rs142 million were spent on his these trips where he also performed Umrah. The latest trip of Musharraf to the European countries cost the nation Rs146 million amid the confirmation of British foreign office that the president himself had expressed the wish to visit London as no official request was extended from the host country. In the same trip, Musharraf stayed at a hotel in London on Park Lane where one night room rent was Rs1.8 million.
In these five years, President Musharraf visited a total of 80 foreign countries and the USA, Saudi Arabia and the UK were the most visited destinations. The president paid six official visits to the USA which were made in the name of improving bilateral relationship between the two states.
The most expensive trip in the history of Pakistan was made to Belgium, Cuba, the USA and the UK where Musharraf along with 52 entourage spent Rs227 million within 16 days. Earlier, PML-N MNA Raja Mohammad Asad Khan had asked the foreign minister to give the details of President Musharraf's visits abroad during the period from January 2003 to February 2008 along with the expenditures incurred and the names of entourage of those visits separately along with the reasons of nominations.
Talking to The News, MNA Raja Asad said that he was surprised to see the details of the foreign trips of Musharraf. He said this was the taxpayers money and was spent in such a manner which had greatly disappointed him.
The major beneficiary of these foreign trips after Musharraf were the personal staff of the president, who accompanied him almost on every visit. Personal and security staff always exceeded the official members of such trips.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmad accompanied Musharraf more than any minister as he was with him for eight times. Followed by the minister, Sumaira Malik went with Musharraf five times and Hina Rabbani Khar to four visits.
According to other details, Musharraf spent Rs21 million on his trip to Russia, Rs22 million to Malaysia, Rs7.4 million to Saudi Arabia, Rs17.2 million on the USA, UK, Germany and France, Rs28 million on Tunisia, Algeria, Rabat, Rs38 million to the USA, Canada, Rs33 million to Malaysia, Rs28 million to China, Korea, Rs29 million to Turkey, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Rs12 million to Sweden, Finland, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Rs31 million to USA, Netherlands, Italy, Rs60 million to UAE Rs5 million to Afghanistan, Rs90 million to Kyrgzsatan, Uzbekistan, Rs20 million to India, Indonesia, Philippines, Rs37 million to UAE and Qatar, Rs9 million to Australia and New Zealand, Rs40 million to New York Tampa, Rs53 million to Saudi Arabia, Rs11.4 million to Kuwait, Yeman, Saudi Arabia, Rs1 million to Switzerland, Norway, Dubai Rs45 million to China, Rs168 million to UAE, Rs0.3 million to Afghanistan Rs3.4 million to Belgium, Cuba, the USA, UK Rs227 million to Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia Rs54 million to Indonesia, Malaysia, Rs56 million to Iran and Turkey, Rs11 million to Spain, Poland, Bosnia and Turkey, Rs44 million to Saudi Arabia and UAE, Rs14 million to Afghanistan, and lately his trip to France, Switzerland, the UK and Belgium cost Rs146 million.
Source: THE NEWS today
By Rauf Klasra
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Over 35m out of 81m SIMs are non-verified
As many as 35 million non-verified mobile SIMs are still circulating in the market out of a total of 81 million issued SIMs, Senate Standing Committee on Interior told here Tuesday.
Despite several warnings and notices issued by the government, Parliament Standing Committees and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) the cellular companies and its franchises are issuing non-verified SIMs to consumers.
Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Talha Mehmood told a press conference that PTA seems least interested in regulating such practices which is creating law and order situation in the country.
After presiding over a meeting of Senate body on Interior, Talha told the media persons that due to issuance of non-verified SIMs crimes like kidnapping for ransom have surged in the country. He said the committee expressed great shock when IGP Sindh Dr Shoaib Suddle informed the committee that in Karachi an individual got 11,283 SIMs on a single identity card.
He said under the law an individual cannot get more than 10 SIMs on a single ID card, but the mobile companies are issuing SIMs for their personal interest and profit while violating all the laws.
Talha said that representatives of mobile companies while concealing the facts informed the committee that there are 14 million non-verified SIMs, but according to the National Database Registration Authority’s (Nadra) data there are about 35 million non-verified SIMs.
He said the cellular companies have to pay rupees five to ten to Nadra for verification of each ID card, “to save this money the mobile companies don’t bother to verify the ID card.”
He said when the committee asked the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the companies to put their annual audit reports before the committee they refused.
Talha said the committee constituted a sub-committee to look into the matter of non-verified SIMs, procedure of SIMs issuance, reasons for non-verification and will give its report within 15 days to the Standing Committee.
Earlier, he said Mobilink has so far issued 32 million SIMs, Warid 14 million, Telenor 16 million, Ufone 17 million, Insta Phone 300,000 and ZONG 2 million.
Senator Talha said that under the light of the report to be given by the sub-committee, “We will do legislation to make verification mandatory for mobile phone companies before activating the SIM.”
The committee will also recommend cancellation of franchise licences who are issuing non-verified SIMs.
Source: THE NEWS
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Despite several warnings and notices issued by the government, Parliament Standing Committees and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) the cellular companies and its franchises are issuing non-verified SIMs to consumers.
Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Talha Mehmood told a press conference that PTA seems least interested in regulating such practices which is creating law and order situation in the country.
After presiding over a meeting of Senate body on Interior, Talha told the media persons that due to issuance of non-verified SIMs crimes like kidnapping for ransom have surged in the country. He said the committee expressed great shock when IGP Sindh Dr Shoaib Suddle informed the committee that in Karachi an individual got 11,283 SIMs on a single identity card.
He said under the law an individual cannot get more than 10 SIMs on a single ID card, but the mobile companies are issuing SIMs for their personal interest and profit while violating all the laws.
Talha said that representatives of mobile companies while concealing the facts informed the committee that there are 14 million non-verified SIMs, but according to the National Database Registration Authority’s (Nadra) data there are about 35 million non-verified SIMs.
He said the cellular companies have to pay rupees five to ten to Nadra for verification of each ID card, “to save this money the mobile companies don’t bother to verify the ID card.”
He said when the committee asked the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the companies to put their annual audit reports before the committee they refused.
Talha said the committee constituted a sub-committee to look into the matter of non-verified SIMs, procedure of SIMs issuance, reasons for non-verification and will give its report within 15 days to the Standing Committee.
Earlier, he said Mobilink has so far issued 32 million SIMs, Warid 14 million, Telenor 16 million, Ufone 17 million, Insta Phone 300,000 and ZONG 2 million.
Senator Talha said that under the light of the report to be given by the sub-committee, “We will do legislation to make verification mandatory for mobile phone companies before activating the SIM.”
The committee will also recommend cancellation of franchise licences who are issuing non-verified SIMs.
Source: THE NEWS
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Musharraf is our best bet By G. PARTHASARATHY
Reading recent Hamid Mir column made me search out for this fella article. Here is what G. PARTHASARATHY wrote in his column..
The February 2008 elections in Pakistan, in which Gen Pervez Musharraf’s loyalists were routed across the country, sent the diplomatic establishments in the White House in Washington and South Block in New Delhi into a tailspin. Despite warnings about Gen Musharraf’s growing unpopularity, the diplomatic establishments in New Delhi and Washington remained wedded to the “Musharraf is our best bet” syndrome and wrongly believed, till the very last moment, that Gen Musharraf was invincible and irreplaceable in Pakistan.
Read rest of the article here
The February 2008 elections in Pakistan, in which Gen Pervez Musharraf’s loyalists were routed across the country, sent the diplomatic establishments in the White House in Washington and South Block in New Delhi into a tailspin. Despite warnings about Gen Musharraf’s growing unpopularity, the diplomatic establishments in New Delhi and Washington remained wedded to the “Musharraf is our best bet” syndrome and wrongly believed, till the very last moment, that Gen Musharraf was invincible and irreplaceable in Pakistan.
Read rest of the article here
Who are beneficiaries of loan write-offs??
In the wake of Election 2008, the people of Pakistan are happy that the coalition government has shown commitment to give respect to their mandate by removing unconstitutionally imposed president and restitution of deposed judges. However, one issue has escaped the attention of everybody, that is recovery of billions of rupees written off by the banks. According to press reports, the Supreme Court has taken serious notice of the fact as to how banks wrote off a staggering amount of Rs125 billion as "bad debts" during the 2000-2006 period, against Rs30 billion written off during 1985-1999. It is reported that larger number of loans have been written off under Circular No 29/2002, issued by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), of which major beneficiaries are politicians and industrialists. The criminal culpability of successive governments in this matter has tarnished the image of Pakistan in the eyes of global community as a haven for the corrupt, plunderers and tax evaders.
During the self-claimed "transparent era" of Musharraf-Shaukat, the loans write- offs in just seven years (2000-2006) crossed the figure of Rs125 billion, whereas in the much-publicised "corrupt eras" of elected governments (1985-1999) it was just Rs30 billion. This comparison speaks for itself and does not require any further comments.
Read further here
During the self-claimed "transparent era" of Musharraf-Shaukat, the loans write- offs in just seven years (2000-2006) crossed the figure of Rs125 billion, whereas in the much-publicised "corrupt eras" of elected governments (1985-1999) it was just Rs30 billion. This comparison speaks for itself and does not require any further comments.
Read further here
64% rise in profits of OMCs and Pump Owners
EXPRESS NEWSPAPER investigative report recently published has some mind blowing facts..
According to the report, the recent increase of Rs.3 per liter has increased the profit margins of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and Petrol Pump Owners by 64%. Including this Government will also be getting Rs.6 thousand million in the name of GST and Petroleum development levy(PDL) in mere 15 days.
After connecting the international oil price with local prices, In-land freight rose to Rs.3.16 which gave rise to in-land freight margin to Rs. 0.88.
PETROL FRONT
On petrol GST is Rs.6.58 and PDL is Rs. 4.89 per liter
Increase in OMCs commission from Rs.1.52 to Rs. 1.70 and Commission of Petrol pump owners rose from Rs.1.74 to Rs.1.95. In the end, Govt. is buying petrol at Rs.54.7 and selling at Rs.65.81. So, Rs.11.74 is being given away in the name of taxes and PDLs to OMCs and petrol pump owners.
HIGH OCTANE FRONT
High Octane GST is Rs.10.14 & PDL is Rs.11.14 per liter
Increase in OMCs commission from Rs.1.82 to Rs. 1.84 and Commission of Petrol pump owners rose from Rs.2.08 to Rs.2.10. In the end, Govt. is buying high octane at Rs.61.63 and selling at Rs.77.77 . So, Rs.16.14 is being given away in the name of taxes and PDLs to OMCs and petrol pump owners.
Source: Express News Report
According to the report, the recent increase of Rs.3 per liter has increased the profit margins of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and Petrol Pump Owners by 64%. Including this Government will also be getting Rs.6 thousand million in the name of GST and Petroleum development levy(PDL) in mere 15 days.
After connecting the international oil price with local prices, In-land freight rose to Rs.3.16 which gave rise to in-land freight margin to Rs. 0.88.
PETROL FRONT
On petrol GST is Rs.6.58 and PDL is Rs. 4.89 per liter
Increase in OMCs commission from Rs.1.52 to Rs. 1.70 and Commission of Petrol pump owners rose from Rs.1.74 to Rs.1.95. In the end, Govt. is buying petrol at Rs.54.7 and selling at Rs.65.81. So, Rs.11.74 is being given away in the name of taxes and PDLs to OMCs and petrol pump owners.
HIGH OCTANE FRONT
High Octane GST is Rs.10.14 & PDL is Rs.11.14 per liter
Increase in OMCs commission from Rs.1.82 to Rs. 1.84 and Commission of Petrol pump owners rose from Rs.2.08 to Rs.2.10. In the end, Govt. is buying high octane at Rs.61.63 and selling at Rs.77.77 . So, Rs.16.14 is being given away in the name of taxes and PDLs to OMCs and petrol pump owners.
Source: Express News Report
Monday, April 21, 2008
Strip Naked Virtually - Airport Scanner
Travellers at New York and Los Angeles airports will be among the first in the world to be searched using a new scanner which can see through clothes.
The millimetre wave imaging technology, which begins trials this week, creates an picture of the body which critics say amounts to a virtual strip search.
But security officials say it can show contours of the body and can pick up hidden items, such as guns or knives and may be more effective than a physical 'pat-down' in detecting contraband.
After the normal airport routine of walking through metal detectors, some travellers will be selected at random to go through the scanning devices, which each cost £75,000. Passengers will walk into a large booth and the machine will beam electromagnetic waves on to the body, creating a three-dimensional image from reflected energy.
Security staff in a separate room will examine the image, which will later be erased from the system. Officials officials say this distance protects a person's privacy because, apart from the image, they are unable to see the people being examined. The passenger's face is blurred and the images are not stored.
Passengers may choose not to go through the scanner, but will then be subject to other screening, including pat-down searches.
The US Transportation Security Administration plans to buy at least 30 of the devices, but the first machines are being used in Los Angeles and John F. Kennedy in New York, two of the country's busiest and highest-profile airports. They are being tested in what the TSA calls "actual conditions".
"This will allow us to enhance our security at LAX (Los Angeles airport)," said Nico Melendez, a TSA spokesman. "Imaging devices are not a brand new security tool, but they are a brand new security tool for airports."
But Peter Bibring, from the American Civil Liberties Union said safeguards were needed if the technology was not going to be abused.
"I don't think people are really aware of just how accurate and detailed the images are of their naked body," he said. "We need to make sure there are good safeguards. The temptation is great not to follow procedures when a celebrity or someone well known is involved."
Source : TELEGRAPH
Link : telegraph.co.uk
The Man Behind May 12 Incident - ooper Khuda aur neechay Huda
The man who has ruled Sindh as a de facto chief minister for many years finally lost his powers on Saturday.
Brigadier Huda, who was an ISI commander in Sindh, was in fact the caretaker of the MQM-PML-Q provincial coalition government. He was responsible for running the coalition in a smooth manner. All major decisions were taken after his consultation.
He resolved the differences between former CM Arbab Ghulam Rahim and the MQM many a time. Many provincial ministers even used to say "ooper Khuda aur neechay Huda". The brigadier’s name figured in the power circles of Islamabad in the evening of May 12, 2007. Brigadier Huda was given credit for the show of massive government power in Karachi on that day.
Initially, the MQM was reluctant to hold a rally in Karachi on May 12. The then ISI DG Gen Ashfaq Kayani also had the same opinion that the MQM should not come out on the streets when Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would visit Karachi. It was Huda who played an important role in convincing the MQM not to cancel its rally. He assured the MQM leadership that there will be no riots on that day though he was proved wrong. He was supposed to be very close to the then Army chief General Pervez Musharraf. However, no action was taken against him.
The blasts in the rally of Benazir Bhutto on October 18, 2007 in Karachi were another failure of Brigadier Huda. He was responsible for the security of Benazir Bhutto on that day more than anybody else. However, he was not transferred despite his repeated failures. His downfall started on April 9, 2008, when many people including lawyers were killed in the Karachi violence. It was another failure on the part of Huda. The new PPP government in Sindh felt that Brigadier Huda was still having immense political influence. It believed that he was in contact with the anti-PPP forces. Many important bureaucrats reported to the provincial government that Huda was interfering in different departments. He was more interested in "political makings and breakings" than doing his security job.
After the episode of April 9, PPP leaders asked ISI Director General Lt Gen Nadeem Taj through the prime minister that Huda must be transferred. It took just a few days and Huda was transferred. He was replaced by another brigadier. The PPP gave a message that it means business and it will not tolerate any ambitious spymasters.
There are rumors in the capital that the ISI DG will also be transferred soon but highly-placed sources in the new government dispelled all these rumours. "The prime minister has the authority to change the ISI DG anytime but right now we don't need to change him," claimed a top PPP leader.
SOURCE : THE NEWS
on April 21st,2008
by HAMID MIR
Brigadier Huda, who was an ISI commander in Sindh, was in fact the caretaker of the MQM-PML-Q provincial coalition government. He was responsible for running the coalition in a smooth manner. All major decisions were taken after his consultation.
He resolved the differences between former CM Arbab Ghulam Rahim and the MQM many a time. Many provincial ministers even used to say "ooper Khuda aur neechay Huda". The brigadier’s name figured in the power circles of Islamabad in the evening of May 12, 2007. Brigadier Huda was given credit for the show of massive government power in Karachi on that day.
Initially, the MQM was reluctant to hold a rally in Karachi on May 12. The then ISI DG Gen Ashfaq Kayani also had the same opinion that the MQM should not come out on the streets when Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would visit Karachi. It was Huda who played an important role in convincing the MQM not to cancel its rally. He assured the MQM leadership that there will be no riots on that day though he was proved wrong. He was supposed to be very close to the then Army chief General Pervez Musharraf. However, no action was taken against him.
The blasts in the rally of Benazir Bhutto on October 18, 2007 in Karachi were another failure of Brigadier Huda. He was responsible for the security of Benazir Bhutto on that day more than anybody else. However, he was not transferred despite his repeated failures. His downfall started on April 9, 2008, when many people including lawyers were killed in the Karachi violence. It was another failure on the part of Huda. The new PPP government in Sindh felt that Brigadier Huda was still having immense political influence. It believed that he was in contact with the anti-PPP forces. Many important bureaucrats reported to the provincial government that Huda was interfering in different departments. He was more interested in "political makings and breakings" than doing his security job.
After the episode of April 9, PPP leaders asked ISI Director General Lt Gen Nadeem Taj through the prime minister that Huda must be transferred. It took just a few days and Huda was transferred. He was replaced by another brigadier. The PPP gave a message that it means business and it will not tolerate any ambitious spymasters.
There are rumors in the capital that the ISI DG will also be transferred soon but highly-placed sources in the new government dispelled all these rumours. "The prime minister has the authority to change the ISI DG anytime but right now we don't need to change him," claimed a top PPP leader.
SOURCE : THE NEWS
on April 21st,2008
by HAMID MIR
Friday, April 18, 2008
Common scentences which brings us to SHIRK - Urdu Article
These are the common words which are spoken in our society on regular basis.. but no body cares about them. Be careful when you use anything like that next time.. Fi Aman Allah
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Loans Write Off - What a curse on our nation
Every now and then i come across this loan write off thing..I dont know what is this all about but there is something to it that makes this new available round the clock. Otherday , i happen to come across this news report about some suicidal note. it was a sorry tale of a person who used to sell ice cream in abpara in islamabad. He had taken loan from some lady (Rs. 80000 only) and since he was unable to pay after 3 months time, he took his life with his own hands (Pity on his soul).
Now, after reading 2days newspapers, i was unable to understand that how billions were write off to people who already got billions. What if some person or bank or organization would be there who support these poors too. What if??
Let me write down what i got to know from 2days daily..
In Daily Express they mentioned the loans write off from HABIB BANK & ALLIED BANK in 2007. Both of them wrote off 560 politicians and industrialists loans which amounted to Rs.22013100000.
HABIB BANK wrote off 538 people & institutions loans which amounted to Rs. 4723100000. Maximum loan written off went to the proud son(SHAFAY HUSSAIN) of CHAUDARY SHUJAAT which amounted to Rs.59599000.
ALLIED BANK wrote off 22 people & institutions loans which amounted to Rs. 18191500000. Maximum loan written off went to MAST QALANDAR COTTON FACTORY which amounted to Rs.17702000000.
EXPRESS LINK
What else they want from Pakistan? If this money been spent on Power generation and wheat support price and health sector like things, i am sure all the votes would be in PML-Q laps...
Shamshad Akhar once said in her speech that "Govt. privatized 4 major public sector banks and supported a program of restructuring and improving asset quality which involved write off of loans (in the range of Rs 54 billion)".
Link here : Shamshad Akhar (See Page 5)
Here are rest of the reports in Major newspapers
The News (Supreme Court Report)
The News (Previous Govt)
Dawn (National Bank)
Now, after reading 2days newspapers, i was unable to understand that how billions were write off to people who already got billions. What if some person or bank or organization would be there who support these poors too. What if??
Let me write down what i got to know from 2days daily..
In Daily Express they mentioned the loans write off from HABIB BANK & ALLIED BANK in 2007. Both of them wrote off 560 politicians and industrialists loans which amounted to Rs.22013100000.
HABIB BANK wrote off 538 people & institutions loans which amounted to Rs. 4723100000. Maximum loan written off went to the proud son(SHAFAY HUSSAIN) of CHAUDARY SHUJAAT which amounted to Rs.59599000.
ALLIED BANK wrote off 22 people & institutions loans which amounted to Rs. 18191500000. Maximum loan written off went to MAST QALANDAR COTTON FACTORY which amounted to Rs.17702000000.
EXPRESS LINK
What else they want from Pakistan? If this money been spent on Power generation and wheat support price and health sector like things, i am sure all the votes would be in PML-Q laps...
Shamshad Akhar once said in her speech that "Govt. privatized 4 major public sector banks and supported a program of restructuring and improving asset quality which involved write off of loans (in the range of Rs 54 billion)".
Link here : Shamshad Akhar (See Page 5)
Here are rest of the reports in Major newspapers
The News (Supreme Court Report)
The News (Previous Govt)
Dawn (National Bank)
Miss Pakistan Mahleej Sarkari Publicity Stunt - Long Live ENLIGHTENED MODERATION
I came across this news in GEO tv bulletins but they said someone named Mehreen. This news was stuck in my mind for whole night that who is so fond of Mr.Pervee... i googled it out..and found that she is not Mehreen but some lady Mahleej Sarkari. I thought.. come on see who she really is.. and man o man.... what i found.. is rated R!!!
TIMES OF INDIA REPORT
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf may be facing the heat from all corners but not from one Pakistani beauty pageants winner who says he is a "hunk".
Reigning Miss Pakistan World Mahleej Sarkari found time last week to write a post on Musharraf on the pageant's website. "A little note to the people of Pakistan. Going to international pageants we have found out how much Musharraf is known to all beautiful young girls, the beauty queens. Some have replied, 'Oh yes, the general man (sic)'. While others have said 'the man who rules Pakistan'," wrote Sarkari.
"Everything positive... I think personally Musharraf Sahab is very good-looking. Some Pakistani politicians may not agree with these gorgeous women. But here they are kissing Musharraf.
You know like Benazir, all men around the world thought she was a beauty, similarly Musharraf is a hunk. He has enough charisma to have young girls going nuts," goes the beauty queen's post.
Sarkari said she would love to date Musharraf if he asked her out. "Yes, any time...I like him a lot...," she told a news portal. Sarkari also said she thought "Mrs Musharraf would nod her head in agreement that her husband is an icon.
Source: THE TIMES OF INDIA
TIMES OF INDIA REPORT
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf may be facing the heat from all corners but not from one Pakistani beauty pageants winner who says he is a "hunk".
Reigning Miss Pakistan World Mahleej Sarkari found time last week to write a post on Musharraf on the pageant's website. "A little note to the people of Pakistan. Going to international pageants we have found out how much Musharraf is known to all beautiful young girls, the beauty queens. Some have replied, 'Oh yes, the general man (sic)'. While others have said 'the man who rules Pakistan'," wrote Sarkari.
"Everything positive... I think personally Musharraf Sahab is very good-looking. Some Pakistani politicians may not agree with these gorgeous women. But here they are kissing Musharraf.
You know like Benazir, all men around the world thought she was a beauty, similarly Musharraf is a hunk. He has enough charisma to have young girls going nuts," goes the beauty queen's post.
Sarkari said she would love to date Musharraf if he asked her out. "Yes, any time...I like him a lot...," she told a news portal. Sarkari also said she thought "Mrs Musharraf would nod her head in agreement that her husband is an icon.
Source: THE TIMES OF INDIA
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
45% filtration plants supplying unclean water in Islamabad- Be aware
Filtration plants installed in the capital to provide clean drinking water are supplying contaminated water, causing diseases among the capital residents.
According to a report of Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (PCSIR), 45 per cent of filtration plants are providing contaminated water, which is used by 75 per cent of the citizens.
According to the report, water obtained from various filtration plants of the city were sent for laboratory testing and human wastes were found in the water obtained from filtration plants installed in the Sectors I-8, I-10, I-10 Markaz, G-8, G-9 and G-11.
It has also been found that some tube wells, installed in Zone-II sectors, are providing contaminated water, which is causing hepatitis while bacteria were also found in some samples of water obtained from Zone-III.
It has also been found that these filtration plants are not being checked regularly and many of them have lost their benefit due to lack of attention.
Report : THE NEWS 2day
According to a report of Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (PCSIR), 45 per cent of filtration plants are providing contaminated water, which is used by 75 per cent of the citizens.
According to the report, water obtained from various filtration plants of the city were sent for laboratory testing and human wastes were found in the water obtained from filtration plants installed in the Sectors I-8, I-10, I-10 Markaz, G-8, G-9 and G-11.
It has also been found that some tube wells, installed in Zone-II sectors, are providing contaminated water, which is causing hepatitis while bacteria were also found in some samples of water obtained from Zone-III.
It has also been found that these filtration plants are not being checked regularly and many of them have lost their benefit due to lack of attention.
Report : THE NEWS 2day
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Difference between Salaries of Blogger & Journalist
Just came across one site which is job related(US only) but the great point is that it does the comparisons between different jobs on basis of salaries. It even find out your needed job as per salary.
I tried testing it out for difference in salaries of blogger and journalist. Here is what they showed up with..
I tried testing it out for difference in salaries of blogger and journalist. Here is what they showed up with..
Average Blogger salaries for job postings nationwide are 20% higher than average Journalist salaries for job postings nationwide.Get the result here
Comparison of Cellular Companies - Warid,Ufone,Telenor,Mobilink,Zong
Check out Pre-paid, Post Paid, VAS & Other service charges comparison between different networks here
Monday, April 14, 2008
Major General Jay W. Hood - A monster in nutshell
Major General Jay W. Hood has been posted as the Chief ,Office of the Defence Representative, Pakistan.
I got this message a week ago. I read the message..pressed some keys.. and bang!! its deleted from my inbox. I thought its yet another case of spam messages series. But in recent past, i have came across various articles where they have pointed out this information. I googled for the scandals..and yeah!! they were right... so i thought.. Its my moral right baby!!.. Give it a go!!!.. Here is what this monster is all about..
Source : THE NEWS
By Shireen M Mazari
For my urdu readers
Read this in Urdu here
I got this message a week ago. I read the message..pressed some keys.. and bang!! its deleted from my inbox. I thought its yet another case of spam messages series. But in recent past, i have came across various articles where they have pointed out this information. I googled for the scandals..and yeah!! they were right... so i thought.. Its my moral right baby!!.. Give it a go!!!.. Here is what this monster is all about..
| According to the US Department of Defence News Release of March 13, 2008, Major General Jay W. Hood has been posted as the Chief, Office of the Defence Representative, Pakistan. General Hood is a former commanding general of Guantanamo Bay prison and according to US National Public Radio (NPR), General Hood's tenure at Guantanamo was marred by a series of scandals and growing controversies relating to policies on detention and interrogation. While controversy has always surrounded Guantanamo, it reached new heights when Hood was there - especially in the aftermath of the scandal breaking out publicly on detentions in Iraq at Abu Ghraib. Interestingly, it was General Miller, Hood's predecessor at Guantanamo, who was implicated in Iraq. Hood came under intense criticism when he decided to force feed prisoners with the use of a restraining chair. The gruesome means of force feeding have compelled the US to censor a drawing by a Guantanamo Bay detainee where he depicted himself as a skeleton with his head double-strapped down, a tube in his nose, a black mask over his mouth, no eyes visible only giant cheekbones. The detainee, Sami Al Haj is a Sudanese cameraman who worked for Al Jazeera television and the self-sketch was to mark his 431st day on hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay. It was also during Hood's service at Guantanamo Bay that the Pentagon released details of five confirmed cases of US personnel abusing the holy Quran. In a story published in the Washington Post on 4 June 2005, the US military admitted that soldiers and interrogators had kicked the holy Quran, got copies wet and stood on the holy Book during an interrogation and also sprayed urine on another copy. This was well established by the Pentagon after General Hood, as Commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo completed an inquiry into these cases of abuse of the holy Quran. Yet Hood chose to describe these incidents as "largely inadvertent". The inquiry tried to cover up deliberate abuses of the holy Book that detainees had been reporting to their lawyers, including lawyer Tom Wilner who was representing 11 Kuwaiti detainees. He declared that the number and persistence of reports of the Quran abuse from detainees revealed a much broader problem than indicated by the Hood inquiry. Clearly Hood's main intent was to cover up as much as could be done in the wake of increasing revelations on the issue of Quran abuse. It is unfortunate that the US Army Chief of Staff has chosen to appoint such a controversial officer to Pakistan, especially given his record and linkage to abuse of prisoners and the Holy Quran at Guantanamo. Guantanamo Bay itself has become a symbol of injustice, torture and abuse of Islam and sending a commanding officer from there to Islamabad begs the question: What is the message coming out of the Pentagon for Pakistanis by this insensitive act? Equally important, given that host governments always have a choice of refusing a nominee - and many Western countries have exercised that right in the diplomatic nominees of the Pakistan Government - why has the Pakistan government chosen to silently accept what the US military dishes out, with no thought to the sensitivities of its own people? When asked, a US Embassy spokesperson said: "Major General Hood was nominated by the US Army and approved through the highest levels of the Department of Defense. His assignment to Pakistan is not related to his previous assignment but rather is a reflection of his standing as a senior military officer. He was chosen for the assignment to Pakistan because he is a highly qualified officer at the Major General level. Assigning an officer at this level to this position reflects the continued US goal of cooperation with the Armed Forces of Pakistan. He is the second consecutive Major General assigned as Chief of the Office of the Defense Representative Pakistan." |
Source : THE NEWS
By Shireen M Mazari
For my urdu readers
Read this in Urdu here
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Murree Declaration Opposition by Babar Awan
PPP leader Senator Babar Awan is playing a major role in persuading his party's leadership to deviate from the Murree Declaration and not to completely restore the judiciary as it was on November 2, sources privy to his meetings with Asif Ali Zardari told The News.
Babar Awan is also assuring the top man in the PPP that there would be no disturbances from the lawyers on a large scale, if the PPP moved ahead with it own way of restoring the judges, excluding Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Javed Iqbal, which will enable Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar to continue as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Two PPP leaders told The News that it was none else but Babar Awan who was giving advice, which was in direct conflict to the Murree Declaration, to Zardari on the restoration of judges and was assuring him that he would handle any situation that might arise in case the PPP-led coalition government restored the judges through a parliamentary resolution.
Awan has also told Zardari that only those judges who are junior to Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar should be restored through a process of scrutiny by parliamentary committees. One of these leaders also said that Babar was contacting different lawyers having affiliations with the PPP across the country, presenting him as a messenger of the party's co-chairman and persuading them not to follow the instructions of the lawyers’ leaders, especially Aitzaz Ahsan, and not to boycott or agitate if some judges were not restored. Senator Babar Awan, who according to PPP sources is also an aspirant of becoming the governor Punjab or chairman Senate, when approached by The News was asked to comment on his attempts to subvert the Murree-Declaration. He said that first he should be told the names of the two PPP leaders who were the source of information of this correspondent. On refusal to name the sources, Babar neither denied nor admitted but kept mum. He then started accusing Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan for whatever was happening in the country for the last two days, yesterday in Lahore and today in Karachi.
He held the SCBA president, without naming him, responsible for dictating the lawyers and ordering them to torture Sher Afgan Niazi. However Niazi, after the incident, had praised the role of Aitzaz in rescuing him from the mob and did not hold the lawyers responsible for his ordeal. Babar alleged that the SCBA 'king' was dictating to parliament, he was dictating to the lawyers and he was dictating to the nation. "He wants to subvert the democratic process and the newly-elected democratic government," Babar added. Aitzaz Ahsan, President SCBA, when contacted by this correspondent and asked about Babar Awan's allegations said he did not want to comment on any statement made by Babar.
When Babar Awan was asked whether he was trying to contact different lawyer leaders across the country in a bid to split the movement and not to resist or agitate if the all the judges sacked on Nov 3 were not restored or any other move in this regard by parliament, he simply said that in his 25-year career as a lawyer he had never indulged in politics of lawyers.
Source:
TheNews
Thursday, April 10, 2008
By Muhammad Ahmad Noorani
Babar Awan is also assuring the top man in the PPP that there would be no disturbances from the lawyers on a large scale, if the PPP moved ahead with it own way of restoring the judges, excluding Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Javed Iqbal, which will enable Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar to continue as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Two PPP leaders told The News that it was none else but Babar Awan who was giving advice, which was in direct conflict to the Murree Declaration, to Zardari on the restoration of judges and was assuring him that he would handle any situation that might arise in case the PPP-led coalition government restored the judges through a parliamentary resolution.
Awan has also told Zardari that only those judges who are junior to Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar should be restored through a process of scrutiny by parliamentary committees. One of these leaders also said that Babar was contacting different lawyers having affiliations with the PPP across the country, presenting him as a messenger of the party's co-chairman and persuading them not to follow the instructions of the lawyers’ leaders, especially Aitzaz Ahsan, and not to boycott or agitate if some judges were not restored. Senator Babar Awan, who according to PPP sources is also an aspirant of becoming the governor Punjab or chairman Senate, when approached by The News was asked to comment on his attempts to subvert the Murree-Declaration. He said that first he should be told the names of the two PPP leaders who were the source of information of this correspondent. On refusal to name the sources, Babar neither denied nor admitted but kept mum. He then started accusing Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan for whatever was happening in the country for the last two days, yesterday in Lahore and today in Karachi.
He held the SCBA president, without naming him, responsible for dictating the lawyers and ordering them to torture Sher Afgan Niazi. However Niazi, after the incident, had praised the role of Aitzaz in rescuing him from the mob and did not hold the lawyers responsible for his ordeal. Babar alleged that the SCBA 'king' was dictating to parliament, he was dictating to the lawyers and he was dictating to the nation. "He wants to subvert the democratic process and the newly-elected democratic government," Babar added. Aitzaz Ahsan, President SCBA, when contacted by this correspondent and asked about Babar Awan's allegations said he did not want to comment on any statement made by Babar.
When Babar Awan was asked whether he was trying to contact different lawyer leaders across the country in a bid to split the movement and not to resist or agitate if the all the judges sacked on Nov 3 were not restored or any other move in this regard by parliament, he simply said that in his 25-year career as a lawyer he had never indulged in politics of lawyers.
Source:
TheNews
Thursday, April 10, 2008
By Muhammad Ahmad Noorani
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Musharaf should apologize too for Bhutto death
Otherday PPP minister said that Iftikhar Chaudary should apologize to people on behalf of Judiciary for judicial murder of ZAB. But what about Musharaf? Should he apologize too? You wondering!!! Here is the twist..
Musharaf in his book 'In the Line of Fire' mentioned on Page 58 that
Then on Page 61 , he goes on like this...
Now, the martial law government did kept ZAB in prison and gave him a clean shot, so wasn't Musharaf going to say "Sorry" too.
Original work by Hamid Mir...Can be find here
Musharaf in his book 'In the Line of Fire' mentioned on Page 58 that
Then on Page 61 , he goes on like this...
Now, the martial law government did kept ZAB in prison and gave him a clean shot, so wasn't Musharaf going to say "Sorry" too.
Original work by Hamid Mir...Can be find here
Rushdie - Non-Muslim Confirmation
He embraced controversies rather than Islam.
An emotional Salman Rushdie “confessed” that he pretended to “embrace Islam” the religion of his birth, almost 18 years ago in the hope that it would lessen the threat to his life.
The India-born author’s novel, The Satanic Verses, had irked Muslims across the world and Ayatollah Khomenie had subsequently declared a fatwa against him.
In 1990, however, Rushdie had issued a statement saying he had renewed his faith in Islam. He had also said that he repudiated the attacks on Islam in his novel and was committed to working for better a understanding of the religion.
In an interview to be broadcast next month Rushdie claims his reversion to Islam was only “a pretence”. “It was deranged thinking. I was more off-balance than I ever had been, but you can’t imagine the pressure I was under,” he said.
“I simply thought I was making a statement of fellowship. As soon as I said it I felt as if I had ripped my own tongue out. It was the moment I hit rock bottom. I realised that my only survival mechanism was my own integrity. People, my friends, were angry with me, and that was the reaction I cared about,” he said.
Rushdie, 60, has claimed the criticism of the book upset him more than the fatwa.
Source : Hindustan Times
Monday, April 7, 2008
Bloggers Die Easy - NewYork Times Report
Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., funeral services were held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack. In December, another tech blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December.
Other bloggers complain of weight loss or gain, sleep disorders, exhaustion and other maladies born of the nonstop strain of producing for a news and information cycle that is as always-on as the Internet.
To be sure, there is no official diagnosis of death by blogging, and the premature demise of two people obviously does not qualify as an epidemic. There is also no certainty that the stress of the work contributed to their deaths. But friends and family of the deceased, and fellow information workers, say those deaths have them thinking about the dangers of their work style.
Read the story in NewYork Times
Optimistic View
All these people came out on the roads yesterday to condemn blasphemous cartoons etc. But what if all these men come out on the roads in support of CJ Iftikhar Chaudary, what if they come out on roads to condemn 12 May war, what if they come out to ask for their rights, what if...
We only need a spark...
May 12 bloodshed forgotten
PPP General Secretary Jehangir Badr said the PPP wanted to bring prosperity to the common man in the light of Bhuttoism. He asked the United Nations to constitute a commission to probe into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto as she did write to the UN for the investigation of the October 18 incident. He said the PPP government would not spare BenazirÃs assassins and would expose the persons and motives behind her killing.But who is going to catch the culprits of MAY , THE 12th. They only care about BHUTTO & BHUTTO. Aren't we murdered? Aren't we butchered? Do we need yet another IMRAN KHAN government to ask on UN to constitute a panel for free and fair judicial inquiry of this mayhem. Do these PPP men really care about US;THE Commons.
They are joining hands with murderers, looters. we voted for them to give us something other than that.
MAY THEIR SOULS burn in HELL if they don't give a damn to commons this time.
Why Maulana Fazlur Rehman is hated by Kashmiris
"The MMA leader lost his popularity among the Kashmiri freedom fighters after the international Deoband Conference, which was held in 2000 at Peshawar where Indian scholars gave a Fatwa against the Kashmir Jihad and Maulana Fazlur Rehman seconded that," the sources said, adding, "Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzae, a scholar from Karachi, differed at that point and declared that the Jihad in Kashmir was valid and true."
Source : The News on Sunday
English Lectures taught by Bush
The world according to Dubya
By Kaleem Omar
One finds it hard to believe that in another few months the United States of America will have a president whose nickname isn't Dubya. God knows who gave George W Bush that nickname, but it certainly fits his statements as president down to a T. Only somebody named Dubya could say (as he did on one memorable occasion): "I stand by all my misstatements."
He thinks Africa is a country. "Countries like Africa have a lot of diseases," he once said. If George Bush Senior had a problem with 'the vision thing', his son, George W Bush, has a problem with pretty nearly everything -- the past, the present, the future, history, geography, you name it.
In particular, he has a problem with the English language. He's okay when he's memorised a speech written for him by others, or when he's reading a speech from cue cards or a teleprompter. The trouble arises when he is trapped into making off-the-cuff remarks.
Speaking at a rally in Washington on September 19, 2002, Bush Junior said: "People say, how can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil? You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you."
One very much doubts, however, that people in America are actually going around asking: "How can I fight evil?" It sounds like something out of the world of comic books. But then, that may be well be the world that Bush inhabits, judging from some of his more bizarre utterances. Maybe, after he ceases to be President of the United States, he can apply for the job of president of Marvel Comic Books, Inc. And what's a 'shut-in's house' for Pete's sake?
Speaking at a Republican rally in Davenport, Iowa, a few years ago, Bush said: "I'm plowed (sic) of the leadership of Chuck Grassley and Greg Ganske and Jim Leach." Messrs Grassley, Ganske and Leach would probably say that they're 'plowed' of Bush's leadership too.
Bush being 'plowed' of their leadership opens up a whole new line of thought. For what we may now see is a whole bunch of familiar quotes having to be modified -- as in, for instance, "Plide goeth before the fall" and "Death be not plowed." Could Bush be Chinese, by any chance? Is that why he has trouble pronouncing the letter 'r'?
Be that as it may, Dubya really hit his stride during a speech in Nashville, Tennessee, when he said: "There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again. Oh, yeah!"
He gave the game away, though, when he said at a rally in South Bend, Indiana: "There's no doubt in my mind that we should allow the world's worst leaders to hold America hostage, to threaten our peace, to threaten our friends and allies with the world's worst weapons."
Not "shouldn't allow", mind you, but "should allow". And then people wonder why Bush's case for a war against Iraq didn't make much headway at the United Nations Security Council back in March 2003.
In a speech to students in Little Rock, Arkansas, Bush said: "If you don't have any ambitions, the minimum-wage job isn't going to get you to where you want to get, for example. In other words, what is your ambitions? (sic) And oh, by the way, if that is your ambition, here's what it's going to take to achieve it." If you can make any sense of this, you're a better man than I am. Bush, however, would probably say it's all as clear as mud.
Over, now, to Oklahoma City -- the site of the worst terrorist attack in the United States before the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. Speaking at a rally, Bush said: "See, we love -- we love freedom. That's what they didn't understand. They hate things; we love things. They act out of hatred; we don't seek revenge, we seek justice out of love."
Are we to take it from this that the United States has been bombing Afghanistan for the past six-and-a-half years out of 'love' for the Afghani people? And has it been bombing Iraq for five years out of 'love' for the Iraqi people?
Bush spends more time at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, than he does at the White House. When he's at his ranch, he keeps himself busy chopping wood, clearing brush, jogging several miles a day in the afternoon sun, riding his mountain bike (or should one say, falling off his mountain bike?) and doing other tough-guy things -- as befits the leader of the world's only superpower.
And this is what he told reporters in Crawford on August 21, 2002, with a grinning then-US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld at his side: "Nothing Saddam has done has convinced me -- I'm confident the Secretary of Defence -- that he is the kind of fellow that is willing to forgo weapons of mass destruction, is willing to be a peaceful neighbour, that is -- will honour the people -- the Iraqi people of all stripes, will -- values human life."
The question is: was Rumsfeld grinning at Bush's unique brand of gobbledygook, or was he grinning at the thought that US forces would soon be bombing Iraq and killing tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians in the process? But what was the Bush administration doing before the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon?
Here's what Dubya had to say on the subject on August 21, 2001: "One of the interesting initiatives we've taken in Washington, DC, is we've got these vampire-busting devices. A vampire is a -- a cell deal you can plug in the wall to charge your cell phone."
Bush was governor of Texas before he became president of the United States. Here are a couple of classic quotes from his gubernatorial days: "One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is 'to be prepared'." (I make that three words, but who's counting?) "I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future." Right!
And He wants to be president?
Either New phones are out in the market... or the future president is faking :P
Friday, April 4, 2008
Who is NegroPonte? An Eye Opener
An eye opener by Hamid Mir. The article lets us know who really is Negroponte and what are his plans. I just wish that the new government dont bow to American pressures.
Edhi praising military rule
Edhi is quite a fan of military dictatorship and he asked on CJP to sit on his home sofa..
Read on EDHI
Read on EDHI
Modern Pakistani Women in Picture - Lady Police
Thieves wont run anymore on the roads.. cz we got LADY CHIPS!!!
PPP showing door to Cheif Justice Iftikhar Chaudary
A PPP minister has been going around meeting some of the deposed judges in Islamabad’s Judges Enclave to seek assurances that once restored they would not re-open cases against President Musharraf, it is learnt.
A source said the minister met some of the deposed judges three days ago and proposed only one condition for their restoration: they would not re-open cases against the man at the top. In his individual meetings with these judges, the source said, the minister told each judge he had met other judges who, he claimed, had agreed to the condition.
But later when some of the judges consulted each other at a get-together, the source said, it was revealed that the minister was just bluffing. All this was happening amid reports of concerted efforts to disrupt the historic Murree Declaration.
Read the rest here
A source said the minister met some of the deposed judges three days ago and proposed only one condition for their restoration: they would not re-open cases against the man at the top. In his individual meetings with these judges, the source said, the minister told each judge he had met other judges who, he claimed, had agreed to the condition.
But later when some of the judges consulted each other at a get-together, the source said, it was revealed that the minister was just bluffing. All this was happening amid reports of concerted efforts to disrupt the historic Murree Declaration.
Read the rest here
Thursday, April 3, 2008
India Marvolous Score in 2nd Test Match
As of now, India has scored 76 runs in 20 overs with all their batsmen back to pavilion. Marvelous on South Africa part.
Hip Hip Hurray!!!
Hip Hip Hurray!!!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
April Fool - Musharraf Resigned
HAHAHA... Funniest april fool that i faced in my entire life... May the word (say it april fool) falls on deaf ear...
Load on New Government
Load left by previous government for the new government - Either Government is on 2 feet or load is too heavy..
Google Now Guesses the Future - Amazing
Google has recently worked on new technology which helps us predict the future happening.Be it share price or football score. If you think that i m lying, go give it a look
Google Gday
Google Gday
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