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ATHENS — Striking Greek subway workers trickled back to work yesterday after the government threatened them with arrest, ending a nine-day walkout that paralysed public transport in Athens. The showdown had turned into the latest test for Greece's fragile three-party ruling coalition as it faces down unions to try to implement austerity measures demanded by foreign lenders as the price for bailout funds. Traffic slowly resumed on Athens' subway lines yesterday afternoon after workers protesting wage cuts were served orders to return to work or face jail, the first time the government has invoked such legislation since it took power in June. "The workers who were handed the notice didn't have a choice. We are exploring legal options," said Manthos Tsakos, General-Secretary of the main subway workers' union. Earlier, police forced their way through a metal gate at a train depot in Athens to break up an overnight sit-in by 90 transport workers against wage cuts. Scuffles broke out and at least three people were detained before being released. The radical leftist opposi- METRO workers gather around a fire at a metro depot in Athens yesterday. — Reuters tion Syriza party, which is leading in some opinion polls, said the police intervention was a "barbaric" attack on workers' rights. Eager to show lenders and Greeks that it is determined to implement promised reforms, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has taken a hard line on the strikers despite facing criticism from one of his own coalition partners. "Under no circumstances can the government allow the country to be derailed and to let the sacrifices of the Greek people go to waste," Development Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, who oversees transport issues, said in a televised statement. Other transport unions held strikes in solidarity with subway workers, leaving Athens without bus, tram, trolleybus or rail services, and causing 6 THE WORLD OMAN DAILY Observer gridlock across the city. Traffic ground to a halt in the capital. "This week has been hell. How can they expect people to be on their side when they do this to us? We're all suffering (from austerity) but it's very difficult to have any sympathy for them," said 50-year-old Dionisis Kefalas. Other commuters, worn down by years of frequent strikes and exasperated by the SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2013 BELGIAN police block Arcelor Mittal workers from entering the zone where a meeting is taking place in Brussels yesterday. Arcelor Mittal, the world’s largest steel producer, plans to shut a coke plant and six finishing lines at its site in Liege Belgium, affecting 1,300 employees. — Reuters Italy’s centre-left leading; split Senate likely ROME — Italy's centre left is still in the lead a month before elections but will fall short of a majority in the Senate, a result which would make stable government more difficult, according to a poll yesterday. The centre-left's lead could be eroded by its links to the troubled Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, enveloped by a widening scandal over derivatives losses. Centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani's Democratic Party (PD) has long had ties to the Tuscan lender, the world's oldest bank. The PD and its hard-left ally, the Ecology and Freedom (SEL) party, would fall short of a majority in the Senate if the vote were held today, a Piepoli Institute poll in La Stampa newspaper said. That means Bersani's coalition would need the support of the centrist group led by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti in order to control the Senate. Under Italy's electoral law, the bloc with the most votes automatically gets a majority in the Chamber of Deputies, but in the Senate seats are awarded by region. A split result would make it difficult for the government to pass legislation in a bi-cameral system where laws have to go through both houses. The La Stampa poll showed the centreleft winning a majority in the lower house, but former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right taking the key regions of Sicily, Lombardy and Veneto in races for the Senate. Lombardy has more seats in the 315-member Senate than any other region so is one of the keys to the control of the upper house. The centre-left's lead was less than five points in a further three regions, the survey said. A separate poll by Demos and Pi for the left-leaning newspaper La Repubblica gave the centre left 38.1 per cent, followed by Berlusconi's centre right with 25.8 per cent and Monti 's centrist coalition with 16.2 per cent. Twenty rescued as floods sweep northeast Australia SYDNEY — A teenage boy was dramatically rescued from surging floodwaters as he clung to a tree yesterday, while others were plucked from stranded cars and homes as floods swept northeastern Australia. Authorities said there were 20 water rescue cases across central Queensland state overnight and early yesterday, after the remnants of tropical cyclone Oswald dumped huge rains around the coastal city of Rockhampton. Rescues included those of a woman and two children trapped in a car isolated by flood waters, and seven people taken from two flooded homes. Authorities said a teenage boy was lucky to be alive after he was found clinging to a tree as muddy floodwaters surged around him at Frenchville, some 525 kilometres northwest of Brisbane, early yesterday. "The current was so strong it just took him away," station officer Brett Williams told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The national broadcaster said the boy's rescuer was himself swept under the waters after helping the teenager to dry land, but later bobbed up safely further down the swollen creek. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning, saying with extropical cyclone Oswald over central Queensland, damaging winds with gusts of up to 90 kilometres per hour were possible in the wider Rockhampton area. The torrential rain has flooded rivers and dumped enough water to isolate towns, with Rockhampton experiencing its biggest daily downpour since 1939. The bureau said severe flash flooding was reported overnight in the Yeppoon area, north of Rockhampton, where rainfall of 271 millimetres has been recorded since early Thursday. In Gladstone, south of Rockhampton, the town was cut off by the flood waters, but damage was limited. "It's very wet here," Gladstone regional mayor Gail Sellers told ABC TV. — AFP A third poll, conducted by SWG, showed the centre-left with a thinner lead of 34.1 per cent compared to 26.6 per cent for the centre-right and 12.8 for Monti's centrist coalition. Meanwhile, Monti called for an immediate investigation of a widening scandal at Monte dei Paschi di Siena over the historic bank’s losses of nearly $1 billion in a series of complex derivatives deals. Monti defended the Bank of Italy, whose governor at the time of the losses was Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank chief now facing criticism for failing to spot the trouble brewing at Monte Paschi. “This episode has to be dealt with the maximum clarity and those responsible have to be dealt with rigorously,” Monti told RAI radio. Monti has promised to address parliament on the matter but he denied the government shared responsibility and said the problems did not affect the Italian banking system as a whole. He expressed “full and total confidence” in the Bank of Italy. “Italian savers should know, and I think they know, that Italian banks have been among the most solid during the crisis,” he said, adding that Monte Paschi was the only bank to be required to boost its capital by European authorities. — Reuters Leftist, aristocraft square off in runoff PRAGUE — Czechs went to the polls yesterday to choose a new president between a former communist and a 75year-old aristocrat whose campaign brought the election to life and down to the wire. The two-day second round will end a decade under eurosceptic Vaclav Klaus but few dared to predict who would succeed him, with veteran left-winger Milos Zeman and Karel Schwarzenberg, the central European republic's blue-blooded foreign minister, locked in a tight race. "It'll be very tight. I'm not nervous, far from it, I'm calm, we'll see," Schwarzenberg said upon casting his ballot in Sykorice, a small village near the castle where he lives southwest of Prague. Zeman, 68, scored 24.2 per cent in the January 11-12 first round, narrowly trumping rival Schwarzenberg, 75, who clinched a second spot finish with 23.4 per cent. As both contenders back greater European integration, the republic's first direct presidential election is certain to turn the page on Klaus' strident brand of euroscepticism. Analysts are pointing to voting age as a factor to watch. "If young people decide to go to the polls, Karel Schwarzenberg will win. The more of them go, the better his chances," Frantisek Vrabel, a consultant with the Semantic Visions think tank, said earlier this week. — AFP Metro resumes after week-long strike long wait for a taxi to work, agreed. "Ordinary people are being inconvenienced — as if our problems weren't bad enough," said Daphne Kiritsi, 46, an office clerk, who said she had paid 200 euros out of her 800-euro monthly salary for taxis this week. Subway employees oppose being included in a unified wage scheme for public sector workers drawn up under an austerity programme that would slash their salaries. Under the emergency law invoked, which is meant to be used in times of war, natural disaster or risks to public health, workers can be arrested and jailed for up to five years. Subway, shipyard and other public sector workers planned to march to parliament in Syntagma Square, the scene of often violent protests in recent years. The most powerful unions threw their support behind the subway workers. "The workers' struggle will continue until justice is had," said Nikos Kioutsoukis, General Secretary of the GSEE private sector union, which has called a 24-hour strike against austerity measures next month. — Reuters British voters would choose to leave EU LONDON — Britain would vote to quit the European Union if Prime Minister David Cameron's promised referendum was held today, an opinion poll suggested. In the first major survey since Cameron pledged on Wednesday to hold a public vote on Britain's troubled EU membership by the end of 2017, 40 per cent said they would vote to leave and 37 per cent to stay, the Times newspaper said. Stripping out the 23 per cent who were undecided and taking into account how likely people said they were to vote, the survey conducted by Populus for the Times said the figures translated into a 53-47 vote in favour of quitting. Cameron has said he wants to renegotiate the terms of Britain's relationship with the 27-member bloc before call- FRANKFURT — Passengers travelling through Germany's Duesseldorf and Cologne airports faced a second day of disruption yesterday as security personnel continued a strike over pay. More than 100 flights were cancelled at the two airports, with Germany's largest airline Lufthansa scrapping over 80 flights at Duesseldorf alone. Trade union Verdi has called for a 33 per cent increase in pay for around 1,000 security personnel employed by private firms at the two airport. It says the majority of security staff in the German state of North Rhine-West- ing a referendum to let the public decide whether or not to accept the new deal. But the poll of some 2,000 Britons suggested many voters had already made up their minds. Half of those in favour of staying in the EU, and two fifths of those against, said their vote in the referendum would have little or nothing to do with any opt-outs or repatriated powers the premier may win from Brussels. Nevertheless, the Conservative leader emerged the clear favourite when voters were asked who they trusted most to hammer out a new deal between Britain and the EU. Some 36 per cent chose Cameron, compared to 18 per cent who favoured the leader of the main opposition Labour party, Ed Miliband. Only five per cent backed Deputy Prime Minister Nick phalia, where the two airports are located, are on hourly pay of 8.23 euros ($11) and wants that increased by 2.50 euros to pull workers out of the low pay sector. The BDSW association representing the security firms has called the pay demand "completely excessive" and said the strike is out of proportion. It has offered a pay increase of 9.22 per cent. Verdi has said the strikes could go on indefinitely and could be extended to include other staff and security personnel in a show of solidarity. The strike had already resulted in around 200 flights being cancelled on Thursday. Clegg, who leads Cameron's pro-Europe coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats. Joining the slew of European leaders who have criticised Cameron's proposal, Clegg said on Thursday that it was "wholly implausible" to think European rules could be rewritten to "benefit us and disadvantage everybody else". Cameron came face to face with world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday for the first time since his landmark pledge. "This is not about turning our backs on Europe — quite the opposite," Cameron told an audience of business leaders, top politicians and journalists. "It's about how we make the case for a more competitive, open and flexible Europe, and secure the UK's place within it." — AFP Flights hit by security staff stir Duesseldorf is Germany's third largest airport after Frankfurt and Munich. Meanwhile, German business confidence rose to its highest level in seven months in January, data showed, amid optimism that Europe’s top economy has put the worst of the region’s debt crisis behind it. The Ifo institute’s closely watched business climate index for Europe’s top economy rose to 104.2 points in January — its highest reading since June — from 102.4 points a month earlier. Economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires had been pencilling in a more modest rise to 103.0 points. — AFP SUPPORTERS of the detained opposition lawmakers protest in front of a court in the Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek yesterday, during the lawmakers’ trial. — AFP Russian anti-smoking bill supported by lawmakers MOSCOW — Russian lawmakers on yesterday backed a law which would ban smoking in bars, cafes and other public spaces to promote healthier living in the world's largest tobacco market after China. Supported by President Vladimir Putin, who likes to present a healthy, active image, and has previously rebuked ministers for smoking, the bill was voted through in a second reading in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. The law — which must go through one more reading in both the lower and upper houses before being signed off by Putin — would also ban tobacco advertising entirely and restrict sales from kiosks. The bill signals a culture shift in Russia, where cigarettes typically cost 50-60 roubles a packet (around $2) and bars and restaurants often lie under a thick blue haze of smoke. Deputies applauded as the bill sailed through the State Duma, with 442 votes in favour, one against and one abstention. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has also spoken out in favour of the law in a personal video blog. He said that 44 million Russians, nearly one in three, are hooked on smoking, and almost 400,000 die every year of smoking-related causes. However, the bill is controversial with Russian smokers. "This bill is a veil, behind which they want to bring in another prohibition, only this time for tobacco," Andrei Loskutov, Director of the All-Russia Movement for the Rights of Smokers, said. "Let us act with understanding towards half of the adult population. Let us educate about giving up smoking with persuasion and education, and not throw out into the cold people who have spent their own money on a legal product." Kiosk owners have said many could be driven out of business by the proposed changes. They have already been hard hit by a ban on selling alcohol last year. The law is also opposed by tobacco companies such as British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco, Japan Tobacco, and Philip Morris, which together control more than 90 per cent of Russian sales and have been lobbying to soften the proposed legislation. The Russian cigarette market was estimated to be worth around $22 billion in 2011 by Euromonitor International. The Finance Ministry has also previously announced plans to increase excise duty on tobacco by around 40 per cent for 2013 and 2014, and by 10 per cent a year after 2015. The Health Ministry supports a greater increase in duty. Putin, a judo black belt, lobbied successfully for Russia to host the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2018 soccer World Cup. In another development, Russian police have questioned a star dancer as a witness over the acid attack against the artistic director of the Bolshoi ballet that exposed bitter infighting at the company. The attack on Sergei Filin — who risks permanent disfigurement and even blindness — came after months of squabbling inside what is arguably the world’s best known ballet troupe. — Reuters/AFP
PESHAWAR — The World Food Programme in Pakistan reduced wheat flour quota for internally displaced persons from 80 kilograms to 40 kilograms owing to shortfall in donations, officials said. Reduction in monthly food ration quota has affected around 908,000 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) who have been rendered homeless owing to violence in their hometowns and villages. The displaced people in Jalozai camp, Nowshera district have refused to receive 40 kilograms of flour. “IDPs have refused to accept the reduced quantity of flour because their needs have been increased,” said Haji Gulbatt, a member of the camp council in Jalozai. 7 SUBCONTINENT OMAN DAILY Observer He said that relief agencies had also reduced quantity of biscuits, provided to the displaced children as food supplement. The UN agency, which depends exclusively on donations, requires $136 million to continue food distribution operation for violence-stricken people for 2013. The agency spokesman, Amjad Jamal, said that the organisation had received only $28 million for SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2013 A PAKISTANI vendor sells balloons during the Prophet’s Birthday in Rawalpindi yesterday. — AFP Mobile phone services suspended ISLAMABAD — Pakistan yesterday suspended mobile phone services in some of its cities as part of enhanced security measures after overnight blasts, officials said. Two policemen and a security guard employed by a private company were killed and about 10 people were injured in two bombings on Thursday night in the southern port city of Karachi, police official Muhammad Amir said. The first bomb was hidden in garbage, and the second one was concealed in concrete blocks. Police said the second bomb caused most of the casualties because it exploded after Attack on Nato convoy kills 5 civilians KABUL — A suicide car bomber attacked a Nato convoy in Afghanistan's strategic Kapisa province yesterday killing at least five civilians and wounding 15, officials said. No Nato troops were killed or injured in the attack in a village in Tagab district in the province, northeast of the capital Kabul, a spokesman for Nato's US-led International Security Assistance Force said. The explosion destroyed the wall of a house, killing four civilians inside, while a passerby on a motorcycle also died and 15 people were wounded, said the provincial police chief of security, Abdul Jalil Shamal. A spokesman for Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a text message that 12 American troops had been killed and wounded. High-profile targets in Kabul have been attacked twice in the past 10 days. On Monday, a Taliban suicide squad stormed the traffic police headquarters at dawn, killing three police officers and unleashing a standoff that lasted for more than eight hours. A week earlier, a squad of suicide bombers attacked the intelligence agency headquarters. police and civilians had gathered to see the damage from the first blast. An official at the Interior Ministry said on the condition of anonymity that more security measures had since been put in place. "Mobile service will remain suspended in various cities, and additional police and paramilitary troops will patrol areas which have been marked as sensitive," he said. He refused to give details about the number of police and troops being deployed. Mobile phone service was out in some areas of Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Quetta and several smaller cities, Geo News reported. In the capital, Islamabad, several hundred police officials were seen patrolling the roads and checking vehicles. The bombings occurred hours ahead of Prophet's birth anniversary. The day began with a 31gun salute in Islamabad and a 21-gun salute in four provincial capitals to celebrate the birthday, Radio Pakistan said. The government was also holding a national seminar to highlight the message of the Prophet after declaring yesterday a national holiday. Huge rallies and proces- sions were held to mark the day. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan accused Washington of using Pakistan. He said the war on terror has had adverse impact and the way it has been fought has led to results that are counter productive. “There has been negativity and anti-US feelings in Pakistan because of this. The feeling is that Pakistan has been used as a tissue paper by the US ... So people in Pakistan suspect the intentions of US. “On the other hand people in US suspect Pakistani army IDPs refuse to receive reduced food package AN Afghan man pushes a motorcycle past US Army soldiers on patrol near Command Outpost in Maiwand District of Kandahar Province yesterday. — Reuters of playing double role. So, it is a relationship based on distrust. So how can you have a common agenda of fighting terror when two countries don’t trust each other,” he asked. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief also stressed on the need for dialogue and underlined that Pakistan and India should sort out the issues on their own. Terming the LoC violations as “very unfortunate”, Khan said, “We were moving forward on peace process and it (LoC incidents) has pushed us back. Not as back as the Mumbai 26/11 time but still it is quite back”, Khan said. — dpa feeding IDPs. He said that the agency was facing $108 million shortfall. “No funding, no operation. WFP will suspend food distribution if it does not get required funds for the current year because it is totally depending on voluntary donations,” he said. The agency, he said, had convened a donors’ meeting in Islamabad on January 29 to raise funds for IDPs. Pakistan planning to introduce new taxes ISLAMABAD — The government of Pakistan is considering introducing new taxes to raise Rs 50 billion from next month to bridge the shortfall in revenue collection, it was learnt yesterday. The top tax machinery has identified six areas for new taxation. “We have identified areas for taxation and submitted to Finance Minister Dr Hafeez Shaikh for approval,” a senior tax official said. The FBR plans to raise Rs 30 billion from new taxes under the head of sales tax and federal excise duty, Rs 10bn from income tax and another Rs 10bn from customs duties. The government has no other option but to levy new taxes ahead of the next elections, said a source. Pakistan needs money because a significant amount of $2.9 billion would be repaid to the IMF during the current fiscal year 2012-13. ISLAMABAD — Legislators from three divisions of south Punjab of Pakistan, especially invited to a meeting of the controversial parliamentary commission on new provinces, discussed yesterday the unique idea of having a new province with “twin capitals”. After the commission’s incamera meeting which was attended by over 12 legislators from Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan Divisions, PML-Q’s Kamil Ali Agha said that it had almost been decided that the name of the proposed province would now be “Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab” instead of the earlier agreed “Janoobi Punjab”. Agha, who had earlier claimed that there was a consensus in the commission that the capital of the new province would be Bahawalpur, said that following the discussion with the MNAs and senators belonging to the Seraiki region yesterday, the commission might come up with the suggestion that the new province should have two capitals, both Bahawalpur and Multan. Explaining the term “twin capitals”, Agha said both the cities could share the secretariat offices, governor’s house, CM’s house and the provincial Customs makes export clearance mandatory KARACHI — Pakistan Cus- manual One-Customs system 2012. has directed all the concerned for clearing the imports. ISLAMABAD — American toms has made it mandatory after the cutoff date of January The MCC Exports issued to get their WeBOC user ID Recently, Pakistan customs Senator John Kerry, President to process goods declarations 27, they said. these fresh instructions to shed within the time from the MCC had announced to launch a Barack Obama’s nominee for for export cargo through Web- The latest measures have and terminal operators not to PaCCS, Karachi in case they test-run of Web-based Onesecretary of state, said durbased One-Customs (WeBOC) been taken in pursuance of the entertain any shipment of ex- are not registered as WeBOC Customs at Al Hamd Off Dock ing his confirmation hearing at Air Freight Unit (AFU) Ka- previous decision on July 4, port cargo in One-Customs users. Terminal from January 18, but yesterday that cutting US aid rachi from January 25, said 2012 to ensure a seamless and system after the cut off date The sources said that the due to several issues pertaining to Pakistan, would be a “dra- sources. a phased implementation of as all export cargo would be Federal Board of Revenue to the clearance, the plan was matic, draconian and sledge- The Model Customs Col- electronic clearance system. handled by the MCC Exports (FBR) aims at rolling out We- withdrawn for implementation hammer” measure. lectorate (MCC) of Exports Earlier, Pakistan customs at AFU, said sources. BOC across the country from at the MCC Appraisement. Senator Kerry also said has directed all the exporters had made mandatory all goods Similarly, the collectorate February 28, for exports and The sources said that the that Pakistan’s role in fight and their clearing agents to file declaration of exports at the has also advised all the airlines imports. software developed problems against terror had not been goods declarations pertain- Karachi International Contain- to file export manifest regard- The sources, however, said of inter-port movement and sufficiently appreciated. ing to exports, through AFU er Terminal (KICT) and Pakiing export cargo pertaining to that there are grim chances for shifting of statutory regulatory In his first appearance be- in WeBOC system as no exstan International Container AFU in WeBOC system from the revenue authorities to meet orders (SROs) from manual fore the Senate Foreign Relaport cargo pertaining to AFU Terminal (PICT) processed January 28. the deadline as there are chal- One-Customs to WeBOC systions Committee in his new would be allowed gate-in in through WeBOC in September The customs authorities lenges in running the software tem. — Internews role, Kerry told the senators Pakistan has, so far, paid only $395 million in current fiscal year. In March 2011 when the government faced revenue shortfall, it had withdrawn major exemptions on tractors, pesticides and fertilisers, plant, machinery and equipment and parts. It had also increased special excise duty besides imposing 15pc special surcharge duty on incomes. The new taxes would be raised from withdrawal of major tax exemptions, reduction in duties for various sectors through SROs and special procedures. According to internal working of the FBR, 84 per cent of tariff and duty rates had either been exempted or reduced for the benefit of certain influential lobbies and elite in the country through SROs. The FBR faced a massive shortfall in revenue collection during the first half of the current fiscal year and it assembly. He claimed that his party’s proposals to include Bhakkar and Mianwali districts in the proposed province had also been accepted. Briefing reporters after presiding over the meeting, the commission’s chairman Farhatullah Babar said that valuable suggestions had been received from the MNAs and senators regarding the name of the proposed province, its capital and geographical boundaries. He categorically stated that “nothing is final so far” and the commission would meet again today. He said a draft of the amendment bill seeking formation of a new province was almost ready and it would be reviewed at the next meeting. Seven to eight articles of the Constitution would have to be amended for carving out a new province in Punjab, he added. Earlier, a PPP MNA from Vehari, Mehmood Hayat Khan alias Tochi Khan, walked out of the meeting in protest against non-representation in the commission of settlers living in Seraiki-speaking areas. When contacted, Khan said a large number of Urdu- and Punjabi-speaking people were also living in south Punjab. had already communicated it to the IMF that revenue collection would witness a minimum of Rs181 billion shortfall by the end of June 2013. The proposed taxes include withdrawal of zerorating of GST (Lesser duty or no duties) on domestic supply of five sectors- textile, sports, carpet, surgical and leather goods. The FBR is charging five per cent duty on sales of these products in domestic market as against the standard rate of 16 per cent. The board estimates an annual revenue collection by withdrawal of zero-rating on these sectors to Rs 36 billion. For five months, collections from these sectors would be Rs 15 billion. Tax officials fear that powerful textile lobby may try to block the move. It has also been proposed that rate of withholding tax be enhanced from 0.5 per cent to 1 per cent on supplies to exporters. — Internews THE mother of factory fire victim, Fathema Ahenur weeps during a protest demanding punishment for the Tazreen Fashion factory owner and compensation for the victims of the 2012 factory fire in Savar, north of Dhaka, yesterday. — AFP Twin capitals for new province discussed he foresaw a “more rapid” transition in Afghanistan, allowing an accelerated withdrawal of US troops before the 2014 deadline. But the senator, who headed the committee before his nomination, assured the Afghans that America’s counter-terrorism mission in their country would continue beyond 2014. It was Senator Rand Paul, a new Republican face in the committee, who suggested cutting US aid to Pakistan “if they do not release Dr Shakil Asked why he had not raised the issue earlier, he claimed that he had done so at the party level and even PPP Co-Chairman and President Asif Zardari had agreed to include them in the commission. The MNA said he had boycotted the meeting to register his protest. Prominent among those who attended the meeting were Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Raza Hayat Haraj, Khwaja Sheeraz Mehmood, Mumtaz Gilani and Mohsin Leghari. It may be recalled that the main opposition PML-N which is in power in Punjab has been boycotting the commission and has already declared that it would not accept its recommendations. The PML-N alleges that the PPP is bulldozing the parliamentary process required for establishment of new provinces just to gain political advantage in the forthcoming elections. The commission had become controversial since its inception when the PML-N objected to its composition as well as its focus only on one province and decided to boycott its proceedings. — Internews Kerry suggests aid cut measure Afridi” who, he said, was imprisoned for helping the CIA. Kerry informed the senator that he had discussed this issue directly with President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan’s Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. The senior US lawmaker, who stayed engaged with both Pakistan and Afghanistan as President Obama’s informal emissary during his first term, urged Senator Paul to also look at what the Pakistanis say. — Internews
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