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4<br />
Wednesday, <strong>Feb</strong>ruary 3, <strong>2016</strong><br />
National<br />
Renowned Urdu fiction writer<br />
Intizar Hussain passes away at 92<br />
KARACHI: Head office: 509, Land Mark Plaza, I.I Chundrigar Road, Karachi, Pakistan.<br />
Ph: +9221-32214988- 32214990, Fax: +9221-32214989<br />
messengerdaily@yahoo.com, editor@dailymessenger.com.pk<br />
Chief Editor: Muhammad Taqi Alvi<br />
Associate Editor: Ali Razavi - Hyderabad Bureau Chief: Abbas Kassar<br />
ISLAMABAD –– LAHORE –– RAWALPINDI –– KARACHI<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
BAN SENSELESS VIOLENCE INSTIGATORS:<br />
Kids firing and missiling at videogames today<br />
More likely to become terrorists tomorrow!<br />
(III)<br />
LIKELY angle here may be that those who<br />
indulge in violence at video games have<br />
already let out their pent up frustrations on<br />
machines, and may not indulge in real life violence!<br />
Unlike those who did not play! Although more<br />
study is needed, there is some evidence to suggest<br />
that violent video games might allow players to get<br />
aggressive feelings out of their system (i.e., video<br />
game play might have a cathartic effect), in a scenario<br />
that does not harm anyone else.<br />
WHILST it might be agreed that violent video<br />
games in the hands of a person who is old and<br />
mature enough to see them and be able to understand<br />
the context in which the violence is being<br />
wrought is acceptable, this may not be true of<br />
younger people or kids who acquire and play<br />
games.<br />
Games with violent content are often easily<br />
acquired by players too young to purchase them. In<br />
past several decades, poverty ridden localities in<br />
backward regions or developing countries like<br />
Pakistan put up video games machines with affordable<br />
one to five rupees for use as rental and promoted<br />
violence amid areas and children bred out of<br />
extreme poverty. There is a need to stop it. The<br />
authorities have not done enough in this respect.<br />
They can and must as soon as possible. The more<br />
affluent younger ones may also gain access to video<br />
games at home from older siblings and relatives.<br />
Because children do nott have fully developed mental<br />
faculties yet, and may not clearly separate fantasy<br />
from reality, exposure to violent games can have<br />
a large impact upon children. Media reports on kids<br />
shooting and killing the other kids or their siblings<br />
were quite alarming for parents and guardians. This<br />
has a greater impact than children seeing films that<br />
feature realistic violence because whilst a child<br />
might get bored with films owing to the lack of<br />
interaction with the medium, this is much less likely<br />
to be the case with, for example, a violent shooting<br />
game, which a child might play over and over.<br />
Many advocate that as such, all violent video games<br />
should be banned to prevent their acquisition by<br />
young children either by accident, or owing to<br />
parental ignorance.<br />
OTHERS however may believe that this is<br />
empirically false. It's said that in US, underage<br />
shoppers purchased R-rated movies 38% of the<br />
time, and unrated movies 47% of the time. it's contended<br />
by opponents that given that children are<br />
able to easily access violent content in other visual<br />
media -- and there is no evidence that video games<br />
are more harmful than other media -- this argument<br />
falls. Further, there is a long tradition of exposing<br />
children to extremely violent content in the form of<br />
children's tales. Further, with greater education<br />
regarding the harms of video games to parents (and<br />
with more parents having played video games themselves)<br />
many are becoming savvier about appropriate<br />
restrictions on their children’s video game play.<br />
Given the lack of evidence that video games are<br />
clearly or uniquely harmful, but acknowledging<br />
society’s interest in protecting vulnerable children,<br />
investing in additional parent education is a more<br />
logical response than attempting to ban all violent<br />
games, it's suggested! It does hold some truth.<br />
Negative minded kids prone to violence breed their<br />
children to become like themselves.<br />
OF COURSE, some facts may not prove some<br />
premises to be right. Some do point out that a part<br />
of research does not support the idea that young<br />
By: Saima Adeel (Shehri-CBE)<br />
Sindh RTI scored highest ranking and became the<br />
top in the world,” don’t you feel excited after<br />
reading this sentence? Everyone does. We all<br />
like winning and if it is top in the world it really is a<br />
“Big Achievement” yes it is possible and Sindh is only<br />
an “if” away from clutching the top global ranking as it<br />
can proudly claim to have the best Right to Information<br />
(RTI) legislation in the world to promote transparency<br />
‘If’ the civil society prepared Sindh RTI bill 2015 is<br />
passed into law. ‘If’ the Government of Sindh will take<br />
it seriously, ‘if’ this law is enacted in the province, and<br />
if it is enacted it will empower the citizens.<br />
Toby Mendel is the Executive Director of Center<br />
for Law and Democracy (CLD) a Canada-based<br />
organization that does international ranking of the RTI<br />
laws in different countries has examined the Sindh<br />
draft and concluded that it will be one of the best laws<br />
in the world. Currently, the top 3 RTI laws of the<br />
world are Serbia, Slovenia and India, and their respective<br />
scores are 135, 130 and 130.While the Sindh RTI<br />
draft prepared by the “Coalition for Transparency &<br />
Access to Information” (C-TAI) scores an excellent<br />
139 points, which is remarkable and something to be<br />
proud of. C-TAI is a coalition of 26 Sindh based<br />
people who play violent video games have<br />
decreased social ability. This is refuted most<br />
notably in studies by Anderson and Ford (1986),<br />
Winkel et al. (1987), Scott (1995), Ballard and<br />
Lineberger (1999), and Jonathan Freedman (2002).<br />
Block and Crain (2007) claim that in a critical paper<br />
by Anderson (and his co-author, Bushman), data<br />
was improperly calculated and produced fallacious<br />
results. Additional meta-analyses (reviews of<br />
research that attempt to statistically combine data<br />
from multiple studies for more powerful results) by<br />
other researchers, such as by Ferguson and Kilburn<br />
(2009) and Sherry (2007) have failed to find any<br />
causal link between video game violence and<br />
aggression, as have reviews by the Australian<br />
Government (2010) and the US Supreme Court<br />
(June, 2011). The question of whether violent<br />
games that only allow violence as a solution to<br />
problems could negatively affect young people in<br />
subtle ways deserves further study. However, there<br />
are many aspects of video games, such as puzzle<br />
solving, that are intrinsic parts of even the basest<br />
first person shooters. Many first-person shooters<br />
themselves require tactical deployment and thinking—all<br />
of which are able to stimulate thought in<br />
people, albeit in a different manner than negotiation<br />
might do. Further, newer military games are more<br />
sophisticated, often requiring the player to take one<br />
side of a conflict and then the other in different levels<br />
of the game, or forcing the player to face moral<br />
dilemmas that affect the game’s script, decisions or<br />
outcome, suggestive or initiated.<br />
ANTI-SOCIAL behavior, however, can also be<br />
caused by violent video games and it's a big problem<br />
for society to overcome. Video games of a violent<br />
nature tend to fail to offer many solutions to a<br />
problem. Also, even on positive side, most goodcause<br />
shooters have no form of negotiation with<br />
enemies for peace, except with more violence; players<br />
are asked to simply kill as many nameless terrorists<br />
as possible, for scoring, and more war, not<br />
for end to war and to restore peace. Given this,<br />
social interaction problems can be caused because<br />
people are presented with problems and then told<br />
that they must be solved with violence instead of<br />
other more viable, more humane and peaceful methods.<br />
In other words, physical violence is portrayed<br />
as the first-choice (and often only-choice) solution<br />
to a conflict. This lack of portrayal of alternate<br />
solutions can stifle growth of other skills, especially<br />
among children and adolescents, specifically<br />
skills important to making friends and engaging in<br />
negotiation in times of conflict or pressure. Further,<br />
it encourages children to see people who oppose<br />
them as “others,” and thus presents them psychologically<br />
as enemies instead of as people who are<br />
simply different to the player and thus might have<br />
other grievances. This can lead to increases in<br />
aggression among players. This is especially true<br />
given the relatively simplistic portrayal of conflicts<br />
within areas such as the states in conflict and civil<br />
war, especially the Middle East and other Muslim<br />
countries invaded or engaged at war.<br />
RIGHT thinking, story-line, presentation in<br />
video games are more important at any rate before<br />
any suggestive decisions or determinant actions. To<br />
that end, leaders and enforcers in governments and<br />
nations can institute compulsory reforms in the<br />
manufacturing, distributing and corporate world<br />
throughout the globe and in this respect can definitely<br />
do more.<br />
OPINION<br />
RTI ranking the best penalty corner waiting for the<br />
government to convert it into a meaningful goal…<br />
NGOs and CSOs.<br />
It is very encouraging that the C-TAI draft version<br />
of the Sindh RTI bill has achieved top ranking in the<br />
world, with 139/150 points. If this law is enacted in<br />
the province, it would be one of the best RTI laws in<br />
the world.<br />
Now it is in the hands of the Sindh governments to<br />
replace their defunct Freedom of Information Act<br />
2006 with this effective RTI bill.<br />
The principles underpinning solid RTI legislation<br />
include maximum disclosure, limited scope of exemption,<br />
a process to facilitate access to information, and<br />
protection of whistle-blowers.<br />
“This ranking is the best penalty corner; now the<br />
government should convert it into meaningful goal,”<br />
once said by Zafrullah Khan (executive director of<br />
Civic Education) about an effective RTI bill.<br />
Endless efforts of the coalition went into preparing<br />
this draft, and it has culminated in this draft as being<br />
declared one of the best in the world. It is hoped that<br />
the Sindh government reciprocates the struggle and<br />
efforts made by the civil society, by adopting and<br />
enacting this draft. Only the practical implementation<br />
of the new and effective RTI bill can eliminate corruption<br />
and bring much needed good governance.<br />
LAHORE, <strong>Feb</strong> 2:<br />
Renowned Pakistani fiction<br />
writer Intizar Hussain died<br />
at a local hospital here<br />
Tuesday. He was 92.<br />
Hospital sources have<br />
confirmed death of Intizar<br />
Hussain.<br />
Intizar Hussain was born<br />
on December 7, 1923 in<br />
Dibai, Bulandshahr, India,<br />
and migrated to Pakistan in<br />
1947.<br />
He gained a master's<br />
degree in Urdu. He wrote<br />
short stories and novels in<br />
Urdu, and also columns for<br />
newspapers in English.<br />
He has received many<br />
awards in Pakistan, India<br />
Matter for compensating time<br />
wasted: says Acting CJP<br />
ISLAMABAD, <strong>Feb</strong> 2:<br />
Acting Chief Justice of<br />
Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib<br />
Nisar has remarked the matter<br />
for compensating the<br />
time wasted due to resorting<br />
to wrong forum by the petitioners<br />
in connection with<br />
hearing of the cases has been<br />
referred to Chief Justice of<br />
RAWALPINDI, <strong>Feb</strong> 2: A man<br />
has been booked for allegedly<br />
hurling life-threats and abusing<br />
a woman within the Pir<br />
Wadhai police jurisdiction.<br />
Asima bibi, a resident of<br />
Pakistan for constitution of<br />
larger bench.<br />
He further remarked “<br />
larger bench will review all<br />
these matters and give decision.<br />
He gave these remarks<br />
while presiding over a 3-<br />
member bench during the<br />
hearing of the case Tuesday.<br />
Pir Wadhai, lodged a complaint<br />
with the local police that<br />
she was returning to a local<br />
hotel where she was living<br />
with her husband after shopping<br />
when Gulzar intercepted<br />
The court remarked “ the<br />
time of the petitioners is<br />
wasted due to resorting to<br />
improper forum. We want to<br />
see this matter is redressed<br />
to what extent. The matter<br />
has been sent to chief justice<br />
of Pakistan. Larger bench<br />
will review these matters<br />
and will give decision.<br />
Man booked for allegedly hurling<br />
life-threats, abusing woman<br />
27 cops promoted<br />
to next rank in<br />
Islamabad<br />
ISLAMABAD, <strong>Feb</strong> 2:<br />
Islamabad police have promoted<br />
11 Sub-Inspectors<br />
and 16 Assistant Sub-<br />
Inspectors to next rank, a<br />
notifications have been<br />
issued in this regard.<br />
According to details, SSP<br />
Operations Sajid Kayani has<br />
pinned the badges to the<br />
promoted officers in a ceremony<br />
held at Rescue-15<br />
office.<br />
Those who promoted to<br />
the rank of Inspectors<br />
include Muhammad Abbass,<br />
Nazeer Ahmed Sipra, Mehar<br />
Mukhtar Ahmed,<br />
Muhammad Yaseen Bhutta,<br />
Muneer Hussain Jafferi,<br />
Falak Sher, Dilawar<br />
Hussain, Siraj Wali, Qasim<br />
Ali and Abbas Khan.<br />
Those elevated to the status<br />
of Sub-Inspectors<br />
include Muhammad<br />
Saleem, Javed Alam, Feroz<br />
Khan, Sajid Mehmud, Tariq<br />
Mehmud, Muhammad<br />
Feroz, Muhammad Sharif,<br />
Iftikhar Hussain, Azam<br />
Khan, Muhammad Shafi,<br />
Liaqat Ali, Ghulam<br />
Muhammad, Muhammad<br />
Arshad, Gulfaraz Khan,<br />
Tariq Saeed and<br />
Muhammad Naseem.<br />
While speaking to the<br />
ceremony, Kayani said that<br />
all the officers should work<br />
honestly to ensure the<br />
security of the citizens so<br />
that moral of police officers<br />
and the department<br />
may be booted up.<br />
House<br />
burgled<br />
ISLAMABAD, <strong>Feb</strong> 2:<br />
Burglars have burgled a<br />
house within the Golra<br />
police jurisdiction.<br />
Razia Behram, a resident<br />
of Sector E-11, lodged a<br />
complaint with the local<br />
police that thieves made<br />
their way into his house ransacked<br />
it and made off with<br />
Rs0.15 million, 2200 Euros,<br />
and 6.5 carets of gold worth<br />
Rs0.7 million while the family<br />
was outside the house.<br />
The police have registered<br />
a case and started<br />
investigation.<br />
RAWALPINDI, <strong>Feb</strong> 2: A<br />
teen was allegedly molested<br />
within Sadiqabad police<br />
jurisdiction.<br />
Muneeb Farooq a resident<br />
of Sadiqabad lodged a<br />
complaint with the local<br />
police stating that Arsalan<br />
alias Lakho a resident of<br />
and teased her and he also<br />
hurled life threats on her over<br />
petty matters.<br />
The police have registered<br />
a case and started<br />
investigation.<br />
Teen allegedly molested<br />
PESHAWAR, <strong>Feb</strong> 2: A Joint<br />
declaration of Doctor’s /<br />
Health community of<br />
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has<br />
appreciated the government’s<br />
efforts for investment<br />
in health care services,<br />
Human Resource<br />
Development and provision<br />
of incentives for the health<br />
care providers.<br />
same locality abducted his<br />
son Arsam from a local<br />
market and took him to a<br />
deserted place where he<br />
and his accomplices<br />
molested him umpteenth<br />
time. The police have registered<br />
a case and started<br />
investigation .<br />
The declaration also<br />
lauded govt for the promulgation<br />
of MTI Act 2015, and<br />
hoped that the step would<br />
enhance Human Resource<br />
development and health care<br />
services. The joint declaration<br />
demanded improved<br />
pay package for Trainee<br />
Medical Officers, House<br />
Officers and teaching cadres<br />
and the Middle East.<br />
His writings include<br />
"Basti", "Hindustan Se<br />
Aakhri Khat", "Agay<br />
Samander hai", "Shehr-e-<br />
Afsos", "Jataka Tales",<br />
"Janam Kahanian" and "Wo<br />
Jo Kho Gaye".<br />
He received the Lifetime<br />
Achievement award at the<br />
Lahore Literary Festival in<br />
2012.<br />
In 2013, Hussain became<br />
the first and only Pakistani<br />
to be nominated for the<br />
international Man Booker<br />
Prize, and was awarded the<br />
French civil award Ordre<br />
des Arts et des Lettres in<br />
September 2014.<br />
Grand jirga in<br />
Jacobabad to<br />
decide old dispute<br />
LARKANA, <strong>Feb</strong> 2: A grand<br />
jirga will be held on<br />
Wednesday in Jacobabad to<br />
decide the old dispute<br />
between Prof Akbar Haider<br />
Soomro, former Vice<br />
Chancellor, Benazir Bhutto<br />
Medical University,<br />
Larkana and Prof Saeed<br />
Sangi, Chairman,<br />
Department of Cardiology,<br />
BBMU, who now has<br />
retired. It will be presided<br />
over by Sardar Manzoor<br />
Khan Panhwar.<br />
The dispute continued<br />
for three years and both of<br />
them dragged each other to<br />
the courts during which<br />
Sangi was arrested by FIA<br />
for allegedly possessing<br />
illegal passport. He<br />
remained behind bars for<br />
three days for which he also<br />
blamed Soomro.<br />
The dispute started outside<br />
a mosque after Juma<br />
prayers when Prof Sangi<br />
was reversing his vehicle<br />
which Prof Soomro alleged<br />
that Prof Sangi wanted to<br />
overrun him.<br />
The security guards of<br />
Prof Soomro took out their<br />
weapons and pointed them<br />
at Prof Sangi and this was<br />
the begininning of the quarrel<br />
as both sides lodged<br />
reports against each other.<br />
Prof Sangi told reporters<br />
on Tuesday that he had<br />
appointed former taluka<br />
Nazim Qurban Abbasi as<br />
his Masheer because during<br />
the last hearing of the dispute<br />
case the court had<br />
directed for deciding the<br />
matter privately whereas<br />
Prof Soomro said that no<br />
jirga is to be held to decide<br />
the matter.<br />
Doctors, health community appreciate<br />
govt efforts in the health sector<br />
and improvement of service<br />
structure for general cadre<br />
doctors as well.<br />
Declaration endorsed the<br />
efforts of current provincial<br />
govt. Declaration was<br />
signed by the representatives<br />
of PDA, YDA, MOs,<br />
KTH doctors union and<br />
Union of Teaching Staff in<br />
Peshawar today.<br />
PESHAWAR: Security forces are taking part in mock exercises as a practice to defend in perception<br />
of any terrorist’ attack on educational institutions.