Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Express Tribune Newsletter: December 19, 2011

 

Today's Headlines

December 19, 2011

 

Facing the music: President Zardari returns under the cover of night
Our Correspondents

The president's arrival prompted almost as much confusion as his departure.Protocol was in place for a landing in Islamabad and Karachi, but ultimately Pre­sident Asif Zardari arrived back in Karachi, where top Pakistan Peoples Party officials had gathered at Bilawal House.
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National/City

Musharraf announces January 2012 return
Abdul Manan
Former president Pervez Musharraf announced on Sunday that he would return to Pakistan in January 2012. Musharraf said, via a videoconference in Lahore from London, that the solution to current challenges did not lie in undemocratic initiatives. Dragging the military into politics would be fatal for the country, he warned. 

Gateway through Memogate: Gilani, Kayani forge 'joint strategy'
Kamran Yousaf
For very different reasons, the unlikely duo of Nawaz Sharif and General James Jones might have saved Pakistan from a civil-military stand-off. 

Imran's party braces for swelling of ranks
Abdul Manan
Imran Khan's charm is spreading. 

Musharraf announces January 2012 return
Abdul Manan
Former president Pervez Musharraf announced on Sunday that he would return to Pakistan in January 2012. Musharraf said, via a videoconference in Lahore from London, that the solution to current challenges did not lie in undemocratic initiatives. Dragging the military into politics would be fatal for the country, he warned. 

Wielding soft power: US offers to finance TAPI gas pipeline
Zafar Bhutta
The US has made a generous offer to finance the multibillion-dollar Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, an implicit gesture to lure Pakistan away from the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline deal.
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Business

Gas crisis solution: As govt goes back on its word, Engro looks abroad
Farooq Tirmizi
What does a company do if it has made a $1.1 billion leveraged bet on a fertiliser manufacturing business that relies on a government that consistently goes back on its word? For the Engro Corporation, it involves exploring the import of its feedstock from abroad, as well as the possibility that it may sell its principal product – urea – to Indian farmers instead of their Pakistani counterparts. 

Too little too late: Ban on CNG kits may not be enough
Farhan Zaheer
Though government has decided to ban the import of CNG kits and cylinders, it has to do much more to make this ban effective enough to control the expansion of CNG sector and the gas shortage in country, industry officials said.
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Sports

2nd Test: Taufeeq steadies Pakistan's response
Our Correspondents
Taufeeq Umar closed in on a half-century to steady Pakistan on day two of the second and final Test against Bangladesh. 

Boxing: Tyson seeks updates on security
Our Correspondents
Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has sought updates on security arrangements in Islamabad while keeping his options open for an appearance at the upcoming Benazir Bhutto International Boxing Championship, according to the Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF). 
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Life & Style

Pakistani TV today: Can we go beyond ratings?
Rafay Mehmood
Apart from the exaggerated dialogue delivery and fascination with shaadisPakistani TV and Bollywood have another thing in common; the fact that both industries follow trends rather than making them. 

Jharkhand Jhollywood: Do-it-yourself, do it for less
Our Correspondents
In one of India's poorest, most violence-wrecked states, being a movie star means doing your own make-up in a car mirror and then dancing to a soundtrack from a mobile phone. Los Angeles has Hollywood, Mumbai has Bollywood and then there's Jhollywood, a tiny but enthusiastic film industry in the eastern state of Jharkhand.
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Opinion 

A way out of the memogate mess
Shahzad Chaudhry 

A psychological warfare operation
Shaukat Qadir 

Single issue foreign policy
Tanvir Ahmad Khan 

Putting the railways back on track
Anwer Mooraj 

IThe uncertainity that exists
Shahid Javed Burki 

Blogs

Sovereignty is just an illusion
Anas Razzaq 

Household help and hypocrisy
Shayan Naveed 

A lullaby for you, my daughter
Samar Minallah 

Losing East Pakistan: Lessons we didn't learn
Adnan Amir 

Poll

Do you believe Gilani's statement that there is no clash between the Presidency, army and judiciary?

No (86%, 545 Votes)
Yes (14%, 88 Votes)
Total Voters: 633 

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The Express Tribune Newsletter: December 18, 2011

 

Today's Headlines

December 18, 2011

 

Gilani trashes 'clash of institutions' talk
Sumera Khan

http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/308288-PMgilani-1324183697-384-640x480.jpgFrom vociferously railing against threats to the democratic set-up, to insisting there is no clash of institutions, the prime minister has made a spectacular about-turn within a week.
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National/City reports

Promising 'real democracy': Imran Khan challenges the status quo
Sadaqat Ali
Challenging the status quo, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan vowed on Saturday that his party would bring about 'real democracy' in the country and empower people at the grassroots level.

Memogate case: Citizen's letter prompts notices to president, ISI chief
Faisal Shakeel
The Supreme Court on Saturday allowed a 'concerned citizen' to become a party to the memogate case, in a development that is likely to give a new dimension to its hearings.

Homecoming: Afaq walks free, vows to start from scratch
Saad Hasan
The arch-rival of Karachi's largest party tasted freedom for the first time in seven years on Saturday.

Kayani calls Zardari, says country's interests supreme
Agencies
President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani agreed that the country's interests were supreme, in a teleconference on Saturday.

Lost & Found: Veena Malik staying in Mumbai hotel
News Desk
Model and actress Veena Malik has not reached Pakistan, as reported earlier by the Indian media, but is still staying in a Mumbai hotel, reported Express News on Sunday.
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Business

Weekly review: Bourse plummets to 15-week low
Our Correspondents
The stock market fell to a 15-week low as escalating political tensions resulted in foreign outflows of $11.2 million during the week.

Analytical independence: SBP, finance ministry differ on forex reserve depletion
Shahbaz Rana
The State Bank of Pakistan has questioned the federal government's projections of a marginal decrease in foreign currency reserves, fearing it could fall to as low as $12 billion by June as gap between external payments and receipts balloons to $2.1 billion over the next five months.
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Sports

Pakistan players blocked from playing in Bangladesh league
Reuters
Pakistan players have been refused permission to play in the lucrative Bangladesh Twenty20 league by their cricket board (PCB) in order to concentrate on next month's test series against England in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Shakib, Rahim boost Bangladesh
AFP
Shakibal Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim kept Pakistan at bay on Sunday morning as Bangladesh reached 285-5 in their first innings at lunch on the second day of the second and final Test.
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Life & Style

Aisamul Haq ties the knot
News Desk
Pakistan tennis star Aisamul Haq Qureshi tied the knot with Faha Akmal on Saturday evening at an elaborate ceremony in Lahore, Express News reported.

A good day for brides
Hani Taha
There is little doubt that fashion's biggest market and consumer is the bride. While India has its own dedicated extravaganza 'Bridal Asia' to cater to this enormous industry, Pakistan didn't quite have as glittering a platform, as even the 'Bridal Couture Week' is often a haphazard and lacklustre affair. _______________________________________________

Magazine

Shot in the dark
Fifi Haroon
Two recent markers involving documentary filmmaking made the headlines in Pakistan this year.

10 things I hate about Twilight: Breaking Dawn
Saba Khalid
The soft porn. No one wants to see a lifeless vampire make love to a dull, expressionless, teenager.
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Opinion

Dial M for Memo
Fahd Husain

Dirty talk
Saroop Ijaz

Can Pakistan afford to ignore women?
George Turkington

When liberals opposed progressives
Khaled Ahmed

Land reforms making a comeback
Syed Mohammad Ali

Blogs

A lullaby for you, my daughter
Samar Minallah

Losing East Pakistan: Lessons we didn't learn
Adnan Amir

A female baby, a waste of space
Aneka Chohan

T20 fever and the Big Bash
Dr Amyn Malik

Poll

Do you believe Gilani's statement that there is no clash between the Presidency, army and judiciary?

No (83%, 347 Votes)
Yes (17%, 70 Votes)
Total Voters: 417

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Friday, December 16, 2011

The Express Tribune Newsletter: December 17, 2011

 

Today's Headlines

December 17, 2011

 

Game-changer?: Man who delivered memo casts doubts
Rana Tanveer

In a key development in the Memogate scandal, a principal player has jumped into the fray – potentially turning the case on the matter, currently under scrutiny in the Supreme Court, on its head.
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National/City

Memogate: No reply from Zardari, says Attorney General
Faisal Shakeel
Attorney General of Pakistan (AG) Maulvi Anwarul Haq on Friday ruled out the submission of President Asif Ali Zardari's reply in the Memogate case.

PM-army chief meet: Gilani, Kayani go three hours, one-on-one
Faisal Shakeel
Amidst a rapidly-shifting and charged political scenario, the prime minister and the army chief held a meeting. It was one-on-one, closed-door and over three hours long.

Analysis: Why do we love to hate the US?
M. Ziauddin
The Memogate controversy is getting murkier with hints that, as the case proceeds in the Supreme Court, the appellant, Nawaz Sharif may request the court to issue instructions to the federal government to ask the ISI chief to resign as hinted by the Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Nisar in the National Assembly on Thursday.

US must respect Pakistan's red lines: Gilani
Sumera Khan
Pakistan has sought concrete guarantees from the US that its territorial sovereignty will not be transgressed in the future as a pre-condition to put their strained relations back on track.

Veena Malik mysteriously goes missing from Mumbai
Our Correspondents
Pakistani actress and model Veena Malik has reportedly gone missing from her home in Mumbai, reported Express News on Saturday.
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Business

Gas crisis: Stakeholders agree on new load management plan
Shahbaz Rana
The government and major consumers of natural gas agreed on Friday to a load management agreement that would ration gas over the winter months, as the shortage of natural gas in the country jumps to 1,600 million cubic feet per day, 33% higher than last year.

Car sales may drop 20% after CNG ban
Our Correspondents
Car sales are expected to drop by 20% to 151,000 units in financial year 2012 owing to the government's decision to ban import of compressed natural gas (CNG) kits and cylinders, according to KASB Securities.
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Sports

Off to spoil Bangladesh's party
Fawad Hussain
Pakistan and Bangladesh meet in the second and final Test in Dhaka from today with the visitors aiming to seal 2011 with a win, a year in which they have not lost a Test or a One-Day International (ODI) series.

Afghanistan in debut one-day against Pakistan
Our Correspondents
Pakistan and Afghanistan will play their first ever one-day international cricket match in Sharjah next February, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced Friday.
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Life & Style

Pakistani drama industry: From gold to ashes
Hani Taha
My mother tells me they had to reprint her cousin's wedding cards to include the message that television screens would be put up at the marriage hall. The last episode of the epic drama "Waris" was due to be aired that night and who in their right minds would want to miss it?

Insignia: Hot on heels
Our Correspondents
Before diamonds edged their way into women's lives, shoes were the original trustworthy 'best friend'. Ask any girl you know and she will lament that she just doesn't have enough shoes. They don't call an obsession with shoes a 'fetish' without good reason you know.
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Opinion

Taxila Cross
Salman Rashid

Personal accounts of 1971
Ajmal Kamal

Banning the Beeb
Amina Jilani

Bangladesh days
Dr Pervaiz Tahir

The PTA and the elephant in the room
Amber Haque

Blogs

The tough New Yorkers of Lahore
Hyra Zaka

Be a Cakeoholic
Tazeen Jaffer

Love and tears for Dhaka
Arsalan Khan

Don't blame the gas crisis on the government
Adnan Khalid Rasool

Poll

Do you believe security measures at banks are adequate enough to prevent robberies?

No (89%, 320 Votes)
Yes (11%, 38 Votes)
Total Voters: 358

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Thursday, December 15, 2011

The Express Tribune Newsletter: December 16, 2011

 

Today's Headlines

December 16, 2011

 

Military-govt standoff in the making?: President snubs SC deadline; govt says no need for case
Faisal Shakeel


All replies are in, except one – and perhaps the most important one.
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National/City

Surrender at Chittagong
Shamshad Ali Khan
The last days of the 1971 war are often distorted, obscured or – perhaps worst of all – forgotten. 

Defence budget: US Congress clears Pakistan aid freeze bill
Huma Imtiaz / Kamran Yousaf
The US Senate on Thursday passed the National Defense Authorisation Act for the fiscal year 2012 with 86 senators voting for, and 13 against the bill, agreeing to freeze close to $700 million in aid to Pakistan. 

Lofty ambitions: Development of Gorakh hill station still up in the air
Hafeez Tunio
Over the years, government officials have often waxed lyrical about the development of the Gorakh hill station, which is often touted as the 'Murree of Sindh'. But most of it seems to be lip service – the site remains undeveloped even though more than 150 years have elapsed since British rulers first discovered its potential as a recreational spot. 

Remembering 1971: A retired major tells the story he'd rather forget
Taha Siddiqui
A retired soldier does not want you to know his name. He is not ashamed of what he did for the Pakistan Army in what is now Bangladesh in 1971. Rather, he knows that, forty years on, this period of history is as strained and fraught as ever – and he fears the military might not be pleased that he wants to set down his version of the truth. 

Military coup charges: ISI chief should resign, face inquiry, says Gohar
Zia Khan
Mum's the word as far as the government and the military's media wing are concerned regarding Mansoor Ijaz's latest allegations.
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Business

Fertiliser or bomb?: Fatima Group says its product within accepted standards
Saad Hasan
The sole manufacturer of ammonium nitrate in Pakistan is cooperating with the US in taking measures to control its smuggling to Afghanistan where they admit, militants might be using it to make bombs, a top official of the company told The Express Tribune. 

Canada worried about Reko Diq investment
Owais Jafri
Canadian Deputy High Commissioner Lajoas Andraaz has expressed concern over investment worth $400 million stuck in Reko Diq copper and gold mining project, referring to the money injected by Tethyan Copper, a joint venture between Canada's Barrick Gold and Chile's Antofagasta.
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Sports

Asian Games heroes await promised rewards
Our Correspondents
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani wasted no time in announcing huge cash rewards for athletes who won medals at the Asian Games last year but, almost twelve months down the line, those promises have still not been fulfilled. 

Cricket: Big Bash T20 league kicks off today
Our Correspondents
The glitzy Big Bash League begins in Sydney today with some of the biggest stars of international Twenty20 cricket, including former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and leg-spinning great Shane Warne, in attendance.
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Life & Style

Luxury Audiplex: Make way for digital extravagance
Sher Khan
The Luxury Audiplex Theatre at Lahore's Royal Palm Theatre Complex, is a glimpse into the future as it marks the introduction of E-cinema in Pakistan. E-cinema, which is one of the two forms of technology invented to distribute motion pictures — the other being D cinema — is shown through a digital projector, which allows for high definition film-viewing. 

Fashion and beyond: Meesha Shafi knows no bounds
Saadia Qamar
Meesha Shafi's versatility in the field of performing arts knows no bounds. The artist has proved to be a woman of substance; she showed off her powerful vocals as a member of popular band Overload, she sang "Alif Allah" with legendary singer Arif Lohar on "Coke Studio", walked the ramp for many iconic designers and now Shafi is all geared to show her element as an actor in Mira Nair's next venture The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
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Opinion 

Rethinking the big lies from 1971
Dawood I Ahmed

Open letter to My Lord the Chief Justice
Kamran Shafi 

Documenting dying voices
Zubair Torwali 

What does Pakistan want in Afghanistan?
Najmuddin A Shaikh 

No lessons learnt in forty years
Yaqoob Khan Bangash 

Blogs

Is unbiased news too much to ask for?
Mani Khawaja 

Some generalisations about the French just aren't true
Aima Khosa 

KP politics: Of name changes and one-line manifestos
Vaqas Asghar 

The Chairman's speech
Suha Jafri 

Poll

Do you believe ailing state institutions such as Railways, Steel Mills ought to be privatised?

No (31%, 92 Votes)
Yes (69%, 208 Votes)
Total Voters: 300 

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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The Express Tribune Newsletter: December 15, 2011

 

Today's Headlines

December 15, 2011

 

Memogate: PM Gilani issues ominous warning
News Desk

Rocked by recurring controversies and scandals, the incumbent government has sent out a loud and clear message to both the opposition and the powerful security establishment.
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National/City 

Verdict implementation: Ratchet continues to turn as court asks for NRO progress
Faisal Shakeel
The ratchet, it appears, will continue to turn. With the memogate affair already lingering over his head, the Supreme Court has asked President Asif Ali Zardari to submit a report on the implementation of its verdict against the National Reconciliation Order (NRO).

On the mend: Zardari returns home from hospital
Irfan Ghauri
President Asif Ali Zardari has left hospital, though his doctors would have wanted a somewhat less stressful environment as he begins his convalescence. 

Blasphemy charges: Out of fear, Ahmadi family on the run
Rana Tanveer
Blasphemy allegations continue to haunt minorities in Pakistan. 

Memogate: Mansoor Ijaz submits reply to SC
Web Desk
Pakistani American businessman Mansoor Ijazhas submitted his reply to the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the memogate scandal, Express News reported on Thursday. 

Horrors of sexual abuse in conflict-stricken FATA
News Desk
Kashmala Bibi* says her cousin's breasts were cut into pieces when five militants walked into their house and saw the woman breastfeeding her child. One of the insurgents then asked the other women around to eat the pieces.
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Business

Setting a benchmark: Govt to penalise gas-run power plants for inefficiency
Zafar Bhutta
The government has initiated an energy audit of independent power producers and captive power plants operating on gas that may face higher gas tariff or supply disconnection over failure to meet desired efficiency benchmarks. 

Embezzlement of Rs700m: SECP held responsible for negligence
Shahbaz Rana
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), auditors and a credit rating agency have been held responsible by a special parliamentary panel for negligence that provided an opportunity to a politically 'well-connected' personality to siphon off depositors Rs700 million.
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Sports

Cricket: Pakistan will be a 'potential threat' says Vaughan
Our Correspondents
Former England captain Michael Vaughan foresees Pakistan as 'a potential threat' to England in the upcoming Test series starting from January 17 in the UAE. 

UAE series: 'Fawad can come in handy against England
Shahzada Usman
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief selector Iqbal Qasim has tipped Fawad Alam to come in handy in the upcoming series against England, given the all-rounder's impressive show in the ongoing Quaid-i-Azam Trophy.
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Life & Style

Indo-Pak TV: Where do we stand
Rafay Mehmood
In the context of Indian and Pakistani entertainment, soaps have always been a means of catharsis for housewives on both sides of the border. From her struggle to live up to her father's honour and wishes, to her woes of being answerable to her husband (and in many 'dramataic' cases the mother-in-law as well), the housewife looks for her own story in drama serials. 

Gurvinder Singh: Zooming into village blues
Sher Khan
Since its debut in the Venice Film Festival, Punjabi film Anhey Ghorhey Da Daan (Alms of the Blind Horse) has been making waves in the film fraternity because of the cultural relish it provides.
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Opinion

Finally, the review!
Ejaz Haider 

A nation that lies
Atika Rehman 

Illegal structures: paradox of rule of law
Imtiaz Gul 

Pakistan's narrative of progress
Arsalan Ali Faheem 

What the envoy said
Khurram Husain 

Blogs

The Chairman's speech
Suha Jafri 

Why cry foul?
Ayaz Peer Muhammad 

Humsafar: Here's what the noise is about
Quratulain Tejani 

Botox, surgical revamping and the elixir of youth
Mariam Ashraf 

Poll

Do you think a freeze on US aid to Pakistan will have an effect on relations between the two countries?

No (24%, 176 Votes)
Yes (76%, 560 Votes)
Total Voters: 367 

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