Karachi fashion show goes on despite blast

KARACHI: The bomb blast on Thursday evening made no dent to the show scheduled for the second day of the Pakistan Fashion Design Council’s Fashion Week.

Although the organisers cancelled all breaks that came in between the shows shortening the overall duration of the event, they expressed their resolve to go ahead with the programme by opening the event shortly after the explosion.

The designers who showcased their collections included Asifa and Nabeel, Nida Azwer, the graduating class of the Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design (PIFD), Khadija Shah from Elan, Moeed Yousaf and Faryal Aftab from Muse, and Zara Shahjana from Libas.

The event began with Asifa and Nabeel showcasing a collection, titled Romulus. They had singers Shahzad Roy and Hadiqa Kiyani walk the ramp for them at the opening.

The collection had a classic, chic sensuality as the models walked down the ramp clothed in often draped, pleated dresses in ivory white, eggplant purple and navy blue among other colours.

Nida Azwer’s collection was inspired by Chinese motifs and was titled ‘Auspicious Musings’. The collection contained her straighter silhouette, puffed shoulders, loose sleeves and her use of silkscreen printing.

From white, black, deep red, yellow, the outfits also contained small oriental details such as the Chinese collar and the motifs that were printed often on the upper back or on the sleeves of the garments. The collection contained an essence of Nida Azwer’s fantastical debut effort.

It was announced that the national assembly has recently awarded a degree status to the PIFD.

The students presented a very creative collection, the highlight of which was a model who seemed to wear a large, brown and round dress that resembled a burnt onion.

When she went towards the middle of the ramp, she unhooked her dress and it dropped all to the floor to reveal a heavily layered gown. The moment encouraged a shocked response from the audience followed by applause.

Khadija Shah from Elan showed a collection that was simple and very wearable with the straighter, less voluminous silhouette and closed hemlines.

Muse’s collection was mostly western wear and reflected confusion between the designer’s inspiration from the fashion of the seventies mixed with everything that was wrong with the fashion of the eighties.

Zara Shahjehan showed a collection that was inspired by her grandmother, a silver screen star Husna, and the style of the city of Lahore in the sixties.

Her collection had shorter lengths and closed hemlines coupled with creative diamond prints and embroideries on the clothes. Sehyr Saigol from Libas showed a classic black and white collection with hints of colour here and there.

She predominantly focused on slimming down the shirt volume and the pajama while presenting a classic collection perfect for both everyday wear and formal lunches. The collection also displayed a liberal use of sheer fabric.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation collaborated with the PFDC in making the wish of a very young Khadija, a thalassemia patient, true.

Her wish was to walk down the fashion runway as a designer. Khadija did indeed walk down the runway, clad in one of Libas’ outfits and modelled quite fiercely for the photographers at the end.

She was given a standing ovation.

Zardari seeks Chinese support in economic development

GUANGZHOU, China: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday invited the Chinese investors and entrepreneurs to benefit from Pakistan’s geo-strategic location as well as its trade and economic potential for a win-win situation for the two neighbourly nations having time-tested ties.

“I invite you to take advantage of the geo-strategic location, trade and economic potential and the warm waters of Pakistan, which has all the ingredients to become a progressive and developed country,” the President said while addressing the corporate leaders of the Guangdong province here at the Pakistan-China (Guangdong) Forum on Economic Reconstruction.

Besides the Chinese business leaders, the Forum held here on the sidelines of the 16th Asian Games and jointly organized by China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and Pakistan Consulate in Guangzhou was also attended by Vice Governor of Guangdong province, Liu Kun and representatives of Guangdong provincial government.

The President said Pakistan-China strong bonds, the seeds of which were sown by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Chinese leader Mau Zedong could be further strengthened through united efforts and going together in economic development.

He said China which was fast emerging as the world economic leader can use the trade and economic potential of Pakistan as a multiplier force for its further development growth.

The President said Pakistan has been a security centric state for long, but the country cannot achieve progress and development through this approach, adding, “Pakistan and China can grow like brothers, which we are.”

Referring to close and brotherly relations of Pakistan and China, he recalled that “when the floods catastrophe hit northern areas of Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan), the Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan called me and offered all out assistance.” This is not a friendship but brotherhood,” he remarked.

About the recent devastating floods in Pakistan, the President said the people and government of Pakistan have the will and resilience to covert this catastrophe into opportunity.

He invited the Chinese construction companies and entrepreneurs to help Pakistan in the reconstruction and infrastructure, destroyed and damaged by the recent floods.

The President also invited the Chinese companies, particularly from Guangdong province, to help Pakistan in the establishment of a new city, Zulfikarabad, in Sindh province.

He asked the Chairman BOI to stay back in Guangzhou and have consultations with the Chinese construction companies in this respect.

The President urged the Chinese corporate leaders and entrepreneurs to help Pakistan in achieving the goal of enhanced economic development and prosperity by investing in various infrastructure and development projects.

He said that in the journey towards post floods economic reconstruction, there were immense opportunities for Chinese businesses for partnership and investment.

The President said that there were many areas including infrastructure development, rehabilitation of irrigation system, housing, hydro power, alternate energy that offer opportunities for cooperation.

He invited the investors from China, particularly from Guangdong province to become Pakistan’s partner in reconstruction and development of Pakistan. Chinese investment in Pakistan is vital to our economic development, he said.

The President said that there existed a great potential between Pakistan and China to further expand their bilateral trade and Pakistan was keen to welcome greater Chinese investment in the country.

He said that Pakistan and China have established a Joint Investment Company (JIC) with the help of China Development Bank to assist joint ventures and signed the Free Trade Agreement on goods and services, which were helping integration of Pakistani and Chinese economies.

The President said that the Government has put in place policies directed towards rapid economic growth, employment generation, poverty alleviation and encouragement of the private sector.

He said that by energizing the private sector the Government wanted to step up agricultural and rural growth, ensure water security and invest in the energy infrastructure.

The President said that attractive opportunities exist in a number of sectors of economy including energy, oil exploration, cement and housing for investors from China reiterating that the Government was committed to provide an investment friendly environment.

Mentioning the relaxed share-holding restrictions in the sectors of construction, telecom, finance, healthcare, environmental protection, tourism, transportation research, and development, the President assured that from an investor’s perspective, Pakistan remains an attractive destination.

US drone strike kills four militants in Pakistan: officials

MIRANSHAH: A US drone strike in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt on Saturday killed four militants, destroying their compound and a vehicle, local security officials said.

Two missiles fired by a US drone hit Ahmad Khel village, some 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan region, local security officials said.

“It was a US drone attack, one missile hit a house and another hit a vehicle. We have reports that four militants were killed,” an intelligence official in Miranshah told AFP.

A second intelligence official in the town confirmed the attack and the death toll, while a security official in Peshawar said two drones fired four missiles, hitting a vehicle and killing three militants.

The area is considered a stronghold of Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked fighters and has seen a dramatic rise in US drone strikes, as intelligence claims emerged last month of a Mumbai-style terror plot to launch commando attacks on European cities.

The leadership of the Haqqani network, which is linked to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, is also based in North Waziristan.

It has been accused of plotting some of the deadliest attacks on US troops in Afghanistan including a suicide bombing that killed seven CIA operatives at a US base in Khost last December.

Officials in Miranshah and Peshawar said they are trying to find out the identities of those killed and whether there was a so-called ‘high value’ target among the dead.

A covert US drone campaign in Pakistan has stepped up strikes in the tribal belt, The United States considers Pakistan’s tribal belt an Al-Qaeda headquarters and the most dangerous place on Earth.

More than 220 people have been killed in over 40 strikes since September 3, heightening tensions with Islamabad over reported US criticism of Pakistan’s failure so far to launch a ground offensive in North Waziristan.

The United States does not as a rule confirm drone attacks, but its military and the Central Intelligence Agency operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy the pilotless aircraft in the region.

Officials in Washington say drone strikes are highly effective in the war against Al-Qaeda and its allies, killing a number of high-value targets, including the Pakistani Taliban’s founding father Baitullah Mehsud.

But the policy is unpopular among the Pakistan public who see military action on Pakistani soil as a breach of national sovereignty.

It has led to reprisals from militant groups who have targeted NATO supply convoys destined for Afghanistan. – AFP

New 3,000 Jewish homes for Jerusalem in 2011: report

JERUSALEM: Israel plans to put up for sale 3,000 new Jewish homes in Jerusalem next year, including in Arab areas, a municipality official was quoted as saying by the weekly newspaper Kol Hair.

Shlomo Eshkol, an engineer appointed by the Jerusalem municipality, also spoke of a long-term project to build 50,000 homes in Jerusalem during the next decade, Kol Hair said in its latest edition.

Eshkol said the allocation of 3,000 new Jerusalem homes in 2011 included the mostly Arab eastern sector of the Holy City which Palestinians view as the capital of their future state.

The plans were announced during a meeting between Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat and a group of 60 Israeli developers, the report said.

The homes would be available in west Jerusalem’s Jewish neighbourhoods of Arnona and Ramat Rachel, as well as the east Jerusalem districts of Givat Hamatos and Har Homa.

Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move the international community does not recognise.

It sees all of Jerusalem as its “eternal, undivided” capital and does not consider construction in east Jerusalem to be settlement activity.

The Palestinians want to make the east — home to some 200,000 Jewish Israelis and 268,000 Palestinians — the capital of their future state.

Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and in Jerusalem is the main cause blocking peace talks the pursuit of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks which tentatively resumed in September. – AFP

Violence in Bangladesh as ex-PM ordered from home

DHAKA: Police in Bangladesh fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Saturday to clear demonstrators trying to prevent authorities from evicting the leader of the opposition from a home she has occupied since 1982.

At least 50 people were injured and more than 20 demonstrators detained in the capital Dhaka, police said.

Police and witnesses said up to 4,000 protesters armed with sticks and stones set fire to vehicles and attacked officers near the headquarters of former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

A similar number skirmished with officers close to Zia’s house, and violence broke out in more than 20 towns across the country.

Around 50 people were injured in clashes with police in Serajganj, 150 km (94 miles) northwest of Dhaka, as were dozens elsewhere, local television channels said.

“Sporadic violence is continuing. We are trying to disperse the activists,” an officer told Reuters in Dhaka.

Clashes intensified as security forces cordoned off Khaleda’s residence in the garrison as a deadline set by the High court on Friday neared for her to vacate the house.

Police later said the situation was under control but tense, while the opposition BNP called for a one-day strike.

“To protest the (eviction) order we have called for a countrywide dawn to dusk general strike on Sunday,” Khondaker Delwar Hossain, secretary general of the BNP, told journalists.

It was not immediately clear whether the former prime minister had vacated the house. A defence ministry spokesman said authorities hoped Khaleda would leave to show compliance with the law and move into the house reserved for the leader of the opposition.

Khaleda’s residence on a sprawling compound was leased to her by the government in 1982, after her husband, former president General Ziaur Rahman, was killed in an abortive coup.

The government of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cancelled the lease last year to put up multi-storey buildings to accommodate families of army officers killed in a mutiny in a paramilitary unit headquarters in Dhaka.

Hasina was elected for the first time in 1996 and again in 2008 in an election held under an army-backed interim government. – Reuters

Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi released

YANGON: Myanmar’s democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest Saturday, an official said, as crowds of excited supporters waited outside her home for a glimpse of their idol.

The crowd cheered and began to surge forward as police began removing barricades around her crumbling mansion where she has been locked up by the military junta for most of the past two decades.

The authorities went inside to read the order to release her from house arrest, a government official said.

“She is released now,” said the official, who did not want to be named.

More than 1,000 people were gathered outside in hope of seeing the 65-year-old dissident, known to her supporters simply as “The Lady”.

Although she has been sidelined and silenced by the junta — occasionally released briefly only to be put back in confinement — for many in the impoverished nation she still embodies hope of a better future.

“I think of her as my mother and also my sister and grandmother because she’s the daughter of our independence leader General Aung San,” said 45-year-old Naing Naing Win.

“She has her father’s blood.”

Despite the risks of opposing the military regime in a country with more than 2,200 political prisoners, many supporters wore T-shirts bearing her image and the words: “We stand with Aung San Suu Kyi.”

Undercover police were photographing and filming the crowds.

Myanmar’s most famous dissident has been under house arrest since 2003 — just one of several stretches of detention at the hands of the ruling generals.

Her sentence was extended last year over a bizarre incident in which an American swam uninvited to her lakeside home, sparking international condemnation and keeping her off the scene for the first election in 20 years.

The democracy icon swept her party to victory in elections two decades ago, but it was never allowed to take power.

When last released in 2002 she drew huge crowds wherever she went — a reminder that years of detention had not dimmed her immense popularity.

Some fear that junta chief Than Shwe will continue to put restrictions on the freedom of his number one enemy.

But her lawyer Nyan Win has suggested she would refuse to accept any conditions on her release, as in the past when she tried in vain to leave Yangon in defiance of the regime’s orders.

Her struggle for her country has come at a high personal cost: her husband, British academic Michael Aris, died in 1999, and in the final stages of his battle with cancer the junta refused him a visa to see his wife.

She has not seen her two sons for about a decade and has never met her grandchildren.

Her youngest son Kim Aris, 33, arrived in Bangkok ahead of her release but it was unclear whether he would be allowed to visit his mother.

Suu Kyi’s freedom is seen by observers as an effort by the regime to tame international criticism of Sunday’s election, the first since the 1990 vote.

Western nations and pro-democracy activists have blasted the poll as anything but free and fair following widespread reports of intimidation and fraud.

Partial election results show that the military and its political proxies have secured a majority in parliament.

The NLD’s decision not to participate in the election deeply split Myanmar’s opposition and Suu Kyi’s party has been disbanded, leaving her future role uncertain.

Little is known about her plans although her lawyer says she has expressed a desire to join Twitter to reach out to the Internet generation.

Few expect her to give up her long struggle for freedom from repression and attention is now on whether she can reunite the splintered opposition and bring about the democratic change that has eluded Myanmar for so long.

Obama mounts strong defence of US economic policy

YOKOHAMA: President Barack Obama defended his economic recovery policies Saturday after top powers rebuffed US plans for binding trade targets and curbs on currency manipulation at the G20 summit.

Top administration officials pushed back against the notion that the G20 meeting, which ended in Seoul Friday, had turned into a global display of opposition to US policy, saying important core principles had been agreed.

Ahead of a Pacific Rim summit in Japan, Obama said he had never been more confident in what the United States had to offer, despite criticism that its slow rebound is a sign of waning US might as regional giants rise.

“Yes, the challenges that remain are great. There will be setbacks and disagreements and we won’t solve every issue in one meeting or one trip or even in one term,” Obama said at a business conference in Yokohama, Japan.

He was speaking a day after G20 nations agreed to avoid currency manipulation and protectionism, but failed to fulfill US hopes for binding restrictions on issues at the core of deep global economic disputes.

“The United States tried to push an idea too fast, at a time when the foundation for cooperation is not as strong as it was during the crisis” that shook the world economy in 2008-09, IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn told AFP.

Obama’s top aides however, insisted that important progress had been made in Seoul, and argued that the issues in play were so complex and fundamental to each nation’s economy, that it was not surprising they were so contentious.

“What is remarkable about the outcome — the extraordinary thing is the degree of consensus that has been established that was on display in Seoul, where you had an agreement on the balanced growth framework,” said National Security Advisor Tom Donilon.

“It has been a very important organisation and I think quite successful,”he said pointing out that the grouping was established by the United States and was often driven by a US agenda.

The president argued in his speech that G20 developed and developing nations had shown an underlying determination to keep focused on global economic expansion despite disagreements on other issues.

“As the largest economy in the world, an engine for global growth, that’s particularly important for the United States,” Obama said in a speech ahead of the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) talks.

“That is why we passed an economic plan that has led to five consecutive quarters of economic growth and 10 consecutive months of private sector job growth.

“That’s why we passed and are implementing the toughest set of financial reforms since the Great Depression — something our G20 partners need to do with the same sense of urgency.

“And that’s why we’re cutting back on non-essentials in the face of serious fiscal challenges.” Obama maintained that American human and financial resources had paved the way for the region’s emergence and dynamic economies.

His speech was partly a summing up of his eight-day stay in Asia, which he billed as a mission to pry open export markets and create American jobs.

He argued, despite a sheaf of negative headlines about his diminished political clout following a “shellacking” by Republicans in mid-term elections, that his trip had successfully reinvigorated US engagement in a vital region.

“Yokohama is my last stop on a journey that has taken me from Mumbai and New Delhi to Jakarta and Seoul,” Obama said.

“The security and prosperity of the American people is inextricably linked to the security and prosperity of Asia. That is why this was not my first trip here, and why it will not be my last.

“America is leading again in Asia.” Obama also played a moral card, as he argued for America’s continued relevance in a region which is seeing the rise of great powers like China and India and a parallel expansion of influence for Southeast Asian economies.

“In the last century, the United States of America contributed greatly to the security and prosperity of this region.

“The strength of our alliances and the bravery of our men and women in uniform helped keep the peace and the openness of our markets helped fuel the rise of the Asian
Miracle.” – AFP

Eight militants killed in Orakzai clash

KALAYA: At least eight militants were killed in a shootout with security forces in the northwestern Orakzai tribal region on Saturday, local officials said.

Two soldiers were wounded in the incident.

There was no independent verification of the incident as the war zone is out of bounds for journalists and is remote.

Iran hangs serial killer of women: report

TEHRAN: Iran hanged on Saturday a serial killer convicted of murdering 16 women and girls over a four-year period, Fars news agency reported.

Farid Baghlani was executed in a prison of the southwestern city of Ahvaz, the report said, adding families of the victims celebrated by handing out sweets to people in the detention facility.

The report said Baghlani began the killing spree at the port city of Abadan in 2004, and that he said during his trial that he carried out the murders out of hatred for women.

The latest hanging brings the number of executions in Iran to at least 144 so far this year, according to an AFP count based on media reports. At least 270 people were executed in 2009.

Iran is one of the leading countries that carry out the death penalty each year, along with China, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

The Islamic republic says the death penalty is essential to maintain public security and is applied only after exhaustive judicial proceedings.

Murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and adultery are all punishable by death in Iran. – AFP

PML-N two-faced over RGST, says Babar Awan

ISLAMABAD: Law Minister Babar Awan on Saturday said the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) was being two-faced with regard to the Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST).

Awan said PML-N leaders were making billions of rupees but paying taxes worth only Rs 5,000.

Speaking to media representatives after the second meeting of the Judicial Commission (JC), Awan said a new chapter was being written in Pakistan’s history.

He said the JC’s unanimous selection of Justice Ejaz Chaudhry for appointment as Chief Justice Lahore High Court explains that reservations pertaining to the 18th Amendment were invalid.

Awan further said that the PML-N has one approach toward the RGST in the parliament and another approach toward the same in the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

He said the tax culture in the country needs reformation so that the rich also pay taxes.

Gul, spinners launch South Africa collapse on second day

DUBAI: Pakistan made a strong comeback in the first Test against South Africa with six wickets in the opening session of the second day in Dubai on Saturday.

South Africa were 365-9 at lunch after pacer Umar Gul combined with off-spinners Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal to bring Pakistan back into the match.

Gul took three wickets in the space of four overs to remove night-watchman Paul Harris and batsmen AB De Villiers and Ashwell Prince.

Jacques Kallis, who looked set to score another Test hundred, was caught by debutant wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal off the bowling of Saeed Ajmal.

Abdur Rehman also chipped in with two wickets, to leave Pakistan one wicket away from wrapping up the South African innings.

Pakistan and South Africa are playing the first of the two Tests at Dubai from November 12 to 16.

Scores: South Africa 365 for nine (G. Smith 100, A. Petersen 67, H. Amla 80, J. Kallis 73) v Pakistan

JC agrees to appoint Justice Ejaz Chaudhry as LHC CJ

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission on Saturday agreed to appoint Justice Ejaz Chaudhry as Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC), television reports said.

The commission, in its second meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, unanimously decided to appoint Justice Ejaz Chaudhry as Chief Justice LHC as Justice Khwaja Sharif is to retire on December 8.

Justice Ejaz is the senior most judge in the LHC after the incumbent CJ Khwaja Sharif.

As per the 18th Amendment, a parliamentary committee will give the final nod over the appointment of Justice Ejaz. However, the eight-member committee has not yet been constituted.

Following the parliamentary committee’s approval, the summary of Justice Ejaz’s appointment would be sent to President Asif Ali Zardari.

The final notification of Justice Ejaz’s appointment would be issued after President Zardari’s approval.

UN asks for 164 mln to fight Haiti cholera epidemic

PORT-AU-PRINCE: The United Nations has appealed for 164 million dollars in aid to fight Haiti’s cholera epidemic as the death toll mounted to almost 800 with hundreds more falling ill daily.

The funds will go towards getting additional doctors, medicines and water purification equipment to respond to the epidemic in what is one of the world’s poorest nations, UN officials said.

“We hope we can get this, otherwise all our efforts will be over-run by the epidemic,” Elisabeth Byrs, a spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said in Geneva Friday.

The disease has spread quickly since it was first confirmed on October 22.

Haitians still have not had time to rebuild since the January quake that killed 250,000 people and left another 1.3 million homeless.

They are still sheltering in flimsy, dirty tent cities where access to fresh water and bathrooms is limited.

More than 12,300 people have now been sickened by the disease in just a few weeks, swamping tiny, overwhelmed and ill-prepared hospitals and clinics, according to the health ministry.

Out of the 796 deaths recorded so far, only 13 people succumbed to the disease in the teeming Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, including its largest slum Cite Soleil and its suburbs.

But there is a real fear that the disease, first detected in late October, will flare in the city’s makeshift refugee camps where it could spread swifly through the crowded, unsanitary conditions.

A strategy drawn up by the United Nations “anticipates up to 200,000 people to show symptoms of cholera ranging from cases of mild diarrhea to the most severe dehydration” over the next six months, the OCHA and the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

“We urgently need medical staff, trained nurses… and to ramp up medical supplies,” warned Byrs.

Doctors were taken by surprise by the outbreak as cholera has not been seen in Haiti for some five decades.

“No one alive in Haiti has experienced cholera before,” said WHO spokesman Gregory Haertl.

The main center of the cholera outbreak is in the northern region of Artibonite, where the river of the same name is feared to be the source of the contagion.

There have been roughly 1,000 new cases every day this week and the death curve is getting steadily steeper.

“If cholera cases continue to rise at this rate, we’ll quickly be overwhelmed,” warned Yves Lambert, head of infectious diseases at the main public hospital in central Port-au-Prince.

Although easily treated, cholera has a short incubation period and causes acute diarrhea that can lead to severe dehydration and death in a matter of hours.

“We greatly fear a flare-up in the capital which would be serious given the conditions in the camps,” Claude Surena, president of the Haitian Medical Association, told AFP.

The bulk of the requested money — around 89 million dollars — will be used for water, sanitation and hygiene, while 43 million will be used for health, and 19 million for efforts in the camps housing people displaced by the earthquake, UN officials said.

“A major effort has already been made, but the sheer quantity of relief items that need to be delivered in the days and weeks ahead is going to require more logistical and financial support for the government by all humanitarian agencies and donors and very close coordination,’ said Nigel Fisher, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti.

“Without this the epidemic could well outrun our efforts,” he added.

Hurricane Tomas, which claimed more than 20 lives in Haiti a week ago, aggravated the situation as it brought heavy rains which caused rivers, including the Artibonite, to burst their banks and flood.