Pakistan eying 25m ton wheat production this year: Aulakh

MULTAN: Punjab agriculture minister Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh has said that wheat production target for the Rabi season 2010-11 has been set at 25 million ton, some 1.5 million ton above the assessed national food requirement at 23.5 million ton.

While talking to newsmen at Fatehpur in district Layyah, Aulakh said that Punjab produces almost 76 per cent of the national wheat production and sowing has already begun in the province, according to a release issued by media liaison unit of Punjab agriculture department on Monday.

Wheat is being sown in the country with expectations that it will cover 22.34 million acre area this Rabi season, Aulakh said.

He added that 16.88 million acre area will be brought under wheat sowing in Punjab this year just below last year’s cultivated area of above 17 million acre. Last year’s production was recorded at 17.9 million ton. Punjab’s production target has been set at 19.205 million ton this year.

He said that Punjab gets 90 per cent of its wheat production from irrigated areas and rest from rain-fed areas.

Aulakh said that Punjab government attaches top priority to the agriculture sector because it provides almost 45 per cent job opportunities to the people which goes up to 65 per cent in rural areas.

DG Agriculture (extension and adaptive research) Dr. Anjum Ali Buttar, DG research and pest warning Dr. Noor Ul Islam, chief executive Punjab agriculture research board Dr. Mubarak Ali, besides experts from Ayub Research Institute Faisalabad were also present.

DG agriculture extension said that thirteen wheat varieties have been recommended by the experts for sowing. Some varieties including Sahar 2006, Shafaq 2006, Fareed 2006, Meraj 2008, Ufq 2002 can give better production.

He said that 375 storage facilities were available in Punjab to store wheat while new modern storage facilities were being built to enhance storage capacity by 300,000 tons.

DG research Dr. Noorul Islam told newsmen that new wheat varieties have been developed and provided to growers which can give better yield amid hot weather and shortage of water.

These varieties included Lasani 2008, AARI 2010 and ‘Aas’.

Lasani 2008 has already been multiplied and was available for all growers. However, AARI 2010 and Aas have been given to registered growers only to multiply these varieties for their mass scale distribution among growers. An official meeting to finally pass these varieties will be held sometime this month.

Some more disease resistant varieties were also in the pipeline.

Dr Mubarak Ali said that Punjab government has recommended to the federal government to export 2 million ton wheat so that government should not run out of space for wheat storage and earn foreign exchange at a time when prices of wheat have gone up in the international market.

Russia voices ‘serious concern’ about Israeli construction

MOSCOW: Russia expressed “serious concern” Tuesday over an Israeli decision to build 1,300 new settler homes in occupied east Jerusalem.

“Moscow treats this decision with the most serious concern,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

“We find it essential that the Israeli party refrained from the declared construction and on the whole kept to a moratorium on settler activity on the west bank of the Jordan river and in East Jerusalem,” the ministry said.

Israel’s decision to approve the new homes in east Jerusalem on Monday sparked a furious reaction from the Palestinians, who accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging peace talks.

Moscow has slowly repaired its relations with Israel since backing the Palestinians throughout the Cold War. – AFP

Zulqarnain quits international cricket, seeks UK asylum

LONDON: Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has retired from international cricket and is reportedly seeking political asylum in Britain amid alleged threats from match-fixers.

Haider left the Pakistan team in Dubai on Monday and flew to London after claiming he had been offered money to lose matches against South Africa, the latest twist in the fixing scandals rocking the team.

The 24-year-old Haider would not identify who threatened him or the nature of the threats that prompted him to flee the team hotel in Dubai and travel to England without telling anyone.

“I was approached by one person who asked me to fix the fourth and fifth match and there would be problem for me if I did not do it,” Haider told Pakistan’s Geo Television. “I do not want to say who is involved and who is not involved in the match fixing.”

Haider said he received threats after scoring the winning run in Friday’s one-wicket in the fourth one-day international in Dubai. South Africa won the fifth and decisive ODI on Monday and clinched the series 3-2.

“The country is like a mother and anyone who sells it cannot get anything in life,” Haider said. “I did not want to sell my mother. I did not want to sell my country and I did what I thought was better.”

Following Friday’s match, Haider asked a Pakistan Cricket Board official for his passport, pretending that he needed it to buy a mobile phone connection, and then left the hotel three days later to fly to London.

“I did not do what I was asked to do in the fourth one-dayer and I also did not let it happen what was being asked to do, so this is the reason that I left it and came here and I did what I felt better,” he said.

Haider would not detail the threats, but Pakistan police beefed up security at his house in Lahore “to avoid any untoward incident,” according to senior police official Sahahzada Salim.

“I cannot say what kind of threats I have received as my family is still in Pakistan,” Haider said, adding his reluctance to provide details was in the interests of family safety.

Haider’s older brother, Raza, told The Associated Press that Zulqarnain called him Tuesday to confirm his retirement.

“Just two hours ago my brother called me saying he cannot take any more pressure and is retiring from international cricket,” Raza said.

He added that his younger brother said he could not perform to the best of his abilities under the circumstances and “could not get along with the team.”

“My brother is now in contact with PCB officials and he is going to apprise the PCB officials in writing of what he had gone through,” Raza said.

Haider arrived in London on Monday and, in an interview broadcast by Geo television on Tuesday, said he had discussed his status with immigration officials and “according to their rules, I will have to follow this procedure.”

“I understand there is rule in Britain that if you are on right and if you are not a criminal, then they always protect you,” Haider said.

Raza Haider said his brother was asked by U.K. immigration authorities to appear with a lawyer. He said the family was sending Zulqarnain money he received for playing in Pakistan’s tour of England earlier this year.

British Home Office spokesman Simon Barrett said immigration policy did not allow him to comment on individual cases.

Haider is staying at a hotel near Heathrow Airport while his case is being decided, his brother said.

Julie Gibbs, spokeswoman for the London-based Information Center about Asylum and Refugees, said Pakistani citizens seeking asylum in the U.K. were usually dealt with on a “fast-track system.”

“There’s a list of countries where people who ask asylum from those countries they get on a fast-track and are dealt with within seven days,” she said.

Gibbs said it was unlikely Haider would be granted political asylum if he requested it, while emphasizing that each case was different.

“He’s not got a good chance. Pakistan isn’t really an asylum country,” she said.

The alleged threats and match fixing are the latest setback for a Pakistan team that has been troubled by matters off the pitch.

In August, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were accused of involvement in an alleged betting scandal during a test in England.

The ICC charged the trio with corruption in September after allegations they were paid for bowling no-balls at prearranged times against England to fix spot-betting markets.

Pakistan selectors replaced Haider with uncapped 25-year-old Adnan Akmal – brother of test players Umar and Kamran – for the two test matches against South Africa. The first test begins in Dubai from Friday.

‘Heart’ of al Qaeda in Pak-Afghan border: Gates

KUALA LUMPUR: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday the “heart” of al Qaeda remained in the Pak-Afghan border area even as it spread its influence to the Arabian peninsula and northern Africa.

As al Qaeda’s leaders continued to operate out of the border area, “they provide the guidance, they provide the priorities, they provide legitimacy to other al Qaeda affiliates that are developing in other places, including in the Arabian peninsula, in Yemen in particular and in northern Africa, in the Maghreb,” Gates told reporters.

Gates, who met Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, is in Malaysia for a one-day visit to bolster defence ties amid concern in the region over China’s growing economic and naval power.

However, in its fight against the al Qaeda terror network, the US had “strong friends”, including France and predominantly Muslim Malaysia, he said.

“We’re not in this fight by ourselves. We have some strong friends who see their own self-interest in dealing with this threat of extremist terrorism. So I’m confident that we will have the resources and the capability to continue to deal with it,” he said.

“When we point to the Maghreb, France is very much involved and when we are taking about Asia, this is one of the areas which the US and Malaysia are co-operating in. So we are not in this fight by ourselves.”

Adnan Akmal, Hafeez added to Pakistan’s Test squad

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday, announced the addition of two players to the national squad for the Test series against South Africa.

Wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal will join the squad in Dubai after Zulqarnain Haider left the Pakistan team on Monday, ahead of the fifth one-day international against South Africa.

Meanwhile all-rounder Muhammad Hafeez, already part of the Twenty20 and ODI squads, will replace leg-spinner Danish Kaneria in the side. Kaneria was mysteriously stopped by the PCB from joining the team in UAE on Sunday

Adnan Akmal, younger brother of wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and batsman Umar Akmal, will make his Test debut for Pakistan in the series after a string of impressive domestic performances.

Hafeez was Pakistan’s top scorer in the recently concluded ODI series with 203 runs, averaging 40 in five matches.

Pakistan will face South Africa in the first Test at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium starting Friday, November 12.

The second Test will be played at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium from November 20.

Army-backed party claims victory in Myanmar vote

YANGON: The Myanmar military’s political proxy claimed an overwhelming victory Tuesday in an election condemned as a sham by the West, as fresh fighting erupted between ethnic rebels and government forces.

Pro-democracy parties urged the authorities to act against “cheating” during Sunday’s poll, in which the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) had already enjoyed major financial and campaigning advantages.

“We have won about 80 per cent of the seats. We are glad,” said a senior USDP member who did not want to be named.

The vote appeared to have gone largely according to the junta’s plans but deadly clashes between government troops and ethnic minority soldiers on Monday triggered an exodus of about 20,000 people to neighbouring Thailand.

Local residents said Tuesday that Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) rebels had retreated into surrounding forests pursued by government forces, and distant sounds of fighting were heard.

At least three civilians were killed when heavy weapons fire hit the southeastern town of Myawaddy in Karen State, an official in Myanmar said Monday.

There was no official announcement from the junta or election officials on the vote results, but the USDP had been widely expected to sweep the poll because in many areas no pro-democracy candidates were even standing.

One quarter of the seats in parliament are already reserved for military, which together with its proxy looks set to have a comfortable majority for passing laws and electing the president.

“The message they want to give, especially to their neighbours, is: don’t mess with us. No matter what you do we are going to rule,” said Thailand-based Myanmar analyst Aung Naing Oo.

“The military wants to have control over everything.” A new constitution requires parliament to convene at least once a year.

“Opposition groups have charged that this is an omen that the parliament will be convened only once a year,” said Aung Naing Oo.

The USDP — formed by Prime Minister Thein Sein and other former military top brass who shed their uniforms for the vote — said election turnout was more than 70 per cent, despite muted activity seen at many polling stations.

Opposition parties have complained about widespread reports of irregularities, particularly with advance ballots.

“Officials need to take action against vote cheating,” Than Nyein, chairman of the National Democratic Force (NDF), told AFP.

He said the party, created by former members of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, so far appeared to have won only about 10 per cent of the more than 160 seats it contested.

“Our country has lacked dignity in the world so we wanted to restore our pride with a fair election. I’m very sorry because these acts could further harm the dignity of our country,” he said.

Thu Wai, chairman of the Democratic Party, said that when people were allowed to vote freely they had supported his party. “But they have won with advance votes. We cannot do anything,” he said.

Win Min, an exiled Myanmar academic, said the USDP was likely to sweep more than 82 per cent of the seats to beat the crushing victory scored by the opposition in 1990 — an outcome never recognised by the ruling generals.

US President Barack Obama led international criticism of the vote, saying it was “unacceptable” the regime had stolen the election, while UN chief Ban Ki-moon said it was “insufficiently inclusive, participatory and transparent”.

Myanmar’s southeast Asian neighbours, however, welcomed the poll as a “significant step forward”.

“ASEAN encourages Myanmar to continue to accelerate the process of national reconciliation and democratisation, for stability and development in the country,” chair Vietnam said in a statement.

China’s one-party government also applauded the vote as a “critical step” in the transition to an elected government.

After the election, attention was turning to whether the regime will release Suu Kyi on Saturday, when her current term of house arrest is due to end.

The democracy icon has been detained for most of the past 20 years and her party boycotted the poll, saying the rules were unfair. – AFP

Obama makes long-awaited return to Indonesia

JAKARTA: After two years of waiting, Indonesians are finally getting the chance to welcome back their adopted son. But the euphoria that swept the predominantly Muslim country after Barack Obama’s election victory has been replaced by a dose of reality.

Few here now believe he will change American policies in the Middle East or improve US relations with the Muslim world. And hopes that the two countries would march forward together on the world stage have been cast aside.

While Indonesians take tremendous pride in having partially raised the American president, who spent four childhood years in the country, the plans for his long-anticipated homecoming Tuesday have been accompanied by a sadness that he is not fully theirs.

He’s already canceled two planned trips and is due to stay for just 24 hours. He will meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, tour the country’s largest mosque and make a speech that will give him another opportunity to convince Muslims that the US is not waging a war on Islam, but on terrorism, and needs the help of moderates to fight it.

That will give him no time to visit his old neighborhood in the sprawling overcrowded capital a jumble of houses and narrow streets that has changed little since he was here from 1967 until 1971, although it is now in the shadow of luxury shopping malls and high-rise buildings.

His tightly packed schedule does not even allow time for brief meetings with family and friends.

”I have waited so long for this visit,” said Katarina Fermina Sinaga, 61, who taught the chubby, vivacious boy, then known as ”Barry,” in the third grade. ”I know as the world leader, his schedule is tight, but I still hope to meet him.

”I just don’t want him to forget us.”

When he was first expected to come in March and then again June, the country whipped itself into a frenzy of anticipation: Books and movies about his childhood were released, celebrations planned, and exhibitions mounted.

But this time, the country seems sapped after twin natural disasters a volcano and a tsunami over the past two weeks that killed a combined total of 600 people. There was speculation Obama would cancel again, and the country has been unwilling to get its hopes up, too drained to put on a big show. Even the government waited until the last minute to announce that the visit was on.

Hopeful he still might make a last-minute stop to his old elementary school, dozens of third- and fourth-graders, dressed in green-and-white uniforms, spent Tuesday morning practicing a song dedicated to him.

”We haven’t been told anything,” said Hasimah, the clearly disappointed headmaster. ”So we don’t know how to prepare.”

Though religious leaders still believe in him, they, too, have lost some of their gushing enthusiasm.

With peace talks in the Middle East moving slowly, many believe he is not much better than his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Still, there is sense, even here, that what Indonesians want most is a little attention.

”He’s not even taking time to meet with us,” said Din Syamsuddin, the leader of the country’s second-largest Muslim group, Muhammadiyah, whose 30 million members had high hopes for Obama. ”Even Bush did that …”

Obama moved to Indonesia when he was 7 after his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, married her second husband, Lolo Soetoro, whom she met when they were studying at the University of Hawaii.

The neighborhood they first called home was Menteng Dalam, a Dutch-era neighborhood with red-tiled roofs in Jakarta’s center, where many share fond memories of the young Barry.

They remember that his mother would walk him to school through streets muddied by monsoon rains, that he was comfortable speaking Indonesian, and that the family kept white crocodiles and a monkey in their yard.

”Ya, I heard he’ll be coming today,” said Satari, a 20-year-old streetside vendor, as he dished up a bowl of Bakso, the same spicy meatball soup the president says he loved as a child.

A 65-year-old customer, Linggas Sitompul, jumped in: ”We really have to greet him like a homecoming brother.”

Before Obama’s inauguration, Indonesia viewed the United States mostly as a target for protest. Hard-liners viewed the George W. Bush administration’s anti-terrorism efforts as a proxy for anti-Muslim feelings.

They had hoped that Obama’s connection to Indonesia would give it a special place in his administration, but two years into his term, reality has set in. Most now recognize his visit will not improve their poverty or raise their national stature.

And they know that despite feeling a kinship with the American president, in the end, he will leave and go back to the place that is really his home. – AP