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WEDNESDAY. APRIL 29 . 2015 -Sawr 09, 1394 HS www.afghanistantimes.af www.facebook.com/ afghanistantimeswww.twitter.com/ afghanistantimes

Foreign troops failed in bringing ANP will resist changes in , are Gawadar-Kashgar trade peace to Afghanistan, says Karzai route: ASFANDYAR bound by a thousand AT Monitoring Desk AT Monitoring Desk ties: Ghani : The ex-President Hamid NATO during its mission in Af- hands mounting militancy, he Karzai said that foreign forces in ghanistan wanted to help Afghan, added. KABUL: The Chairman of Awa- government wants the route to Afghanistan have failed to bring failed to bring stability to Afghan- Talking about recent situation mi National Party, Asfandyar Wali pass through province of The Indo-Afghan partnership has peace to the war-hit country. istan. The foreign forces are yet in Afghanistan, Karzai said that the Khan, said that the party will re- . In an interview with Trend to bring lasting peace and stability country is on the right track to- sist against changes to the original Asfandyar Wali Khan said that blossomed despite barriers caused by News Agency in Azerbaijan, Ha- to Afghanistan, as people of the wards development. A new gov- map of Gawadar-Kashgar eco- the tribal belt has been left out in mid Karzai said that through country are still suffering at the ernment has been established in nomic corridor. the new map of the economic cor- geography and political hurdles, says Afghanistan and Afghan masses Talking after a party meeting, ridor. Narendra Modi opted for electing country s leader the prominent Pashtun nationalist He added that the Pakistani through a democratic process, he leader said that his party will spare government is intended to give 70 AT Monitoring Desk added. Karzai hoped that situation no efforts to prevent the Pakistani percent share of the project to in Afghanistan will further im- government from brining changes Punjab and 30 percent to all other KABUL: Hinting at the impor- while growing up in the 1950s. prove. to the route. He announced to call provinces. A delegation of ANP tance of Afghanistan and India re- In the meantime, the Indian The former Afghan president on all-party meeting in Khyber will also hold meeting with the lations, President on Prime Minister said: We have a also urged Azerbaijan to open its Pahktunkhwa and Baluchistan. Chinese ambassador in Islamabad Tuesday said that the two coun- shared interest in the success of an embassy in Afghanistan. The The original route was expect- to brief him on concerns of the tries are bound by a thousand ties Afghan-led and Afghan-owned move will further improve ties be- ed to pass through conflict-hit ar- party regarding the proposed and millions of memories. process. This should be conduct- tween the two countries, Karzai eas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and changes in the economic corridor, President Ghani is in India on ed within the framework of the said. He added that the two coun- Baluchistan. However, the federal he said. a three-day state visit. He attend- Constitution of Afghanistan, with- tries share common history and ed a press conference on Tuesday out the shadow of violence. It cultural similarities. Karzai said with Indian Prime Minister Naren- should reinforce the political, eco- that the two countries should work dra Modi. After comprehensive nomic and social progress of the together to enhance bilateral coop- talks with the Indian Prime minis- last fourteen years. And, it should eration. Afghanistan opened its ter on the entire gamut of bilateral protect the rights and aspirations embassy in Baku, the capital city ties and key regional and interna- of all sections of the society, in- of Azerbaijan, and we hope that tional issues, Ghani told the con- cluding Afghan women. Assert- Azerbaijan will also open its em- ference in New that Afghan- ing that the Indo-Afghan partner- bassy in Kabul, he added. istan and India are the only coun- ship has blossomed despite barri- Karzai said that Kabul was tries that need no introduction. ers of geography and hurdles of interested in expansion of econom- The ties between Afghanistan and politics, Modi said the success of ic relations with Baku. India are engraved in our land- an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned Talking about importance of scapes, from the haunting, empty process within the framework of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project, frames where the giant Buddhas the Constitution of Afghanistan, said that the rail of Bamiyan once stood to the rem- without the shadow of violence, route is the easier way to connect nants of Hindu temples that stud was in their shared interest. We Afghanistan to Europe. the Afghan countryside, to Sufi share Afghanistan s pain over per- shrines and minarets, forming the sisting terrorism and extremist vi- cultural heritage of India. He said olence that destroy lives and de- 43 rebels killed as Herat will become insecure within while other countries have to over- rail progress. I thank him for co- 52 PEOPLE KILLED come their past to build a future, operation against terrorism, Modi reinforcements weeks if govt keeps looking the India and Afghanistan can build a said and expressed his gratitude to future based on their past. He said the Afghan security forces, who in Badakhshan landslide reach in Kunduz other way: Ismail Khan he welcomed the emphasis in bi- protect Indians in Afghanistan as AT Monitoring Desk lateral transport agreement which their own people. He said the Pres- KUNDUZ CITY: As many as 43 would allow Afghan trucks, goods ident shared his impressive vision militants were killed in two KABUL: Mohammad Ismail and that the government will be to India. He said terror should be for Afghanistan s prosperity, districts of northern Kunduz prov- Khan, the former minister of ener- blamed for it because of its care- confronted and should be over- based on its talent, resources and ince as additional troops arrived gy and water and a prominent Ji- lessness on security situation coun- come. He said the Afghan govern- location. We believe that Afghan- to fight the large number of insur- hadi leader has warned that inse- trywide. ment is committed to changing the istan s direct surface link to India gents closing in on the provincial curity will increase unprecedent- He called on to regional nature of cooperation. He and the rest of South Asia, and in- capital, officials said on Tuesday. edly in western Herat province come together for confronting the said terror could not be classified creased connectivity to sea could Heavy fighting continued for within upcoming 20 days due to self-proclaimed Daesh (ISIS) ter- the fourth day on Tuesday after inattention government leaders on rorist group, for saving Afghani- nearly 2000 insurgents attacked security situation countrywide. stan and for putting a full stop to police and army posts in the Imam Ismail Khan expressed the re- insecurity in the country. Sahib district near Kunduz City. marks at a session in Herat city on However, Major General Taj Sixteen militants were killed in Tuesday which celebrated the 23rd Mohammad Jahid, the command- Qala-i-Zal district and a senior anniversary of Mujahideen s vic- er of Zafar 207 Unit of the Afghan Taliban commander and his 27 KABUL: At least 52 people have slide in northeastern Badakhshan tory against the then USSR. National Army (ANA) in western fighters were killed in Imam Sahib Ismail Khan has several times zone, assured that anti-government been killed in a devastating land- province on Tuesday. district on Monday night after se- Shah Waliullah Adeeb, the gov- criticized the National Unity Gov- elements have no capability to curity forces launched a major op- ernment (NUG) leaders for inat- fight the security forces in the Batikot district ernor of Badakhshan province, said eration in the evening, said Mo- the landslide in Khwahan district tention and inefficiency towards western zone. He told the session hammad Omer Safi, the provincial the people of Afghanistan. He has that people should not have any chief unhurt in of the province. governor. said in his interviews with local tension about extension of war and He added that the way to the He told Pajhwok Afghan News TV channels in Kabul and Herat conflict to the western province bomb attack landslide hit area was covered with security forces initiated the oper- that the process of naming and se- because the security forces are well ation in Imam Sahib and extended : A district chief on snow and the only way to reach lecting nominee-ministers for the capable of foiling any kind of at- the landslide affected people was it to Qala-i-Zal district. The mil- new cabinet will lead the country tack by militants. Tuesday survived a roadside itary operation will continue until bombing that ripped through his through helicopters. We will not towards insecurity and another Remarks and concerns of the into good or bad and everyone turn Afghanistan into a hub that all militants are eliminated, the crisis. former Mohammad Ismail Khan should stand united both regional- connects Asia s diverse regions and motorcade in eastern Nangarhar be able to reach the district . governor said. province, an official said. We are waiting for helicopters to On Tuesday, he once again told about presence of Daesh in Af- ly. Ghani said Afghanistan s quest beyond. On Monday night, soon The militants overran several the session in Herat that he was ghanistan are not new; the promi- is for democracy and they are in- after his arrival, Ghani met with The Batikot district chief, Haji come tomorrow and take us to the areas in the two districts, forcing Ghalib, was travelling in a vehicu- concerned about security situation nent Jihadi leader has mentioned spired by the Indian tradition of Afghan students in India. He as- area, the governor said. residents to flee homes as they in the country. He warned that in- this issue several times. However democracy as he referred to the sured the students to resolve their lar convoy from Jalalabad, the pro- The landslide-hit area is locat- feared heavy gun battles. vincial capital, when the hidden security will surge in Herat unprec- the remarks have been rejected by effect of India and Indian leaders issues regarding payments, pass- ed around 200 kilometers from A security official said addi- edentedly in upcoming 20 days, security officials in Herat. like Jawaharlal Nehru and others ports and visas. bomb struck a vehicle behind his tional army and police personnel car, injuring three bodyguards, the Faizabad, the capital city of Bad- khshan. According to another had arrived to the aid of security governor s spokesman, Ahmad Zia forces locked in battles with in- Abulzai, told Pajhwok Afghan source in the province the land- surgents. News. slide has destroyed more than 100 The Taliban have not yet com- He said the district chief es- houses. mented about casualties the fight- caped unhurt in the blast. Badakhshan is one of the least ers suffered in Imam Sahib and The district chief also con- developed provinces Afghanistan, Qala-i-Zal districts. firmed the incident to Pajhwok which is located in Hindu Kush In Kabul, the Ministry of In- Afghan News and said two of his and Pamir mountain ranges and is terior ministry said Mullah Mus- sons and a nephew were wounded tafa aka Shahdat, a most-wanted in the blast. prone to natural disasters. A land- slide in Argo district of the prov- terrorist, was killed along with his He said the wounded persons 27 fighters during clashes with se- were in stable condition and being ince buried hundreds of people last curity forces in the Imam Sahib treated in hospital. year. district. (Pajhwok) Daesh asked to wage jihad in non-Muslim states JALALABAD: A senior peace former jihadi leaders. They called jihadi leader Maulvi Arshad Ah- negotiator and former jihidi com- for the peace process to be inten- mad said: Changes should be mander on Tuesday said the ongo- sified and changes brought to the made to the HPC s composition ing war against Afghans was ille- HPC s composition. because the current composition gitimate, asking the self-styled Is- Religious scholar and former only spends money and cannot win lamic State or Daesh group to wage peace due to their past. its jihad in non-Muslim countries Ahmad talked about muja- instead of Afghanistan. hideen s sacrifices against the Haji Malak Nazir, the High former Soviet Union forces and Peace Council (HPC) chief for east- hoped efforts for peace would be ern , was ad- intensified in Afghanistan. dressing a gathering marking the Another former jihadi com- Mujahideen Victory Day in Jalal- mander, Haji Ajab Khan, said the abad, the provincial capital. Afghans should jointly work for Nazir said the Taliban reserved peace and stability of their coun- the right to wage a war because try. they had been ousted from gov- Foreign intelligence networks ernment, but their fitwas for jihad have besieged Afghanistan to di- in Afghanistan were un-Islamic. vide Afghans: O Afghans wake up Now a new group Daesh has and rescue your motherland from emerged, which claims to be the the atrocities of these networks. leader of . The group says At the end of the gathering, let s go to Afghanistan for jihad. If senior security officials presented you want to do jihad, do it in the flowers to some individuals who nti-gay marriage rally outside Capitol Hill in Washington to support Europe where infidels live. lost limbs during the jihad against The gathering was attended by the Soviet forces and called them Atraditional marriage. (Photo: VOA) a number of religious scholars and as Afghanistan s heroes. (Pajhwok) This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF. WEDNESDAY. APRIL 29, 2015 AFGHANISTAN TIMES Tears replace cheers in re-enactment Iraq war hero Tim Collins faces US fraud probe into Afghan training costs Colonel Tim Collins OBE - who is an intelligence mentoring and train- son said: "Sigar has an ongoing in- of Farkhunda s killing in Afghanistan best known for delivering a pow- ing programme for the Afghan Na- vestigation of the company" and By Rod Nordland erful speech to his men on the eve tional Security Force (ANSF). that the investigation began before of the Iraq war - is facing ques- The aim is to take tactics de- the audit was carried out. When tions over a 160 million US con- veloped and used during the Trou- pressed for details, they said: "The tract to train Afghan security forc- bles in Northern Ireland and ap- investigation is criminal in nature", es in counterinsurgency. ply them in Afghanistan, to help but would not elaborate.It is not His firm, New Century Con- the country's soldiers and police known whether the investigation sulting, is the subcontractor in a recruit and use informants from is connected to the issues raised in Pentagon contract held by the US within the Taliban. the recent audit. The investigation company Jorge Scientific, now Yesterday, Col Collins said: "is related to both companies", known as Imperatis. "New Century was the subcontrac- said the spokesperson. A financial audit of Imperatis, tor to Legacy East. Apart from that Auditors tasked by Sigar ex- carried out on behalf of the US we have no privileged access to the amined 160 million in expendi- Special Inspector General for Af- matter mentioned nor have we ture between October 2011 and ghanistan Reconstruction (Sigar), been approached by the US gov- March 2014 and found that Im- identified 118 million "unsup- ernment to assist or comment on peratis "did not retain sufficient ported" and "questioned" costs the matter." supporting documentation for a paid to New Century, to which Adding: "New Century has no subcontractor's [New Century most of the work was subcontract- knowledge of the criminal investi- Consulting] costs." ed. gation which you allege." This amounted to 118 mil- Sigar has the job of overseeing Colonel Tim Collins is a char- lion in "questioned costs" - part of reconstruction projects and activ- ismatic figure best known for an an overall total of 122 million of ities, conducting audits and inves- inspirational speech given to the unsupported costs racked up by tigations to "promote efficiency" troops under his command short- Imperatis over its "Legacy East" and "detect and prevent waste, ly before the invasion of Iraq in contract with the Pentagon. fraud, and abuse". 2003. Sigar recommended that US Last night, the US federal agen- Speaking to 1st Battalion The Army Contracting Command cy said it had an ongoing criminal Royal Irish Regiment, he said: "We should "determine the allowabili- investigation involving both New go to liberate, not to conquer," and ty of and recover, as appropriate, Century and Imperatis. told his troops: "If you are fero- $134 million ( 122m) in ques- "This is a classic example of a cious in battle remember to be tioned costs identified in the re-

A group of activists in Kabul staged a re-enactment on Monday of the killing of Farkhunda, a woman who was publicly beaten to death on March 19 after being falsely accused of burning a Quran.

KABUL: They killed Farkhunda ter the real killing, many of those she said it was proving a tough cy s spokesman that read, in , again, but this time there were tears videos were posted on YouTube role. For one thing, Ms. Alam had Don t give out their names. in the crowd rather than cheers. and social media sites by attackers been among the mourners at Asked why not, Baseer Azizi, Men pummeled her with who were proud of their roles in Farkhunda s burial, and it was the a spokesman for the attorney gen- rocks and paving stones, knocked the crime. first real dead body she had ever eral, said the Afghan Constitution her down, kicked her, ripped her That all changed when the au- seen, she said. prohibited the release of suspects head scarf off, all the while shout- thorities admitted that no Quran Then, Ms. Alam prepared for names although that has not ing religious slogans and denounc- had been burned, and that the role by watching as many of deterred the authorities in many ing her as a blasphemer. Blood tan- Farkhunda had actually been a de- the videos of the actual attack previous cases. gled her hair and made a red mask vout Muslim who got into an ar- as she could, and what really Some of the names that sur- of her bruised face. gument with a vendor at the shrine struck her was how Farkhunda had face in Farkhunda s case are likely Since it was a re-enactment because she viewed his sale of never wept throughout the sus- to be controversial, like that of of the real crime, the mob of men good-luck charms to be un-- tained abuse. I kept thinking how Sharaf Baghlani, who is said to outside a mosque in central Kabul ic. That vendor, Zainuddin, start- powerful and brave she was, and have taken to Facebook right after on Monday skipped some of the ed the accusations against her, and she never ever cried, bearing all the attack to boast of his role in it, specifics the parts where the he was among the first to be ar- that pain, with so many attacks, and described himself as an offi- actual attackers had dragged rested. Ms. Alam said. cial of the National Directorate of Farkhunda behind a car, or tossed Since then, Farkhunda herself She and her fellow actors Security, the Afghan intelligence her off a bridge, among other acts. has been transformed once a agreed then that there would be no service. I am proud to say I am But they did douse the actress pariah, now a martyr and many crying during their performance, the one who personally killed Leena Alam, who was playing advocates for women s rights say but in rehearsals, they all kept Farkhunda, he reportedly wrote, Farkhunda, in a liquid meant to they have been energized by how bursting into tears. The workers, according to those who saw the prime contractor not knowing how magnanimous in victory." port". symbolize gasoline, and buried her many men have been drawn to their my director, everyone, we were posting before it was taken down. its subcontractors are spending He went on to say: "The ene- Its auditors warned of "mate- in a pile of ashes. cause since her death. just mental, she said. One person The directorate has disavowed hard-earned American taxpayer my should be in no doubt that we rial weakness and non-compliance" There were even real police- We don t want this case to would cry, then she did. I kept Mr. Baghlani, despite pictures dollars," John F Sopko, head of are his nemesis and that we are over the documentation held by men present, doing what their col- be forgotten, said Alema, a mem- saying, Don t make me weak, I showing him brandishing the agen- Sigar. bringing about his rightful destruc- Imperatis of New Century's costs leagues had done on March 19 in ber of the Justice for Farkhunda don t want to cry. cy s standard-issue handgun under Both New Century and Imper- tion." and said that "the government may the same place: standing aside. Committee, who like many Af- During the re-enactment, some his dark suit jacket. Later, he post- atis deny any wrongdoing and dis- A copy of the speech is said have been charged for costs that Some of them, however, were seen ghans uses only one name. We of her fellow actors got a little too ed on Facebook that someone had agree with the findings of the au- to have hung in the White House's were unallowable to the Legacy to be teary-eyed this time. want Farkhunda s name to stay into character, she said, and though previously hacked his Facebook dit, which include concerns about Oval Office. East project". Last week it The killing of Farkhunda, a 27- alive in history, she added. their rocks and clubs were made of account and that he had not post- the 118 million in "unsupport- Col Collins said he was un- emerged that US Department of year-old Islamic law student who Mohammad Sajid Arghandai- sponge or foam, her face began to ed the message. ed" costs. aware of any criminal investiga- Defence was unable to provide fi- was falsely accused of burning a wal, another activist, said: sting from all the blows, and she Mr. Baghlani admitted, how- Under the contract, New Cen- tion, and added: "Sigar's concerns nancial data on 814 million spent Quran, has sparked numerous pro- Farkhunda has sacrificed her life came away a bit bruised. Specta- ever, that he had been charged in tury sent counterinsurgency advis- are not with my company." on emergency reconstruction and tests and galvanized women s ac- for the rights of other women. It s tors often gasped because it seemed Farkhunda s murder. ers, many of them British, to Af- Referring to the Northern Irish humanitarian projects over the past tivists more than almost anything the start of a revolution. so real, and even some of the po- It would be unjust to give me ghanistan, to run what amounts to sub-contractor, a Sigar spokesper- decade. Telegraph that has happened since the days Monday s re-enactment was licemen were seen to be weeping. more than two years in prison, of the Taliban s public executions conceived by the Justice for Honestly, I could not stop my because I only kicked her two of women. In addition, the attor- Farkhunda Committee as a way to tears myself, Mr. Anwari said, times, he wrote in a post made Kabul iron plants face closure due ney general s office announced that keep up pressure on the govern- even though he had already seen while he was supposedly in pris- formal charges were brought Mon- ment, as activists worried that rehearsals. The crowd was really on. TO ONGOING POWER OUTAGES day against 49 participants in the more than a month after the epi- emotional, people around me were At the end of the re-enactment, killing, 19 of them police officers sode, no formal charges had yet crying, they were literally shaking Ms. Alam was buried in ashes to The Afghanistan Industrialists the reason is that these materials a factory owner Khan Wazir said. accused of failing to try to stop it. been filed. A few hours after the they were so moved. symbolize how Farkhunda had Union on Tuesday reported that are cheaply smuggled via our According to factory owners, The attack, as well as the re- re-enactment, the authorities an- Like many activists, Mr. An- died, as a loudspeaker blared out at least 15 iron melting factories in southern borders to neighboring Pakistan and with their enactment on Monday that was nounced the charges against 49 wari expressed suspicion about the an actual audio recording of the Kabul have closed down due to countries," head of Afghanistan dumping policies - have monopo- commissioned by a coalition of suspects. government s intention in prose- attack. She rose again to shake off power shortages and the smuggling Industrialists Union Abdul Karim lized the iron industry in Afghani- rights groups, took place at There are rays of hope in this cuting Farkhunda s abusers. We the ashes, joining with a group of of raw materials to neighboring Arifi said. "Factories are on the stan and local industries do not theShah-do Shamshira Mosque, case, said Ramin Anwari, one of want the police to reveal the names other women who reduced the men countries. verge of collapse. Between $1 mil- have the capacity to compete with famous for its flocks of pigeons the organizers. But why has it of those arrested, and they don t around them to shame. According to officials, several lion USD and $5 million USD has them. Afganistan requires nearly and legions of pigeon-feeders, and taken them this long to start court want to, he said. Then Ms. Alam did what she iron melting and iron processing been invested in iron melting fac- three million tones of processed the adjoining shrine of the same proceedings? At the news conference Mon- had tried so hard not to do. I companies are currently running at tories. These are public assets iron a year but only 100,000 tons name, which means the King of the On the morning of the re-en- day to announce the charges, an couldn t help it, she said. She a loss. Factory owners have voiced which now face losing everything," of iron is processed domestically. Two Swords. Both events were actment, Ms. Alam woke up with emissary from the attorney gener- burst into tears, crying inconsol- concerns over the possible loss of documented by hundreds of by- butterflies in her stomach. Though al suddenly rushed in and was seen ably as the company helped her their investments in the wake of standers with their cellphones; af- she is an experienced film actor, writing a quick note to the agen- down from the stage. (NYT) ongoing problems. The industrialists claim that over the past year, only 10 facto- ries out of 25 are still open. Fif- teen have closed their doors. "The fundamental issue is that these factories are now on the verge of financial ruin while others have closed down. Although raw mate- rials are available in the country,

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (TECHNICAL & FINANCIAL)

PURCHASE OF EQUIPEMENT

The Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Kabul intends to procure the following: i. CCTV cameras along with DVR with sufficient recording capacity. Installation costs should be included. ii. One LED 46" iii. Ten (10) new walkie talkie sets iv. Repair of a few wireless sets v. Base station and communication equipment for vehicles vi. Vehicle search mirrors, laser torch light, Sogo lights, metal detectors etc. 2. In order to ascertain various brand options available in the market, sampling and briefing the prospective bidders about the exact scope of work, a pre-bid meeting has been scheduled in the Embassy of Pakistan, Kart-e-Parwan, Kabul on May 17, 2015 at 1100 hrs. All bidders should bring along samples, brochures of the equipment, mentioned above. All participants should confirm their participation in the meeting at least 24 hours before the meeting through email or on the below given telephone numbers. 3. Based on scope of work conveyed in the above-mentioned meeting, all bidders will be eligible to submit their financial proposal by May 27, 2015. Sealed envelopes should reach the Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Kabul on May 27, 2015 before 1400 hrs. The envelopes will be opened the same day at 1500 hrs. All bidders may opt to be present at the occasion. 4. Only those bidders will be eligible to submit financial bid who will participate in pre- bid meeting on May 17, 2015. Muhammad Aneel Zafar Head of Chancery Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Kabul Tel: 0093-2202756-46 Fax: 0093-2202871 The audience at the re-enactment on Monday of the killing of a woman named Farkhunda joined the cast in paying Email: [email protected] tribute to her. CreditBryan Denton for The New York Times [email protected] This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF. WEDNESDAY. APRIL 29, 2015 AFGHANISTAN TIMES Protesting unemployment: Youth set Two of 31 passenger alight their academic documents hostages killed, say families AT Monitoring Desk The families of 31 hostages claim mation on the identity of the two not confirmed nor denied these re- KABUL: Since unemployment also accused government officials said. to have heard Tuesday that two of hostages or on whether they were ports. and nepotism in the country have of appointing their cronies on key Nazeer Nazari, another pro- the hostages have been killed in killed by the kidnappers or by se- "We found out that two of the been on the rise, a number of youth posts. I have been struggling for testor, said that he failed to get southern Zabul province. curity forces during a rescue oper- hostages have been killed," said Ali set a light their educational docu- the last five years to get a job, but work in any government office as The families of 31 bus passen- ments in front of Habibia High I couldn t, said Ahmad Jalil, one he had no connection with high gers kidnapped in February on the School in Kabul. of the protestors. Jalil said he has profile government officials. He Kabul- highway told Around 100 protestors took been graduated from Journalism said that recommendation letter by TOLOnews that they had been to the streets to give vent to their faculty of Kabul University five high a ranking government official informed by the elders and resi- anger over what they called in- years ago. is a must to every work. This is dents of Zabul province and Jag- crease in joblessness and massive We are still a burden on our what I don t have, he said. hori district of Ghazni that two of corruption in the country. family, Jalil said. However he add- The government should create the hostages had been killed. Among the protestors around ed that he worked as reporter only jobs and take practical steps to put The families, who set up pro- 20 of them set their academic doc- for one year during his brief career a halt to the unemployment as it test camps in Zarnigar Park in uments on fire in protest against a as journalist. Unemployment is has been a major challenge ahead Kabul about three weeks ago, stat- ation. Ahmad, whose brother is among massive scale corruption in the the sole reason behind deteriora- of educated youth, the protestors ed that they had no further infor- Government officials have also the 31 abductees. government administrations. They tion of security in the country, he said. The protesting families EMERGENCY warned that they would not cope with the death of their loved ones. CALLS Investment capital of $20m A pilot project underway to boost "If we find our passengers dead after two months, it will be Police required for foreign banks Afghanistan s wheat sales by 50pc very dangerous and we will not remain calm," Nematullah, whose 100 - 119 opening in Afghanistan A pilot USAID project is connect- N) developed a pilot project in like this before. I was surprised father is among the 31 hostages, ing suppliers and wheat farmers cooperation with Balkh Depart- by farmers motivation to buy it. warned. Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), Af- withdrawal of foreign banks could to boost sales of high quality seeds ment of Agriculture, Irrigation and This was a success for us because The thirty-one passengers Hospitals ghanistan s Central Bank, has dissuade further foreign investment that can increase production by up Livestock. The program partnered this seed would have been stored were travelling along Kabul-- changed regulations for foreign in Afghanistan. dahar highway when kidnapped on banks following closure of the Stan- In the meantime, the Afghani- February 24 by armed masked men FMIC Hospital dard Chartered Bank and Punjab stan Banks Association (ABA) do who stopped their vehicle in Shah Behind Kabul Medical Bank in Afghanistan. not see any negative consequenc- Joy district in southern Zabul. The investment capital need- es arising from the exodus invest- The driver and eyewitnesses University: ed for a foreign bank to start up in ment capital requirement. told TOLOnews that the unknown 0202500200-+93793275595 Afghanistan is increased from USD At the moment, our domes- kidnappers drove the passengers 5mn to USD 20mn. tic private banks are doing well. away to Khak Afghan district This comes as foreign banks But the services provided by for- where security forces have now Rabia-i-Balkhi Hospital performance in Afghanistan has eign banks in Afghanistan are very launched operations to rescue Pule Bagh-e- Umomi shown a decline in Afghanistan and limited, therefore, they have de- them. "I don't know where my 070263672 two major banks closed their op- cided to leave Afghanistan, but it sons are," said a mother whose two erations in Afghanistan. does not affect our economy, Tolo sons are among the kidnapped pas- A number of economic ana- News quotes deputy executive di- sengers. Khairkhana Hospital lysts have expressed concerns that rector of ABA Najibullah Amiri. The families have accused gov- ernment of doing nothing to secure 0799-321007 the release of their loved ones 2401352 something rejected by President Ashraf Ghani who said during his Iran trip that so far $6 million USD Indira Gandhi Children has been spent on tracking the hos- to 50 percent. with two local seed suppliers to in the storehouse but instead we Hospital, Wazir Akbar Wheat, which is the most im- test a mobile seed distribution plan sold it, said Haji Shah Moham- tages. portant crop in Afghanistan, sup- among 30 villages in Balkh, help- mad, the owner of Sher Abad Seed The protesting families com- Khan, Kabul 2301372 plies half of the total average daily ing farmers purchase quality wheat Company. If this [mobile distri- plain that Ghani is not keeping his caloric consumption. However the seed at lower prices. bution] continues it will be very promise he made to the families at sparse availability of quality wheat Ghulan Sakhi, who farms 30 helpful since there are so many a meeting about four weeks ago at Ibn-e- Seena the Presidential Palace. seeds leaves farmers struggling to jeribs of land, planted the seed farmers without seed in the dis- Pul-e-Artan, Kabul meet domestic demand. Private right after he purchased it. I am tricts. He added. "At the meeting of council of seed enterprises sell the majority sure I will get more harvest this USAID began RADP-N in ministers, President Ghani ordered 2100359 of their inputs to the Ministry of time from the better seed, he said. 2014 to advance food and economic the NDS chief Rahmatullah Nabil Agriculture, Irrigation and Live- Better harvests give us motiva- security across Northern Afghani- to keep delivering progress reports stock or to international donor- tion and inspiration to not culti- stan. It will work with 85,000 to the families of the hostages af- Wazir Akbar Khan funded programs at higher prices. vate opium. wheat farmers in Jowzjan, Balkh, ter every three days, but now 25 Hospital To tackle this problem, US- Over 120 farmers purchased Samangan and Baghlan provinces days have passed but there isn't AID s Regional Agricultural Devel- seed during the mobile distribution to increase productivity by 25 any report," said Zahir, who is 2301741, 2301743 opment Program North (RADP- pilot. We never distributed seed percent by 2019. Wadsam waiting for his brother. Ali Abad Increasing number of Afghans, Pakistanis Afghan refugee in Greece: We re living in a cage' Shahrara, Kabul Abdullah left the restive Afghan 2100439 KILLED IN SYRIA BURIED IN IRAN province of Daikundi 10 years ago. First, his family moved to Iran to An increasing number of Afghans Iranian hard-line media has re- told RFE/RL in a telephone inter- flee an armed conflict. But they Malalai Maternity and Pakistanis killed in the fight- ported that Pakistanis killed in the view. remained unsettled there, and faced ing in Syria have been buried in fighting in Syria and buried in Iran Reports suggest Iran provides violent harassment almost daily. Hospital Iran in recent months. were members of the Zeynabiy- Syria, its main regional ally, with Later, they fled to Turkey il- 2201377/ 2301743 There is little information oun Brigade, which has reported- financial support and military ad- legally, where they contacted the about the circumstances of their ly been established by Pakistanis visers. United Nations refugee organiza- tion and sought asylum in a Euro- Banks pean country. They waited for a response for three years, in vain. Da Afghanistan Bank In Turkey, life was more difficult 2100302, 2100303 than in Iran. But during his stay in The police issued documents his family received the tragic news the country, Abdullah illegally to Abdullah and other refugees for that some 14 Afghan and Somali Kabul Bank worked on construction sites and a one-month stay in Greece where refugees had been run over by a managed to save some money for he stayed in a crowded building train in Macedonia. Hamid was on 222666, 070285285 the onward journey to Europe. with other refugees. "We had a the same route that night. 'Stormy ride' over the Medi- woman with us who was eight- Abdullah soon found out that Azizi Bank terranean months pregnant. We didn't know his brother was among the victims. 0799 700900 Abdullah, his family and a what we could do for her," said But no one, including the Afghan group of foreign refugees took the Abdullah. 's refugee poli- embassy, could confirm his death. Pashtany Bank help from a smuggler to move to cy: Should Europe emulate it? It was a huge blow to Abdul- 2102908, 2103868 Greece. The traffickers took For Abdullah's family, the sit- lah. "We wanted to continue our $1,300 per person for the trip. But uation in Greece was unbearable. journey, but after the accident, we soon the journey turned into a His mother was old, his sister was are at a loss, and I don't even know Air Services nightmare. sick, and the pregnant woman in what I would do with the dead "We were 25 people in the the refugee community was un- body of my brother should the Safi Airways boat. It was a stormy night," Ab- well. Rather quickly, they found authorities hand it over to me." dullah told DW. "As soon as the another smuggler who promised to Abdullah says his life in Greece 020 22 22 222 traffickers put us in the boat, he take them by car to . is miserable. He does not speak assured us that we would soon ar- Fatal accident Greek, and his residence permit is Ariana rive in Europe. At one point dur- Only Hamid, Abdullah's 24- presence in Syria and their subse- fighting in Syria. Iran denies reports that its forc- now only valid for one more week. ing our journey, the boat's engine year-old brother, was able to take "I cannot go out alone and have to 020-2100270 quent deaths in the fighting. On April 9, seven Pakistanis es are fighting in Syria to keep fell into the sea. We almost this ride to Germany given that the take my wife with me as I can't They appear to be among re- killed in Syria were buried in Qom. Assad in power. drowned," he added. facilitator had only limited space leave her alone. We are living here Kam Air cruits by the Islamic republic to The hard-line Iranian officials have also dis- The refugees, including eight in his car. The trip cost 1,200 eu- like prisoners. We cannot even visit help the regime of Syrian Presi- Mashreghnews.ir website identi- missed reports suggesting Tehran women and the same number of ros. Abdullah's family and other the doctor." 0799974422 dent Bashar al-Assad fight the fied them as Taher Hossein, Jamil is recruiting Afghans living in Iran children, barely managed to sur- refugees would follow, the smug- "We are living in a cage. Is there rebels. Last year, The Wall Street Hossein, Javid Hossein, Bagher to fight in Syria. vive. They were rescued by the gler said. a place for us in this wide world?" Hotels Journal reported that Iran had been Hossein, Seyed Razi Shah, Ghad- RFE/RL Greek authorities. Some days later, Abdullah and asked Abdullah. dw.de recruiting thousands of Afghans to er Ali, and Ghabel Hossein, and Safi Landmark fight in Syria, offering them finan- said they were from Pakistan s cial rewards and residency. Parachinar region. 020-2203131 Iranian media often cover large Two weeks later, on April 23, funerals held for them in Iranian Iranian media reported that five SERENA cities, usually attended by local and more Pakistanis killed in combat religious officials. The reports re- in Syria had also been buried in 0799654000 fer to them as the defenders of Qom. The reports said a large the Sayeda Zeynab shrine, a group number of citizens, including Pa- New Rumi Restaurant believed to have been established kistanis residing in Qom, had at- 0776351347 by Iran s Islamic Revolutionary tended the procession. Guards Corps (IRGC). The group The names of the two brigades Internet Services also includes Iranian fighters. that include Afghans and Pakistanis Fatemiyoun Brigade have relatively recently popped up UA Telecom On March 1, Iranian hard-line in Iranian hard-line news sites. 0796701701 / 0796702702 websites reported that an Afghan Ali Alfoneh, senior fellow at named Alireza Tavasoli, who was the Foundation for the Defense of Exchange Rate described as one of the bravest Democracies, says establishment commanders in the fighting in of the Fatemiyoun and Zeynabiy- Purchase: Syria, had been killed in Daraa. oun brigades suggests that the Tavasoli was the commander number of Afghans and Pakistanis of the Fatemiyoun Brigade that, who have joined the fighting in One US$ = according to Iranian media reports, Syria has increased. 57.83Afs is made up of Afghan volunteers Alfoneh believes that the Af- One Pound Sterling= who fight in Syria to protect holy ghans and Pakistanis are being bur- 85.35Afs Shi ite shrines. Tavasoli, known as ied in Iranian cities and the pres- Abu Hamed, was reportedly a ence of Iranian officials and their One Euro = resident of the Iranian city of families at their funerals is evidence 62.04Afs Mashhad and a graduate of a uni- that they have been recruited from 1000 Pak Rs = versity in Qom. among the country s refugees and 560Afs The hard-line Rajanews.ir said immigrants. Tavasoli was trusted by the com- Alfoneh has documented in the Sale: mander of Iran s elite Quds Force, past two years the case of about One US$ = Qassem Soleimani. The website hundred Afghans killed in Syria and 58.03 Afs posted a photo of Soleimani and buried in Iran. There has been a One Pound Sterling= Tavasoli in military uniform. rising trend, which seems to be The report said Tavasoli was because of several military set- 86.15Afs buried along with six other Afghan backs for the Bashar al-Assad re- One Euro= fighters in Mashhad. gime in Syria and advances of the An Afghan laborer works at a brick kiln on the outskirts of Kabul. (Photo: EPA) 62.64 Afs Zeynabiyoun Brigade opposition in the field, Alfoneh 1000 Pak Rs= 568Afs This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF. WEDNESDAY . APRIL 29 , 2015 AFGHANISTAN TIMES

Investigators draw blank in Sabeen Mahmud murder case Investigators have found no match for casings of bullets that killed a prominent human rights activist, NEW DELHI: As the earth shook dashing hopes for quick answers in Nepal, tremors were felt over to a murder that has raised fears the border in India as well. for the safety of dissenting voices. It was a call to action: Within Gunmen on a motorcycle at- hours of the first 7.8 magnitude tacked activist Sabeen Mahmud quake, India began planning a mas- late last Friday in Karachi, as she sive cross-border aid mission. was leaving her cafe, where she With each hour, the scale of held art exhibitions and talks. the devastation in Nepal became She had just hosted a discus- clearer -- some 3,862 people are sion on disappearances in known to have died so far -- and Balochistan where the Pakistan plans in India, where 72 people Army is fighting insurgents. were also killed, got bigger. Investigators recovered bullet On Sunday alone, India deliv- casings from the scene but drew a ered 187 tons of supplies, includ- blank. ing 50 tons of water, 22 tons of “That suggests that a new food and 2 tons of medicine. And group or new weapon has been there will be more to come. used in the killing,” a law enforce- Hundreds of trained disaster ment official involved in the case, relief troops landed in Kathmandu who declined to be identified be- and quickly got to work. cause the topic is sensitive, said With each flight in, there was late.Police say their only witness a flight back out, packed with In- is Mahmud’s mother, who was dians and other nationals escaping with her and was wounded. to safety: 2,000 and counting have Investigators suspect the kill- fled so far. ers had a back-up team of two men By Monday, India was in full- on a motorcycle and police are scale crisis mode: From airports poring over CCTV footage. across India, planes flew in loaded Desperate for clues, investiga- with aid, and trucks made the trip tors are monitoring social media in by land from India's east, aiming hopes that loose talk could pro- for more remote areas. On the vide a lead, said another senior law ground: Devastation in Nepal enforcement official. India's Prime Minister Naren- Authorities had earlier blocked dra Modi has made a special effort the talk, titled “Unsilencing over Nepal. He has visited the coun- Balochistan”, when it was sched- try twice in his first year in office. uled at a different venue. And on Sunday, in his nation- Mahmud had told friends that al radio address to the nation, he officials of the military’s Inter-Ser- said Indians needed to "wipe the vices Intelligence agency visited her tears of every Nepali, hold their in 2013 to ask about her work and hands, and stand with them." finances, the law enforcement of- Everest avalanche caught on highlights the more proactive role taken by India in recent months. Just weeks ago, India flexed its military muscle to rescue Indians and other nationals from conflict-torn Yemen. Now, ficial said. camera hitting climbers it is taking the lead in Nepal. Some might say India's friendship is a signal for the other big country that shares a border with Nepal: China. A display of hard power, perhaps to achieve She had recently asked friends Everest avalanche caught on enduring soft power in the region. But in times like this, help is always welcome. First there's the immediate search and rescue operation, and then the long process of rebuilding work. if she should go ahead with the camera hitting climbers 02:09 It all Nepal will need India's friendship -- as well as China's -- for many long months ahead. Balochistan talk, he added. However, the army con- demned Mahmud’s killing, and went as far as to say its intelli- Ashton Carter to visit India in June to Stability returning gence agents would help in the in- vestigation. Human rights workers have ink US-India defense agreement not been reassured. to Pakistan due to “There’s a lot of fear among NEW DELHI: The new US De- Ambassador to India Richard Ver- Carter will be here in early part of chitecture" for East Asia as well. the people, about whoever speaks fence Secretary Ashton Carter will ma said, "We have re-energised or June and US was looking at sign- He said the two countries will out about Balochistan, what’s go- be visiting India in June and will launched 30 new initiatives, 30 dif- ing a new 10-year defence agree- work together on maritime coop- army operations: ing to happen,” said Rukhsana sign the enhanced Defence Frame- ferent dialogue". He said that the ment, agreed to during Obama's eration, keeping sea lanes open, Shama of the rights group Bedari. work Agreement for the next ten US Embassy here has every ele- visit. "We are looking to do more combating weapons of mass de- “It’s easy to point fingers at years between the two countries. ment of American government and in terms of exercises and joint train- struction, supporting humanitari- the agencies but no one knows.” Also on the agenda will be the at any given day, they are interact- ing, interoperability with our In- an assistance to disasters as well General Raheel “Third party” nearly $2.5-billion deal for 22 ing with some element of the Indi- dian counterparts and hopefully as increasing trade and economic For many Pakistanis, the in- Apache and 15 Chinook heavy-lift an government, adding "we are not provide more in terms of increas- integration across Asia. surgents in Balochistan pose a helicopters besides taking forward going to let the momentum go". ing India's indigenous capability to "The strategic premise of that more alarming threat than militants. the talks on proposed co-develop- "I think that is a very good make defence products right here is that if US and India are the clos- Pakistan says the insurgent get ment and co-production of mili- thing and a very positive thing. We in India," he said at the first US- est of partners, not just in South help from neighbour and arch-ri- tary technology, ranging from air- are not going to let the momentum India Think Tank Summit. Verma Asia, but across Asia and globally, val India, but India denies this. craft carrier launch systems to mini go and and we are not going to slow said that during Obama's visit, both the world would be a safer and Security concerns in the prov- drones. down what has been accom- countries have reoriented how more prosperous place. That is the ince took on added urgency days Pointing out that India and US plished," he said, adding that he they cooperate with each other. He power of having two large democ- before Mahmud was killed, when are tracking some 77 different line was looking forward to the next said it was not just about cooper- racies coming together. There is so China’s President Xi Jinping un- of effort that came out of Presi- high-level dialogue between the ation in South Asia but both coun- much good that can come out of veiled projects worth up to $46 dent Barack Obama's visit here, US two governments in June. He said tries now have a "very robust ar- it," he said. billion for an economic corridor anchored there. Bangladesh opposition boycotts Money laundering case India’s to mayoral elections as being rigged against Pak’s PM form new DHAKA: Bangladesh's main op- 5 percent, he said, adding, "We par- tions. referred to CJ position party on Tuesday boy- ticipated in the city polls to re- More than 120 people have tourism circuit cotted three mayoral elections over store democracy. But vote rigging been killed and hundreds injured accusations of massive rigging, fan- has already proved that restoring in political violence, most in petrol LAHORE: A Lahore High Court with Sri Lanka ning fears of further unrest in the democracy is not possible under bomb attacks on vehicles, amid division bench on Monday referred Kerala Tourism Department has South Asian nation. There has been this government." The BNP pulled transport blockades and strikes by to the chief justice a petition taken another leap by extending its political uncertainty since January out of polls because it expected the opposition aimed at toppling against Prime Minister Nawaz frontiers to Sri Lanka and forming 2014, when Prime Minister Sheikh defeat in the elections, said ruling the government. Sharif carrying money laundering a new tourism circuit with the is- Hasina's Awami League won a sec- party leader Mahbubul Alam Political unrest over the past charges, with a request to consti- land country. A high-level delega- RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army country. General Raheel also said ond consecutive term after a Hanif. "It was pre-planned," he three months has cost at least 0.6 tute a five-member full bench to tion from Sri Lankan Tourism will bloody parliamentary election said. "They boycotted the polls percent of the country’s gross do- Staff General Raheel Sharif on "no challenge is insurmountable", visit Kerala shortly for further de- hear the 24-year-old case. Tuesday said that stability is re- adding that the youth is Pakistan's boycotted by the main opposition to create an issue for a fresh move- mestic product. Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafree liberations in the identified tour- Bangladesh Nationalist Party ment." People were casting their Khaleda, 69, won bail this turning to Pakistan as a result of "greatest asset" and must be "en- ism destinations and finalise steps (BNP). The BNP, led by Khaleda votes peacefully, he added. Khale- month in two graft cases. She de- had filed the petition in 1991 sub- army operations and that a peace- couraged and honed". for cooperation. Zia, has stepped up protests this da and leaders of her party had nies wrongdoing, saying the charg- mitting that Nawaz shifted billions ful environment in and around Pa- Fata is a semi-autonomous Kerala tourism minister A.P. year in a bid to force Hasina to earlier threatened retaliation if the es against her and her party are of rupees abroad. kistan is the army's "top priori- tribal region in northwestern Paki- Anilkumar said that Sri Lanka had step down and hold a new vote local elections were rigged. Khale- politically motivated. He alleged that Mr Sharif mis- ty". stan. Fata's regions are also home expressed interest in starting a under a neutral caretaker adminis- da's motorcade was attacked dur- She also faces charges of insti- used his powers and made a num- The army chief's statement to religious extremist organisations cruise ship service between Kochi tration after last year's poll, which ing her campaigns for city elec- gating the latest violence. ber of appointments in violation was posted to Twitter on Tues- including Al Qaeda. Intensifying and Colombo.The island's seaplane was deemed by international ob- of the merit. day by Director General Inter Ser- their efforts to counter militants, operator based in Colombo also servers to be flawed. Tuesday's He said the prime minister did vices Public Relations (ISPR) security forces upped their action expressed its interest to partner mayoral elections are being held for not meet the criteria of being a Asim Bajwa. in the region through operation with companies in Kerala to start sea plane services in the state. Sri two city corporation posts in member of parliament prescribed General Raheel was address- Zarb-i-Azb, Khyber-One and Dhaka, the capital, and one in the ing army officers in Bahawalpur Khyber-Two. Read more: Army Lankan Minister of Tourism and in Articles 62 & 63 of the Consti- to pay his tribute to their resil- chief vows terror-free Pakistan for Sports, Navin Dissanayak, has port city of Chittagong, with a to- tution. tal of 6 million eligible voters. The ience, professionalism and sacri- next generation applauded Kerala's growth in tour- In 2010, a bench headed by elections are supposed to be non- fices in their ongoing operation Last month, General Raheel ism and expressed his interest in partisan but both the ruling party then chief justice Ijaz Chaudhry against terrorism, the statement called for making collective efforts joining hands with the state for had heard the case and decided that said, to give the next generation a ter- developing tourism circuits and and the opposition BNP directly joint promotions, said Anil Kumar. backed candidates. "This is not an a bench of not less than five judges DG ISPR quoted the army rorism-free and prosperous Paki- should hear the matter. chief as saying that focus cannot stan and to provide a conducive A Kerala team lead by the minis- election," senior BNP leader ter, along with Tourism Secretary, Moudud Ahmed told . Earlier, another division bench be taken away from targeting ter- environment which could help rorism in Federally Administered them apply their knowledge and G Kamala Vardhana Rao; Direc- "The ruling party are voting for had also referred the petition to tor, P I Sheikh Pareeth and Kerala themselves by capturing polling the chief justice for the formation Tribal Areas (Fata) and breaking creativity to achieve optimum ef- Tourism Development Corpora- centres." Voter turnout was barely of a full bench. militant links to the rest of the fects for national growth. tion. Thailand for formal anti-trafficking mechanism with Bangladesh Thailand has shown interest to the countries, she proposed. tims of trafficking, and discussed work together with Bangladesh to The Southeast Asian country future areas of bilateral and regional put in place a formal anti-traffick- is a source, transit and destination cooperation to address this com- ing mechanism by signing a coop- for men, women and children traf- mon challenge. eration agreement. ficked for the purpose of forced The Thai minister informed Thai Minister for Social De- labour and commercial sexual ex- this was part of their national agen- velopment and Human Security ploitation. da. Adul Saengsingkaew expressed the Many Bangladeshis have been He has also expressed readi- desire when Bangladesh ambassa- detained over the years by Thai ness to cooperate with Bangladesh dor in Bangkok Saida Muna Tas- authorities. in the areas of women empower- neem met him at his ministry . Ambassador Tasneem also ment, and self-sufficiency as pro- He said Thailand had signed thanked the minister for the Thai posed by the ambassador. MoUs with its neighbouring coun- government’s “continued support The ambassador briefed the tries on anti-trafficking coopera- and humanitarian assistance” to minister about Bangladesh govern- tion and wished to ink similar agree- the victims of trafficking from ment’s flagship agenda of women ment with Bangladesh. Bangladesh. empowerment, girls’ education, The ambassador thanked the She told him that the Bang- different social protection minister for his interest to work ladesh embassy would continue to schemes and programmes for pre- with Bangladesh, and also pro- remain “actively” engaged for vention of human trafficking. posed setting up of an “institu- quick repatriation of the Bang- She proposed a visit of a Bang- tional forum” between the securi- ladeshi victims of trafficking. ladeshi women entrepreneurs’ del- ty and law enforcement agencies So far, 769 trafficked victims egation, comprising government of the two countries. have been repatriated in recent sponsored women handicraft man- The forum would cooperate years while another approximate- ufacturers, to Thailand. lent area of partnership to further bolster cooperation between the countries in the social sector”. Bangladesh has focussed in recent years on its and exchange information regular- ly 300 are awaiting repatriation. Minister Adul Saengsingkaew relations with Thailand, an active member of the Southeast Asian countries grouping, ASEAN. Thailand is also showing interest to work together ly under the umbrella of the For- Both sides reiterated the need readily agreed the proposal. with Bangladesh in different fields. Thai cultural minister has participated in the Bengali New Year celebration earlier this month for the first time eign Office Consultations between for “humane treatment” of the vic- He said it could be “an excel- by any minister of the ASEAN countries. This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF. WEDNESDAY . APRIL 29 , 2015 AFGHANISTAN TIMES Closer than ever to historic Iran deal: Kerry army units on Monday, dashing hopes for a pause in fighting to let aid in as relief officials warned of a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he would discuss the conflict with Iran’s foreign minis- ter later on Monday, adding: “I will certainly urge that everybody do their part to try to reduce the violence and allow the negotiations to begin.” Kerry and other U.S. officials said Houthis had sought more gains since Riyadh’s announce- ment last week that it was ending its nearly five-week-old bombing campaign, except in places where the Houthis were advancing. “The Saudi shift ... was pred- icated on the notion that people would freeze in place,” Kerry told a news conference in New York. “But what happened was the Houthi began to take advantage of the absence of air campaign, mov- ing not only additionally on Aden, but moving in other parts of the country.” Kerry and other U.S. officials The United States and five other ar weapons - agreed to curb sensi- said the Houthis were shifting ar- major powers are closer than ever tive nuclear work for at least a de- tillery and forces and targeting cer- to a deal with Iran that would end cade in exchange for ending sanc- tain elements of the Yemen army. a 12-year-old standoff over Te- tions that have crippled its econo- A coalition of Arab countries hran’s nuclear program, though my. Diplomats need to iron out led by Saudi Arabia, rattled by more tough negotiations lie ahead, details about the timing of sanc- what they saw as expanding Irani- U.S. Secretary of State John Ker- tions relief, the future of Iran’s an influence in the Arabian Penin- ry said . atomic research and development sula, is trying to stop Houthi mili- Kerry spoke at the United program, the exact nature of Inter- tias and forces loyal to deposed Nations on the opening day of a national Atomic Energy Agency leader Ali Abdullah Saleh taking month-long conference taking monitoring, and what kind of ura- control of Yemen. stock of the 1970 nuclear Non-Pro- nium stockpiles Tehran will be al- But the air campaign has had liferation Treaty and ahead of a lowed to keep under any final ac- little success and vital aid has been The United States squarely blamed Houthi militias on Monday for renewed Saudi-led bombings, accusing them of using a relative lull in airstrikes meeting in New York with Iranian cord. Another issue that remains reported held up by both sides. meant to help set the stage for peace talks to instead pursue battlefield advances. Saudi-led aircraft pounded Iran-allied Houthi militiamen and rebel Foreign Minister Mohammad Ja- unresolved is Iran’s past nuclear vad Zarif, their first face-to-face work that could have been related At least 15 dead encounter since recent marathon to weapons research. IAEA chief talks in Lausanne, Switzerland. Yukiya Amano reiterated that he asHouthis, Syria defense minister in Iran Zarif and Kerry met later on still could not confirm that Te- Monday at the Iranian U.N. am- hran’s nuclear activities are entire- tribesmen bassador’s residence across from ly peaceful. Central Park and discussed efforts Amano also expressed hope battle in to secure a final agreement between that Iran would sign on to a more central Yemen to discuss cooperation Iran and the six powers by a June intrusive IAEA inspection regime Syria’s Defence Minister General 30 deadline. called the “Additional Protocol,” Fahd al-Freij began a visit Tues- The meeting was “produc- which the agency created after rev- day to key ally Iran to discuss co- tive,” a senior U.S. State Depart- elations about Iraq’s clandestine operation between the two coun- ment official said, speaking on con- atom bomb program in the 1990s. tries’ armies, Syria’s official news dition of anonymity. “They dis- “Implementation by Iran of agency SANA said. cussed the work that political di- the additional protocol would en- The trip to Tehran comes af- rectors and experts did last week able the agency to provide credi- ter a series of recent military loss- in Vienna and the path forward for ble assurance about the absence of es for President Bashar al-Assad’s the talks,” the official added. undeclared nuclear material and regime, which is battling an upris- Kerry told the 191 NPT par- activities in the country,” Amano ing that began more than four years ties: “We are, in fact, closer than said. After the latest round ended ago. During the two-day visit, Freij ever to the good, comprehensive without a breakthrough last week deal that we have been seeking, and in Vienna, Iran and the six powers CAIRO: At least 15 people were and his Iranian counterpart will discuss “strengthening coordina- if we can get there, the entire world are expected to resume talks soon. killed in heavy fighting between will be safer.” He said bringing Iran Sanctions are proving to be a Houthi fighters and tribesmen in tion and cooperation between the two allied militaries particularly in back into compliance with the pact key hurdle. Iran’s Supreme Leader the oil-producing Marib province was always at the heart of negoti- Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said in central Yemen, tribal and medi- tackling terrorism and common challenges in the region.” ations with Tehran. all sanctions, including the most cal sources said on Tuesday, as “If finalized and implement- severe restrictions on the energy Saudi-led air strikes against the The Syrian government labels all those seeking Assad’s over- ed, (an agreement) will close off all and financial sectors, should be lift- Iran-allied militia continued. of Iran’s possible pathways to the ed the moment a deal is signed. But Yemeni Vice President Khaled throw “terrorists”. The Syrian conflict began in nuclear material required for a nu- Western officials say this is not Bahah on Monday had called on clear weapon and give the interna- what Tehran agreed to in Lausanne. the Houthis to heed a U.N. Securi- March 2011 with anti-government protests but spiraled into a war tional community the confidence At the NPT meeting earlier on ty Council demand for an end to that it needs to know that Iran’s Monday, Zarif spoke on behalf of fighting. The conflict has pushed after a regime crackdown. More than 220,000 people nuclear program is indeed exclu- the 120-nation Non-Aligned Yemen into a humanitarian "catas- sively peaceful,” he said. Movement. He demanded the five trophe", according to the Red have been killed and half the coun- gime. Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement has also offered support to Assad’s forces, sending try’s population displaced by the fighters to help his troops on the battlefield. But Assad denied in a recent interview that Iran had dispatched Kerry added, however, that nuclear weapon states scrap any Cross. “the hard work is far from over plans to modernize or extend the The Houthis occupied the cap- conflict. Tehran has remained a any troops to Syria. “We invited Hezbollah, we didn’t invite the Iranians. They’re not here, they didn’t send staunch backer of Assad’s govern- any troops,” Assad told France 2 television last week. “We have regular relations for more than three decades. and some key issues remain unre- life of their atomic arsenals, while ital Sanaa in September last year, solved.” branding Israel a threat to the re- demanding political change. Talks ment, offering military advisors We have commanders, officers coming and going between the two countries. This is the kind of cooperation and credit lines to bolster his re- that existed for a long time. This is different from fighting.” In remarks to Iranian state tele- gion due to its presumed nuclear with President Abd-Rabbu Man- vision upon his arrival in New stockpile. “We call upon the nu- sour Hadi soured quickly and he York, Zarif echoed the concerns clear-weapon states to immediate- announced his resignation, effec- about unresolved issues in the ly cease their plans to further in- tively leaving the reins of the cen- talks with the United States, Brit- vest in modernizing and extending tral government in the Houthi's ain, France, Germany, Russia and the life span of their nuclear weap- hands. China. “Beside taking part in the ons and related facilities,” Zarif Rattled by what they see as conference, we have come here to said. Israel, which neither admits expanding Iranian influence in the listen to Americans’ explanations nor denies having atomic weapons, Arabian Peninsula, a coalition of on the U.S. administration’s un- is not an NPT signatory. An Israe- Arab countries led by Saudi Ara- dertakings and its domestic poli- li official dismissed the Iranian crit- bia launched air strikes in late cies,” Zarif said. icism. Kerry spoke of Washing- March. Riyadh announced a halt Protesters in Burundi have clashed news agency from Bujumbura, the ruling party nominated Nku- date of five years renewable one “We consider the U.S. govern- ton’s “unequivocal” commitment to its campaign last week, but fight- with police for a third day in fresh Burundi's capital. runziza for another term, which time," but Nkurunziza's support- ment responsible for fulfilling its to disarmament, though he admit- ing has intensified again since Sun- demonstrations against the presi- He said seven others were many say is unconstitutional. The ers say he is eligible to serve a third international commitments under ted that more needed to be done day. Residents said there were dent's bid for re-election for a third wounded. AFP news agency re- president, a former rebel leader, has term because he was first installed international laws,” he said. “No by the United States and Russia. heavy clashes overnight in Marib term. ported of a heavy police presence been in power since 2005. Oppo- as president in 2005 by parliament government can evade such com- “Despite significant reduc- province east of Sanaa, in the city At least six people have died across Bujumbura, with crowds of sition figures and rights groups say to lead a transitional government, mitments because of its domestic tions, the United States and Rus- of Taiz in central Yemen, and in since clashes broke out on Sunday a few hundred people broken up his attempt to stay in power also and not by a popular vote. issues.” Zarif appeared to be re- sia still possess more than 90 per- the southern port city of Aden. At after the ruling CNDD-FDD par- soon after they gathered and goes against the peace deal that Those who oppose Nkurun- ferring to U.S. Republican sena- cent of the world’s nuclear weap- least 15 people were killed in the ty, which has been accused of in- blocked from heading to the city ended a 13-year civil war in 2006, ziza, running for a third term in- tors’ pledge to try to toughen a bill ons,” Kerry said. district of Sirwah and around timidating opponents, designated centre. The government has in which hundreds of thousands clude members of his own party, giving Congress the power to re- He also said that the United Marib city, the sources said, as President Pierre Nkurunziza its banned all protests and deployed were killed. But his supporters say lawmakers, the clergy, student view a nuclear agreement with Iran, States would accelerate the dis- tribesmen allied with Hadi tried to candidate in the June 26 presiden- large numbers of police and troops he is eligible to run again, as his groups and civil society. a move that could further compli- mantling of thousands of retired stop Houthis and troops loyal to tial election. onto the streets, firing tear gas and first term in office was after he was Activist jailed cate the talks Iran criticizes nucle- nuclear warheads by 20 percent, former president Ali Abdullah Three people were killed in water cannons, with hundreds of elected by parliament - not direct- On Monday, authorities ar- ar armed states and urged Moscow to take up a Saleh from advancing on the pro- clashes with the police and three stone-throwing protesters arrest- ly by the people as the constitu- rested Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa, a In a tentative deal reached be- U.S. proposal of further reducing vincial capital. others died of their injuries over- ed. Some of those killed were shot tion states. Burundi's constitution human rights activist, and shut tween Iran and the six powers ear- nuclear weapons permitted under The Houthis say their ad- night, Alexis Manirakiza, spokes- at close range. Bujumbura has been says the president "is elected by down the main independent radio lier this month in Lausanne, Te- the new START treaty by an ad- vance on Marib is to flush out mil- person, told Associated Press hit by protests since Sunday after universal direct suffrage for a man- station. hran - which denies seeking nucle- ditional third. itants belonging to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), one of the most active branches of the Sunni Muslim militant network UN blames Israel for school attacks during Gaza war and an enemy of the Shi'ite Houthis. Speaking in Saudi Ara- A UN inquiry has blamed Israeli report says that the three schools school". bia on Monday, Bahah said Yeme- security forces for seven deadly where the weapons were found The UN released its summary nis should seek a negotiated way attacks on UN schools in Gaza that were not being used as evacua- of the report but said the full 207- out of the crisis based on a U.N. were used as shelters for safety tion centres, they were empty page report is private. The inqui- Security Council resolution passed during last year's offensive. buildings". ry looked at 10 incidents. Ban's in April. The Houthis have already UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- The 2014 war was the most statement stressed that the board rejected the resolution, which im- moon said in a statement on Mon- devastating for Gaza's 1.8 million of inquiry "does not make legal poses an arms embargo on them day that he deplored the attacks people, killing more than 2,200 findings" and was not tasked with and on Saleh's supporters, calls on that killed at least 44 Palestinians Palestinians, mostly civilians, ac- addressing the wider issues of the them to lay down their weapons and injured at least 227 others at cording to UN figures. Seventy- Gaza conflict. and to leave Yemen's cities. the UN sites. two people were killed on the Is- Ban ordered the inquiry in "The brothers in Ansarullah are "It is a matter of the utmost raeli side, including 66 soldiers. November after thousands of called on to fear God ... and to stop gravity that those who looked to In one case, the new inquiry buildings were destroyed and at their war on the cities," Bahah said, them for protection and who found that a UN girls' school was least 223 Gaza schools, either run according to Yemeni news website sought and were granted shelter hit by 88 mortar rounds fired by by the UN refugee agency or the www.voice-yemen.com. Ansarul- there had their hopes and trust the Israeli forces. Another girls' Hamas government, were hit in the lah is the group's official name. denied," Ban added. school was also hit by direct fire fighting. Bahah is popular among many The independent board of in- from Israeli soldiers with an anti- When Ban visited Gaza in of Yemen's feuding parties, and his quiry also found that weaponry tank projectile. October, he said the destruction appointment earlier this month was found at three empty UN A third girls' school was hit was "beyond description" and created hope that a solution could schools in Gaza and that in two by an Israeli missile. "much more serious" than what he be reached. In addition to bread and cases Palestinian fighters "proba- 'No warning' witnessed in the Palestinian terri- medical supplies running short, bly" fired at Israeli forces from At a fourth girls' school, the tory in 2009 in the aftermath of a telecommunications could be cut schools. Ban also called that "un- inquiry said, "no prior warning previous Israel-Hamas war. within days due to fuel shortages, acceptable". had been given by the government Ban said on Monday he had state-run news agency Saba re- Al Jazeera's James Bays, re- of Israel of the firing of 155 MM established a group of senior man- ported, quoting the director of the porting from the UN headquarters high explosive projectiles on, or agers to look into the inquiry's rec- telecommunications authority. in New York, noted that "the UN in the surrounding area of the ommendations. This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF. WEDNESDAY .APRIL 29, 2015 AFGHANISTANTIMES

We a r e a n a t ion a l in st it u t ion a n d n ot t h e voice of a gov t or a p r iva t e or ga n iza t ion AFGHANISTAN TIMES Editor: Abdul Saboor Sarir Phone No: +93-772364666 E-mail: [email protected] Email: [email protected] By KWK Basharmal The enlightened elements always ally a capacity building exercise of cial administration, environmental raised their voices against the bru- the people of Khost. The people protection, public awareness, co- Historically different cultures have tal, vicious and sanguinary acts and of Khost were there to ask the gov- ordination among all security sec- www.afghanistantimes.af laid the foundations of civilization blind brutality of anti-Afghan in- ernment authorities to work for tors, governmental branches (leg- in different periods of time in dif- surgents. their rights, welfare and peaceful islative, judicial and executive) and Photojournalist: M. Sadiq Yusufi ferent areas. The concept of the The recent bomb blast in Khost life, but our enemies planned to workshops for official and non- city-state and then the modern province exposed the disloyalties kill their political awareness. Dem- official youth and administration. Advisory editorial board state has been taken from the ear- and reprehensible intensions of the onstrations, peaceful rallies and We also need to get rid of distrust, ly Sumerian geopolitical civiliza- current power holders in the proxy strikes are the constitutional right suspicion, illegal disputes and per- Saduddin Shpoon, Dr. Sharif Fayez, Dr. Sultana Parvanta, Dr. Sharifa Sharif, tion and culture, where they con- war in Afghanistan. They are the of the Afghan people. This kind of sonal rivalry. tributed a lot through time, and real industrial producers of all evils political awareness and planning A mutual understanding plat- Dr. Omar Zakhilwal, Setara Delawari, Ahmad Takal made it a role model for later na- in Afghanistan, after the fall of paves a way to democracy. Khost form should be introduced to pro- tions and civilizations. These in- Taliban the same wolves were in- is the province laying close to mote the work of conflict resolu- Graphic-Designers: fluences had given a new shape to troduced by the major powers, for Waziristan, the safe haven of fun- tion between tribes without blood- Mansoor Faizy and Edriss Akbari religion, history, philosophy, and the exploitation and further re- damentalists, but with this a kind shed or increasing enmities and ri- then science to humanity through pression of the Afghan masses. of confidence and self-assurance; valries. Institutionalization, indus- Marketing & Advertising: modern civilization. Later, these They put pressure and cruelties the people are calling peacefully trialization and nationalization of notions of communication, writ- on the Afghan masses to accept all for their rights instead of using vi- different departments are a few Mohammad Parwiz Arian, 0708954626, 0778894038 ing, early bureaucracy, and poli- their illegal rules and dictates. In olence. great methods for restoring the Mailing address: P.O. Box: 371, Kabul, Afghanistan tics gave a new outline to transac- such chaotic situations, when the They have said for the first confidence of the masses of war tions, confines, infrastructure, and enemies are bold and well- time “No to War” and “Violence,” victims. Giving importance and Our Bank Accounts: Azizi Bank: 000101100258091 / 000101200895656 national and international relations equipped, controlling Afghanistan and I strongly believe that this is consideration to the people’s de- in Greek, Italian, Arab, and Asian is hard and the local political pow- the best way of politics and social cision makers is a good contribu- Printed at Afghanistan Times Printing Press and then the European states. ers are leading Afghanistan in the consciousness in the modern form. tion to freedom of speech and de- The commencement of new very first interest of Pakistan and Nobody has the right to respond mocracy in Khost province. Pro- ideas and struggles had challenges threats are posed by the current to their peaceful demonstration motion of arts, literature, intellec- with their progress and were met elements surviving in Khost. with bullets. I am wondering, if tual gatherings, media centers and The constitution says with resistance by different prob- Khost, the strategic, agricultur- someone is doing so, then why is public awareness councils is an- lems in different times. However, al and geopolitical province of Af- the international community si- other constructive idea for Khost philosophically the strength of ghanistan, is the leading road to lent? But when the question of province, where this step could enlighten political thoughts and the economic stability, strategic rela- fundamentalism and war is raised, contribute to broadening and en- work force underwrite their sta- tions and progressive political sit- then the international community lightening the narrow thinking and Article 125: bility and sustainability through uations. Its earlier start was quite blames the as a terrorist mindsets of people in tribal zone. The budget of the judiciary shall be prepared by the Supreme Court in consultation with the Government, the passage of time, and then in modern, but it was suddenly nation. Why don’t they raise their Giving a sense of self-assur- and shall be presented to the National Assembly as part of the national budget. The Supreme Court shall the last stage their internal reality caught by unfair, inhuman policies, voice when someone attacks the ance to the deprived and destitute implement the budget of the judiciary. converts into external reality. The hindering Khost’s progress. The innocent people of Khost? masses of Khost also needs to be exact form of this external reality political, geographical and econom- If this is the criteria of judging planned in future. Many academic is the result of internal contradic- ic, as well as tribal conflicts were a nation, then we must consider and government future experts tions which we can’t define by our introduced by the Taliban and that there should be change in the need to be educated and sent to Editorial macro management. Afghanistan, Mujahideen. criteria of assessing nations. The foreign countries for higher educa- the land of curiosity and novelty, In this tough situation, the civil demonstration was aimed at car- tion and capacity building train- has undergone different transfor- movement was led by parliamen- peting a venue to the rights of the ings and workshops. mations and is still making tarians who sketched the strategic Pashtun belt and it was a voice for After all, Khost province has Joblessness, youth, education progress based on experience, policies to combat ongoing corrup- the rights of tribal zone (as tribes- to be considered a place of peace, while it has contributed a great deal tion, kidnapping, smuggling, drugs men live on both sides of the Du- stability, strategic importance and to the history of knowledge. Cur- trafficking and inhuman terrorist rand Line). These tribesmen live progress based on manpower and rent Afghanistan tells the story of attacks. They did this through gath- an extremely miserable life under broadminded population, while system and the govt third world countries and plays a ering the people and imparting the the strict rule of FCR (Frontier curbing their social, political and role of classical development where knowledge of political awareness Crimes Regulations) on the other strategic problems. Khost prov- Unemployment is truing into a serious threat. As a sharp decline in technology of the first world has in a very upright way. All those side of the Durand Line. This law ince has 15 to 18 strategic transac- reached it and is knocking on the who were well accustomed to us- is against humanity, freedom of tion ways between South and Cen- international aid has been seen there has been a sharp rise in jobless- minds of the people ready for fu- ing violence, tribal skirmishes, and speech and democracy. Since Pa- tral Asia. Now is the time to un- ness. Three key factors are behind this dilemma. The first one is ture changes. political, economic and religious shtuns want change, peace and derstand the difficulties of the peo- In this rough situation, many chaos were brought to book, and development therefore we consid- ple of this strategic area and the decline in international aid. The second one is flawed government enlightened elements stood with they were advised to use logical er it very important to launch mega central government needs to help courage to build, own and transfer and reasoning methodologies, projects in the Pashtun belt to de- in tackling provincial problems. policies. And third one is the problem very much with the education a bright Afghanistan to the Afghan democratic peaceful demonstra- crease the conceptual and economic Industrialization needs to be pro- system as the current education has been producing more degree people. The rule of dictators and tions and asking legal rights for differences between city and vil- moted and a fair educational as- the enlightened elements taught a their better, more peaceful life. lage life. We need to try to bring sessment should be taken in view holder and less educated. Now the result is that over a hundred lot to the people of Afghanistan. This demonstration was actu- into power the vision of provin- for meeting modern challenges. unemployed youths took to the streets and expressed their anger against joblessness and nepotism. Some of the protestors set their academic documents on fire out of sheer anger and helplessness. Perhaps joblessness is part of the self-inflicted financial crisis as the haves class, the ruling elite, have been stashing away the wealth that comes to the country under the name of aid. When their wealth is piling up in foreign accounts, here at home, thousands of becoming jobless, is there anybody else who speaks up for the poor and job- By Abdullah Sharif the U.S. and its NATO and other classic Taliban and the new ele- the high ranking officials from the coalition forces. The new NATO ments beholden to IS as welcome defense ministry and the intelli- less. By now the government has not published any economic sur- The Taliban have announced that mission in Afghanistan called Res- news. They contend that this rift gence services were summoned last this year’s fighting season begins olute Support with roughly 13,000 can be exploited to weaken the in- week to testify on the recent secu- vey where it must have been attempted to show how much aid and this week. They have dubbed this troops has a mostly advisory role. surgency as a whole using a “di- rity developments. The Interior money came to this country since 2001 and how much went to year’s operation as Azem, an Ara- Resolute Support’s mandate also vide and conquer” strategy. The Minister, Ulomi reassured the par- bic word also used in Dari and Pa- includes assisting and training foreign terrorists including some liamentarians that ANSF is ready ministries and reconstruction projects. Moreover, accountability sys- shtu, the two main languages of ANSF. It is conceivable that under from Uzbekistan who have been to deal with the challenges. He stat- Afghanistan. Azem means to de- the assist clause NATO will occa- active in Northern Afghanistan are ed that the ANSF have been given tem is also weak. We just hear about biggest corruption scams, but cide and/or persevere depending on sionally provide direct military now calling themselves followers clear orders to deal mercilessly the next day there is no follow up and no conclusions. The national the context. Ever since the Tali- support in the form of close air of IS or Daesh as they are called in with the insurgents regardless of ban’s resurgence circa 2006, the support, communication, intelli- Arabic speaking countries and Af- their affiliation and national origin. self-praised leadership lacked the political will to address our root pattern has been the same. Al- gence and other areas which ANSF ghanistan. The Afghan (classic) Mr. Ulomi also announced a num- though the winter inclement weath- lacks. Another added dimension to Taliban recently for the first time ber of measures relative to the bad- problems—soaring joblessness and plaguing insecurity, and cor- er imposes a lull, sporadic suicide this year’s fighting is the emergence published Mullah Omar’s biogra- ly needed reforms within the na- ruption. The jobless glut is the most vulnerable in our society. Job- bombings, assassinations and at- of groups from the ranks of the phy which is a departure from tional police structure. This fight- tacks on security forces continue. Taliban who have pledged alle- their past practice. The reclusive ing season will test the willingness lessness, of course, is a terrible plight for those who suffer from it, Many mountain passes between giance to the self-declared Islamic and publicity-shy Mullah Omar, and the capability of the all-vol- Afghanistan and Pakistan, espe- State (IS) terrorizing vast areas in has not been seen in public for over unteer Afghan security forces. One but for those as well who are causing as joblessness gives birth to cially in the east, become impass- Iraq and Syria. This development a decade. It is believed that the of the major challenges facing the crimes such as kidnappings and car lifting. And it is the rich class able as a result of snow fall. De- has alarmed many people in Af- Taliban are concerned about the IS Afghan government is the high at- spite the southern Afghan Paki- ghanistan including some warlords outreach into their turf. And the trition rate of the forces, among that’s affected by the rise in kidnappings for ransom. Moreover, stani border areas typically not calling on the Afghan President reason for this publicity is to reas- others including inadequate educa- being affected by the snow fall, Ashraf Ghani to strengthen ANSF sure the foot soldiers, mid-level tion and training. The internation- people have not been drawn into the labor market as all are running fighting slows down in Kandahar and improve the overall political/ commanders and other followers al community led by the U.S. is madly after government jobs. Besides creating jobs the government and Helmand also. This pattern of economic condition of the coun- that he is still relevant and in charge footing the bill to pay for ANSF fighting in Afghanistan is nothing try. The Taliban seem to be con- of the Taliban movement. The se- to the tune of about $4 billion per must encourage people on coming into labor market. Here the blame new, but what is noteworthy is that cerned with the rise of IS also as curity situation has taken center year. We will have to see what Af- the Afghan National Security Forc- the old guard fears that their influ- stage at the Afghan parliament’s ghanistan, the U.S. and others will is on our education system. Those who have degrees in their hands es (ANSF) will this year face the ence could be at stake. Some Af- lower house or the Wolesi Jirga. get in return. are madly running after government slots but when they are told to enemy without the full support of ghans look at the rift between the The Interior minister along with (Courtesy: Huffington Post) get into labor market until they get a right opportunity with the gov- ernment, all of sudden they become sentimental and egotistic. They say if they wanted to be a laborer why they opted for education. For them it’s like a taunt. And for them it’s like challenging their ego. This mindset could be effectively addressed in education institu- tions. Moreover, a particular focus must be laid on quality educa- tion as universities across the country are good enough in produc- ing degree holders but failing in producing outstanding brains, who are not only equipped with visionary traits to change their not only their own lives but also the fate of others. Unfortunately these fac- tors have collectively ranked Afghanistan amongst the lowest glo- bally in regard to human development indicators. If the situation is not addressed effectively, its fallouts will be felt for longer where they will become more challenging and complex in the future. 3 1 p ki as dn se a n pp ge e Subscription Rates rs d Categories Fee Afghanistan Times Govt Annual Afg: 3600 at your door step For fast delivery service Six Months Afg: 1800 Afghanistan Times seeks the names, addresses of your International Organization $200 per year organizations and the number of copies you want. 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WEDNESDAY .APRIL 29 , 2015 AFGHANISTANTIMES Eyewitness in Kathmandu: Systems have failed

By Peter Van Buren Japan is weighing whether it needs to be a major military power in the Pacific again, 70 years after World War Two. Since the end the war, Japan has interacted with its neighbors through the lens of a bilateral rela- tionship with the United States. Japanese domestic politics either benefited from the arrangement (through a lucrative domestic arms industry that caters to the U.S. military) or were subservient to it (by providing military bases). By Thomas Bell life. Residents there are furious to However, a multi-polar East Asia have received “nothing” yet from and new homeland pressures are Two days after the powerful earth- the government by way of food, quake struck Nepal, no one yet shelter or water. They were re- challenging how Prime Minister knows the scale of the devastation. sponding on Sunday by blocking Shinzo Abe views his loyalty to The epicentre was in the west- the road, refusing to let govern- the United States. ern hills, which is a relatively re- ment vehicles pass. Behind the scenes of the April mote and neglected region. Other Monuments destroyed 28 Obama-Abe White House sum- rural districts have also been se- Meanwhile, in the city centres, mit — which will include a state verely affected. Information trick- it is mainly historic monuments dinner and a congressional address ling in suggests that the eastern that have been destroyed. (There district of Sindhupalchowk has will be plenty of time to recon- by Abe — the leaders will wrestle been badly hit. struct those, as they have been af- with changes in what has been the The earthquake and subse- ter previous earthquakes, when the strongest bilateral relationship in quent powerful aftershocks affect- immediate emergency has passed.) Asia. ed a wide area. The few indications Rather than a city which has Security issues loom over the that are available suggest that vil- been “flattened” (it has not been), U.S.-Japan relationship, particu- lages near the epicentre were flat- na moves toward any of the whether or not to join the AIIB, as Pacific. ing a $1 billion facility for final most of Kathmandu appears to be larly each country’s stance toward tened. Yet almost no information a city in which the systems have disputed islands in the Pacific are opposed to a common line just a A departure from the bilateral assembly of Lockheed Martin’s F- North Korea. The Japanese pub- is coming out of these areas, nor is failed. There is little sign of the wary of being drawn into some few months ago that the country relationship presents risks for 35 fighters, and will play a large relief yet reaching there. Provin- authorities. lic believe that Japanese - greater U.S.-China regional tussle. gave a firm “no.” There is specula- Japan. Not getting along better role in the maintenance of those cial towns across the country are Where the security forces are era hostages are still alive in North Japan’s economic priorities are tion that Japan may announce its with China has benefited Abe and jets in Asia. also reported to have suffered se- visible they often seem to have lit- Korea; returning them home is an also at stake. Abe must decide participation in the new bank as his predecessors, and the dysfunc- On the U.S. side, America vere damage. So far though - inev- tle to do. And if they are working emotional issue (think American whether to join China’s new Asian early as this summer. tional nature of the relationship has maintains significant military bases itably - attention been has focused at all, water, electricity and fuel POWs “left-behind” in Vietnam) Infrastructure Investment Bank The U.S.-Japan relationship is been made easier by American across the Japanese archipelago. on Kathmandu. supplies, sanitation and telephone and has always moderated the The Nepalese capital is a services, are under great strain and (AIIB). The United States has also being tested over the Trans- support. For Tokyo, barely ac- These facilities served as staging country’s stance toward Pyongy- conurbation of around 2.5 million seem to be deteriorating. For many opposed the bank, arguing that it Pacific Partnership (TPP), one of knowledging hyper-sensitive is- areas during the Cold War, and to- people, which has long been known families, food is already growing ang. will undermine the World Bank and the biggest trade deals in history. sues involving other Asian coun- day help the United States counter to be frighteningly vulnerable to a scarce. Negotiations with North Ko- Asian Development Bank. But the The White House is pushing Ja- tries — such as the Rape of Nan- China. Japan supports the Ameri- catastrophic earthquake. Satur- There have been many pow- rea on the issue have been trouble- White House failedto keep allies pan to sign on; doing so would jing in China, and the so-called can position in most international day’s 7.8 magnitude shock has erful aftershocks and there is wide- some for Abe, and he has already , Taiwan and Austra- provide significantly higher gains “Comfort Women” in Korea — has forums (Japan votes with the Unit- wrought great suffering and de- spread fear - partly due to wide- been pressed to loosen sanctions. lia from signing on. Only for the United States by busting helped keep a small, rotating group ed States at the United Nations struction here too. Many hundreds spread but baseless rumours that The North Koreans have been killed in the city and Japan has so far stood aside, at the open Asian markets, freeing some of Japanese political elites in pow- about as often as most European another huge quake is imminent. It are demanding that ferry service thousands more have been injured. is repeatedly claimed that there will cost of further weakening its rela- 40 percent of American imports er practically uninterrupted for 70 allies), donates cash to develop- Kathmandu’s hospitals are strug- be an X magnitude shock at such between the two nations resume, tions with China. and exports from tariff and non- years. ment efforts in Afghanistan, and gling to cope with an influx of pa- and such a time, and although after Tokyo shut it down in 2006, Japan’s business community, tariff barriers, and thus weakening Hyper-conservative voters are even sent a symbolic clutch of tients suffering spinal injuries, earthquakes cannot be predicted in part under U.S. pressure. Abe is seeking access to the funds and the the economic power of China in a mainstay of support for Abe and troops into Iraq in 2004. broken bones and head wounds. many people believe it. Thousands faced with American desire for Chinese markets that AIIB mem- the region. Abe is stuck between his party. These supporters see Navigating these issues may Medical students have been draft- of people are sleeping outdoors in harsher rhetoric against Pyongy- bership will provide, turned up the pressure to uphold the relation- apologies for World War Two force America to accept less than ed to help. makeshift shelters or without any ang, but fearful of jeopardizing heat on Abe. “The business com- ship, and angry opposition from crimes as pandering to the de- what it wants out of Japan. Doing Still trapped shelter at all. There are no sanita- progress on the hostage issue. On Saturday at the Teaching tion facilities. munity woke up late, but now they Japanese farmers who enjoy high mands of Japan’s Asian neighbors. so would avoid putting Abe in so The implicit understanding of Hospital in the north of the city, If the authorities are doing have mounted a big campaign for tariff protection and are desperate What outsiders may see as left- many no-win situations that he there was no electricity for light- anything to address the needs of the broader U.S.-Japan security the AIIB which appears to be very to keep the country’s markets over issues from a distant war are loses domestic support, and thus ing in the crowded orthopaedic the city’s people, then those ef- relationship has been that Japan’s effective,” Japanese Ambassador closed. Without opting out alto- red meat to Japan’s conservative becomes ineffectual. Obama would centre. More bandaged patients, forts are not widely visible, and “contribution” would be almost to China Masato gether, the only way for Abe to voters, and to the powerful cor- do well to understand this, and to some on intravenous drips, were few people know what’s going on. completely financial; Japan pays Kitera told the Financial Times. please his constituents is to carve porate heads who support them. carefully choose which issues to lying on trolleys or on the ground There seems to be a grave danger out billions of dollars to support, Abe will have to choose between out an exception for Japanese ag- Japan has also benefited from press. outside the building. that the situation in the Kathmandu operate and maintain the Ameri- With rescue efforts continuing disappointing the United States or riculture. This decision, however, the bilateral relationship by devel- What was once America’s Valley will deteriorate. So far peo- can military bases on its own on Sunday, patients were still be- ple have been stoic and resource- his own business community. would upset other signatories and oping a lucrative domestic arms most stable relationship in Asia is ing brought to Kathmandu’s new ful. There is a danger that if basic territory, in addition to land grants Some Japanese media are stat- chip away at the American desire industry that caters to American moving into the category of “it’s Trauma Centre from nearby areas. support remains unavailable that and sweetheart leases for military ing Japan “has not yet decided” to create a free trade zone in the needs. For example, Japan is build- complicated.” (Courtesy: Reuters) People may still be trapped in public anger may rise. bases. In this context, Abe and his buildings in some places around the Relief predecessors have for years man- capital. Getting relief to Kathmandu, aged domestic friction, particular- The effort is hampered by to other towns, and especially to ly on Okinawa, over the expan- Is Kenya at war with al-Shabab? damage to roads, for instance on rural areas, will be extremely diffi- sion of U.S. bases, and that is not the road which links Kathmandu cult due to the remoteness of these By Patrick Gathara as a military conflict. The troops ised police unit known as Recce a sex scandal on the eve of an pres- expected to be a major issue when to Bhaktapur, a populous town areas and damage to fragile moun- in Somalia, who neither caught up Company should have been doing, idential election. 15km away. Yet what one sees as tain roads. he meets Obama. with the kidnappers nor succeed- was cited as a major failure. Similarly, in Kenya today, the Kenya is at war. This mantra is one walks, or drives, around the There is an urgent need for Washington now wants Abe to ed in pushing al-Shabab from our Reports on other terrorist in- talk of war is intended to mask a repeated over and over ad infini- city is that the vast majority of agree to a “collective defense” ar- borders, quickly shifted goal posts cidents such as the June 2014 multitude of sins on the part of helicopters and relief supplies in tum by government officials and buildings have survived seemingly and declared their objective to be Mpeketoni attacks which left the government and security the worst affected districts. And rangement similar to NATO, which pro-establishment types. At a time unscathed. in the city, there is an urgent need the capture of the Somali port of about 70 dead, mainly blamed agents. It is thus not unusual to would see Japan strike back at an of military conflict, we are told, Kismayo, which was achieved a problems within the police service hear "operational security" to avoid Contrary to expectations, the for leadership and planning to re- enemy that attacks the United peacetime rules and conventions modern concrete houses of which store supply chains, provide year later. not the military, from divided com- public scrutiny. Or to hear that, as States. (The inverse has been true do not apply and we should be By then, the troops had been mand to corruption, for poor re- one commentator tweeted, "It is Kathmandu is principally com- drinking water, food and sanitation. prepared to give up some of the relabelled as part of the African sponses. incongruous [to] deem it practical posed, did not for the most part This disaster was long antici- for some seven decades.) If Abe goes along with this arrangement, rights and freedoms guaranteed by Union Mission in Somalia and In Somalia too, Kenya is not that counterterrorist activities [be] collapse. Whether bridges or pow- pated. The initial of the the constitution. But really, are we he would place Japan at even great- were, at least nominally, taking prosecuting a war against al-Sha- governed by peacetime proce- er lines, there is relatively little vis- earthquake - in Kathmandu at least, at war? "We are in a war against their orders from the Force Com- bab. AMISOM, where Kenya is dures/rules." ible damage to the infrastructure. and terrible though it was - was er loggerheads with China and terrorists in and outside our coun- mander in Mogadishu and not the one of several principals, is. AMI- The idea of a literal war on ter- In many neighbourhoods, the de- not as bad as widely anticipated North Korea, making his own na- try," declared President Uhuru Ministry of Defence in Nairobi. SOM's objective is not, at least rorism, as opposed to the figura- struction is local and specific: a by planners. And there has been tion subject to retaliation in re- Kenyatta in December. He was, of Although the Kenya Defence directly, to protect the Kenyan tive "wars" on corruption and house here, a house there. much planning and preparation, sponse to American military ac- course, referring to the confronta- Forces are today routinely de- border, but rather to support and drugs, is meant to generate a cli- Often it seems to be the older, involving the government, human- tion with the extremist and mur- tions throughout the region. ployed within Kenya, they are not protect the government in Moga- mate of fear and foster an unthink- traditional brick and timber struc- itarian agencies and the internation- derous terror group, al-Shabab, Abe would also suffer domes- always, or even predominantly, dishu. Sure AMISOM is mandat- ing and unquestioning patriotism. tures that could not withstand the al community. It is now the third which has killed hundreds of Ken- fighting against the al-Shabab. ed to eliminate al-Shabab. But giv- This provides not only the carpet tremors. For this reason, some of day since the disaster. Many relief tically if he consented to the Unit- yans in the last four years. Most en the reports of the Kenyan con- under which the government seeks the worst affected areas in the supplies were already in place in ed States’ demands for collective of these deaths have come in the Today, with a battalion having tingent's involvement in illicit trade to sweep its failure to fundamen- Kathmandu Valley appear to in- anticipation. Despite the turmoil defense. In mid-March Abe’s own wake of the October 2011 inva- been withdrawn to make way for that benefits al-Shabab immense- tally reform and fix the country's clude more traditional settlements at the airport, more aid is arriving. Liberal Democratic sion of Somalia, whose goal was Sierra Leone, under 4,000 troops ly such as the smuggling of char- security system, but also the jus- initially proclaimed to be the pur- such as Bhaktapur, and the villag- The difficulties are great. The com- Party convened a conference dur- remain in AMISOM. coal and sugar, it is debatable tification for a clampdown on dis- es which lie around the southern suit of kidnappers and to push al- ing hours and days are the critical ing which party members chal- Although the Kenya Defence whether they are particularly fo- sent. part of the ring road. time to put all this expertise, re- Shabab away from our borders. Forces are today routinely de- cused on this objective. Andrew Franklin, a Nairobi- At Harisiddhi, a village of tra- sources and experience into action. lenged the wisdom and constitu- Kenya ultimatum: Punishing So- ployed within Kenya, they are not Kenya is at war in the sense based security analyst, notes: ditional buildings on the southeast- Because it is in the aftermath of tionality of the policy. Even con- mali refugees? Despite the banner always, or even predominantly, Australia or Canada are at war. "Kenya is not at war. As archaic as ern edge of the capital, there was such a disaster that the worst cri- servatives who welcome headlines at the time, there was no fighting against al-Shabab. In fact, Both nations have deployed troops it may sound, wars are declared widespread destruction and loss of sis can arise. American military support if Chi- official declaration of war, either in many instances, it has been de- abroad to fight as part of a coali- and fought between states or coa- against Somalia or against al-Sha- ployed to quell internecine conflict tion confronting extremists. Both litions of states. This is not mere bab. In fact, there has since been between Kenyan communities. If have suffered terror attacks, sophistry since declarations of war ETTER TO THE EDITOR no such declaration, which accord- deploying the KDF is an act of though nowhere near what Kenya justify extraordinary - and tempo- L ing to the constitution would have war, then Kenya is as much at war has experienced. rary - restrictions on all manner of required the authorisation of par- with itself as it is with al-Shabab. Most would immediately see normal domestic activities and liament. State at war? But if Ken- Poor responses the incongruity of suggesting that curbs on many constitutionally ya is not exactly a de jure state at In truth, the battle against al- Canadians and Australian accept protected freedoms. This is why Afghan youth, soccer war, is it in a de facto state of war? Shabab has been much more a po- "wartime" restrictions on their lib- going to war is considered a big There is no doubt, as the presi- licing than a military action, though erties (which is not to say such deal and not just a matter of se- dent has noted, that "our country it is frequently described, as I have restriction is not attempted). But mantics." Soccer is the most famous game in the world. Afghans are highly interested in this game. For most of and our people are under attack". just done, in language from the lat- Kenya, with its much greater fa- Patrick Gathara is a strategic Afghan youth, soccer is not just a sport; it is passion, it is life and it is religion. Sports in Afghanistan can Since 2012, more than 600 people ter. miliarity with terrorist attack is an communications consultant, writ- be counted as the most vital and workable way that can lead Afghans towards national unity. The national have been killed by al-Shabab, who As a matter of fact, on two easier target for the argument. er, and award-winning political football team won the SAFF championship three years back but it has long way to go. continue to threaten to paint Ken- occasions at Westgate where 68 Multitude of sins cartoonist based in Nairobi. The future of this popular game is directly related to struggles of Afghanistan Football Federation and yan cities red with blood. Howev- people were slaughtered and most In the 1997 Barry Levinson The views expressed in this its members. The more they make efforts the more soccer will improve in the country. The national soccer er, it is far from clear that the coun- recently in Garissa where at least movie, Wag The Dog, the US ad- article are the author's own and do players need more tournaments and opportunities. There is urgent need for a soccer training school for try's response to the terrorists 148 perished - the deployment of ministration fabricates a war with not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's children who are interested in football. The same initiative has been taken by the Afghanistan Cricket could reasonably be characterised the KDF to do a job the special- Albania to distract the public from editorial policy. Board. This will improve the two popular sports in this war-torn country. Moreover, the government should pay heed to other sports as well because it is said that less attention has been paid on other sports except of football and cricket. Media outlets particularly TV channels are urged to increase their programs on sports. This will help the young generation go on the right track. Disclaimer: Mohammad Nasir Asil, Kabul University The views and opinions expressed in the articles are those of the author(s) Letter to editor will be edited for policy, content and clarity. All letters must have the writer’s name and address. You may send your letters to: and do not reflect the views or opinions of the Afghanistan Times. [email protected] This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF. WEDNESDAY . APRIL 29, 2015 AFGHANISTANTIMES 'More of the same': Bashir sweeps Sudan election Analysts were predicting "busi- ness as usual" in Sudan after Pres- ident Omar al-Bashir won the coun- try's election, garnering 94 percent The recent killing of prominent of the vote. activist Sabeen Mahmud in Kara- Results for the 450 seats in the chi is a chilling reminder of the rap- Sudanese National Assembly had idly shrinking space for open dia- not been released by the Sudanese logue in Pakistan. So a push for National Election Commission as deliberation on the country's high- of midday Monday. ly contentious blasphemy law may Bashir, who has ruled the coun- surprise many. But it is happen- try since coming to power in a ing. Arafat Mazhar, a young re- military coup in 1989, will contin- searcher from the eastern city of ue his rule, despite previously stat- Lahore, has launched a campaign ing that he would not run for re- to use Islamic legal reasoning to election. demand an overhaul of the blas- "Participation has been re- phemy law, which can result in a spectable in these elections, 46 death sentence for those convict- percent. Despite this, it will be ed. Outside the justice system, business as usual for Sudan," meanwhile, at least 60 people have Sudanese academic and author been killed in cases related to the AbdelWahab el-Affendi told Al blasphemy law since 1990, accord- Jazeera, noting opposition groups ing to Islamabad-based Center for were right to boycott the election. Research and Security Studies. "Following arrests and harassment, Though "angry and hurt" at the they had no other option." news of Mahmud's assassination, RELATED: Sudan: Dear can- Mazhar told Al Jazeera he feels didate, don't bother knocking motivated to continue building a Although the election was bridge with hard-line conservatives boycotted by the main opposition in Pakistan to change the acrimo- parties, including Sadiq al-Mahdi's nious law by "bringing them [to] National Umma Party, Hassan al- the table rather than antagonising Turabi's Popular Congress Party them". and parts of the Democratic RELATED: Living in fear un- Unionist Party, "there has been a der Pakistan's blasphemy law semblance of competition in these Before her killing, Mahmud - elections," Affendi added. "[Going who also championed for intellec- forward, if] Bashir can rebuild the tual engagement - said she was "fas- economy, end regional violence and cinated" by Mazhar's campaign. "It quell popular anger, he may be able is an incredible step in the right to stay in power in the long term." direction," she told Al Jazeera sev- This year's vote, which was eral weeks before her assassination. extended for a day due to low turn- "It takes generations to change out, took place between April 13 mindsets. But there should at least and 16. It was the first election be a space to reform the law and to ic reasoning to interpret the law, phemy case can be penalised un- They say it violates interna- chance does Mazhar's approach since South Sudan seceded in 2011. have a discussion or debate over Mazhar is championing for change. der the existing provisions of the tional human rights - an approach have? Should blasphemy laws Minni Minnawi, the leader of it," she said. The great divide criminal law," Khan told Al Jazeera. seen as "secular" by conservatives, He said he believes a fairly change? the Sudan Liberation Movement, The blasphemy law mandates Mazhar is not the first to chal- 'No compromise' resulting in more acrimony and re- good one. Fuelled by a crowdsourcing has called on the international com- the death penalty for anyone who lenge the blasphemy law. Khan said deliberation is a con- sistance. Campaign against death campaign, his team expects to munity to reject the results of the defiles the name of the Prophet Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, a re- tinuous process and the council According to a 2014 policy Mazhar said reform will come spearhead the "Fatwa Drive" into presidential and parliamentary Muhammad as a divine decree - a formist scholar, has also criticised may look into the blasphemy law brief by the United States Com- from the grassroot level. other parts of the country and ap- elections, according to Sudanese concept perpetuated by right-wing it saying it's not in accordance with again should the need arise. But mission On International Religious "If we successfully start en- proach foreign scholars as well. media reports, and has encouraged hardliners and religious political the Quran. But he has left Paki- for now, the council is unanimous Freedom, Pakistan tops the world gaging authority figures from the "Together, the moral authori- the continuance of the "Irhal" or parties. stan, fearing for his life. in its views. as the country with the highest ground rather than imposing ty of these opinions can be used "Depart" non-engagement cam- "When political forces are the Punjab Governor Salman Ta- "In cases of blasphemy against number of people incarcerated un- change from the top, then I think as a force for legal and popular re- paign, which has gained popular only ones using the religious sym- seer and Minorities Minister Shah- Prophet Muhammad there should der blasphemy charges. we can build foundations for some form in much the same way that support in Sudan. bol, it is very easy for them to baz Bhatti were both assassinated be a mandatory death penalty and At least 19 people are serving changes," he said. fatwas from independent jurists "In contrast to the first elec- manipulate the narrative and mis- within two months of each other there can be no pardon based on life sentences and Asia Bibi, a 50- Working with his team at En- functioned for much of Islamic his- tions five years ago, these elections guide the masses," Mazhar said. for asking for the law to be re- repentance if the act of blasphe- year-old mother of five found gage - a Lahore based research and tory," Mazhar said. have had none of the same excite- His campaign is based on the formed. my is proven in the court of law," guilty of blasphemy is one of 17 advocacy group - he is collecting Before being gunned down, ment or suspense," Harry Verho- belief that the inclusion of a di- After Taseer's killing, Pakistan he said. people currently on death row. legal opinions by qualified Islamic Mahmud said she feared Mazhar's even, a professor of African poli- vinely ordained and unpardonable Peoples Party MP Sherry Rehman Arafat Mazhar, centre, is us- Governor Taseer was actively scholars to highlight factual inac- campaign will face violence. tics at Georgetown University, told death sentence as the only possi- was forced to withdraw a bill she ing Islamic legal reasoning to de- seeking a pardon for her before he curacies in the judicial interpreta- "When push comes to shove, Al Jazeera. "There is a feeling that ble punishment for blasphemy in presented in parliament seeking construct Pakistan's blasphemy was gunned down. Hopes for Bi- tion of the law. no one is going to listen to any of very little is at stake. No one be- Pakistan's legal framework is reform. She was later threatened law [Omar Imran Malik/Al bi's acquittal diminished further This includes support for a this. That is how a mob functions," lieves the re-election of Bashir will wrong. and charged with blasphemy un- Jazeera] when the Lahore High Court rein- pardon and the waving of the death she said. "The biggest challenge lead to any genuine political Mazhar's claim is backed by der the same law she had hoped to Jamaat-e-Islami-Pakistan is stated her death sentence last year. penalty for some convicted of blas- they will be up against is fear." change." research on the history of Hanafi change. one of the most influential politi- "In cases filed under the blas- phemy. Mahmud said she anticipated There is no room in the centre deliberation on the issue of blas- Critics also say the conten- cal parties in the country. It has phemy law, the courts are under The campaign couldn't be bet- funding for Mazhar's campaign for dissension. Instead, real change phemy. Hanafi dogma is one of the tious law continues to be used to been instrumental in deflecting any so much pressure that it is impos- ter timed. With the recent lifting would speed up as Pakistanis rec- will show itself in local politics and five major Islamic schools of settle personal scores. hopes for debate on the law in the sible to do justice," said IA Reh- of moratorium on death penalties ognise the importance of using le- provincial councils. thought, and is widely followed by But Ilyas Khan - director gen- past through massive rallying. man, secretary-general of the Hu- in the country, an effort to seek gitimate Islamic channels to change Magdi el-Gizouli, online blog- Muslims in Pakistan. eral of research at the Council of "We agree that the law can be man Rights Commission of Paki- such concessions will bring hope the deadly law. ger and fellow at the Rift Valley When political forces are the Islamic Ideology, a constitutional made better," said Jamaat's Fareed stan. for some such as Asia Bibi. "I would invest in their bold- Institute For the average Sudanese only ones using the religious sym- body responsible for advising par- Paracha. "But there can be abso- "Whenever such cases are Mazhar is working in rural ness, their bravery, and the fact resident, he added, "it's more of bol it is very easy for them to ma- liament on aligning laws with Is- lutely no compromise on repeal- heard there are mobs that surround Punjab, an area notorious for mob they are putting their lives on the the same". "Bashir's regime is nipulate the narrative and misguide lam - defended the legislation. ing the death penalty." the courts, and sometimes the de- violence in cases of blasphemy. He line for tackling something so com- largely out of ideas and has been the masses. "Anyone who wrongly accus- Human rights groups, howev- fendant is even murdered," Reh- said he has already won over some plex and problematic. That in it- since the painful separation with Arafat Mazhar, researcher es someone of blasphemy or be- er, have reiterated calls for reform man told Al Jazeera. religious scholars who are endors- self is worthy of support," she said. the South," Verhoeven said. "In a Now, by using classical Islam- comes a false witness in the blas- or repeal of the blasphemy law. In this hostile landscape, what ing his initiative. (AL JAZEERA) situation sadly recognisable in oth- er African countries, the Sudanese regime is in survival mode, too Quake warnings of weak to set a forward-looking na- tional agenda and with a very frag- mented opposition." minutes, not hours, are A statement issued on April 20 by the United States, the Unit- ed Kingdom and criticised possible, but pricey "Sudan's failure to create a free, Nepal’s record of earthquakes quake, that travel through Earth’s fair, and conducive elections envi- dates to at least the 13th century, crust faster than S waves, the ones ronment", concluding that "the Iraqi forces are on a westward push trol system on a canal north of Is- used in Anbar, it would only fur- Guard with Sunni fighters have with significant temblors striking that shake the ground. outcome of these elections cannot to retake Anbar, a sprawling Sun- lamic State-occupied Fallujah that ther alienate the Sunni population stalled because the Shiite-dominat- every 75 years or so. And through Once P waves reach a seismic be considered a credible expression ni-dominated desert province cap- killed a division commander and at in the province, where ISIS has ed government suspects many of all that time, in Nepal as in most station, the information is trans- of the will of the Sudanese peo- tured by the Islamic State of Iraq least a dozen soldiers. been entrenched since January supporting ISIS and refuses to arm seismically active areas, there has mitted via phone lines, modems or ple". This follows earlier criticism and Syria (ISIS) in their offensive In the past few years, Iraq’s 2014. Dhari al-Rishawi, a Sunni them. been one constant: people in the satellite to labs. There, computers by the European Union. last year. But as the battles for army has been hollowed out by tribal leader in Anbar who helped Under the former Prime Min- path of destruction have had no deploy advanced algorithms to cal- The Sudanese Ministry of Tikrit and Ramadi have shown, it corrupt commanders siphoning off form the Sunni militias known as ister Nouri al-Maliki, the Sunni idea when the shaking would start. culate the origin and magnitude of Foreign Affairs called the state- will be a hard slog for a much-di- salaries and equipment and not Sahwa or Awakening Councils, Awakening force was dismantled Even after decades of research, the earthquake that generated the ment "disappointing", evidence of minished Iraqi army - especially training soldiers to do much more which with the U.S. military drove after the U.S. pulled out in 2011, “our ability to predictearthquakes waves. "anti-elections rhetoric", and the given Baghdad’s reticence to arm than man checkpoints. al-Qaida out of the province in further alienating the local popu- is still non-existent,” said seismol- ShakeAlert gave the San Fran- "bias" of international bodies. The Sunni tribesmen and local fears of A force that once numbered in 2006, said people are terrified that lation. Since taking over large parts ogist Peggy Hellweg, of the Ber- cisco Bay Area five to 10 seconds Sudanese government maintains the Shiite militias backing govern- the hundreds of thousands is now the army will be bringing the Shi- of the province, ISIS hasn’t been keley Seismological Laboratory at notice when the 2014 Napa earth- the 2015 elections were "a triumph ment forces. estimated by U.S. officials to be ite militias. idle. “In one and a half years, ISIS the University of California, Ber- quake hit. for the consolidation of democra- Earlier this month, Iraqi forc- around 125,000 at best and proba- “We know that if the militias has become embedded within the keley. “If Nepal had a seismic net- cy" in Sudan. RELATED: Sudan es captured the northern Sunni- bly a lot less, once all the so-called are involved, there will be Iranian civil structure of many portions The area around Kathmandu work that operated as the seismic polls: Voters conspicuous by their majority city of Tikrit from ISIS, “ghost-soldiers” - non-existent advisers and that would be a di- of Anbar province and they have suffered damaging quakes in 1934 stations in Northern California did absence Bashir campaigned on a but only with the backing from Ira- names on the payroll - are purged. saster because in this region there killed a lot of people that oppose and 1988, but when disaster ex- in the Napa quake,” Hellweg said, number of issues, including turn- nian-trained and Iran-funded Shi- Shiite leaders and parliamen- is a lot of sensitivity over Iranian them and the government wasn’t perts met in Nepal’s capital earlier “people in Kathmandu would ing around the heavily sanctioned ite militias and U.S. airstrikes - tarians insisting that Anbar can interference,” al-Rishawi told The able to do anything,” said Richard this month, all they could forecast probably have had 15 to 20 sec- and oil-reliant economy, improv- methods that cannot work in An- only be retaken with the help of Associated Press. “The tribes of Brennan, an Iraq expert at the was that the next one would prob- onds warning.” That could have ing relations with the international bar province. the militias. Anbar are ready to fight the Islam- Rand Corporation, using an alter- ably come in the next couple of been enough to take cover under community and tackling high in- ISIS is estimated to hold at least The army has had some victo- ic State and eject them but on the nate acronym for the group. “The decades. tables or even escape some col- flation and unemployment rates. 65 percent of the vast province at ries around Baghdad and in the east- condition that the state arms government has to convince those Policy makers have, in at least lapsing buildings. The systems do He also reaffirmed his pledge to this point. ern Diyala province with the help them.” remaining that it’s worth the risk one case, reacted harshly to seis- not come cheap. Capital invest- hold genuine national dialogue talks The past weeks of seesaw bat- of Shiite militias. But if they were Plans to create a National to oppose ISIS.” mologists’ limited foresight. In ment costs for an early warning inclusive of all political stakehold- tles in Anbar, with progress in ar- 2012, an Italian court found six system for the entire west coast ers, and to work towards a perma- eas like Garma east of Fallujah, a scientists guilty of manslaughter of the United States would total nent constitution. Sudan has yet stalemate in the biggest city of because they failed to predict and $38.3 million, the U.S. Geological to adopt a constitution after the Ramadi and an Iraqi rout near Lake warn residents in advance of the Survey (USGS) estimated last Comprehensive Peace Agreement's Tharthar, show that the army still 2009 L’Aquilaearthquake, which year, with annual maintenance and six-year, interim period expired in needs help. But relying on erst- was preceded by months of minor operations totaling $16.1 million. 2011. Magdi el-Gizouli, an online while Shiite militia allies may not rumblings and killed just over 300 Transit System warning Since blogger and fellow at the Rift Val- be palatable to locals. people. The verdict was over- 2012, Bay Area Rapid Transit ley Institute, told Al Jazeera the “The Iraqi soldiers fighting in turned in 2014. (BART) in the San Francisco area election results "are exactly as ex- Anbar are not well-trained enough But if predictions, meaning has been tied into ShakeAlert. A pected". "There is no room in the for this battle. Many of the sol- alerts days or weeks ahead, are still signal from the earthquake warn- centre for dissension. Instead, real diers are there for the money, but a distant goal, progress has been ing system automatically deceler- change will show itself in local the (Shiite militias), they are be- made on early warnings of earth- ates BART trains before a quake politics and provincial councils," lievers in this fight,” said an Iraqi quakes, giving precious seconds of magnitude 4 (if local) or 5 (if Gizouli said. "Despite his age, brigadier general involved in the that can save lives. But the world distant) arrives, averting potential- stepping down is not an option Anbar campaign. “There isn’t yet is divided into haves and have-nots. ly disastrous derailments. The sys- for Bashir. It would mean surren- a clear plan to liberate Anbar be- Earthquake early-warning sys- tem is not perfect, however. If the dering power and the possibility cause of the political and tribal dis- tems have been deployed in only a epicenter of a quake were actually of prosecution by the Hague." putes.” handful of the world’s seismic hot in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sarah Nouwen, an internation- Speaking on condition of ano- zones, Hellweg said. They can BART would have no warning: the al law expert at the University of nymity because he was not autho- warn of quakes as much as a few P and S waves arrive almost si- Cambridge, added: "These elections rized to speak to journalists, he minutes before they strike. Coun- multaneously. Japan’s early-warn- may decide something, but do not said some tribes might be support- tries with such systems include ing system, operated by the Me- resolve anything. Indeed, they have ive but others were with ISIS. He Mexico, Japan, and the United teorological Agency, is more exten- deepened the current political cri- also lamented how soldiers would States, where the most advanced sive. Designed to send alerts to ses by intensifying mistrust: mis- throw down their weapons and flee system is California’s state-run computers, municipal agencies and trust among political parties, mis- when hard-pressed. ShakeAlert. They consist of sta- others when an earthquake will be trust among the country's centre On Friday, government reports tions housing seismometers that powerful enough to crack walls, and its peripheries, and mistrust of advances in Anbar were belied can detect P waves, non-destruc- Japan’s system has issued public between political parties and their by an ISIS attack on a water con- tive waves produced by an earth- alerts since 2007. supposed constituencies." This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF. WEDNESDAY . APRIL 29, 2015 AFGHANISTANTIMES Russian bonds drop as central bank moves to curtail ruble rally Russian bonds fell, pushing yields to the highest in more than two weeks, as oil declined and the central bank curtailed the supply of dollars to banks to curb the appeal of the nation’s assets. Yields on five- year bonds climbed five basis points to 11.54 percent, increasing for a third day and trimming the drop in April to 92 basis points. The ruble also weakened as much as 1.2 percent after the Bank of Russia said on Tuesday it was offering $300 million at an auction of seven-day repur- chase agreements, the least since it started the facility in October. Policy makers have taken steps to reduce banks’ access to cheaper foreign currency this month after lenders drew on the facility to invest in Rus- sian bonds and take advantage of the world’s best carry trade. The Bank of Russia raised the rate on dollar repos three times in the past month as the ruble extended a rally that’s driven it 17 percent higher since Jan. 1. “It’s a clear statement of intent from the central bank,” Yury Tulinov, the head of research at PAO Rosbank in Moscow, said in e-mailed comments. “First they raise the rates, then they tighten the limits to squeeze out speculative play.” The ruble lost 0.1 percent to 52.043 per dollar by 12:32 p.m. in Moscow. The Micex Index of stocks fell 0.4 percent in its second day of declines. The stronger currency can hurt the competitiveness of Russian exporters and potentially cut into budget proceeds since the country relies on the oil and gas industries for about 50 percent of revenue. Brent crude decreased 0.4 percent to $64.58 a barrel on Tuesday, stemming its advance in 2015 to 13 percent. The fiscal shortfall is set to widen to 2.6 percent of gross domestic product this year, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey. Russian policy makers introduced the repo facility in October to help companies pay off foreign debts as sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine shuttered overseas capital markets. As companies overcame the biggest monthly repayment hurdles for the year, lenders channeled some of the money into higher-yielding ruble assets, fueling a sovereign bond rally that handed investors 36 percent returns since Jan. 1. “A strong ruble rate without a commensurate rise in oil prices is not favorable for Russian authorities,” he said. “Thus the central bank’s actions are a sort of game against the ruble.”

ISLAMABAD: With changing fining capacity in the country was experience of refining Iranian crude rection for its improved financial He explained that the refinery political landscape in the Middle poised to take advantage of expect- before its supply had to be sus- position in future. was set up under tax-holiday for China’s slowdown puts East, Pakistan’s refining industry ed Iranian discounts unlike the pended due to international sanc- He said the Byco management seven years when there was no is expecting discounted crude oil country’s other refineries which tions. Byco’s refining capacity has had decided to consolidate its re- turnover tax which was imposed imports from Iran once its success- had long-term crude supply con- now increased to 155,000 barrels fining business before going into subsequently and the government Asian central banks in ful talks with the United States on tracts. He said most of the refiner- per day (bpd) after completion of expansion of retail outlets. The had agreed to do away with it. nuclear programme lead to remov- ies had supply contracts of around its second unit of 120,000 bpd. focus of marketing has been on He said about 95pc of the oil a bind as Fed looms al of international trade sanctions. one year.He said perhaps Iran Previously, Parco had the larg- furnace oil sales and we have been pricing was based on crude price Asad , the chief finan- would also offer discounts on est refining capacity of 90,000 able to secure furnace oil business which meant that turnover tax China’s slowing economy is put- China. Japan too, is forecast by a cial officer of Byco Refinery, told crude oil to open up its market and bpd, followed by 68,000 bpd of from Nishat Chunian, K-Electric, could simply eat away the entire ting pressure on central banks small minority to unleash extra a news conference that refineries it would be good for Pakistan. National Refinery, 48,000 bpd of Tapal, Liberty and Hub Power profitability. across Asia to lower interest rates stimulus as its economy struggles in Pakistan would have no specifi- He said Byco had completed Pakistan Refinery Limited and Company. He said the completion of its further. to gain traction even after unprec- cation problems in refining Iranian one of the two new projects for 45,000 bpd of Attock Refinery. He said Byco was facing prob- isomerisation and de-sulpherisa- For policy makers, that poses edented monetary policy easing. crude. He said Tehran was expect- isomerisation and desulphurisation He said because of its consol- lems because of the issue of turn- tion plants in a couple of months a dilemma. The lower rates go, the Bank of Japan Governor Haru- ed to offer discounts on crude sale and it had relatively short-term idation of business model, the com- over tax but explained that author- would convert its entire naphtha sharper the U-turn required if the hiko Kuroda has said that record to open up and get a foothold in crude supply agreements that pro- pany would be declaring profit for ities had not only understood the production into motor spirit that U.S. Federal Reserve delivers as purchases of government debt will the oil export market. He said Byco vide flexibility for Iranian crude. the first time for the quarter end- tax anomaly but was committed would almost double its produc- expected this year its first rate in- succeed in boosting inflation in the Refinery with largest installed re- He said Byco also had past ing June 30 that would set the di- to issue an enabling clarification. tion from 12,500 bpd to cut costs. crease since 2006, which could lure world’s third-largest economy. Yet funds away from emerging markets. the latest readings on the econo- “The spectrum for further rate my remain unflattering. Retail cuts across Asia has narrowed but sales fell in March by the most Islamic finance body exists nevertheless,” said Alicia since 1998, data on Tuesday Garcia-Herrero, Hong Kong-based showed. chief economist for emerging mar- Marcel Thieliant at Capital IFSB launches industry kets at Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Ar- Economics and Yuji Shimanaka at gentaria SA. “It would be naive not Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley indicators to expect volatility in global finan- Securities Co. were the only two cial conditions,” especially across economists among 34 respondents The Islamic Financial Services fledged Islamic banks, relying on a emerging Asia ahead of Fed policy in a Bloomberg survey that fore- Board (IFSB) has launched a data- profit-sharing contract known as normalization, she said. cast the BOJ will expand unprece- bank of industry indicators cover- musharaka for 53.3 percent of to- The biggest drag on Asia’s eco- dented monetary easing at this ing 15 member countries, helping tal financing. nomic outlook remains China, week’s meeting. shed new light on the size and shape The data also covers Bahrain, where growth in the first quarter Confounding Forecasts of the sharia-compliant banking Bangladesh, Brunei, Egypt, Indo- slowed to its weakest since 2009. The policy outlook across the sector. nesia, Jordan, Kuwait, , Declining growth has spurred the region is far from uniform, and cen- The Kuala Lumpur-based Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Sudan, People’s Bank of China to cut tral banks have confounded econ- IFSB, one of the main standard- and Turkey. rates and free up cash for lending. omists’ expectations in recent setting bodies for Islamic finance, The IFSB indicators are being Those moves alone won’t be months. The fall in oil prices and is supporting a range of initiatives developed with technical assis- enough to revive the rest of the already growth-friendly policy to improve supervision of the sec- tance from the Asian Development region, said Frederic Neumann, co- settings mean Asia should outper- tor as it achieves greater promi- Bank and the Islamic Development head of Asian economics research form the rest of the world, the In- nence in several Muslim-majority Bank. in Hong Kong at HSBC Holdings ternational Monetary Fund said in countries. Plc. Monetary conditions in Asia its global outlook report earlier this The 188-member IFSB added Apple posts are tightening amid low regional month. financial inclusion to the industry's inflation, with real interest rates Growth across the Asia and agenda this month and released fi- $58b sales rising, leaving scope for central Pacific region will probably stay nal guidance on liquidity manage- banks to cut borrowing costs, Stan- at 5.6 percent this year, the same ment for Islamic banks. record on dard Chartered Plc said in an April pace as 2014, according to the IMF. The IFSB collected data di- 27 note. Not Over “The easing cy- And signs of economic im- rectly from regulatory bodies and iPhone demand, cle across the region isn’t over,” provement are emerging. South plans to update figures on a quar- said Neumann. “China can’t do the Korea’s central bank Governor Lee terly basis, while adding more coun- China growth job for everyone else. Once that Ju Yeol -- who unexpectedly cut tries and sectors, it said in a state- becomes clear, expect more rate rates in March -- said on Tuesday ment. Apple has reported record sales cuts from Korea to India, and in Seoul the economy is showing For the initial 15 countries, a during its second financial quarter, many places in between.” Among positive signals such as improved total of 207 Islamic banking insti- boosted by higher demand for iP- the central banks that some econ- consumer sentiment, housing and tutions were identified, which held hones and 71 percent sales growth LONDON : Oil prices fell on Tues- cents to $64.40 a barrel by 0920 said in a speech in Beijing. omists say could cut again: Aus- property markets, even as the re- a combined $1.18 trillion in assets in China. day ahead of weekly U.S. crude GMT. U.S. June crude fell 40 cents Conflict in Yemen and Syria tralia, South Korea, Indonesia and covery remains weak. and had 10,711 branches as of The U.S. technology giant inventory data that is expected to to $56.59 a barrel. and unplanned production outag- 2013. posted quarterly revenues of $58 hit another high, withdrawing fur- Brent crude hit a 4-1/2 month es in the North Sea and Brazil have Country-specific data also billion and net profit of $13.6bn, ther from a rally that saw Brent high of $65.80 a barrel last week, prompted Barclays to raise its oil provides a rare insight into Islamic compared with $45.6bn and crude futures touch a 4 1/2 month while West Texas Intermediate price forecast. Saudi oil minister: banking practices in Saudi Arabia $10.2bn a year ago. high. U.S. commercial crude stock- (WTI) has risen for six consecu- The bank raised its Brent fore- and Afghanistan, where official fig- That marked a record perfor- piles were expected to have risen tive weeks, underpinned by net cast by $9 to $60 a barrel for 2015 Fair, stable oil prices ures are hard to come by. mance for Apple’s second quarter, last week for the 16th straight long positions on both contracts and by $8 to $68 in 2016. It also At the end of 2013, Saudi Ara- with the best-ever sales of iPhone week, up from a record 489 mil- as speculators bet on a decline in raised its WTI price outlook by bia had 4 full-fledged Islamic banks and Mac computers for the peri- lion barrels, even though drilling U.S. shale output. $8 to $54 a barrel this year and by to benefit everyone and 8 Islamic windows, units of od, and the best App Store perfor- activity fell, a preliminary survey Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali $7 to $64 for 2016. conventional banks that offer shar- mance in its history.Tim Cook, by Reuters showed on Monday. al-Naimi said in a speech on Tues- Still, it warned in a research Fair and stable oil prices will benefit producers and consumers, allowing ia-compliant financial services. "Crude oil has made a strong day that he expected Asian oil de- note that "the oil market is not out global supply and demand to grow at a steady pace, Saudi Arabia’s Oil Islamic lenders in the kingdom Apple’s CEO, said in a statement price recovery on the expectation mand to grow and that Saudi, the of the woods yet and weak funda- that the company had seen the Minister Ali al-Naimi said on Tuesday. rely heavily on murabaha, a cost- that you would start to see lower world's top oil exporter, would be mentals will weigh on prevailing While a roughly 50 percent drop in global oil prices since June last plus mode of financing, which rep- “best March quarter results ever.” U.S. production and also some ready to meet that demand. bullish market sentiment in the “We’re seeing a higher rate of peo- year has helped growing economies in Asia, it had posed “difficult resents 62.4 percent of total fi- strock draws," said Olivier Jakob "Asian demand for oil remains second quarter". challenges” for many oil producers, the minister said. ple switching to iPhone than nancing for full-fledged Islamic of Swiss-based consultancy Petro- strong and we are ready to supply Bets on rising Brent crude pric- “Oil is a long-term business, requiring long-term plans and invest- banks and 86.7 percent for Islamic we’ve experienced in previous cy- matrix. "We need to have some whatever is required. As the Asian es rose for a fifth straight week to ment,” Naimi said in a speech to mark the inauguration of state oil firm windows. cles, and we’re off to an exciting confirmation of that in the statis- population grows, and as the mid- a new record, InterContinental Saudi Aramco’s new research and development centre in Beijing. In contrast, Afghanistan had 6 start to the June quarter with the tics before we can rally further." dle class expands, so the demand Exchange data showed on Mon- “Sudden rises or falls in the cost of oil are not welcome.... It’s in all Islamic windows and no full- launch of Apple Watch.” Brent June crude futures fell 43 for energy will increase," Naimi day. our interests to ensure stable prices.”

UAE-based low-cost clothing re- While Middle Eastern shop- As one of the companies in the tailer Max is expecting over the pers are well-known for their pen- 17-firm privately-owned Land- next year to open 20 more stores chant for luxury and high-end mark Group, which has numerous in Saudi Arabia, its biggest market brands, the firm claims large suc- business in retail, hospitality and in the Middle East, the firm’s chief cess in what it calls the “value fash- healthcare, the chain recently rolled executive told Al Arabiya News on ion” segment – with its offerings out its online platform, Monday. including $8 t-shirts, $4 bras, and landmarkshops.com, which record- “Saudi Arabia is a very big val- $10 dresses. ed a 200 per cent year-on-year ue market and we have managed to In addition to Saudi having one growth in revenue over the last fis- penetrate into 13 cities there and of the largest populations in the cal year, according to a company we would [after the expansion] be Middle East, the firm’s success in release. While many Middle East- connected in further to the smaller the kingdom stems from the larger based web retailers believe that the towns and cities,” said CEO Ra- low-end market segment, Hariha- old business adage “Arabs don’t manathan Harihara. ra said. “Because of the large pop- buy online” has rapidly changed, Out of a total of the chain's ulation, the capital income in Sau- 65 percent of the firm’s online cus- 200 stores across the Middle East, di Arabia it is not the same as in tomers since the recent launch still 120 are currently in the kingdom, Qatar or some of the other coun- eschew credit cards - ubiquitous with a large presence in other coun- tries so it naturally means lots of in traditional online shopping mar- tries including the UAE, Qatar, value customers who are looking kets such as Europe and North Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan and and seeking for low value buys,” America - and instead opt to pay Egypt. he added. Old adage cash on delivery. This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF. WEDNESDAY . APRIL 29, 2015 AFGHANISTANTIMES Ranbir not in a hurry: Katrina might have to wait a little longer for the ‘right time’

MUMBAI: Rumours of Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor’s wedding have escalated after Kat’s ‘right time’ for marriage Titan ad. How- ever, Ranbir confesses that he is in love but there are no wedding plans as of now. On whether his wedding will be a private affair, Ranbir said, “I think you cannot keep it private. We are actors. My wedding date was fixed six years back. It’s a spe- cial day so let me announce it. But right now there are no plans.” “I am in love and I do feel com- mitted and responsible. But when it comes to wedding, so much spec- ulation spoils the fun. I would re- quest media to stop speculating about my wedding date,” he add- ed. However, the question re- mains that how does a person If you actually manage to get your Luckily the Pakistani prêt Generation has seen a recent re- know when it is time to take that tailor to stitch your lawn, designer market has come along in leaps and vival. Their various collections this leap of faith? (get married). The lawn has its perks. You get a cust- bounds over recent years. There season, including the denim collec- answer is given by Ranbir’s long omised fit and it’s a full 3-piece are loads of alternatives, ranging tion and the Moroccan Whites col- time lady love, Katrina Kaif. The look with no mix and matching re- from the minimalist to the print- lection have been very successful. Bollywood couple has always re- quired. However, after a while all happy. You don’t have to stick to The denim collection in particular mained in the limelight due to their those designer lawns start to blur fussy designer lawns to keep your took an international trend and affection towards each other. The together and eventually there’s an cool in the summer heat. 1. Gener- turned it into attractive Pakistani only curiosity now is, when do overkill of print and embroidery. ation: One of the oldest prêt brands, daywear. they plan on tying the knot. . Sapphire: A super hit from In a recent ad campaign,the the time they opened their Bang Bang-diva, Katrina pointed doors, Sapphire’s prêt has out bountiful logic based on ground 2 realities and explained why a quickly become a staple. Their outfits are high quality, stylish and woman should not get married for affordable — a combination that’s superficial reasons. hard to beat. Khadijah Shah as cre- The video is exquisitely shot ative head has hit the right balance and skilfully directed. Her words between wearability and style. were not only logical, but they Fast fashion at its best. Khaadi is made an impact. With this, she so that #WillKatrinaSayYes is trending on all social networking sites. Ranbir, whose last two films “Be- practically a Pakistani prêt insti- earned a lot of admiration and ap- sharam” and “Roy” bombed at the box office, said he feels the pressure and hopes “Bombay Velvet” works tution, with fans of all ages. With plause from the masses – so much for him. The film is slated to release on May 15. a variety of styles, great fit, a bright signature and attractive prices Have taken a big Khaadi is justly popular. It’s a brand that has made the transition Grateful I'm alive: Pooja to the international market while commercial leap remaining relevant to locals. With with 'Gabbar Is a minimalist aesthetic and interest- Missra on nightmare in Nepal ing silhouettes, Daaman’s range is a cut above standard high street aged to get access to wifi facility, Back': prêt. It’s a refreshing change from thanks to which she could inform the prints and embroidery her family about her well-being. In favoured by other brands, and the the early hours of Sunday morn- look is chic and modern. Sana Safi- ing, the wifi also went dead. naz entered the prêt market with a On her way to the Tribhuvan bang in 2013 but saw a little dip as International Airport, Pooja says customers tired of the print with she saw how old Kathmandu was embroidery look. Their latest col- reduced to rubble, and in new Kath- lections have upped the variety mandu area, she spotted the dam- factor and the brand has been age the quake had inflicted on the boosted by the introduction of their buildings. The sight at the airport new Basics range. With Basics was something she wasn't prepared kurtas retailing at between to see. `There were tourists from Rs2,490 to Rs2,990, the range has all over the world...it was like been a major daywear hit. The mayhem. It looked like a refugee newly re-launched Working Wom- camp as people sat outside and de- an brand has always been known manded to be sent back,` said the for its classic understated look. model-actress, who lost her mo- The brand's signature look features bile phone, cheque book, passport, single colour shirts with elegant credit and debit cards. detailing but Working Woman has Pooja says she came back to also introduced a print range and Delhi on an "evacuation flight", an evening wear range. Both are She went to Kathmandu to launch car when the earthquake took and she is grateful to God she is typically understated – perfect for her special calendar, but ended up place. I was startled at first, but alive. Pooja has especially thanked the woman who wants variety facing the horror of a 7.9-magni- then I went out on the road and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for without gaudiness. Zara Shahjah- tude earthquake, that devastated stood there,` Pooja told IANS. his effort to create relief via Oper- Filmmaker Krish is known for his an’s Coco brand is both reason- Nepal on Saturday. Model Pooja Like the thousands of victims ation Maitri. humanistic Telugu films such as ably priced and creative. Her Missra is heaving a sigh of relief who witnessed the dust, debris and "My heart goes out to the "" and "Vedam". Now, quirky prints have an unmistak- and is grateful to God that she's dead bodies left behind by the people in Nepal...I am grateful that with his forthcoming direc- able charm and the outfits have a back safe, sound and alive. massive quake and its multiple af- I am alive. Thank you to Narendra torial debut "", he fun, boho vibe. Coco is doubly at- The model, whose antics on tershocks, Pooja was taken aback Modi for his tremendous effort to says he has taken a commercial tractive because it has the Zara reality show "Bigg Boss 5" made by the trail of destruction left be- create relief in Nepal by sending leap. "Gabbar Is Back" is the Hin- Shahjahan signature without the her a popular name, was heading hind by the temblor. She says there Indian Air Force evacuation flights di remake of Tamil blockbuster designer price tag. to the holy Pashupatinath temple was no electricity, mobile network and food supplies." "Ramana", which was written and when the tremors shook the Hi- or food. But she managed her hands The Indian Air Force has directed by A.R. Murugadoss over malayan nation. on some salad, fruits and tea in a fetched 1,935 Indian back from a decade ago. `I was going to the Pashupati- hotel where she took shelter. Kathmandu to New Delhi since "You could say I've gone com- nath temple. I was sitting in the At the hotel Pooja also man- late Saturday. mercial all guns blazing in 'Gab- bar...'. It was mainly done because of the story, which is about a man who takes corruption heads on. All SHRUTI HASSAN TO ENDORSE my films so far have had commer- cial elements, but this time I've upped the ante," Krish told IANS electronic products brand Lloyd in an interview.The film, he says, will be the 'baap' (father) of all the previous remake versions put to- gether. It has already been remade in Telugu, and Bengali. The film's title has already created quite a buzz. Krish says it was chosen for a reason and not mere- ly to cash in on the popularity of the original character. "It was cho- sen to justify the actions of the lead character. Akshay plays a vig- ilante against corruption. In the movie, his actions maybe right, but the path he chooses isn't," said Krish and added: "You need good branding to sell any product. Here, 6. Working Woman The newly re- Akshay raises his voice against launched Working Woman brand corruption, and he achieves that has always been known for its clas- through the brand name called Gab- sic understated look. The brand's bar." "In the movie, there's a scene signature look features single co- where Akshay is writing an anon- lour shirts with elegant detailing ymous letter to the police and at but Working Woman has also in- the same time '' is playing troduced a print range and an on the television. He overhears a evening wear range. Both are typ- dialogue and feels that in order to ically understated – perfect for the instill fear into corrupt men, Gab- woman who wants variety with- bar is the most suitable name," he out gaudiness. said. The film, which also stars Zara Shahjahan’s Coco brand and Telugu actor is both reasonably priced and cre- Suman Talwar, is jointly produced ative. Her quirky prints have an by and Via- unmistakable charm and the out- Actress Shruti Hassan has signed art innovative and technologically able our customers to have a bet- com18 Motion Pictures. A few fits have a fun, boho vibe. Coco is up to endorse consumer durable advanced products which are ex- ter connect with our products," years ago, Krish was approached doubly attractive because it has the brand Lloyd in India. She believes ceptionally stylish in their design. said Nipun Singhal, director, Lloyd to remake his film "Gamyam" in Zara Shahjahan signature without in its "innovative and technologi- I believe they provide brand prom- Electric & Engineering Limited. Hindi. It was during this interim the designer price tag.8. Sania cally advanced products". ise of 'Khushiyon ki Guarantee' to Shruti, who is the daughter of vet- that he was offered the opportu- Maskatiya Sania Maskatiya’s The 29-year-old will endorse each and every customer who buys eran actor-filmmaker Kamal nity by Bhansali to remake "Ra- lawn for Al-Karam is one of this air conditioners, LED TVs, wash- a Lloyd product. I look forward to Haasan and Sarika, has starred in mana". "The best part of the film year’s major hits but her signature ing machines, refrigerators and an amazing journey with Lloyd,` films like `Luck`, `Dil Toh Baccha is that its story, which is about cotton prêt range at her own store small home appliances for Lloyd Shruti said in a statement. An of- Hai Ji` and `Ramaiya Vastavaiya`. corruption, is relevant even today. is also brilliant. Noticeably differ- in India through promotion, adver- ficial at Lloyd said Shruti was cho- She will next be seen in `Gabbar is We've retained the soul of the orig- ent to her lawn, Sania’s prêt fea- tising and marketing. "It is an ho- sen as the brand ambassador as she Back`. The film which stars su- inal and have made minor changes tures original prints and luxe de- nour and privilege to be associated "encapsulates all the qualities that perstar in the titu- to suit Bollywood audiences," he tails. with Lloyd which has state-of-the- Lloyd stands for". "She will en- lar role, will release on Friday. said. This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF. WEDNESDAY . APRIL 29, 2015 AFGHANISTANTIMES From Eddie Howe to Maxim Demin, five reasons for Open. But Federer still thinks Nadal in the man to beat on the red clay of Roland Garros, along with in-form world No 1 Novak Djok- Bournemouth’s ovic. "At the French Open, Rafa for me is still the favourite along- side Djokovic who has been play- odds- defying rise ing so well,” said Federer. "Even though his (Nadal's) form is not as good as in previous years, I still believe when the French Open rolls around he is going to be very difficult to beat." Even though his (Nadal's) form is not as good as in previous years, I still believe when the French Open rolls around he is going to be very difficult to beat. Roger Fed- erer Federer, 33, is himself looking to find his form on the clay, having lost in the third round to Gael Monfils at the Monte Carlo Mas- ters this month. "It's about getting used to the sliding, deciding how aggressive I want to play," said the world No 2. "I have been on hard courts for seven-eight months so it needs some adjustments. "My game is going to get bet- ter and better as we move along." Federer, who celebrated his arrival in Istanbul by thumping a ball into the Bosphorus that divides Europe Roger Federer insists Rafa Nadal should not be written off for next month’s French Open despite the Spaniard’s troubled start to the clay court and Asia, is the star attraction in season. Federer, who won his sole French Open title in 2009, is refining his own clay court game in this week’s Istanbul Open, the first ATP Tour the tournament along with the event to be held in Turkey and the first time that the Swiss star has visited the country. Nadal, who with the exception of Federer's win has taken Bulgarian world No 11 Grigor every French Open since 2005 to make nine in total, has struggled in recent weeks and failed to get past the third round at last week's Barcelona Dimitrov. Just six years after overcoming a make them a threat all over the 17-point deduction to retain their pitch. Down the right, Simon Fran- Floyd Mayweather status as one of England’s 92 cis and Matt Ritchie combine well league clubs, Bournemouth have with the latter topping the assist Sr expects his son London Marathon: Paula Radcliffe's booked their place among the elite charts with 16 this season. Down for the first time in their 116-year the left, the partnership of Charlie to knock out history. Daniels and Marc Pugh has left Manny Pacquiao The Cherries' 3-0 win over many a right back in a state of panic. last race was won by Tigist Tufa Bolton on Monday evening - live Centre backs Tommy Elphick and on Sky - left them three points and Steve Cook have helped the club Tigist Tufa became the first Ethi- winning the London Marathon and 19 goals clear of third-placed Mid- accumulate 18 clean sheets. Only opian woman in 14 years to win I can't say how happy I am that dlesbrough with one game to play Wolves’ Kevin McDonald has the London Marathon on Sunday, this has come true," said Tufa. - all-but securing their promotion completed more passes than the as Paula Radcliffe bid farewell. Tigist Tufa of Ethiopia cross- to the Premier League. Bournemouth midfield duo of An- The 28-year-old Tufa surpris- es the finish line to win the Wom- But what's been behind their drew Surman and Harry Arter. And ingly ended Kenya's four-year en's race Tigist Tufa of Ethiopia incredible rise? From the introvert- up top, Callum Wilson’s frighten- dominance of the race, winning her crosses the finish line to win the ed investor to the young manager ing pace has been a key asset in first major marathon in 2:23:22 Women's race The race was expect- who "eats, sleeps and breathes" the finding the net 20 times - his latest seconds, with two-time winner ed to be dominated by Kenya's club, we take a closer look at the on Monday evening - ably assist- Mary Keitany reaching Bucking- 'fantastic four' of Keitany, Edna reasons for their fairytale turn in ed by the creative Frenchman Yann ham Palace 18 seconds later. and Florence Kiplagat and Priscah fortunes. Kermorgant, who has 15 goals. Tufa's compatriot, Tirfi Tseg- Jeptoo but they struggled in blus- The Bournemouth fan and Add to that a substitute strik- aye, was third. The women's Lon- tery conditions around the twist- former player - still only 37 - who er with 13 goals (Brett Pitman) and don Marathon had not been won ing London streets. eats, sleeps and breathes the club. the physicality of Kenwyne Jones by an Ethiopian since Derartu Sonia Samuels was the high- From Monday morning the focus and you can see why they have Tulu in 2001. est-placed British woman in 16th is all about the best preparation been a danger in all areas. Tufa was only ninth-fastest in place. for match day. He records training Administration, receivership, the field, but seized a cagey race Meanwhile, the 41-year-old petitive marathon running. The days of running those sorts of times are sessions, monitoring players’ per- threats of liquidation – you name by the scruff of the neck in the Radcliffe returned to the scene of over, but the cheers from the crowds lining the streets were as loud for formances on a daily basis. the financial meltdown term, closing stages to pull clear of the her greatest triumph - her stagger- her as any of the champions as she came home in a time of 2hrs 36mins He is a stats man, keen to keep Bournemouth have experienced it field and was able to wave to the ing world record of two hours 15 55secs. "Down the last mile I thought, 'I don't care about the time'. I just players abreast of ways to devel- over the past 20 years. Eddie Floyd Mayweather Sr has warned crowds as she came down The minutes 25 seconds set on the wanted to thank as many people as I could," said Radcliffe. "There was op their game. No training session Howe has seen it all since joining Manny Pacquiao his son has Mall to win. streets of the capital in 2003 - to a big sign at Embankment saying 'we will miss you', but it won't be as is the same as Howe diarises daily the club as a 10-year-old and the trained harder for their Saturday "I've always dreamed about bid an emotional farewell to com- much as I will miss you." new ways of keeping things fresh. defying-the-odds tag transcends showdown than any of his other Players are presented with match into his team of 2015. fights. scenarios, covering all angles of A never-say-die attitude has Mayweather Sr is convinced what could happen on a Saturday. seen them play a fearless style of the MGM Grand bout will end in Judd Trump, Shaun Murphy ease This goes unseen throughout the attacking football. Since demolish- a stoppage victory and see Floyd week but is clearly making a dif- ing Birmingham 8-0 in October Jr extend his unbeaten record to ference when the first ball is kicked they have never looked back. They 48 fights. into World Championship last eight on match day. average more than two goals a “I’m going to give you the hon- Bournemouth manager Eddie game, top the possession charts est truth. Floyd may be working a Judd Trump knocked in a 133 dent in my game this time. I know were to be left sorely disappoint- threes and fours. "I've kind of set- Howe was quick to spread praise (58.37% per game) and shots on little bit harder than he normally break to storm into the World if I keep it up I have got a good ed as they were to witness four tled at five. It's not a bad innings around the wholeclub but refused target (253) table too. They have would,” Mayweather Sr said. Championship quarter-finals in chance but it only takes one bad frames in total. Australia's Neil and if I can add to that, that's great, to begin thinking about the Pre- been in the top two longer than “It’s not a strategy, it’s not a style with a 13-8 victory over session at this level. You have got Robertson, the 2010 champion, but you kind of lose motivation in mier League. Bournemouth man- their rivals and have only lost eight plan, it’s nothing. He’s just a nor- Marco Fu. to be consistent every single day." claimed the two frames he needed the end. It's not the same kind of ager Eddie Howe was quick to times. After five games without a mal opponent who is going to get The 2011 runner-up will play World No 8 and 2005 champi- against England's Ali Carter with motivation, it's a different kind of spread praise around the whole- win in February, the critics started his ass whupped. Ding Junhui in the last eight at the on Shaun Murphy is also in the the minimum of fuss to record a motivation. A lot calmer, more re- club but refused to begin thinking to write them off. Their response? “In a situation like this we take Crucible Theatre. last eight after a straightforward 13-5 victory, sealing the win with laxed about everything. "There's about the Premier League. Eight wins and three draws to leave it serious. If I see somebody say Fu, trailing 10-6 heading into 13-5 win over Joe Perry. Leading an impresssive 145 clearance, - no pressure on me to win another While some owners seek at- them only a rubberstamp away he’s going to whup me, I’m going the final session, kept the contest 12-4 overnight, Murphy lost the the highest in the one but it would be nice. It's a dif- tention and revel in the glitz and from the Premier League. to take it serious. He is totally pre- alive by taking the day's opener day's opener before edging through tournament so far - in the fi- ferent type of pressure I sup- glamour of football, Demin remains With average crowds of pared and we’re going to make sure with a break of 94 before Trump in an error-strewn 18th frame. nal frame. Meanwhile, five-times pose." the invisible man. He resides out 10,500, there is always an ironic we run Pacquiao out of this town.” moved within one of victory by "It is just nice to get through Crucible king Ronnie O'Sullivan of Switzerland, has never spoken cheer from away fans when atten- Johnny Nelson and Spencer claiming the next two. and still be punching," he said. coughed up the first frame against to the press and his back story re- dances are announced – but Fearon take an in-depth look at Fu ensured the match went "You've got to treat the game with Wales' Matthew Stevens but mains a mystery. Bournemouth don’t mind playing both Floyd Mayweather Jr and beyond the mid-session interval, respect and hope you get the op- skipped over the line in the next, a The story goes that he was on the ‘little’ club tag. It’s lured Manny Pacquiao ahead of the big- but any thoughts of a fightback portunity to get over the line." 77 break securing a 13-5 win - and invited to a match by previous many a team into a false sense of gest fight in boxing history were ended by Trump's impres- Murphy caught the eye wearing a quarter-final date with Stuart owner Eddie Mitchell after he built security this season: 8-0, 6-1, 5-1, Johnny Nelson and Spencer sive knock. by a distinctive red suit. Bingham. O'Sullivan admitted af- him a house. He fell in love with 5-3, 4-2, 4-0, 3-0 wins – all against Fearon take an in-depth look at "It was solid. There was noth- "It's just something different. ter his match that the motivation the club and soon became a co- so-called bigger clubs. both Floyd Mayweather Jr and ing too extreme - a few dodgy ses- Everyone wears black and white that has spurred him to his previ- owner in 2011 before taking full Teams have started to wise up Manny Pacquiao ahead of the big- sions in the middle of the match and it's bit boring isn't it?" he add- ous Crucible successes might not ownership in 2013. A £7million but Bolton were swept asie on gest fight in boxing history where I could have probably closed ed. "I've got plenty more in the be so strong as he prepares for his injection has enabled the club to Monday evening as Howe's men Asked how confident he was it out, but other than that I think I locker. I had purple on for ladies' meeting with Bingham, which be- strengthen from League One me- turned on the style. Six years ago, in a Mayweather win, Floyd Sr was quite solid from start to fin- day and no-one seemed to notice, gins on Tuesday afternoon. He diocrity to Premier League con- Bournemouth faced Grimsby in a added: “100 per cent.” ish," Trump told the BBC. so I thought I'd have to wear a said: "When you've won it five tenders - although money doesn’t League Two relegation shoot-out. And pressed about a stoppage, "Marco changed his gameplan slightly brighter colour to get your times and you've won everything guarantee success. They have In a recent interview with Sky he went a little further, saying and went for everything towards attention!" Those booked in for else then you don't really get that spent wisely and within Financial Sports, Howe admitted the club only: “110 per cent." the end, so that made it quite diffi- Monday's evening session would excited about it. For me I'm just Fair Play rules, with only two were told they would fold if they Pacquiao appeared to be com- cult, but I am pleased how I closed have been hoping to witness some happy to still be playing but nah, players costing more than a mil- were relegated. Fast forward and pletely unfazed by the prediction out the match." On his overall pros- spirited fightbacks in order to pro- I don't get excited like I used to lion pounds. Eddie Howe has built the underdog has become a top as he arrived in Las Vegas ahead of pects, he said: "I am very confi- long the entertainment - but they when I was going for one, two, a team full of deadly duos that dog. schedule on Monday night - pos- ing for pictures with his family, all smiles. The richest fight in boxing his- tory is just four days away. Paulie Malignaggi says the hype sur- rounding the Vegas showdown is the biggest he's ever seen The richest fight in boxing his- tory is just four days away. Paulie Malignaggi says the hype sur- rounding the Vegas showdown is Michael Bisping overcame early It means Bisping has ex- the biggest he's ever seen adversity to win a unanimous changed wins and losses in his last Former IBF and WBA welter- decision against CB Dollaway at nine fights. weight champion Paulie Malignag- UFC 186 on Saturday night. Elsewhere, Quinton 'Rampage' gi is also backing Mayweather, but The Lancashire middle- Jackson won on his UFC return expects Pacquiao to cause him weight was floored by a left hook with a unanimous decision against problems. And he wonders if a in a back-and-forth opening Fabio Maldonado. knockout victory will prove pos- round but regained his compo- The former light-heavyweight sible for the undefeated May- sure to ride out the win on all champion, not seen in the Octa- weather, such is the staying pow- three judges' scorecards in Mon- gon for two years, mixed up er of the Filipino great. treal, Canada. punches with knees and kicks to “Mayweather is favourite and Bisping quickly established outlast the Brazilian. I agree with it, but this is certainly himself as the quicker fighter but Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' the closest odds you will ever get Dollaway nearly closed the show Johnson secured the latest finish Floyd Mayweather at,” Malignag- early, although Bisping did in UFC history by forcing Kyoji gi said. enough to win the first round by Horiguchi to tap out with one sec- “Manny Pacquiao hasn’t been returning to his feet and inflict- ond remaining in a 25-minute duel. an underdog since the Oscar de la ing damage as the bell rang. The flyweight champion's Hoya fight, and we saw what hap- Dollaway landed two brief sixth title defence was another pened that night, so you can’t count take-downs throughout the bout dominant display for one of the either of these guys out. but Bisping's ability to maintain sport's best pound-for-pound “Manny has been very suc- a high work-rate for 15 minutes fighters, but Johnson had to wait cessful of late, and he has also come was the difference. The 36-year- until 24:59 of the fifth round be- up short, but his resiliency makes old had Dollaway in trouble with fore an armbar forced his submis- him very difficult to knock out.” a right hand as the final bell went. sion. This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF. WEDNESDAY. APRIL 29 . 2015 -Sawr 09, 1394 H.S Vol:IX Issue No:263 Price: Afs.15

Nepalis spend third SCO Tajikistan watches as fighting flares membership will night in open as quake improve Afghan IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN TOLL PASSES 4,310 economy While heavy fighting has broken rorism, extremism and illegal drug AT Monitoring Desk out in northern Afghanistan, near trafficking. Hundreds of thousands of Nepa- gal, the home ministry's national the border of Tajikistan, officials And at another meeting last lis spent another night in the open disaster management chief, told KABUL: A number of MPs and in Dushanbe say they have the sit- week of anti-drug officials of Shang- Monday after a massive quake AFP. analysts have said that member- uation under control. hai Cooperation Organization which killed more than 4,310, as "We are also in the process of ship of Afghanistan in Shanghai Last week, the member states, Rustam Nazarzo- officials warned the final toll could getting information from villages, Cooperation Organization (SCO) Taliban formally announced the da, director of the Drug Control rise sharply once rescuers reach and these will add to the death is vital for fixing the country s beginning of their spring offensive. Agency under the President of cut-off areas. toll." Families who work in Kath- economy on condition that the While attacks have spiked across Tajikistan, said that several Tali- With fears rising of food and mandu were packing onto buses, government succeeds to receive full the country, northeastern Afghan- ban units in northern Afghanistan water shortages, Nepalis were some even sitting on the roofs, leav- membership of the organization. istan has seen unusual amounts of including Balkh, Kunduz, Ta- rushing to stores and petrol sta- ing the city, many for their home The Ministry of Foreign Af- violence. Earlier this month fight- khar, and Badakhshan provinces tions to stock up on essential sup- villages to determine the damage fairs (MoFA) on Monday said that ing broke out in Afghan Badakhs- have aligned themselves with plies in the capital Kathmandu, left there. Mothers clutching children Salahuddin Rabbani the Minister han, the narrow panhandle border- ISIS and have become more active. devastated by Saturday's 7.8-mag- and men hauling bags were seen of Foreign Affairs will soon travel ing the Tajikistan region of the Regardless of the announce- nitude quake. bargaining with drivers of the many to China to discuss full member- same name. Dozens of fighters on ments by high-ranking Afghanistan Officials say more than 4,310 buses clogging the roads out of the ship of Afghanistan in SCO. both sides were reportedly killed government officials about their people are now known to have capital. The exodus came as inter- Abdul Qadir Zazai Watandost, in those clashes. ability to combat destructive died, including 4,300 in Nepal -- national rescue teams with sniffer member of international relations Now, heavy fighting has erupt- groups, the situation in that coun- making it the quake-prone Hima- dogs raced to find survivors bur- committee of the Wolesi Jirga, ed in Kunduz, about 60 kilome- try, unfortunately, including the layan nation's deadliest disaster in ied in rubble, and teams equipped says that full membership of Af- ters from the border of southern northern provinces bordering on activity in northern Afghanistan is from Moscow). But on the other, more than 80 years. with heavy cutting gear and relief ghanistan in SCO can increase in- Tajikistan. That fighting has killed Tajikistan, is becoming quite com- clearly increasing, there still re- it can attract too much support More than 90 people have supplies landed at the nation's only vestment and trade in the country. at least 30 people and forced Pres- plicated, Nazarzoda said. mains no indication that those in particular, pressure from been killed in neighbouring India international airport. He was quoted by Radio Aza- ident Ashraf Ghani to delay his But with respect to the latest groups have any interest in mov- Russia to reintroduce Russian bor- and China while a further 7,500 Elisabeth Byrs, a spokeswom- di on Tuesday, as saying that ma- ing north into Central Asia, or that der guards to the Tajikistan-Af- planned trip to India on Monday. fighting in Kunduz, a spokesman people were injured in Nepal. an for the UN's World Food Pro- jor economic countries like China (It s also reportedlycome close to for the border service, Mukhaam- they would have any support at ghanistan border. Russians guard- But senior disaster manage- gramme, told AFP the agency all if they did. ed that border until 2005, when are members of the organization the Tajikistan consulate in the city.) maddjon Ulugkhodjaev, told RFE/ ment official Rameshwor Dangal would launch a "large, massive op- which can benefit the economy of The violence has of course not RL that the battles were between Tajikistan s leadership has to Tajikistan managed to get rid of said the toll in Nepal could jump eration" with the first plane carry- walk a bit of a tightrope with re- them, but Moscow has consistent- once rescuers discovered the full ing rations set to arrive on Tues- Afghanistan. gone unnoticed in Dushanbe. Last internal groups in Afghanistan and He said that as a great oppor- week President Emomali represented no threat to Tajikistan. spect to the threat of spillover from ly (though lately, more quietly) extent of devastation in villages day. Pledging $10 million in relief Afghanistan. On the one hand, the continued to lobby to get them outside Kathmandu. to help the victims, US Secretary tunity, the developed and big coun- Rahmon convened senior security The issue of spillover from tries can bring major projects here officials to discuss Afghanistan Afghanistan, and more recently the threat benefits Dushanbe, as it at- back. All of this, of course, is sub- "Rescue operations are under- of State John Kerry said he had tracts aid and support from for- ject to events in northern Afghan- way, and in many places where been shocked by the "gut-wrench- in the country. We support this, and ordered increasing military alleged threat of ISIS, has domi- and it will be good news for the readiness for the protection of state nated security conversations in eign powers (most recently, prom- istan, which are getting increasing- buildings have collapsed there ing" images of the death and de- ises of $1.2 billion in military aid ly unpredictable. (Eurasianet.org) might be people trapped," Dan- struction. Afghan people if the government borders, and the fight against ter- Central Asia. And while militant succeeds to gain full membership of the organization, he said. Head of the Afghanistan Stra- EU envoy raps plaguing tegic Studies Center, Abdul Ghafur Liwal, said that membership of Afghanistan in SCO is important both for the country and for the corruption in Afghanistan region. AT News Report Shanghai is an important area for Afghanistan. China can play KABUL: The European Union rich and powerful, while the poor friend of Afghanistan and the Af- crucial role both for economy and Special Envoy has termed corrup- starve. It stops creation of jobs and ghan people. We are here for the security in the country. Member- tion as Afghanistan s gravest chal- investments from coming in. Cor- long haul and we have pledged to lenge, and said the level of bribery, ruption undermines the legitima- continue our exceptional level of ship of the country in SCO is vital obstruction and nepotism keeps cy of the Afghan state towards its financial assistance until at least for improving the Afghan econo- increasing and deprives ordinary own people and helps feed insur- 2020. But we as well as many my, he said. citizens of access to public goods gency, said the European Union other donors have expectations. Afghanistan has the member- and services. Special Representative and Head One is that the Afghan Govern- ship of ECO and SAARC but it is The European Union Delega- of the European Union Delegation ment, together with the European said that the organizations have tion for Afghanistan said in a press to Afghanistan, Ambassador Union and other international part- had symbolic role and the goals of release on Tuesday that Afghans Franz-Michael Mellbin. ners immediately begin to cure the them have not been achieved due now rate corruption as the nation s According to Integrity Watch, endemic corruption. We stand to competition among member second biggest problem and the Afghans now see corruption as the ready to work with President countries of the organizations. government should address the second biggest problem after inse- Ghani, who recently referred to Critics believe that Afghani- endemic graft immediately. curity. The extreme level of cor- corruption as a national shame. It stan should boost its ties with the It is imperative that the in- ruption threatens international is important for us to know that regional countries, the international ternational community speaks out support to the Afghan nation and the money we invest goes into the A boy riding a bicycle looks at a collapsed house after Saturday s earthquake, in community and other regional and against corruption in Afghanistan. is an increasing concern to the Eu- right pockets, said Ambassador Kathmandu, Nepal, April 28, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) world organizations in a bid to Corruption fills the pockets of the ropean Union. We are a long-term Mellbin. improve its economy. This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF.