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Posts Tagged ‘Pakistan’

ESPNcricinfo can today provide the facts that prove the legality of Saeed Ajmal’s bowling action.

Ajmal was Man of the Series against England after taking 24 wickets in the three-Test series and playing a prominent role in Pakistan’s first Test whitewash against England.

Ajmal caused confusion when he gave a TV interview following the series and appeared to indicate he had been given dispensation by the ICC to bowl above the 15-degree tolerance limit.

Countless fans have contacted ESPNcricinfo through social networking sites and by email asking us to clarify the situation regarding Ajmal. After a thorough investigation, including extensive discussion with the ICC, these are the facts.

Ajmal’s action is well within the ICC range of tolerance. While he does bowl with a bend in his arm, it does not straighten more, on average, than about eight degrees.
His arm does come through at a bent angle but that is allowed so long as it doesn’t straighten beyond the tolerance level.
The figure of 23.5 degrees mentioned by Ajmal is the average angle of his arm at the beginning of delivery.
The ICC put Ajmal, along with other bowlers, under constant scrutiny and evidence suggests that there has been no significant deterioration in Ajmal’s action since he was tested in 2009.
Contrary to widespread belief, Ajmal’s off-break and quicker ball actually cause his arm to straighten more – though only a fraction more – than his much-debated doosra.
The ICC is reluctant to discuss bowling actions in detail because officials fear the subject is too complicated to explain.
For the full story read senior cricket correspondent George Dobell’s piece from Dubai.

Heartiest congratulations to Pakistan on an unbelievable (3-0) white wash of English cricket team at the Test cricket series 2012 played at UAE. 

No doubt it’s an epoch making historical victory, achieved with Kind Blessings of Allah, sincere guidance of new PCB leadership, sheer hard work and disciplined game of Pakistani cricket team led by its able captain Misbah ul Haq and it’s tour management, led by the coach Mohsin Hassan Khan. It looks we are watching a miracle in our dreams. 

Now it is high time that ICC must facilitate Pakistan and lend it’s helping hand, in holding international matches in Pakistan, without any further delay. 

Thank you Pakistani cricketers you made us proud. For us,  it’s joy which is more than winning the world cup. Keep up your good work.

Peace prize and war crimes
By: Jalees Hazir | February 05, 2012 | 0
The Nobel Peace Prize winner and President of the United States, Barack Obama, confirmed last week that his country uses unmanned aerial vehicles to bomb targets in Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Though this has been an open secret, it was the first time that the international crime was publically admitted. He didn’t stop there and went on to defend these attacks that have killed thousands of innocent people in FATA. According to him, the US carries out these attacks to avoid more intrusive military action, that the bombing is carefully targeted and that these precision strikes are carried out to kill Al-Qaeda and its affiliates. He was not put on the spot about the innocent civilians, including women, children and the elderly, who have been killed by the US drones; not that it would have made him uncomfortable. Representatives of the wicked superpower have coined a standard term to justify that kind of thing. Very conveniently, they call it collateral damage.
The streets, fields and graveyards of Iraq and Afghanistan would give a good idea about what that collateral damage means. They are not the only examples of countries that have been ravaged by large scale death and destruction at the hands of the US, all in the name of high-flying principles like democracy and human rights and catchily-named fake bogeys like the war on terror and weapons of mass destruction. The badmash superpower doesn’t mind killing large numbers of people in whose name they wage these wars, people whose rights it seems so eager to defend and fight for. It doesn’t mind creating terror for millions of people on a daily basis to wage its spurious war on terror. It spends hundreds of billion dollars waging war in distant lands, killing innocent people, destroying their homes and cities, turning their lush fields to charred earth, but it has no money for its poor, no money for its citizens who might need the help of their country, supposed to be the richest on earth.
It is said that with great power comes great responsibility, but power seems to have produced strange results for the sole superpower that, instead of using it to create a peaceful and prosperous world, is hell bent to utilise that power to ride roughshod over the entire planet. And as it hurtles along on its dangerous mission, killing and destroying everyone and everything that stands in its way, manipulating societies to foment unrest and divisions so that the situation could be used to its advantage, it lectures the world about civilised behaviour and all that comes with it. In the case of the US, great power has brought with it hypocrisy and arrogance. The self-proclaimed torchbearer of humanity and human values has no qualms about saying one thing and doing another. It has the audacity to talk glibly about millions of precious innocent lives lost as collateral damage.
Of course, the US is made possible with more than a little help from accomplices in the targeted countries, whether they come in the form of pliant governments or disenchanted groups that are funded and armed to serve as tools of imperialism. In Pakistan, the most important ally of the US is the so-called democratic government. While we condemn the deaths and destruction, the loot and plunder, perpetrated by the US, it is important not to forget the support that it gets from those in charge of our destiny. According to confidential cables sent by the US Embassy in Pakistan and released by Wikileaks, President Asif Zardari is reported to have told US officials in a private meeting that they should carry on with their drone strikes and not worry about innocent lives lost. He is quoted to have said that collateral damage does not bother him. Officially, our stand is that these strikes are unlawful, counterproductive and unacceptable.
When a CIA agent posing as a US diplomat killed two Pakistanis in broad daylight on a crowded square in the centre of Lahore, our leadership engineered his escape from the country. When US commandos conducted their get-Osama raid deep inside Pakistani territory without so much as informing the so-called ally, our President congratulated the US in an op-ed piece published the very next day in a major American daily. What kind of signals are we sending to the US? The military leadership seems to have come out of the US hypnosis, but the government is obviously still ready to serve the two-faced master. Despite the unwillingness on part of the US to apologise for the death of Pakistani soldiers killed in the attack on the Salalah checkposts, or to even guarantee that it won’t happen again, government ministers are talking about re-opening the Nato supply routes after taxing the containers.
An elderly friend says that we should not blame the foreign invaders and colonialists for their crimes and exploitation, as they could not have been successful without help from local players. He is well versed in history and quotes many battles and intrigues to prove his point; the betrayals and selling out of insiders that made it possible for imperialism to thrive. Naturally, it gets worse if those willing to sell out the interests of their people are not few but an entire political elite, an elite that is so hopelessly sold out that it sees its own country and its people through the eyes of the imperialists, an elite weaned on loans and hemmed in by the framework of those who want to control what goes on in the country that it is supposed to govern, an elite that parrots what the master says and has no narrative of its own. We cannot hope to break the stranglehold of the global badmash with people like that calling the shots in Pakistan.
However, my elderly friend is only partially right. While citizens of Pakistan continue their struggle to rid themselves of colonial stooges pretending to be the leaders of a free country, and to put in place a government that will work for their interests, they must not turn a blind eye to the slithery machinations of imperialism that have been perfected over the years, complete with new divisions that it must sow to rule and new burdens of democracy and human rights that it must carry to the ends of the world. Whatever the crimes of our own elite, it does not absolve the leaders of the so-called free world of their crimes against humanity. President Obama’s drone attacks are a crime too big to be hidden by his Nobel Peace Prize.
The writer is a freelance columnist.
Email: hazirjalees@hotmail.com
This is a cross post from PakPotpouuri

Honourable Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani,
 
AoA.
 
It will not be out of place to begin with a news item published in the news papers today i.e., Wednesday 1 Feb. 2012, stating that the Indian Supreme Court warned on Tuesday that corruption posed a “grave danger” to the world’s largest democracy quoted as below.
 
Quote ” Today corruption in our country not only poses a grave danger for the concept of constitutional governance, it also threatens the very foundation of Indian democracy and the rule of law.” Unquote. The above was said by Justice A.K. Ganguly, while delivering a ruling in connection with the alleged underpriced selling of telecom licenses, which the national auditors says may have cost the country up to $39 billion.

An excerpt from a Times of India news published on Wednesday, 2nd Feb. 2012 is also given below for the information of Mr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Finance Minister of Pakistan, who says he expects only $800 million from the COMBINED telecom auction of 3G, (4G LTE) and (5G LTE-A.) (India got $69 billion for ONLY 3G, exactly two years ago, as per TOI news quoted below.

“The 122 licences were given by Raja for over Rs 9,000 crore, while 3G auctions for a smaller number of licences had fetched the government a sum of Rs 69,000 crores.”

 
In the same context of selling of telecom licenses in Pakistan, a mega scandal is also brewing, for which your kind attention is invited to immediately intervene, so that the nefarious designs of  unscrupulous elements to defame the PPP and its government, is nipped in the bud.
 
                                          DETAILS OF THE CASE  

With the recent publication of the advertisement of PTA  in the news papers for “Invitation for Expression of Interest” (EOI) with application for AUCTION of Mobile License/Spectrum (3G/4G/LTE [long term evolution] etc), the following questions needs answers to safeguard the national interest by all and sundry.
 
1. Why the LOW base price of US $ 155 Million for one Mobile Cellular License/Spectrum (800 MHz), when this license was sold for 291 US $ Million eight years ago in the year 2002? OK, it is being auctioned for 8 years instead of 15 years, but is there no premium for above 68 % mobile teledensity which was not there eight years ago?
 
2. Why the license will be technology neutral? Which means no licenses will be required for any future launches of 4G, 5G so on so forth. this also means selling all future long term evolution inductions free of cost. This happens no where in the world. Even in Pakistan when 2G was sold in 2004, it was not permitted to launch 3G without fresh license. So why now 4G onwards is being sold free of cost?
 
3.i. Why the LOW base price of US $ 210 Million for the auction of Three Mobile Cellular Licenses/Spectrum (1900/211MHz/3G/4G/LTE etc.)? 
 
3.ii. Here it should be noted that 2G license was auctioned by PTA in 2002 at US $ 291 Million, when there was much less teledensity than 68% as of now and in the next 15 years (the period for which new licenses are being auctioned), it will obviously increase to higher levels. 
 
3.iii. And above all this auction is technology neutral, which means license for 3G is also valid for FREE for 4G, 5G onwards. Under this situation this base price of US $ 210 Million is ridiculously low.
 
4. As per IM (Information Memorandum) on PTA website all three telecom companies winning the technology neutral AUCTION of Mobile License/Spectrum (3G/4G/LTE [long term evolution] etc) will be required to pay half of the bid value within 30 days in USD or PKR. Also Rest of the amount can be paid in USD or PKR in five equal yearly installments. This virtually means that Telecom companies will NOT bring any fresh foreign investment and also the remaining 50% amount will be deposited on PAY AS YOU EARN basis. This tantamount to robbing the nation of valuable FDI in the garb of auction terms, particularly when bidding is only allowed in minimum 2 million USD and maximum 10 million USD. So when bidding is in USD payment should also be in USD.
 
5. Why PTA has shown less figures of total Teledensity of Pakistan (68.39) in 2010-11 at para 3.7 of (IM [information memorandum] on its website) whereas, according to its own figures in the graph shown in  the para 3.7, the total comes to (68.43)?
 
6. Why the PTA advertisement published in the news papers of 24 January, 2012 states mobile teledensity as 62% against the figures of 64.9% shown in IM at their website? 

7. India is not 70 times bigger than Pakistan in economy or any way, but it got $69 billion, that too, two years ago, from it’s auction of ONLY 3G. Why our Finance Minister has kept a budgeted amount of ONLY $800 million as expected income from the auction of NOT only 3G but 4 & 5G as well?

 
Submitted for consideration and immediate corrective action before it is too late.

————————————————

It was reported recently on a TV channel, that Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh expects 800 million USD revenue, from the auction of 3G (fast Internet) license to telecom companies.
 
It is reported that government has fixed the base price for auction to held on March 28 and 29, 2012 for 3G and 4G as 210 million USD. Whereas, 8 years ago 2G was sold at 291 million USD. (Please check and confirm this data from PTA).
 
Here, I must forewarn all and sundry, that under no circumstances, the worth of this auction amount can be less than 10 billion dollars. India got 69 billion USD from the same auction in April 2010 i.e. two years ago. Details are available at link:- https://www.snayyar.com/3g-telecom-technology-pakistan-can-earn-billions-of-usd-by-just-selling-air.html.
 
It will not be out of place to state that as reported today i.e., Wednesday 1 Feb. 2012 the Indian Supreme Court warned on Tuesday that corruption posed a “grave danger” to the world’s largest democracy quoted as below.
 
All patriotic citizens and institutions must be alert, lest we may not be cheated again, by those who sold our valuable national assets, for even less than the peanuts, in Musharraf era.

Change in the game of cricket is here to stay, whether we like it or not. T20 and ODI’s are definitely going to churn out more and more money, for all connected with the game. Now, there is no use criticizing the evolution process. 

Adaptation is the secret of success. Building a Test team is no rocket science. One has to be just one step ahead of the competition. Just closely watch how England and Australia are focusing their time and energy, on keeping at top level, in Test format of the game. Moreover, until and unless the sub-continent players are given rigors of sessions of fast and bouncy pitches, with special bouncing balls, to expect our batsmen to perform better than their opponents, is to live in a fools paradise. 

Although, Pakistan is not a very strong team against the world No.1 England yet, they did not leave anything to chance and asked English players to practise for months in India and South Africa, to prepare and practise for the conditions, nearest to the UAE pitches. 

As they say, practice makes one perfect. And for an ordinary person, it will not be difficult to predict the outcome of the ensuing Pakistan Vs England encounters in UAE, particularly when Misbah ul Haq is a known defensive mind. Last day his comments posted on ESPN Cricinfo removed any doubt about his negative attitude towards the game.

Quote.” It is better to win playing safe than attack and lose.”

On the same web page was posted an advice of famous Indian captain Saurov Ganguly, for Sachin Tendulkar, quoted as below.

Quote” I will tell him, if he thinks about defending, he must try some other sport.” Unquote.

As Viv Richards said “Cricket is a mind game.” And as Imran Khan said “playing for a draw is the best recipe for defeat.” If the objective of any captain, before entering the ground, is to wait and see, rather than nothing but a win, how can he marshall his players to the victory? In cricket you have to impose your agenda, on the opponent team. You have to create opportunities, like they say you have to create run outs. At times you have to snatch victories from the jaws of defeat. In any sport, one team wins and the other loses. There is no harm in losing if you give a good fight. The only objectionable thing is the abject surrender.

Now, someone must tell Misbah that famous saying, quote” In any fight, if a dog is given to lead the lions, all lions will die fighting  like a dog. However, in any fight, if a lion is given to lead the dogs, all dogs will put up a fight like a lion, irrespective of the outcome of that fight.”Unquote.

Misbah should be told that offense is the best defense.

It looks Misbah has already surrendered the series, even before a ball was bowled. Anyway, we should pray for the success of our team, as miracles do happen.

As reported by the daily Tribune, President Barack Obama signed a sweeping US defense funding bill on Saturday, which includes new sanctions on financial institutions dealing with Iran’s central bank, and curtailing up to $850 million in aid to Pakistan. Link :- http://tribune.com.pk/story/314833/obamas-new-years-gift-signs-bill-freezing-aid-to-pakistan/

Now, (after President Barack Obama approved sanctions over Pakistan, effective 1st Jan. 2012), it is very appropriate time that Pakistan closes it’s air space for US and NATO planes, on the premise that sanctions are not imposed on friends.

It’s an extremely unfriendly act and sanctions means they consider Pakistan as enemy. So, we must also act in our own interest, in a firm and bold manner. Stand up Pakistan, its now or never.

If the US has no consideration of our enormous sacrifices of men and material, we should also not go with them any further mile in their imposed war on terror. Why should Pakistan suffer eternally, for the intelligence failure of American agencies in preventing 9/11 attacks on America, in which no Pakistani was ever found to have been involved. Moreover, if Osama Bin Laden was involved in 9/11 attacks, he too was a made in America product. All said and done, Pakistan is being  punished continously for the crime of  siding with America, in their imposed war on terror, for which no country on earth has suffered more than Pakistan.  

For Pakistan, enough is enough. America can’t have cake and eat it too.

Heartiest congratulations to Pakistani cricket team and PCB, on consecutive all cricket formats victories, against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh cricket teams.

Now the real test of planning, talent and abilities, awaits our cricket team and it’s management, against English team in UAE series, next month.

In this regard, the PCB may consider as below, a recipe for winning against England.

1. Positive Attitude.  Defensive minds are neither creative nor cooperative. Until  and unless we only focus on nothing short of winning (and consider a DRAW as a DEFEAT) no planning and preparation, will give us the desired results.

2. Planning. The team management in particular and players in general must be told that PLANS never fail, rather we fail to PLAN. And for planning, the first and foremost thing is the mind set, totally focused on goal achievement. In order to achieve the impossible, it is precisely imperative, to think the unthinkable.

3. Video Analysis. All concerned must sit and watch strengths and weaknesses of English as well as, Pakistani players. This will not only help in overcoming our weaknesses, but will also help in field settings, determining bowling line and length, knowing weakness of opponent players, against fast and spin bowling etc.

4. Infusion of Motivation. Since, cricket is a mind game, a motivation specialist (NOT psychiatrist) must be attached with the team, with the task to convert our players, from being simply dynamic persons to a DYNAMITE personality, so that every player must perform, to his peak ability. In my opinion, the best person in the country, for this job is Ms Andleeb Abbas.

5. Team Selection. (a) The success of any project depends on the right selection of it’s team members. The enemy of the BEST is often the GOOD. In fact, now it is said that the only difference between winning and losing organizations is the quality of it’s people, which includes their character, belief, habits, personal motivation and abilities.

(b) We should not only select players on merit or past performances but, one or two batsmen and bowlers from domestic circuit should also be selected by just anticipating, that given a chance, they can be stars overnight with their sheer fearlessness and big game temperament. Just like as a shrewd jeweler, we should pick a diamond from the rubbles.

(c) Having said that, Shahid Afridi (basically on his bowling and fielding abilities and forgetting his batting ability, because in cricket bowlers win matches) and Umar Akmal (if he is given the wicket keeping job the team becomes more balanced), must be selected for the Test teams as well.

(d) Similarly, our wicket keepers on show till now have been just average players. We must find some really outstanding wicket keeper, for which the legend Mr. Wasim Bari should be assigned the task, to find out the person who can be categorized as find of the tour.

6.Team Management. The team management must be told that business as usual, will not deliver in this most tough series. They should know that management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things. Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; Leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.

Dear Mr. Barack Obama,

Salaam.

Pakistan still remembers that you said “Pakistan was an enormous country”, during your last visit to India and now Mr. Leon Panetta, has very rightly said that stable Pak-US relations are critical to Afghan success.

In my opinion, after you Excellency, your Secretary of Defense, is the only man in the world, who can restore the snapped relations with Pakistan, provided he is given the ultimate authority to negotiate new terms of engagements, which in the end, must be a win win situation, for both the parties.

However, it must be remembered  that stability of our relations won’t come over the blood of our martyred soldiers. Muslims are never taught to offer the other cheek, if slapped on one.

US and the NATO must understand our psyche, before even thinking of building stable relationship with Pakistan.

The only way to reach out Pakistan, for it’s cooperation and friendship, is to first recognize what it has sacrificed, for the imposed war and then deal on mutual and equal terms. Else, acrimony will stay permanently, even if some ad-hoc measures, diffuse the situation for the time being.

Wishing you, your family and all Americans, a very happy Christmas and Seasons Greetings.

Best regards,

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad

Lahore – Pakistan.

Daily the Nation reported today under a head line, that “Pak nuclear asset unsafe as its military penetrated by extremists: Gingrich” link :-http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/08-Dec-2011/Pak-nuclear-asset-unsafe-as-its-military-penetrated-by-extremists-Gingrich

In this regard,  Leading Republican Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has reported to have said that the Pakistani Army is so penetrated by extremist elements, its nuclear assets of about 100 weapons are not safe.

Mr. N Gingrich should leave the phobia of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and purge his own military killing machine, which has killed in recent years, millions of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan & Pakistan, on the wrong inte…lligence of WMD’s (as admitted by Bush, Blair and Powel) and false war on terror.

America has specialized in killings of innocent Muslims and the latest example is it’s attack on Pakistani check post on 26/11, at Pak-Afghan border killing our 28 troops, who were there to protect American and NATO soldiers, from the attacks of Taliban.