Indian soldiers to be court-martialled for staging encounters in Kashmir

Indian army killed 3 labourers in a fake 2010 encounter and over 120 more civilians in the ensuing protests. PHOTO: FILE

SRINAGAR: India has decided to court-martial two Indian army officers along with four soldiers for staging an encounter in Indian-occupied Kashmir in which three labourers were killed, according to BBC Urdu.

Colonel Rajesh Kalia, the Defence spokesperson for Indian Army’s northern command said the concerned ‘encounter’ occurred three years ago, and the decision to take action against the soldiers came after investigations over the incident had been completed.

The incident happened in the last week of 2010 in a village called ‘Maazhil” in District Kupwara, Northern Kashmir. Local police had investigated the incident and filed cases against nine Indian soldiers plus two Kashmiris working for the Indian army.

The army conducted its own investigation though, headed by Brigadier Sanga.

Colonel Kalia said: “The people want rapid justice for the incident and our decision reflects their sentiments.’

When news of the sham encounter first broke in 2010, Kashmiris led large-scale protests against the killings for a long time. To quell the protests, Indian paramilitary troops and police fired at the protesters and shot dead over 120 civilians, injuring hundreds and arresting a large number of young boys as well.

A few months ago, the army conducted a two-week operation to hunt down suspected rebels in disputed Kashmir after a series of gunbattles in which at least eight alleged militants were killed.

Not the first fake encounter

BBC Urdu reported that in a separate incident in 2010, some time before the then US President Bill Clinton arrived in India for a visit, as many as 35 Sikh civilians were killed in an area in Northern Kashmir.

Subsequently, the Indian army claimed to have been in an ‘encounter’ in which they had killed the alleged terrorists from Pakistan who perpetrated the above incident. To quell the demonstrations, Indian paramilitary troops and police fired at the people, killing over 120 civilians, injuring hundreds and arresting thousands of young boys.

As official investigations disclosed later, though, the people killed by the Indian Army were innocent civilians, who were burned down alive inside their houses

Indefatigable and inspiring, Kallis retires from Test cricket

"South Africans love their sporting heroes and Jacques is right up among the best," - Cricket South Africa (CSA) president. PHOTO: AFP

It turned out to be an emotional 12 months for test cricket as South Africa’s indefatigable warhorse Jacques Kallis announced his retirement from the format, having cemented his place, at least statistically, as the greatest all-rounder ever and a modern great of the game.

Australian Ricky Ponting bowed out at Perth late last year while India plunged into deep depression when Sachin Tendulkar walked into the sunset amid much hype and fanfare in Mumbai last month.

Despite Kallis’ stature in world cricket, emotions are unlikely to reach such levels when he walks out on Thursday for one last time in test whites against India at Durban – the same venue where he made his debut 18 years ago.

Tendulkar commanded idolatry while Ponting evoked awe but Kallis, despite his mind-boggling numbers, always managed to slip under the radar when it came to adulation.

This despite the fact that Kallis, fourth in the list of highest test run-accumulators, has an enviable average of 55.12.

To go with his 13,174 runs, Kallis has taken 292 wickets from 165 tests generating unsuspected pace and disconcerting bounce from even some of the most docile tracks.

His 577 international wickets will attest to the fact that tasked with breaking up partnerships, he has rarely let his captains down.

Along with West Indian great Gary Sobers, Kallis’s all-round exploits will long be remembered.

When done with bowling, Kallis would take his cap back from the umpire and return to slip where his sure palms would pouch edges from tentative blades that comprise lion’s share of the 199 test catches he has taken so far.

One of the handful batsmen to have scored 11,000-plus runs in both forms of the game, Kallis towered over a South African team that often looked up to him for inspiration.

Saviour knight 

“South Africans love their sporting heroes and Jacques is right up among the best,” Cricket South Africa (CSA) president Chris Nenzani said.

“He has indeed been our knight in shining armour who has ridden to the rescue of our embattled troops on more occasions than I am sure he would wish to remember.”

CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat hailed Kallis as South Africa’s best player ever.

“Jacques Kallis has simply been the Proteas Rock of Gibraltar … He is a legend and his statistics speak volumes,” said Lorgat.

“Like all great players Jacques’ contribution cannot just be measured in runs, wickets and catches.

“He has been a tremendous source of inspiration and a mentor to some of his younger peers and I am sure that super stars like Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis would be the first to admit how much they relied on him.”

Nearly two decades of top flight cricket has taken its toll on his ageing body. His bowling has naturally lost some edge but his commitment never wavered.

“We were reminded again this past weekend what he means to the Proteas and what some of our opponents might well call an unfair advantage that he gives us,” Lorgat said, referring to the drawn Johannesburg test against India.

“When (fast bowler) Morne Morkel was ruled out of the match through injury he simply stepped into the void, cranked up the speed gun and put his body on the line to deliver what we needed

Cristiano Ronaldo, the goal king of 2013

DIEGO JIMENO MANRIQUE 12/24/2013

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No one has been as prolific as Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013. The Portuguese ace just keeps getting better and better and has surpassed his personal best of 63, set last year, to notch up 69 goals. His closest challengers were Ibrahimovic with 47, Messi with 45, Suárez with 42 and Cavani with 41.

In a Real Madrid shirt, CR7 has racked up 38 goals in the league, 15 in the Champions League and six in the 'Copa del Rey'. He also grabbed no fewer than 10 on the international stage, more or less single-handedly blasting Portugal into the World Cup.

Cristiano's goalscoring prowess makes a strong case in the race for the Ballon d'Or. Tellingly, CR7 scored more goals than his two rivals for the award, Messi (45) and Ribéry (23), put together.

Messi hamstrung by injuries

Injuries hindered Ronaldo's arch-nemesis in the goalscoring stakes. Problems with both of his hamstrings effectively made the end of the year a write-off for Messi.

Ibrahimovic, great goalscorer and scorer of great goals

The Swedish marksman has emerged as one of the two most prolific strikers in the world in recent years, excelling after a move to Ligue I. But beyond merely his strike rate, the PSG man will be best remembered for some real humdingers.

Uruguay's deadly duo

Liverpool forward Luis Suárez has made up for lost time in the last few months, roaring into an extremely commendable fourth position with 42 goals.

His partner in crime at international level, Edinson Cavani, has been almost as lethal. Switching shirt, city and league doesn't appear to have put an end to his love affair with the net, although the bulk of his 41 goals were scored for Napoli.

Atleti: Costa consigns Falcao to history

Diego Costa is another man who will be sad to see the back of 2013. The Atlético striker ends the year on 36 goals, putting him seventh in the charts, behind Robert Lewandowski (39). The faith shown in him by his manager, the challenge of taking up the mantle from Falcao and the support from the fans have all helped Costa hit the target with astonishing regularity.

Jackson Martínez (Porto) lies eighth, making him the top-scoring Colombian, while Van Persie (31) and Agüero (30) round off the top ten.

Russia drops charges against Greenpeace activists

A handout picture taken on December 22, 2013 and released by Greenpeace International shows the Arctic Sunrise Dutch-flagged Greenpeace protest ship captain, Peter Willcox from USA, holding one of his amnesty documents in St. Petersburg. PHOTO: AFP

MOSCOW: Russia on Wednesday formally dropped criminal charges against Greenpeace activists arrested in a protest against Arctic oil drilling on Wednesday and was expected to shortly do the same for all 30, the environmental group said.

By 0700 ET Greenpeace said it knew of the dropping of charges against 19 of the group, who are currently still in Russia on bail. The move followed the announcement of a Kremlin amnesty.

The activists will now be free to leave Russia and travel home to their families, once they secure exit visas.

Russia’s treatment of the activists – who spent two months in detention and had faced hooliganism charges punishable by seven years in jail – had drawn heavy criticism from Western nations and celebrities.

Their amnesty will remove an irritant in relations in what Kremlin critics say is a move timed to improve Russia’s image ahead of the Sochi Olympics.

“This is the day we’ve been waiting for since our ship was boarded by armed commandos almost three months ago,” Peter Willcox, who captained the Greenpeace vessel used in the protest, the Arctic Sunrise, said in a statement.

“I’m pleased and relieved the charges have been dropped, but we should not have been charged at all.”

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia’s response to a Greenpeace protest should serve as a lesson and Moscow would toughen steps to guard against interference in its development of the region.

Russia says activists endangered lives and property in the protest at the state-controlled energy giant Gazprom’s Prirazlomnaya platform in the Pechora Sea, a key element of Russia’s plans to develop the Arctic.

Greenpeace said the boarding of its icebreaker by Russian authorities was illegal and denied says its activists conducted a peaceful protest.

Gladbach sees Ter Stegen joining Barcelona

Barcelona is still desperately trying to find a tried and tested world-class goalkeeper capable of replacing Víctor Valdés, who has made it very clear that he is leaving the Catalan giants in June.

Zubizarreta's three-man shortlist is made of Courtois, Ter Stegen and Reina. Courtois is Sandro Rosell's preferred choice, but convincing Mourinho to let him go won't be easy, because although he is playing on-loan at Atlético de Madrid, he belongs to Chelsea and the Portuguese manager has already threatened him with the bench if he doesn't sign a new deal.

There has already been contact and an initial agreement with Ter Stegen, although a deal still needs to be reached with Borussia Mönchengladbach. Despite this, the German club sees him joining Barça. At least, that is what Borussia's manager appeared to be saying when asked about Ter Stegen’s future. "We hope that he stays with us, but when a club like Barcelona comes for you, well… We have to be realistic, but remain hopeful," said Lucien Favre, the German club’s coach.

Barça has announced that it doesn't plan to reveal which keeper it will move for in June until Valdés announces where he is going

Hiring process: Candidates jockey for coveted job of PSO MD

According to sources, one sitting minister who had also served as Chairman and CEO of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was backing Shahid Islam. DESIGN: TALHA KHAN

ISLAMABAD: 

Two strong candidates, with approvals and recommendations from senior bureaucrats, are in the race for becoming Managing Director (MD) Pakistan State Oil (PSO).

Sources told The Express Tribune that former Chairman Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Tariq Karmani, and a former employee of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Shahid Islam were strong candidates for the position of MD.

Sources said that one former finance minister was reportedly backing Tariq Karmani, who had also served in PIA. They said that the government had also abolished condition of upper age limit for retired officials like Karmani to qualify them for the post of head of state-owned companies.

According to sources, one sitting minister who had also served as Chairman and CEO of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was backing Shahid Islam.

“Shahid Islam has been very close to the minister when both were serving in PIA,” sources said. “If Shahid Islam becomes MD PSO, then Tariq Karmani will be the new chairman of the board of directors of PSO,” sources added.

Amjad Pervez Janjua, acting MD PSO, had also applied for the post.

“If he does not become head of PSO, then he is likely to become Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of PSO,” sources said, adding that the board of directors of PSO had stopped increments of some officials who had moved courts against the company. Current DMD, Jehangir Ali Shah, was one of those officials whose increments had been stopped for going to courts,” officials said, adding that Shah had approached the court seeking a decision to become permanent DMD. He was appointed for a two year term which was going to expire in the next two months.

“Janjua may replace Jehangir Ali Shah as DMD if he is not appointed regular head of PSO,” sources said.

PSO is already facing a financial crunch due to circular debt which had mounted again. “The circular debt may be a gigantic task for the upcoming head of PSO,” sources said, adding that the appointment of head of PSO on political basis may aggravate the financial crunch of the company due to failure in managing the affairs.

Officials said that the government had tried to reduce circular debt by raising power tariff but the debt was still building up and PSO was being hit badly. Officials said that the power sector was still not making timely payments, raising power tariffs and had failed to control the losses which were resulting in circular debt swelling to over Rs225 billion. The recovery of power bills is still slow and power losses are high, but the government has not taken any action resulting in further swelling of circular debt.

According to sources, state-run Pakistan State Oil (PSO) is also in trouble, with receivables against different sectors including power had surged to Rs139 billion. Out of this, Water and Power Regulatory Authority is to pay Rs81.46, Hub Power Company Rs28.6, PIA Rs7.12 and Karachi Electric Supply Company Rs9.9 billion.

Energy development: Bong hydropower paves way for 8,800MW power projects

The power project has the cumulative power generating capacity of 8,800 megawatt. ILLUSTRATION: JAMAL KHURSHID

ISLAMABAD: The successful completion of the 84 megawatt Bong Escape Hydropower Project, located in Mangla Azad Jammu and Kashmir, has paved way for numerous medium size independent power projects. The power project has the cumulative power generating capacity of 8,800 megawatt.

The projects that are launched by Independent Power Producers (IPPs) include a 620 MW project, which is under progress in Azad Pattan and another 80 MW project in Pashkot.

The Bong project, which has been operating since March 2013, is located about seven kilometres downstream of Mangla Dam. It is utilising the water from River Jhelum which was earlier going to waste.

“Following the Bong project, more than 8,800 megawatt projects are in various stages of development currently and the impact of the project will increase manifold,” S Hasnain Haider, chief executive officer of Laraib Energy Limited, a HUBCO subsidiary which is executing the project, told the press at the project site.

While providing details, Haider said the Bong Escape Hydropower Project was the only project that has survived among 35 projects that were started back in 1995 for power generation on hydel resources following the 1995 hydropower policy.  “About 35 hydel power projects were provided licence in 1995, however, due to changing governments and changes in policies, only three of them survived and among them only one has become operational now,” he added.

He said that the project subsisted due to serious interests of the initiators and interest of donors, including Asian Development Bank (ADB) being part of it. He said the Bong project witnessed many ups and downs, and ultimately Hubco was invited into the project in 2008 to help Laraib achieve completion of its development activities and provide help for achieving financial close.

In his detailed briefing, Head of Operations of Laraib, Azhar Masud Panni said that ADB provided an amount of $37.3 million and the Islamic Development Bank also provided $37.3 million while Proparco financed $26 million.

In addition, the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) financed Rs1.625 billion and Habib Bank Limited (HBL) also provided Rs1.625 billion for the projects. He said that Pakistan has about 60,000 hydel power generation potential, mostly in areas of Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. However so far only 6,720 hydel potential was tapped