Turkey charges mining company CEO, two more, over disaster

Protesters wearing hard hats raise their fists as they march pulling a cart bearing a pile of coal, roses a hard hat, a Turkish flag with the image of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of Modern Turkey, during a demonstration by the leftist Turkish Youth Union to protest the 301 deaths of the Soma coal mine accident and demand the Turkish prime minister's resignation, in Ankara on May 19, 2014. PHOTO: AFP

ANKARA: Turkey has charged three more people with manslaughter over the country’s worst mining disaster, including the CEO of the company operating the pit, reports said on Tuesday.

Can Gurkan, the chief executive of mining company Soma Komur, general manager Ramazan Dogru and a technician were the latest to face manslaughter charges over the disaster that claimed 301 lives, the private NTV television said.

A total of eight officials from Soma Komur have now been charged over last Tuesday’s accident at the Soma mine that sparked anti-government protests in several towns and cities.

Gurkan and other company executives have denied any responsibility for the disaster.

According to the International Labour Organisation, Turkey had the highest number of work deaths in Europe in 2012, and the third highest in the world. From 2002 to 2012, more than 1,000 Turkish miners have been killed.

The lead prosecutor in Soma, Bekir Sahiner, ruled out on Sunday that an electrical fault triggered the fire that spread through the mine.

Rescue operations were suspended on Saturday as information from families suggested that all the bodies had been recovered.

Police have used tear gas and water cannons to disperse large protests in Turkey’s main cities, as well as in Soma

Best performance: Brazilian embassy honours Pakistani street footballers

One of the players receives a shield from the Brazilian ambassador (left). Earlier, the boys played a friendly match with a local team. PHOTO: EXPRESS/AFP

ISLAMABAD: 

It is hard to imagine Pakistan doing great in football at any level. The international sport is among the most popular team sports in the country, but the domestic craze for football is usually visible in front of TV screens than on the pitch.

But the Pakistani street children team proved otherwise, by finishing in third place at the Street Child World Cup held in Brazil last month.

Football is akin to a religion in Latin America, and it is no surprise that Brazilians appreciate good football when they see it.

At a ceremony at the Brazilian embassy in Islamabad on Monday, Ambassador Alfredo Leoni honoured the Pakistani street child football team with praise and awards.

The team — Sameer Ahmed, Abdul Raziq, Aurangzeb Baba, Salman Hussain, Owais Ali, Faizan Fayyaz, Muhammad Shoaib, Mehr Ali and Rajab Ali, was made up of children from Karachi, except Fayyaz, who is from Quetta.

The nine teammates and their coach, Abdul Rashid, were joined at the ceremony by Azad Foundation Chairman Naveed Hasan Khan, who helped scout the young footballers, Muslim Hands Director Amjad Rasool, and Chief Executive Officer of the Street Child World Cup John Wroe.

In his welcome address, Ambassador Leoni said sports were important tools for social organisations and institutions to promote education and to provide support to the street children. He praised the young Pakistani footballers for their achievement in Brazil.

“Their accomplishment will be an inspiration for all children of Pakistan,” he said.

Children from three institutes in Islamabad and Rawalpindi that support and educate street children also participated in a football match held as part of the ceremony, according to the Brazilian embassy. These institutions were the Mashal Model School in Nurpur, Rah-e-Amal in Rawalpindi and LettuceBee Kids in F-11.

The Brazilian ambassador also gave shields to the team, the coach, the Azad Foundation chairman and the Muslim Hands director as well as prizes for the winners of the football goal competition.

In memoriam: The last Ruler of Bahawalpur

President Ayub Khan with Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan V Abbasi - Photo by the author

The Government of Pakistan announced the death of “General His Highness Nawab Al Haj Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan V Abbasi, N.Q.A, G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., K.C.S.I., K.C.V.O., L.L.D., the Ameer of Bahawalpur at 1.45pm on May 24, 1966, at London… His Highness was a great patriot…” In Pakistan, the national flag was lowered to half-mast on public buildings.

In London, the representatives of the Queen condoled following funeral prayers. At Karachi airport, the General Officer Commanding, Pakistan Army, received the body of the late ruler on behalf of the President of Pakistan. Units of the Pakistan Army presented an Honour Guard as six pallbearers from the Army bore the late ruler’s coffin draped in the national flag.

A special train escorted by an Honour Guard transported the coffin, members of his family and household staff to Bahawalpur.

On the following morning, the railway lines in the former Bahawalpur State were blocked by people mile after mile. Immense crowds expressed grief at the loss of their former sovereign who had succeeded to the throne of Bahawalpur State in 1904. He represented almost three centuries of peace, dignity and benevolent rule.

At Sadiqgarh Palace, the coffin was mounted on a gun-carriage escorted by six generals of the Pakistan Army; the procession followed on foot for one kilometre through silent crowds. Thereafter, the procession entered vehicles bound for Fort Derawer in the Cholistan desert to bury the last of Bahawalpur’s rulers alongside his ancestors.

At Fort Derawer six buglers of the Pakistan Army sounded the Last Post. Artillery batteries of the Pakistan Army, coordinated by radio, fired a 17-gun salute simultaneously from Rawalpindi and Fort Derawer. Thus the history of Bahawalpur State was buried.

The territories of Bahawalpur State comprised an area larger than Denmark or Belgium, its ruler was entitled to a return visit from the Viceroy of India. On August 14, 1947, its eastern border across ‘the Great Indian Desert’ was shared with India for 300 miles. Its western border was the River Indus, while its northern border was the River Sutlej shared with Punjab, and its southern border was shared with Sindh.

By 1947, Bahawalpur State’s institutions, largely set up by successive British advisors with support from the rulers, consisted of departments run by trained civil servants; there was a Ministerial Cabinet headed by a Prime Minister; the State Bank was the Bank of Bahawalpur with branches outside the State also, including Karachi; there was a high court and lower courts; a trained police force and an army commanded by officers trained at the Royal Indian Military Academy at Dehra Doon.

Regiments of the State’s Forces were later to become distinguished regiments of the Pakistan Army such as the 8th Baluch (1st Bahawalpur Light infantry), the 9th Baluch (2nd Bahawalpur Light Infantry), the 20th Baluch, the 21st Baluch, the 14th Abbasia Field Regiment Artillery, etc.

Education was of special interest to the late ruler. A network of primary and high schools, colleges and a university called Jamia Abbasia (now the Islamic University of Bahawalpur) were operative in the state. Education was free to A level and the State’s Government provided scholarships of merit for higher education. In 1951, the late ruler donated 500 acres in Bahawalpur city for the construction of Sadiq Public School. It was to be the last large education institution to be built in his lifetime.

This institution produced politicians, a chairman of the Senate, businessmen of today’s Pakistan, and several corps commanders. Libraries existed in every tehsil and a most impressive central library (the Sadiq Reading Room) at Bahawalpur was inaugurated in 1924 by Sir Rufus Daniel, Governor General of India. A well-stocked zoo was established in the city as also was the Bahawal Victoria Hospital.

The Boundary Commission formed for partition of India and chaired by Sir Cyril Radcliff allocated the territories to comprise the Dominions of Pakistan and India. The Award excluded the territories of Bahawalpur State from Pakistan since they were not part of British India.

Correspondence from the 1930s between Allama Iqbal and the late ruler shows his interest and support for the Muslim struggle for a homeland, with ongoing financial support for the Muslim League. A relationship of many years developed between the late ruler and the Quaid-i-Azam, who was also engaged professionally for a period to advise. It was this relationship that was later to become significant, politically and economically, in the strengthening of Pakistan.

While India inherited Delhi, the imperial capital, Pakistan had Karachi, then a small town with virtually no State apparatus, without stationery in offices and no State Bank. Financial funding for the new dominion and facilitation of the Quaid to operate as Head of State and the running of administration was much needed.

For the inauguration of the Quaid as Governor General of Pakistan in the presence of the Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, on August 14, 1947, the late ruler dispatched units of Bahawalpur’s State Forces to Karachi to provide an Honour Guard on the occasion. A Rolls Royce open Landau was also dispatched for the Quaid to receive Lord Mountbatten and proceed through Karachi to Government House.

Bahawalpur State was independent of Pakistan. The India Act of 1935 provided that the future status of the State lay with its ruler. For Pakistan securing the eastern border with India and for ensuring the passage of water from the rivers Sutlej and Indus was critical (an elaborate and modern irrigation system was in place); all the new Dominion’s lines of communication from north to south ran through Bahawalpur State. Consequently, the State became politically central to the survival of Pakistan in 1947.

At a meeting with the late ruler at Bahawalpur House, on his private estate at Malir, Karachi, a formal request from Quaid-i-Azam was made to politically federate Bahawalpur State with Pakistan in order to secure its eastern border. It was unhesitatingly accepted by the late ruler of Bahawalpur.

On October 10, 1947, in pursuance of the India Act of 1935, a constitutional Instrument of Accession, in favour of the Dominion of Pakistan, was drawn out by the late ruler and signed by him and the Quaid. Under the terms of the India Act it was open for the ruler to limit the exercise of federal authority in the State.

A list of federal subjects, regarding safeguards for defence and external affairs, was approved by the late ruler while the State of Bahawalpur retained its autonomy. Clause 8 of the Instrument of Accession read: “nothing in this instrument affects the continuance of my sovereignty in and over this State or save so provided by or under this instrument…”

In the period between October 10, 1947, and September 11, 1948, the initial financial requirements of the new Dominion of Pakistan were settled by the late Ruler (Bahawalpur State to Region, by Dr Umbreen Javaid). Pakistan had no State Bank at the time so the Bank of Bahawalpur became the conduit. Its financial assistance to Pakistan was treated as a contribution, not a loan.

Offers by the Dominion Government to compensate the late ruler for the loss of his palaces in Delhi, Missouri and Simla were declined by the ruler. The Dominion Government of Pakistan conferred the honorary rank of Full General of Pakistan Army on the late ruler. It was to be the first of the honours the Dominion accorded him during his lifetime. Following the Instrument of Accession, in 1952, a Second Supplementary Instrument of Accession was drawn up by the late ruler at the request of Governor General Khawaja Nazmuddin for additional “Dominion Subjects” to be approved. This followed the Government of Bahawalpur Act 1952 that created an interim constitution promulgated by the ruler for his State to ensure that elections took place and altered his political position to that of a constitutional ruler.

In the same year, the late ruler was invited by the Governor General of Pakistan to pay an unprecedented three-day State visit. In 1955, it became expedient for the political unity of the Dominion for a merger to take place between the two States which the late ruler agreed to. Accordingly, a Merger Agreement was signed by the late ruler and the Governor General which dealt with the new political position of the Bahawalpur State and the status of the late ruler and his family, which the new Dominion guaranteed to maintain and respect.

Withdrawing to private life, the late ruler alternated between Bahawalpur and England where he had maintained his country home on Lord Cowrdry’s Estate since the 1920s and his London residence at White Hall. He maintained his secretariat in London and continued his engagements, as also with Buckingham Palace.

In 1959, the late ruler set up his charitable foundation. It was to consist of 1,700 acres to maintain charitable institutions, orphanages and mosques. This followed the grants going to educational institutions, such as endowments to the universities of Aligarh and Punjab, both of which honoured him with degrees of Doctorate of Law. In Lahore, he constructed and donated the Senate Hall of the Punjab University and at Aitchison College the swimming pool, a mosque, and an entire block called Bahawalpur House.

In 1959, President Ayub Khan visited Sadiqgarh Palace and in the Darbar Hall, in the presence of the officials of the Government of Pakistan and the Court, invested the late ruler with the Order of the Nishan-i-Quaid-i-Azam. It was to be the last honour the country could confer on him in his lifetime.

In 1965, war with India broke out. The late ruler, by now ailing, contributed extensively to the Defence of Pakistan Fund and also dispatched those regular units of the former Bahawalpur State Force that were retained by him to confront Indian aggression. This gesture for Pakistan was recorded by the Government of Pakistan in its Gazette Notification. It was to be his last gesture for the wellbeing of Pakistan for on May 24, 1966, he died.

With the death of the late Ruler, successive governments in Pakistan seem to have forgotten him and the enormity of his contribution to the formation of this country. Gestures such as commemorating his death anniversary are overlooked except at Bahawalpur. Even his name is not cited in the annual Roll Call of distinguished Pakistanis on August 14.

Rising money: Al Baraka plans sukuk in Pakistan

Al Baraka is working with authorities in South Africa and Pakistan over launching Islamic bonds there, said Chief Executive Adnan Ahmed Yousif. PHOTO: FILE

DUBAI: 

Bahrain-based Al Baraka Banking Group said it is considering issuing subordinated Islamic bonds through its South African and Pakistani units to boost their regulatory capital.

The Islamic bank’s plans come at a time when sovereign sukuk are expected from both countries later this year.

The lender has operations in 15 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Al Baraka is working with authorities in South Africa and Pakistan over launching Islamic bonds there, said Chief Executive Adnan Ahmed Yousif.

While details have not been finalised, the prospective deals could mirror the $200 million capital-boosting sukuk issued by Al Baraka’s Turkish unit last year, Yousif said. That deal enhanced the bank’s Tier 2, or supplementary, capital.

“We will try to do it as a subordinated, to raise capital adequacy ratios,” he said.

Islamic banks typically obtain their funding from retail deposits and short-term syndicated Islamic loans, but subordinated deals are increasingly being used as Basel III global banking standards are phased-in across the globe.

In Pakistan, for instance, Islamic banks must maintain a minimum paid-up capital of Rs6 billion ($60.9 million), a requirement that will be raised to Rs10 billion by the end of 2016.

Unlike most other Islamic banks, Al Baraka has built the bulk of its business outside the Gulf and Southeast Asia. In South Africa, it operates the only full-fledged Islamic bank in the country, with seven retail branches.

Double-edged sword: ‘TNCs work against interests of developing countries’

Large private corporations that control the grain market are responsible for the global food crisis. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: 

Transnational corporations (TNCs) and international lenders are pressing Pakistan to privatise national organisations as well as land, water and food sources on the pretext of attracting investments.

The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank and multinational companies, particularly belonging to the US, are putting pressure on the government to launch a mass privatisation drive.

“They want to change government’s policies according to their will for investment, which is against human rights and the law of land,” claimed Society for Environmental Actions, Reconstruction and Humanitarian Response (SEARCH) Pakistan Executive Director Waheed Jamali while talking to PPI.

“This is going on in other developing countries as well and is likely to increase in Pakistan. It will affect agriculture farming, water sources and several other sectors of life,” he said.

He asked the nation and its people to be aware of such designs, particularly the suggestions pertaining to labour and investment policies.

Jamali said bottled water business was an example in that connection that had deprived people of clean drinking water. “Water is being sold to corporations, while people are struggling to find drinking water in Karachi and other mega cities,” he said.

“People in deserted and barren areas have been compelled to drink contaminated water that causes diseases among them.”

He pointed out that TNCs represented at least 75% of the world’s economy and were out to control incomes in developing countries such as Pakistan.

These organisations supported cultural activities in Pakistan in a bid to develop great influence over the population. Alongside supporting the culture, they would violate human rights by creating inhuman working conditions and promoting child labour, he alleged.

According to him, many corporations are complicit in violating human rights and the environment. As the free market continues to push forward the global economy, holding corporations accountable for their poor practices becomes increasingly difficult. Unfortunately, corporations are working harder than ever to cover abuses instead of preventing them.

He said reports of human rights violations by corporations operating globally had raised concerns about the effectiveness of existing oversight measures. “Financial groups that speculate in the oil market and large private corporations that control the grain market are responsible for the global food and oil crises.”

He said most of the global trade was controlled by a few hundred corporations. Many of these mega-corporations are economically larger than some nations and thus it is difficult for developing countries to regulate them.

He said the US and European corporations in China were trying to block a new law that would improve working conditions as well as increase power and protection of workers.

Jamali pointed out that despite China’s strong economic growth, most workers there lived on the edge of poverty, earning very little and working in appalling conditions.

He said governance and policies of multilateral institutions (IMF, WB and the WTO) had long served corporate interests, adding in most countries, governments were at the service of corporate interests and against people.

“Pakistan government should adopt a positive approach and take immediate action to stop violation of labour laws by TNCs by averting the pressure aimed at consuming country’s resources like water and land for nurturing their businesses,” Jamali concluded.

Liquefied natural gas: Qatar agrees to supply 200 mmcfd from next year

The government is keeping three options open for LNG import including a supply agreement with Qatar on a state-to-state basis. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: 

Qatar has given a firm commitment to Pakistan that it will start exporting 200 million cubic feet of liquefied natural gas per day (mmcfd) next year – a promise that will end years of efforts to bring vital gas supplies to ease energy shortages, officials say.

This comes as the government takes a giant leap forward to prepare for receiving LNG imports.

Interstate Gas Systems (ISGS) – a state-run company formed to handle energy import projects – has wrapped up the process of awarding the LNG terminal services contract to Elengy Terminal Pakistan Limited, a subsidiary of Engro Corporation.

ISGS has already signed Iran-Pakistan and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline deals. It has also completed the task of awarding the LNG terminal contract in less than six months.

The government is keeping three options open for LNG import including a supply agreement with Qatar on a state-to-state basis, floating tenders for import through competitive bidding and spot purchases after the successful bidder completes construction of a terminal in Karachi.

A Qatari team, which was in Pakistan, held a meeting with officials of Pakistan State Oil, Sui Southern Gas Company and ISGS on May 13 in Karachi to discuss the proposed Heads of Agreement – a non-binding document outlining the main issues relevant to a partnership agreement, sources told The Express Tribune.

“Qatar gave a firm commitment to export 200 mmcfd of LNG, which will be later enhanced to 400 mmcfd,” a source familiar with the development said.

According to officials, the two sides discussed different clauses of the Heads of Agreement such as volume of LNG, specification of gas, guarantees and timeframe for first supplies to Pakistan. However, the price did not come up for discussion.

A senior official said the price was the last point that would be taken up after the two sides signed the Heads of Agreement. They had not finalised the agreement, therefore, the price was not quoted, he said.

Officials pointed out that Qatar sought to include a clause that would allow it to slap a $200 million penalty if Pakistan terminated the supply contract. However, Islamabad fiercely opposed the proposal and did not accept it.

“Now, the two sides will meet again next month to try and finalise the Heads of Agreement,” the official said.

In the agreement, Qatar insists that the LNG supply contract should be for 15 years extendable for another five years with no “price reopener”. It wants LNG price should be fixed as a percentage of Brent crude oil.

Earlier, during negotiations with the previous PPP-led government, Doha had offered LNG export at a price equivalent to 14.7% of Brent crude oil when it was hovering around $110 per barrel in the international market.

Later, it pushed the price down to $17.437 per million British thermal units (mmbtu), a 0.5% discount over the previous rate of $18.002 for the 20-year lifetime of the project.

The price did not cover capital cost of the LNG terminal and its charges, import expenses, re-gasification, wastage and shipping costs. The additional costs will add about $2.084 per mmbtu to the quoted price.

According to an assessment of the Ministry of Petroleum, gas production will drop from the current 4.47 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) to 2.53 bcfd in 2019-20 if additional supplies were not brought.

Gas shortfall stood at 1.88 bcfd in 2013-14, which would jump to 4.79 bcfd in 2019-20.

The ministry plans to import 200 mmcfd to 2 bcfd of LNG, 750 mmcfd of natural gas from Iran and 1.365 bcfd from Turkmenistan to bridge the shortfall. It also wants to enhance supplies from domestic sources to meet energy needs in future.

Barcelona announce Messi agreement

The Camp Nou side have confirmed that the Argentine attacker is set to sign a new and improved deal in the upcoming days

Barcelona have announced that they have reached an agreement with Lionel Messi over a new and improved contract.

The Catalan club had been in talks with the Argentina international over a renewal for a number of weeks and the forward has now agreed to a new deal worth around €20 million net per season which will make him the highest-paid player in the world.

"FC Barcelona has reached an agreement to adjust the terms in the contract binding Leo Messi to the club as a professional first team player," a short statement said on Friday.

"The revised and updated contract will be signed over the next few days."

The new deal marks a happy ending to a difficult season for Messi, who has missed large chunks of the current campaign through injury and also faced a court case for tax evasion late last year.

The Argentine, who has hit 354 goals in 424 appearances since making his debut for Barca at the age of 17 in 2004, signed improved terms in February last year to earn around €12.5m annually but later saw that deal eclipsed by Cristiano Ronaldo's new contract at Real Madrid.

"It should give peace of mind to him and especially to the club, who can continue to count on the best player in the world," coach Gerardo Martino said on Friday."

Martino is set to leave the Catalan club this summer and will be replaced by Luis Enrique, who is keen to make Messi the cornerstone of his new sporting project at Camp Nou next season.