Aaroh guitarist Haider Hashmi passes away

The 40 year old musician was diagnosed with brain tumor a couple of weeks earlier.

KARACHI: What could might as well be the most shocking news for pop music in Pakistan , Haider Hashmi the guitarist for Aaroh and session player for many other artists passed away yesterday around 11 pm. The 40 year old musician was diagnosed with brain tumor a couple of weeks earlier and was immediately scheduled for a brain surgery. 

According to his close friends, he had a successful recovery from the surgery and had been interacting with friends for the past few days untill he complained of breathlessness.

” I spoke to him a while back and everything was fine untill his son called me to inform that he is having difficulty in breathing and is being rushed to the hospital ” Khalid Khan , the bassist of Aaroh and Hashmi’s close friend told The Express Tribune. ” And after a while heard the sad news”.

Hashmi was the father of three children, with the eldest son in his mid teens and the youngest son , only a few months old. The burial details and the friends and family of the deceased has requested for prayers.

Hashimi replaced Aaroh’s founding member and lead guitarist Nabeel Nihal Chishty when he left the band around 2004-2005 over a copyright dispute. In that time period they produced some of the most memorable songs like ‘ Na Kaho’ , ‘Pyar Ka jaal ’ and ‘Raag Neela’ to name a few.  The band stopped producing music for a while , after Aaroh’s lead vocalist Farooq Ahmed left the band for good. Later on , Hashimi along with other two members, Khalid Khan and Jason, relaunched the band with Rizwan Anwar as the new vocalist.

Jewish extremists held over Palestinian teen's murder

Israeli soldiers patrol a street during clashes with Palestinians protesting against the murder of a Palestinian teenager. PHOTO: AFP

JERUSALEM: Israeli police have arrested a group of Jewish extremists in connection with the kidnap and murder of a Palestinian teenager who was burned to death in a suspected revenge killing.

The brutal killing on July 2 has triggered four days of violent clashes which began in east Jerusalem and have since spread to more than half a dozen Arab towns in Israel, with hordes of angry protesters hurling stones at Israeli riot police.

“Apparently the people arrested in relation to the case belong to an extremist Jewish group,” an official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The website of Haaretz newspaper said six people had been arrested, but details of the case have been subjected to a strict gag order.

Earlier, police acknowledged for the first time “indications that the background to the killing was nationalistic”.

It followed days of growing suspicion that Wednesday’s murder was carried out by extremist Jews in revenge for last month’s abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the occupied West Bank.

Tensions continued to rise in the south Sunday with Gaza militants firing another 15 rockets over the border, despite a night of 10 air strikes. The air force also staged another strike in the afternoon, which caused no casualties, Gazan officials said.

But Israel appeared bent on containing the situation, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging his cabinet to keep a cool head over how to handle growing tensions in and around Gaza.

Overnight, Israel police arrested 35 people as violent protests over the teenager’s murder swept more than half a dozen Arab Israeli towns.

The violence exploded as a top Palestinian legal official confirmed that initial findings from the post mortem showed there was smoke in the lungs of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khder, indicating he was still alive when he was set on fire.

The grisly murder has sparked shock, disgust and an outpouring of condemnation from both Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

But until Sunday, police said they were unsure of the motive for the killing, contributing to the rising tensions.

“Around 35 people were arrested overnight, almost half of them minors,” police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP after violence raged into the early hours of Sunday.

Of those, 22 were detained in and around the northern city of Nazareth, Israel’s most populous Arab town.

The rest were arrested in the so-called Triangle, a concentration of Arab towns and villages close to the northwestern sector of the Green Line — Taibe, Tira, Qalansuwa, Jaljulia and Umm el-Fahm.

“We are demonstrating against this incitement to hatred by Israelis online, who are saying ‘death to Arabs’,” one demonstrator in Qalansuwa told army radio.

In a related development, a Jerusalem court freed a Palestinian American teenager, who was allegedly beaten in police custody, to house arrest for nine days pending an investigation into stone-throwing allegations.

Tariq Abu Khder, 15,  a cousin of the murdered teen, was arrested on Thursday in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Shuafat as clashes raged, and his parents said he was badly beaten in police custody.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu demanded that his cabinet keep a cool head about growing tensions in Gaza.

Over the past three weeks, militants there have stepped up rocket fire on southern Israel, causing damage but no injuries, prompting demands for a new military operation in the coastal enclave.

So far, Israel has responded with air strikes, killing three militants, but Netanyahu has resisted calls for tougher action.

“Experience has proved that at moments like this, we have to act responsibly and with a cool head and not with harsh words and impetuousness,” he told the weekly cabinet meeting.

Ministers are fiercely divided over how to respond to mounting militant rocket fire, with far right Economy Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman pushing for a broad operation against Gaza.

Overnight, the air force staged 10 strikes on Gaza after militants fired 15 rockets and mortar rounds at Israel, two of which targeted the southern city of Beersheva some 40 kilometres away.

There was another air strike on Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the army arrested a Palestinian in the flashpoint southern West Bank city of Hebron, with unconfirmed reports saying he was connected to the murder of the three Israeli teens.

Court hands Palestinian-US teen 9 days house arrest

A Jerusalem court ordered that a Palestinian American teenager, who was allegedly beaten in police custody, be released to house arrest for nine days pending an investigation into stone-throwing allegations.

Tariq Abu Khder, 15, who holds US citizenship and lives in Florida, is a cousin of Mohammed Abu Khder, a 16-year-old Palestinian whose kidnap and murder by suspected Jewish extremists on Wednesday sparked four straight days of riots.

“He was given nine days house arrest in Beit Hanina for the duration of the investigation,” police spokesperson Luba Samri said, following a hearing at Jerusalem Magistrates Court, referring to a neighbourhood of annexed Arab east Jerusalem.

Tariq, 15, was arrested on Thursday in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Shuafat during clashes between stone throwers and Israeli riot police which erupted early on Wednesday.

According to his parents, he was beaten in police custody, provoking a sharp rebuke from the US State Department, which said it was “profoundly troubled” by the report.

He was holidaying in Jerusalem when his cousin was murdered in what was widely believed to be a revenge attack following the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the occupied West Bank last month.

Until now, Israel police have said the motive for the cousin’s murder was unclear, but on Sunday, Samri said there were “indications that apparently the background to the killing was nationalistic”. All other details are under a gag order.

Preliminary post-mortem results suggested the teenager had been burned alive.

A day after Abu Khder’s arrest, a video surfaced on YouTube showing what appeared to be Israeli border police beating and kicking a handcuffed semi-conscious figure lying on the ground, before dragging him away.

Police confirmed the footage was taken during the arrest of six Palestinians in Shuafat, but could not say whether the figure was that of the teenager, whose mother showed AFP a picture of him with his face grossly distorted by injuries and swelling.

“We are profoundly troubled by reports that he was severely beaten while in police custody and strongly condemn any excessive use of force,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

“We are calling for a speedy, transparent and credible investigation and full accountability for any excessive use of force.”

The justice ministry’s police investigations department began an investigation into the violence on Saturday evening following an order by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni who demanded the incident be “urgently” looked into, a statement said

Report: Right time to bet money on startups in Pakistan

KARACHI: 

“Pakistan will grow; the only uncertainty is the speed at which it does,” Pakistan Startup Report concludes while noting “now is a very interesting time” for both entrepreneurs and investors to bet their money on startups in the world’s sixth largest population base.

An encyclopedia of the country’s startup culture, the document, along with its wiki, has been compiled by the World Startup Report, a Silicon Valley-based organisation that builds community-driven entrepreneurial guides for every part of the world.

The World Startup Wiki – a World Startup Report’s project that maps out business opportunities worldwide – has released its Pakistan chapter on its website.

The project will go live from Monday, July 7, as the officials provide the latest updates on Pakistan’s startup ecosystem. This is an ongoing work-in-progress as the data and insights are continuously subject to change, they say about the Pakistan Startup Wiki.

The World Startup Wiki was launched by Bowei Gai, SV-based serial entrepreneur and founder of CardMunch that was acquired by LinkedIn in 2011. The Pakistan chapter was co-authored by Gai and Adam Dawood of DYL Ventures Pakistan with contributions from the country’s startup community.

The purpose of the report is to document Pakistan’s startup ecosystem as a chapter of the World Startup Report through detailed analyses and reports based on the local culture, trends, key players and challenges, the document says. “We wish to share this report pro bono to encourage investors to take advantage of current opportunities.”

An insight to Pakistan’s startup culture, the report – which is loaded with statistics about the country’s Information Communication Technology sector and demographic details – highlights the country’s potential as the next possible destination for serial entrepreneurs and investors.

There are 12,500 Pakistanis working in Silicon Valley, the report says, and many Pakistanis who have studied and worked abroad are returning to start their own ventures.

“Recent investments are testament to the increasing interest and confidence of investors in local startups. Investors can see beyond the short-term issues in Pakistan and have foresight to capitalise on the long-term future potential,” the report said, quoting an official that went by @Kayzafar.

With its 180 million plus people – of whom 60% are between 15 and 45 years of age – Pakistan is the world’s sixth most populous country and the fourth largest middle class population in absolute numbers in Developing Asia, according to the report.

Despite a 16% internet penetration, about half of its 30 million internet users access internet through mobile phones – the country’s mobile penetration stands at 74% or 136.5 million subscriptions.

With the recent introduction of third-generation (3G) mobile technology, the country’s broadband user base is expected to be somewhere between 25 to 45 million by 2020. With most of its internet subscribers being active users of social media, the country is home to 14.4 million Facebook users (as of June 2014).

Pakistan lays claim to some of the world’s best IT engineers and designers many of whom choose to go into freelancing. There are approximately 1 million freelancers working online in the country, the report says.

Besides data and statistics, the report also highlights the country’s pro-investor policies. Pakistan has one of the most liberal policies in the region, it says. For example, foreign investors are allowed to hold 100% equity and full repatriation of capital.

It is impossible to quantify number of startups in the country, said Dawood who is also a frequent contributor of TechinAsia – an online technology media company based across Asia and the US. The report, however, mentions some successful startups originating from Pakistan.

The list includes Mindstorm Studios, Pakwheels.com, Cricout, Rozee.pk, Sofizar, Symbiosis, Solotech, Groopic, Homeshopping.pk, Convo, Zameen.com and EatOye to name a few.

The report also mentions several international players that have already invested in the country to build a startup ecosystem – Rocket internet and Naspers for example.

The challenges

The report would have been incomplete had it not mentioned the challenges entrepreneurs are likely to face in the country.

“Due to the sensitive nature of certain religious and cultural issues social media channels such as  Facebook and Twitter have been banned at various points in the last five years,” it said, adding, “YouTube is still offline, and recently Twitter has been blocking certain tweets.”

Lack of basic infrastructure is another challenge facing Pakistani startups. “Low penetration of credit and debit cards means most orders are via Cash-on-Delivery,” it said – Pakistan is also the second highest country for credit card fraud. Beside this, poor transport infrastructure makes logistics suffer at times while power outages add to cost of business.

However, despite these challenges the authors are optimistic about the country’s growth and advise investors accordingly.

Rare commercial project: Turning rubbish, human waste into electricity

E

TEHRAN: 

A US company has signed a preliminary agreement to invest $1.175 billion (€864 million) in Iran, in a rare joint commercial project to turn rubbish and human waste into electricity.

California-based World Eco Energy told AFP it plans to produce 250 megawatts daily by burning trash and by processing algae and salt and waste water into power.

Iran will match the US investment, the company said.

A company spokesperson said the project, in the southwestern province of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, would create 600-700 jobs, 80% of which would go to locals.

It is scheduled to start in September 2014 and is an early indication of the foreign business that may flow back to Iran if United States, European and UN sanctions are lifted.

Iran is in its final phase of negotiating with the world powers about a conclusive deal to resolve international concern about its nuclear programme.

Despite the uncertainty that clouds Iran’s economy, still shut out of the international financial system because of an embargo on banks and the energy sector, a more positive outlook is starting to prevail.

Exploration activities: Existing state financing insufficient, says oil company

Mari Petroleum has demanded the market price of $6 per mmbtu under the Petroleum Policy of 2012 while setting aside the cost-plus formula. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: 

Mari Petroleum Company Limited has said that the multi-million-dollar state financing facility is not enough to meet exploration expenses and asked the government to increase the wellhead gas price by doing away with the existing pricing formula.

“At present, the financing facility provided by the government stands at $20 million, which will be enhanced to $40 million if it does not touch the gas pricing formula for Mari Petroleum,” Chief Executive Officer of the company, Lieutenant General (Retired) Nadeem Ahmed said while talking to The Express Tribune.

Terming the current fund disbursements insufficient, he suggested that the company needed an overall financing of $120 million per year for exploration work.

Mari Petroleum also engaged in a joint venture overseas and conducted surveys as part of the tie-up, but the venture did not succeed. “The company will wind up its operations there,” he remarked.

Speaking to the media late Friday evening, Ahmed said they had sought to discard the cost-plus formula under which the company was offered $0.73 per million British thermal units (mmbtu) compared to prices of $6 and $8 per mmbtu enjoyed by other exploration firms.

Mari Petroleum has demanded the market price of $6 per mmbtu under the Petroleum Policy of 2012 while setting aside the cost-plus formula as was done in the case of Pakistan Petroleum Limited.

“However, the government has agreed to give $2.15 per mmbtu under the Petroleum Policy of 2001,” he said, adding if the price was granted, the company would be able to ramp up exploration activities.

In this connection, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources has sent a summary to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), suggesting scrapping of the existing pricing mechanism and a gradual revision of the wellhead gas price to $2.15 per mmbtu over the next 10 years.

Ahmed pointed out that Mari Petroleum was contributing Rs54 billion in taxes to national coffers and the amount would shoot up to Rs74 billion after the suggested initiatives were undertaken. “Apart from this, Mari will also be able to boost gas production, which will definitely benefit the consumers.”

In an attempt to encourage gas exploration, the government should increase the offered price, he said, fearing that 90% production of the company, which came from existing fields, would start falling soon.

“We should be offered the market price for expansion of operations with the help of fresh discoveries in new blocks,” he said. “Mari Petroleum’s success rate of gas discoveries is high compared to other companies.”

He boasted that Mari Petroleum was contributing a lot to the country’s economy and referred to different fertiliser plants including Engro that were running on dedicated gas supplies from Mari fields.

The company expects new gas discoveries in Balochistan despite a vulnerable law and order situation. “We expect to find gas in new Balochistan fields, which is estimated to yield 20 million cubic feet per day. It will be allocated to Quetta to meet the city’s needs,” he said.

Dubai launches ‘Mall of the World’ project

The latest version of the plans includes construction of an eight-million square foot mall. PHOTO: FILE

DUBAI: 

Dubai is launching a project to build an entertainment and hotel district that will include the world’s largest shopping mall, the emirate’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said on Saturday.

Plans for the “Mall of the World” project were originally revealed 18 months ago, helping to trigger a strong rally in Dubai’s real estate and stock markets. Saturday’s announcement appeared to indicate that substantial work on the project would now begin, though the statement did not say when construction would be completed, how much it would cost or how it would be financed.

“The project will be built in phases in alignment with the gradual growth of family tourism in Dubai,” said Dubai Holding Chairman Mohammed Abdullah al-Gergawi. The latest version of the plans includes construction of an eight million square foot mall, connected to a theme park, theatres, medical tourism facilities and 100 hotels and serviced apartment buildings with 20,000 rooms. The complex would be able to host 180 million visitors annually. Seven kilometres of promenades connecting the facilities would be opened to the air during the winter but covered and air-conditioned during the hot Gulf summer.

Clearing hurdles: Govt to renew focus on barter trade with IranClearing hurdles:

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar chairs a meeting on trade with Iran on Saturday. PHOTO: PID

ISLAMABAD: 

The government decided on Saturday to revive the process of barter trade with Iran, which got stuck last year, in an effort to clear outstanding payments for electricity purchases from Tehran.

The decision came ahead of a meeting of the Joint Economic Council (JEC), which is scheduled to meet this quarter. It will discuss all outstanding bilateral trade issues including Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, payments for electricity bills and cooperation in the banking sector.

To review the progress, an inter-ministerial meeting was held in Islamabad on facilitating trade between the two countries, keeping in view the United Nations’ sanctions.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar underlined the need for removing impediments in the way of bilateral trade before holding the JEC meeting, according to a handout issued by the Ministry of Finance. The two sides will discuss all outstanding issues.

Dar said there was a need to build confidence in a bid to overcome the hurdles standing in the way of barter trade and commodity exchanges, which would enable the two countries to benefit from their proximity.

Participants at the meeting agreed to constitute a committee which would submit its report to the inter-ministerial committee after reviewing progress on outstanding issues.

They said negotiations between western nations and Iran for reaching a settlement were also at an advanced stage and Pakistan should be prepared and adopt a common approach to enhance bilateral trade.

The finance minister recalled that during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Iran, both sides had reaffirmed their commitment that while remaining within the ambit of UN sanctions, mutual trade and cooperation would be stepped up with barter trade and a commodities exchange mechanism.

A new set of US sanctions came into force in February last year designed to restrict buyers of Iranian oil from making payments in local currencies rather than dollar or euro. In addition to this, Iran can use funds kept in Escrow accounts only for buying locally sourced goods and services.

Pakistan is also experiencing problems in making payments for electricity import. Iran supplied electricity valuing at $53 million until July last year but payments were outstanding as international sanctions barred financial transactions with Tehran.

Pakistan’s efforts to export wheat to Iran, aimed at paying outstanding bills for electricity import, were also frustrated after the state-owned Trading Company of Iran cancelled an export contract under a barter trade agreement. Tehran revoked the contract because of slow progress on the barter arrangement.

Pakistan had agreed to sell wheat at $300 per ton to cover the cost of electricity being supplied to the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) by Iran’s Tavanir.

Officials said NTDC had already paid the rupee equivalent of $9 million to the Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation as the cost of 30,000 tons of wheat, out of $53.21 million owed to Tavanir.

The finance minister directed the finance secretary to hold a meeting of all stakeholders and suggest practical measures to move forward on barter trade and opening of border crossings between the two countries, according to the handout.

It was decided that the Ministry of Commerce and Trading Corporation of Pakistan would review exportable surplus of various commodities in consultation with the Iranian side and present a report in a follow-up meeting to be held in the third week of this month.