Pakistan president's visit to UK criticised

 

It is unclear how far the two leaders can patch up their relationship.

Prime Minister David Cameron and President Zardari of Pakistan will try to patch up their differences during formal talks at Chequers later.

They will try to smooth tensions after the PM's recent comments that elements in Pakistan promoted terrorism.
On Thursday night, Mr Zardari was Mr Cameron's guest at a private dinner at the country residence.
Topics for discussion will include counter-terrorism co-operation, the Nato campaign in Afghanistan and trade.
The prime minister caused anger in Pakistan last week when during a trip to India, he said elements in Pakistan should not be allowed to "promote the export of terror whether to India, whether to Afghanistan or to anywhere else in the world".
Mr Cameron continues to stand by his comments but Mr Zardari said he would personally challenge him over the remarks during his visit.
On Tuesday, Mr Zardari told French newspaper Le Monde the battle for the hearts and minds of ordinary Afghan people had already been lost.
He is also under intense pressure to show he can talk tough to the British prime minister and justify his absence from his country, at a time when devastating floods have caused a national tragedy.

 

Pakistan president's visit to UK criticised

Some believe President Zardari should have stayed in Pakistan

Pakistan's president has arrived in Britain amid a row over comments made about the country's role in terrorism by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Ahead of his arrival, Mr Cameron again defended his claim that Pakistan must not "promote the export of terror".
President Asif Ali Zardari has also been criticised for making his UK trip while Pakistan is facing severe floods.
Ahead of his visit he told Le Monde the international community was losing the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
In an interview with the French newspaper, he said coalition forces had "underestimated" the situation on the ground.
Meanwhile, aid organisation Unicef says the death toll from the worst flooding to hit Pakistan in 80 years is at least 1,400, with up to three million people affected.
Mr Cameron made his controversial remarks during a visit to India last week. He said of Pakistan that the world could not "tolerate in any sense the idea that this country is allowed to look both ways and is able, in any way, to promote the export of terror".

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That led to an effigy of the British PM being burned in the street in Karachi, and to Pakistani intelligence officials cancelling a visit to the UK in protest.
In a phone-in with BBC West Midlands on Tuesday, Mr Cameron defended his remarks and insisted the UK-Pakistan relationship was "strong".
"But there has been and still is a problem of terror groups in Pakistan that threaten other countries," he said. "[They] also threaten our troops in Afghanistan, threaten India and threaten us in the UK, and they need to be dealt with.
"As I said in India, to be fair to the Pakistan government they have done more recently to combat these terror groups, but they need to go on doing even more, and we should be working with them in order to encourage them to do that."
President Zardari pledged to speak to Mr Cameron on Friday about the prime minister's remarks.
He told Le Monde: "The war against terrorism must unite us and not oppose us. I will explain face to face that it is my country that is paying the highest price in human life for this war."
President Zardari is due to meet several UK politicians with Pakistani links on Thursday, but two - Khalid Mahmood and Lord Ahmed - have refused the invitation.

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 / Scorecard,Pak VS Sri

ICC Champions Trophy Warm-up Matches

Pakistan v Sri Lanka

Pakistan won by 108 runs

• 2009/10 season
• Played at Willowmoore Park, Benoni (neutral venue)
• 18 September 2009 - day/night (50-over match)

	Pakistan innings (50 overs maximum)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	Imran Nazir	b Kulasekara	12	29	20	1	0	60.00
	6.2 outside off, cuts, bottom edge, ball goes into the ground, bounces up and just knocks the leg stump bail off 31/1
	Kamran Akmal†	b Muralitharan	82	126	78	11	2	105.12
	28.2 drives to cover, ball turns back through the gate 135/4
	Younis Khan*	c Kapugedera b Mathews	9	34	28	1	0	32.14
	13.3 looks to go over the covers, gets under it a bit, low on the bat, goes high to the man coming in off the cover boundary 64/2
	Mohammad Yousuf	b Prasad	0	8	6	0	0	0.00
	14.6 and the yorker gets under the bat 64/3
	Misbah-ul-Haq	b Muralitharan	72	134	85	3	2	84.70
	46.3 goes for the big slog sweep, no contact, bowled him 274/6
	Umar Akmal	c Mathews b Malinga	67	63	51	8	0	131.37
	42.6 charges again, lofts this very high, Matthews is under it this time and makes a good catch, that was very high in the twilight 242/5
	Shahid Afridi	not out	36	37	24	6	0	150.00
	Fawad Alam	c Dilshan b Kulasekara	9	16	7	1	0	128.57
	49.2 swings that across the line, high to square leg 304/7
	Naved-ul-Hasan	lbw b Kulasekara	0	2	1	0	0	0.00
	49.4 plays across the line, up goes the finger 305/8
	Umar Gul	not out	1	1	1	0	0	100.00
	Extras	(b 7, lb 3, w 7, nb 1)	18
	Total	(8 wickets; 50 overs; 229 mins)	306	(6.12 runs per over)

Did not bat Mohammad Aamer, Iftikhar Anjum, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Asif, Saeed Ajmal

Fall of wickets1-31 (Imran Nazir, 6.2 ov), 2-64 (Younis Khan, 13.3 ov), 3-64 (Mohammad Yousuf, 14.6 ov), 4-135 (Kamran Akmal, 28.2 ov), 5-242 (Umar Akmal, 42.6 ov), 6-274 (Misbah-ul-Haq, 46.3 ov), 7-304 (Fawad Alam, 49.2 ov), 8-305 (Naved-ul-Hasan, 49.4 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	KMDN Kulasekara	8	0	46	3	5.75	(1w)
	6.2 to Imran Nazir, outside off, cuts, bottom edge, ball goes into the ground, bounces up and just knocks the leg stump bail off 31/1 49.2 to Fawad Alam, swings that across the line, high to square leg 304/7 49.4 to Naved-ul-Hasan, plays across the line, up goes the finger 305/8
	SL Malinga	8	0	55	1	6.87	(1nb, 3w)
	42.6 to Umar Akmal, charges again, lofts this very high, Matthews is under it this time and makes a good catch, that was very high in the twilight 242/5
	KTGD Prasad	10	2	46	1	4.60
	14.6 to Mohammad Yousuf, and the yorker gets under the bat 64/3
	AD Mathews	4	0	13	1	3.25	(1w)
	13.3 to Younis Khan, looks to go over the covers, gets under it a bit, low on the bat, goes high to the man coming in off the cover boundary 64/2
	M Muralitharan	8	0	43	2	5.37
	28.2 to Kamran Akmal, drives to cover, ball turns back through the gate 135/4 46.3 to Misbah-ul-Haq, goes for the big slog sweep, no contact, bowled him 274/6
	BAW Mendis	7	0	54	0	7.71
	T Thushara	5	0	39	0	7.80	(1w)

	Sri Lanka innings (target: 307 runs from 50 overs)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	TM Dilshan	c Mohammad Yousuf b Mohammad Aamer	0	2	3	0	0	0.00
	0.3 great ball, angled across, goes on the drive, some lift, edges to second slip, a juggle, but held 0/1
	ST Jayasuriya	c Imran Nazir b Naved-ul-Hasan	12	18	13	2	0	92.30
	3.2 on the drive, lofted, gets it high on the bat, Nazir goes back and takes the catch 23/2
	KC Sangakkara*†	c Mohammad Yousuf b Naved-ul-Hasan	21	59	26	2	0	80.76
	11.5 sucker punch, slower ball, gets forward, through the shot early, lobs it into the covers 58/3
	DPMD Jayawardene	lbw b Iftikhar Anjum	18	55	34	2	0	52.94
	13.3 gets one a touch short, into the pads, appeal, up goes the finger from Harper, Mahela does not look happy, did hit him a bit high 63/4
	SHT Kandamby	lbw b Saeed Ajmal	12	51	29	0	0	41.37
	22.1 goes on the sweep, plays well across the line, into the pad, and that even looked out from up here 83/5
	AD Mathews	c †Kamran Akmal b Naved-ul-Hasan	49	108	88	1	0	55.68
	43.5 drives, edges and thats two in two 185/7
	CK Kapugedera	c Misbah-ul-Haq b Naved-ul-Hasan	59	66	70	5	0	84.28
	43.4 goes for the six at long off, does not clear Mishbah, with the Yousuf jumper~~~~~~ 185/6
	WU Tharanga	st †Kamran Akmal b Saeed Ajmal	1	5	4	0	0	25.00
	44.5 gets down the pitch, gets some bat to it, rolls away to the keeper, stranded 187/8
	KMDN Kulasekara	not out	11	13	9	2	0	122.22
	KTGD Prasad	c †Kamran Akmal b Naved-ul-Hasan	1	4	3	0	0	33.33
	45.4 has a full swing at one just outside off, goes straight up into the air, keeper waits and takes a fairly simple catch 190/9
	T Thushara	run out (Naved-ul-Hasan)	0	5	2	0	0	0.00
	46.5 Saeed Ajmal to Kulasekara, turns that around the corner, straight at short fine leg, Naved picks up and fires at the keepers end, upends the stumps 198/10
	Extras	(lb 1, w 13)	14
	Total	(all out; 46.5 overs)	198	(4.22 runs per over)

Did not bat BAW Mendis, SL Malinga, M Muralitharan, TT Samaraweera

Fall of wickets1-0 (Dilshan, 0.3 ov), 2-23 (Jayasuriya, 3.2 ov), 3-58 (Sangakkara, 11.5 ov), 4-63 (Jayawardene, 13.3 ov), 5-83 (Kandamby, 22.1 ov), 6-185 (Kapugedera, 43.4 ov), 7-185 (Mathews, 43.5 ov), 8-187 (Tharanga, 44.5 ov), 9-190 (Prasad, 45.4 ov), 10-198 (Thushara, 46.5 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Mohammad Aamer	3.1	0	9	1	2.84
	0.3 to Dilshan, great ball, angled across, goes on the drive, some lift, edges to second slip, a juggle, but held 0/1
	Naved-ul-Hasan	9	1	41	5	4.55	(4w)
	11.5 to Sangakkara, sucker punch, slower ball, gets forward, through the shot early, lobs it into the covers 58/3 43.4 to Kapugedera, goes for the six at long off, does not clear Mishbah, with the Yousuf jumper~~~~~~ 185/6 43.5 to Mathews, drives, edges and thats two in two 185/7 45.4 to Prasad, has a full swing at one just outside off, goes straight up into the air, keeper waits and takes a fairly simple catch 190/9
	Umar Gul	6.5	0	25	0	3.65	(2w)
	Iftikhar Anjum	6	0	14	1	2.33
	13.3 to Jayawardene, gets one a touch short, into the pads, appeal, up goes the finger from Harper, Mahela does not look happy, did hit him a bit high 63/4
	Saeed Ajmal	8.5	0	46	2	5.20
	22.1 to Kandamby, goes on the sweep, plays well across the line, into the pad, and that even looked out from up here 83/5 44.5 to Tharanga, gets down the pitch, gets some bat to it, rolls away to the keeper, stranded 187/8
	Shahid Afridi	8	0	37	0	4.62	(2w)
	Shoaib Malik	5	0	25	0	5.00	(1w)

Match details

Players per side 15 (11 batting, 11 fielding)

Toss Pakistan, who chose to bat

Umpires BF Bowden (New Zealand) and DJ Harper (Australia) Reserve umpire SJ Davis (Australia)

Match notes

Sri Lanka innings Power Play 2 overs 11 to 15 Kamran Akmal 50, 45 balls, 86 minutes, 9 x 4 Pakistan 100 in 140 balls, 107 minutes, 12x4 and 1x6 Power Play 3 overs 46 to 50 Pakistan innings Power Play 2 overs 11 to 15 Power Play 3 overs 42 to 46

Zardari failed to connect with public

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has done little to connect with the Pakistani public or attempt to address popular concerns, which has resulted in his sunken popularity, a US daily has observed.

"Pakistanis still call him 'Mr 10 per cent', a reference to corruption allegations that have dogged him since stints in previous decades as a Cabinet Minister. He knows how to work a crowd of politicians, but he doesn't know how to connect with the public," The Los Angeles Times wrote.

At one hand, the media jabs his inability to solve crisis ranging from daily power shutdowns to a moribund economy; and at the other, he gets little to no credit for the military offensive to tame local Taliban force.

"None of it fazes him. He will come out of it. He is being portrayed as the worst kind of man. But he waits because he's seen those days when he was portrayed as the villain of the country. He is a very patient person," Fauzia Wahab, Information Secretary of PPP was quoted as saying about the President.

The rest of the country may not be as patient, remarked the paper, saying the 54-year-old widower of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is widely viewed in Pakistani society not as a helmsman, but a bystander.

It's an image that is largely of Zardari's own making, the paper cited analysts who contend that he has failed to forge any kind of connection with the Pakistani public.

"Zardari's public appearances are infrequent and he has held only two news conferences, both with visiting heads of state alongside. He has yet to set foot in the Swat Valley, a region his troops retook from Taliban insurgents who had extended their reach to within an hour's drive of the capital," the report said.

"There's a sense that the guy's in charge but doesn't really know where he is. Has it sunk in yet that he's President of 167 million people, and that it's not about running a business anymore?" it added.

Electricity still a far-fetched dream for Gurez valley

Electricity remains to be a distant dream for the residents of Gurez valley of Jammu and Kashmir despite ample water resources existing in the region.

Consequently, diesel run generators have been sole means of power, a situation that has prevailed and prolonged in the region for decades.

In contrast, Gurez valley is the home to a mega hydroelectric project, the power from which will be transmitted to other states!

At present, the residents of Gurez get electricity hardly for two to three hours in a day, supplied by the diesel run generators. And these generators operate as per the available stock of diesel.

"There is so much water here. The government has to take steps to put an end to the power crisis. The electricity is supplied through diesel generators. As long as diesel is there we get electricity, but if the diesel goes out of stock, we live in dark and have to wait for fifteen days to one month for the next stock to reach our place," said Shazia Tabasum, a student.

Local authorities say that the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) is constructing 330 MW power project from the waters of Kishanganga river.

"There is so much water over here. The Kishanganga hydro project has been allotted to NHPC. It will give 30 megawatts power supply out of 330 megawatts. The worst part is that the people living here won't get any electricity. I have appealed to the government that at least one percent of power should be supplied to our valley for free," said Nazir Ahmed Gurazi, MLA, Gurez.

In winters, the technical snags in the diesel generators add to the woes of the locals as they have to wait for an engineer and a technician to come all the way to their valley to fix the problems.

"We face many problems as there is no power supply here. If anybody is ill, we cannot take him or her to have an x-ray. The school children can't study without light and their time is wasted," said Ghulam Nabi, a local resident.

UAE delivers free food to displaced Pakistanis

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has distributed 100 tonnes of food among the displaced civilians living at the Jalozai camp after the military offensives against the Taliban in northwest Pakistan, WAM news agency reported.

Some 4,000 families living at the camp received the food packets, according to the report Saturday. The items were delivered by the UAE embassy in Pakistan.

Most of the people at the camp are from the Malakand, Swat Valley and Bajur areas of Pakistan.

IMF approves 3rd tranche of $840m for Pakistan

NEW YORK: International Monetary Fund (IMF) has ratified for Pakistan on Friday the third installment of the loan costing dollar 840 million, Geo news reported while the decision was taken amid the executive meeting here.

The money will be transferred to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) within three to four days to come, sources said.

IMF also approved for Pakistan the additional loan of 3.1 million dollars following Pakistan request during the meeting, sources concluded.