Geo436.com blog: Zulqarnain lands in England after Dubai no-show

Geo 436 LONDON: Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has arrived in England after mysteriously disappearing hours before the fifth and final one-day international against
South Africa in Dubai.

Television pictures clearly showed Zulqarnain arriving at Heathrow Airport on Monday afternoon.

Earlier, Pakistan”s team management said the keeper was last seen at the team”s hotel in Dubai early in the morning.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Zulqarnain had not informed them he was planning to leave the hotel nor had he told them the reason for his sudden decision.

“A full inquiry will be held into the circumstances surrounding this incident and no further comment will be made until the facts are known,” the PCB said in a statement.

In a message on his Facebook account, Zulqarnain appeared to suggest he was worried about his personal safety after receiving threats.

“Leaving Pakistan cricket because get bad messages for lose the match in last game,” he wrote.

PCB officials reported Zulqarnain”s disappearance to the International Cricket Council”s Anti-Corruption and Security unit, as well as local police.

The 24-year-old scored an unbeaten 19 and hit the winning runs as Pakistan levelled the five-match series 2-2 in the fourth one-dayer on Friday.

THREATENING MESSAGES

His brother Reza in Lahore told that Zulqarnain had expressed fears after receiving threatening messages.

“The last time I spoke to him he told me he was getting threatening messages after the fourth match and to pray for him,” said Reza before adding his family was in touch with
Zulqarnain and concerned about his safety.

“We would like to know a lot of things like why did the PCB management give him his passport, were they aware of the threats he had got?”, Reza said.

The PCB said Zulqarnain had asked Pakistan officials for his passport.

“Zulqarnain was in possession of his passport at the time he left the hotel, which he had taken from the team management the previous evening for personal use,” said the board.

PCB legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi told Reuters that Zulqarnain had breached his central contract.

“He will definitely face an inquiry and disciplinary action whenever he contacts us. But we are concerned about this whole situation,” said Rizvi.

Lahore police official Rana Faisal said they were investigating Zulqarnain”s disappearance.

“We have received no official complaint but taking note of the media reports we have sent some officers to his house (in Lahore) to find out details,” Faisal said.

Zulqarnain has played one Test, four one-day internationals and three Twenty20 games for Pakistan.

Geo436.com blog: Land bill tops agenda in India parliament session

Geo436 NEW DELHI: India”s government will try to push key reforms, including those to ease land acquisition for industry and mines, when parliament opens on Tuesday, but opposition protests over corruption could delay matters.

The proposed laws to give farmers better prices for land taken over for factories or roads and to share mining profits with locals are seen as damping protests that have held up several billion-dollar investments key to accelerating growth.

But ratification of the bills may be delayed by opposition attacks over charges ministers and people close to the Congress party-led coalition government siphoned off millions of dollars during last month”s Commonwealth Games and over lucrative telecoms licences awarded to firms at rock-bottom prices.

Asia”s third-largest economy needs to quicken up its industrialisation and build better infrastructure if it has to catch up with rival China”s double-digit growth rates and pull out several hundred millions of its citizens out of poverty.

But rows over land acquisition have held up a series of projects ranging from a $2-billion highway in north India to South Korean Posco”s $12-billion steel mill in eastern Orissa state.

The expected parliament impasse is emblematic of what analysts have come to accept about India: that reforms will be slow and convoluted in the raucous coalition politics of India, despite broad political acceptance.

The main opposition Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), smarting from recent investigations into the role of its affiliate groups in bomb attacks against Muslims, will use these issues to keep pressure on the government.

“It is going to be a very intense session, a confrontation of the failures of the government in tackling corruption allegations,” BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman said.

“The line is clearly drawn: the failure to take action is not a question of scandal, it”s a case of you very clearly being paralytic about action.”

The land bill was a promise extracted from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by Rahul Gandhi, the son of powerful Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and who is seen as a prime minister in waiting. Rahul has also backed the rights of people affected by mining projects.

The laws are seen boosting Congress” image at a time of state elections over the coming year and taking the edge off voter anger over high food prices and inflation.

Singh”s government has had to face several stormy parliament sessions over issues like high prices since it was reelected with a stronger mandate in early 2009, and the disruptions have held up many important reform bills.

The new session to Dec. 13 begins a day after US President Barack Obama addresses lawmakers, part of a three-day visit where he has pushed for more exports and for greater market access.

“The government is prepared to discuss each and every issue. We don”t want any disruption of the parliament,” Congress leader Manish Tewari told Reuters.

BJP leaders said Congress had not yet approached it for back-room negotiations that had salvaged the previous session of parliament and allowed the passage of a landmark civil nuclear liability law with bipartisan support.

Geo436.com blog: Zulqarnain missing; new twist emerges

Geo436 DUBAI: Pakistani cricket team wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider went missing from hotel room in Dubai this morning, as the situation takes a surprise turn, Geo News reported Monday.

The wicketkeeper Haider is missing from his hotel room since 6am this morning.

Sources said he was last seen at 630am while leaving his room. A Source said Shahid Aslam saw the wicketkeeper leaving his room at around 6am; he intercepted Haider, who told he is leaving to receive his relatives and would be back after some time. However, he was not seen around again.

However, in a new twist to the entire episode is a new message received on the mobile phone of wicketkeeper' friend and Geo News corresponded Sohail Imran at around 1515am. The sms tells that Zulqarnain was leaving for England and urged security for his family in view of life-threatening messages.

The PCB's Media Manager Nadeem Sarwar told Geo News that Zulqarnain had already taken his passport from the management on certain pretext last night.

The wicketkeeper said in his Facebook post he was leaving cricket as someone gave him bad message on losing in last match.

The wicketkeeper words are: 'leaving pakistan cricket because get bad msg fr 1 man fr lose the match in last game.'

Also, a message from Zulqarnain's mobile received on cellphone of Sohail Imran, said he is leaving the cricket as someone is giving him murder threats.

The SMS received on Sohail Imran's mobile phone said, 'Match haar jao' (Lose match.)

In his second MSM to Sohail Imran, the cricketer said he is leaving for England.

Talking to Geo News, Zulqarnain's brother Aqil Haider said his brother talked to the family last night, urging all to pray to Allah for his brother.

Team management announced three changes in the squad for today's match. Zulqarnain Haider's name was previously on the squad for today's match. Muhammed Yousuf, who flew shortly to Dubai, has been included in the squad for strengthening batting line. Omar Akmal will play as wicketkeeper in today's match. Imran Farhat and Asad Shafeeque have been excluded.

Geo436.com blog: US cannot impose solution on Kashmir: Obama

Geo436 NEW DELHI: President Barack Obama said Monday that the United States could not impose a solution on Kashmir or other issues in the volatile India-Pakistan relationship.

“I believe both Pakistan and India have an interest in reducing tensions between the two countries,” Obama said when asked about the Kashmir dispute at a press conference after he met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

But he added: “The United States cannot impose a solution on these problems.”

Geo436.com blog: 3-days polio campaign starts today

Geo436 Staff Report

LAHORE: Three-day polio drive is being started from today (Monday) throughout the country.

Pakistan is striving hard to make polio free country for last 16 years but 130 new cases of this crippling disease have surfaced in different parts of the country.

The health department says that 30 million children up to age of five years would be given polio drops throughout the country, adding that special teams have been made. Geo436

Geo436.com blog: Myanmar counts votes in poll marred by fraud fears

Geo436 YANGON: Myanmar counted ballots Monday in its first vote in 20 years as Western governments lashed out at the military-ruled nation for orchestrating an election that junta-backed parties look set to easily win.

With democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi still locked up and two pro-junta parties fielding about two-thirds of the total candidates, world leaders rejected the legitimacy of the poll in a broadside of statements.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi swept her party to power in 1990 but the result was never recognised by the ruling generals. She has been detained for most of the last 20 years and supported a boycott of Sunday”s election.

US President Barack Obama said the vote would be “anything but free and fair”, while Britain said the election would “mean the return to power of a brutal regime”.

Yet while conditions for the vote have been widely criticised, some saw the poll as a small step towards democracy after almost five decades of autocratic rule, with opposition parties set to finally get a voice in parliament.

Despite the generals” unpopularity, their political proxy, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), was widely expected to win, helped by huge financial and campaigning advantages as well as a climate of fear.

In many constituencies the poll was a two-horse race between the USDP and
the National Unity Party (NUP), which is the successor to late dictator Ne Win”s party and also closely aligned with the military.

A quarter of the seats in the two-chamber national parliament and regional legislatures are reserved for military appointees whatever the outcome. It is unclear when the results will be announced.

Two opposition parties accused the USDP — formed by ministers who retired from the military in April — of illegally collecting advance ballots.

“My sense is that there were certainly cases of intimidation,” said Britain”s ambassador to Myanmar, Andrew Heyn, who expressed concern about the many anecdotal reports of advance voting irregularities.

“These votes are very open to abuses,” he said.

The National Democratic Force (NDF), created by former members of Suu Kyi”s disbanded party, said some people had complained that they were told by the USDP there was no need to vote as their ballots had already been collected.

But NDF leader Khin Maung Swe said his party was optimistic about its prospects in those areas where it was standing, with queues forming at some polling stations.

“I think people wanted to vote as they haven”t voted for a long time,” he said.

More than 29 million people were eligible to vote but it was uncertain how many would actually cast ballots, with apathy and disillusionment widespread in the impoverished nation.

The intentions of junta chief Than Shwe remained shrouded in mystery. There has been speculation that he may step down as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but few expect him to relinquish real power.

Obama urged Myanmar to free Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners “immediately and unconditionally” while US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Myanmar had missed an opportunity to begin a transition to democracy and national reconciliation.

“The electoral process was severely flawed, precluded an inclusive, level playing field, and repressed fundamental freedoms,” said Clinton, the chief US diplomat.

The European Union said in a statement it regretted that the authorities “did not take the necessary steps to ensure a free, fair and inclusive electoral process”.

Geo436.com blog: Militants publicly execute 3 ”US spies” in Pakistan

Geo436 MIRANSHAH: Militants publicly executed three tribesmen in Pakistan”s northwestern tribal belt on Sunday after accusing them of spying for the United States, officials said.

The men, blindfolded with hands tied behind their backs, were lined up near a gas station in the lawless tribal area near the Afghan border, local police official Nasir Khan said.

“A man wearing a black mask then shot them dead one by one,” he said — adding that the militants, before killing the trio, asked local people to “come and witness the fate of US spies”.

He said that about 100 people watched the executions at an open area on a road near Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan and a bastion of Taliban and al-Qaeda linked militants.

The alleged spies were local tribesmen aged 25, 28 and 32, Khan said. The militants left in two cars after the killings.

A local intelligence official also confirmed the executions, which came amid a surge in US drone attacks in the Pakistani tribal belt.

Militants frequently kidnap and kill tribesmen in the troubled region, accusing them of spying for the Pakistani government or US forces in Afghanistan, where Taliban fighters have been waging a vicious insurgency for nine years.