Pak-India commerce secretary level talks today

ISLAMABAD: Commerce Secretaries of Pakistan and India would meet here today and discuss various trade related issues to give impetus to the Pakistan-India economic engagement.

Indian Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar, along with a six-member delegation, arrived here on Tuesday to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Zafar Mehmood on trade related issues.

"The talks would continue for two days on April 27 and 28 to cover various trade issues with an aim to boost trade among the neighbouring countries," sources said.

Rahul Khullar took stock of ongoing work at Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari-Wagah border. On plans for India to get Most Favored Nation (MFN) status from Pakistan, Khullar said the issue would be raised at his meeting with Pakistan delegation. "Though talks are unstructured, without any fixed agenda, such will be taken up," he added.

He said he expected a positive outcome from talks as there exists scope for enhancing trade between two countries. "I am going to listen to them and we feel that good things will come out,'' he said, adding he felt business visas must be relaxed to enable businessmen to travel easily between both countries.

On trade across Line of Control (LoC in disputed Kashmir), Khullar said the matter would be taken up at appropriate level, and if anomalies existed, steps would be taken to correct them.

This will be the second high-level interaction between the two countries after the resumption of dialogue on all bilateral issues.

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Police arrests gang that threatened Zulqarnain

Cricketer Zulqarnain Haider.

SIALKOT: Police on Wednesday arrested a gang of eight bookmakers, which was allegedly involved in threatening Pakistan cricket team’s wicket keeper Zulqarnain Haider, DawnNews reported.

The city police also recovered a huge cache of ammunition, telephone sets and other suspicious objects from the suspects.

SP Sialkot, Nasir Qureshi told DawnNews that the suspects were operating from a building located in the Sambrial area of the city where they had built secret rooms hidden behind wooden cupboards.

Police also recovered around 250 telephone sets, satellite transmission equipment, mobile phones and records of betting during different cricket matches, Qureshi added.

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Kadhafi seen on 'back foot' as fighting rages

MISRATA: Libyan rebels appear to be gaining ground against Moamer Kadhafi, the British defence minister said Tuesday, despite a deadly attack on Misrata port by the Libyan strongman's forces.

"We've seen some momentum gained in the last few days. We've seen some progress made in Misrata. And it's very clear that the regime is on the back foot," British Defence Secretary Liam Fox said.

After nearly three hours of talks at the Pentagon with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, Fox painted an optimistic picture of the Libya conflict despite fears on both sides of the Atlantic that the war could turn into a stalemate.

A NATO spokeswoman, meanwhile, said the alliance was considering sending a civilian "contact point" to Libya's eastern rebel bastion of Benghazi in order to improve political relations with the opposition.

Earlier Tuesday, forces loyal to the veteran Libyan leader, who has ruled the north African nation for some four decades, fired Grad rockets at Misrata port, killing at least three refugees and forcing an aid ship to stay out to sea.

As the United States and its allies pondered how to help the rebels, US President Barack Obama formally ordered a drawdown of $25 million in urgent, non-lethal American aid to Libya's Transitional National Council.

Officials said last week the aid could include vehicles, fuel trucks, ambulances, medical equipment, protective vests, binoculars, and radios.

A day after allied warplanes struck Kadhafi's compound in Tripoli, Gates and Fox also insisted that command centres for the regime's forces were legitimate targets.

"We have considered all along command and control centres to be a legitimate target and we have taken those out elsewhere," Gates told reporters.

Earlier, Tripoli said it had asked Russia to convene an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council over what it called an "assassination attempt" on Kadhafi when the NATO raid destroyed his office on Sunday night.

Tripoli said the bombardments went against Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973, which passed thanks to a Russian abstention, and "were in violation of international laws and conventions."

Kadhafi's chief ally in Latin America, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused NATO of trying to kill his "friend."

"You know that Kadhafi is our friend, but this has nothing to do with friendship. Who has the right to drop bombs like this? They are looking for Kadhafi to kill him," said the leader of Latin America's radical left.

"We don't agree with everything Kadhafi is doing or has done, but who has the right to drop bombs on him each morning?"

Chavez also announced that Kadhafi was sending a delegation to Venezuela in a bid to try to negotiate a peaceful solution to the fighting which has raged
in Libya since mid-February, causing scores of deaths and thousands of casualties.

In northwestern Misrata, several Grad rockets hit the port and an International Organisation for Migration (IOM) ship that had come to rescue refugees remained offshore as a precaution, a journalist said.

At least three African refugees were killed in the attack, a medic and a Western journalist said. The medical source also spoke of "around 20 wounded."

The IOM ship had been due to take on board 550 African refugees, of whom some 2,000 are reported to be still stranded in Misrata.

NATO warplanes overflew the rebel-held city where explosions were also heard after 24 hours of relative calm. At least one air strike was reported.

"NATO asked that the IOM boat leave the port," said a rebel source, adding that "around 20 vehicles" containing Kadhafi loyalists were approaching.

Elsewhere, witnesses in the northwestern town of Kabao reported insurgents fought heavy battles against Kadhafi's forces, leaving dozens of regime troops dead and many captured.

Witnesses said 45 loyalists were killed and 17 captured around the town of 15,000 people 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of Nalut. Two rebels had also been killed and three wounded on Monday.

Misrata's port has been a strategic conduit for international humanitarian aid, as well as rebel fighter reinforcements and guns and ammunition from their Benghazi stronghold.

Rebels there had said they pushed Kadhafi's troops out after a siege lasting more than seven weeks, but opposition officials in Benghazi downplayed the reports.

"The situation in Misrata remains grave. The revolutionaries are in control but they remain surrounded and bombed," opposition Transitional National Council spokesman Jalal al-Gallal told AFP.

TNC military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani also dismissed reports of significant progress in Misrata.

"It is a disaster there," he said. "Kadhafi is not going anywhere. Misrata is the key to Tripoli. If he lets go of Misrata, he will let go of Tripoli. He is not crazy enough to do that."

Tripoli said it asked the African Union to convene an extraordinary summit to find ways for the continent to fight "external forces."

And, a day after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Italy's air force would take part in "targeted action" in Libya, Rome announced it would host a meeting on May 5 of the international contact group on Libya.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, meanwhile, praised the UN Security Council's action on Libya for allowing military action to patrol a no-fly zone and taking sanctions against Kadhafi's regime.

"Clearly, the Security Council's decisive and unified action has saved many lives," the UN chief said.

"It is also clear that the Libyan regime has lost both legitimacy and credibility, particularly in terms of protecting its people and addressing their legitimate aspirations for change," he said.

Russia, however, has stressed it will not back a new UN Security Council resolution on further intervention in Libya.

Moscow could back new UN action if it "calls for an immediate end to all violence, bloodshed, the use of force, military action, and calls on all sides to immediately sit down at the negotiating table," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Meanwhile, the former chief of the CIA praised Kadhafi's past cooperation with the United States and said his downfall could complicate US interests in the short term.

"Whatever you think of Kadhafi and Mussa Kussa... they were good and they were good counter-terrorism partners," said retired general Michael Hayden, referring to the former Libyan foreign minister who has defected.

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Petrol import from India proposed

A Pakistani policeman stands guard in front of a petrol station in Lahore on April 26, 2011. India plans to export petrol and diesel to Pakistan to help its neighbour meet its energy needs and to open up a new market for Indian refiners such as giant Reliance Industries, a report said.

ISLAMABAD: The petroleum ministry has proposed that the ‘most favoured nation’ (MFN) status be granted to India to facilitate import of petroleum products and export of cement and chemicals which would be a cost-effective proposition for both countries.

A commerce ministry official said a summary prepared by the petroleum ministry on the matter would become the basis of the two-day talks between the commerce secretaries of the two countries beginning here on Wednesday.

According to sources, the oil imports would be conditional to India facilitating export of Pakistani cement and chemicals without any barriers.

The official said the ministry had proposed the MFN status for India about two years ago and it reiterated its position this week as part of preparations for the talks.

According to the petroleum ministry, the country’s consumption of petroleum products currently stood at about 21 million tons, of which about 85 per cent was met through imports. Indigenous crude production meets only 15 per cent of the consumption, while 30 per cent crude and 55 per cent refined products are imported. The country’s total refining capacity is about 13 million tons.

The transportation of about two million tons of POL products takes place through the railway, 4.5 million tons through pipelines and about 14.5 million tons by road.

The ministry believes that Pakistan’s total diesel consumption of about 4.4 million tons can be met through imports from India where its prices are lower than in Pakistan. The price of diesel in Pakistan is Rs92.90 per litre against Rs75.56 in India (40 Indian rupees). The price of petrol in India is equivalent to Rs61.50 per litre and Rs83.55 in Pakistan.

According to the ministry, Bhatinda and Panipat have a refining capacity of about 15 million tons and two refineries of the Reliance Industries have a capacity of 40 million tons.

It has proposed that import be allowed through Wagah border by rail and road to meet diesel requirements in northern parts of the country and through sea for Karachi and adjoining areas.

The official said that since furnace oil and high speed diesel were deregulated items in Pakistan, oil marketing companies should be allowed to import the two products through open bidding.

Both diesel and furnace oil are on the positive list of importable items from India but imports do not take place because of political reasons.

The petroleum ministry has also proposed to put petrol and jet fuel, which are deficit products in Pakistan, on the positive list.

To achieve this objective, Indian companies may be allowed to participate in tenders floated by oil marketing companies.

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HEC's devolution to provinces opposed

VCs of public sector varsities oppose proposed HEC dissolution
Islamabad, March 26: A former chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and incumbent president of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Dr Attaur Rehman has criticised the government's decision to devolve the commission to the provinces.

Dr Rehman, the commission's founding chairman who held the position from 2002 till late 2008, said at a press conference here on Friday that the decision would be a blow to the country's higher education sector which had just started taking off after the huge investment that went into it over the past decade.

"Splitting the HEC between the provinces means we are pushing our higher education sector 40 years back because they neither have the capacity nor vision to take their universities to the competitive level of 21st century."

He said that although the HEC's status had been protected under the 18th Amendment as a subject of the federal legislative list, some elements were bent upon destroying the institution so important to the national development.

Dr Rehman said the implementation commission on 18th Amendment, headed by Senator Raza Rabbani, was being 'misled' on the HEC's status. The commission directly fell under the prime minister's control, but it was being dealt as a subsidiary of the federal education ministry, he added.

When asked if the HEC or the Pakistan Academy of Sciences had been formally informed about the decision to devolve the commission to the provinces, Dr Rehman quoting some reliable sources said the implementation commission had recommended devolution of the HEC and its announcement was just a matter of time.

He said he had already written to the president, prime minister and Mr Rabbani and informed them about the possible implications of the HEC's devolution to the provinces.

Some vice-chancellors of private and public sector universities were present on the occasion.

When contacted, Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali, a PPP MNA who has worked as adviser to the prime minister on social sector and looked after the HEC's affairs for some time, said that until the government came up with a definite devolution plan for the commission it would be premature to comment on the matter.

However, she said, if the HEC had any concern it should make a presentation to the implementation commission. She was of the view that setting up of new universities, degrees' verification and quality assurance in terms of new degree programmes were some of the tasks that should be handled at the central level.

"Universities falling under the administrative control of provincial governors as their chancellors are already being managed at the provincial level and large public sector higher education institutions have their own senates and syndicates for governance purpose," she pointed out.

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal, who as a member of the constitutional reforms committee had submitted a dissent note against devolution of the federal education ministry, said the devolution of the HEC would be a disaster for the higher education sector. He said that all over the world countries had national-level institutions responsible for standardisation of education.

"I opposed the devolution of the federal education ministry on the grounds that it will promote provincialism because every province will have separate curriculum and examination systems to follow," he said.

Mr Iqbal said that India which is far bigger country than Pakistan has a national-level examination system in addition to a university grants commission.

Despite repeated attempts, Senator Rabbani could not be contacted for his comment on the issue.

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PML-N asks govt to stop devolution of HEC

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday demanded the government to stop the devolution of Higher Education Commission (HEC) to provinces, saying that there was no such ‘constitutional compulsion’ in the 18th Amendment. “Devolution of the HEC to provinces will affect the future of thousands of PhD scholars and researchers who are presently studying and doing research work in the country and abroad,” PML-N Secretary Information Ahsan Iqbal said. Addressing a news conference at the party’s central secretariat, he said that the matter would be taken up in the upcoming session of the National Assembly in consultation with other political parties. He suggested to form a parliamentary committee to look into the matter of national importance and assured full cooperation of his party to resolve it. “The HEC can also be given under the Council of Common Interests (CCI) or a National Education Commission having representation from all the provinces can be set up,” he maintained. During the last eight to nine years, Ahsan Iqbal said, the HEC had produced quality manpower required in the industrial sector of the country, which was considered a backbone of the national economy. It provided the world class workforce to the industrial sector, bringing it at par with international standards, he added. “Today’s economy is knowledge driven and there is need to produce educated and skilled workforce matching the needs of industrial sector,” he said. app

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Relations with Pakistan 'unbreakable': Cameron

ISLAMABAD: UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said the bond between the UK and Pakistan was 'unbreakable' while announcing £650m worth of aid for education. At joint news conference after talks with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, he said: "Let me begin by saying without any hesitation that Britain's friendship with Pakistan is unbreakable." He said there was "no doubt" about strength of links in many areas - including security, education and trade, on which the talks concentrated. The two countries have agreed to try to double bilateral trade to £2.5 billion a year by 2015, he added. Cameron said: "It is in our interest that Pakistan succeeds". "By putting money directly into education and helping to educate four million children is an investment for Britain to do our bit to make sure Pakistan is a success. "A trading success, an economic success... and a country that we can work with in the future." While replying to a question Gilani said: "When it comes to Pakistan/ UK relations, the sky is the limit."

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