One dead, 65 cases of dengue reported in J-K

One woman has died and 65 others have been suffering from symptoms of dengue in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir.

24-year-old Pooja Devi of Samba died at a hospital at Ludhiana in Punjab on September 28 and 65 others were admitted to different hospitals of the district with symptoms of dengue, Samba District Commissioner (RC) R K Verma said.

Pooja fell ill on September 21 and was first taken to the district hospital in Samba where doctors confirmed it as a case of dengue, officials said.

After primary treatment, she was referred to the Army Hospital at Pathankote on September 25 and later shifted to a private hospital in Ludhiana where she died on September 28, they said.

So far 65 cases of dengue have been reported in the district and they were being treated at various hospitals here, the DC said.

Latam stocks fall on US gov’t shutdown worry

MEXICO CITY: Latin American stocks fell on Monday as concerns of a possible shutdown of the US government hit global markets, while stocks in Brazil were also hurt by bets that interest rates could remain high after the central bank raised its inflation outlook.

Profit-taking on a regional rally this month has hurt stocks in recent days, but Mexico's main index still recorded its best month since January while Brazil's Bovespa marked its biggest monthly gain since last December.

* US lawmakers continued to wrangle on Monday about a funding bill for the federal government. A lack of an agreement by the end of the day would likely cause the government to shut down at least briefly.

* Brazil's benchmark Bovespa stock index fell 2.61 percent to close at 52,338.19 points. The index has slumped during the last two weeks, but it still notched a near 4.7 percent gain in September.

* Investors bet Brazil's policymakers could keep interest rates higher for longer than expected after the country's central bank increased its inflation forecast for 2014 to 5.7 percent from 5.4 percent and the bank's policy director said there is still "plenty of work" to be done in monetary policy to stabilize prices.

* Brazil's central bank this year has raised its benchmark interest rate from 7.25 percent to 9 percent to contain inflation even as the economy struggles to regain steam after a slowdown last year. Higher interest rates can slow growth and hurt the prospects for companies.

* Mining firm Vale SA dropped 1.87 percent and Itau Unibanco Holding SA, Brazil's largest non-government bank, lost 2.36 percent.

* Shares of OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes SA, the oil company controlled by Brazilian tycoon Eike Batista, fell 25 percent to its lowest price ever.

OGX stock has lost about 99 percent of its value from a 2010 high since it has been unable to produce as much oil as initially forecast. The firm is expected to file for bankruptcy protection within a couple of weeks.

* Shipbuilder OSX Brasil SA, OGX's sister company in Batista's EBX Group holding firm, dropped 14.4 percent. The company is also widely expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the coming weeks.

* Mexico's IPC index fell for the third straight session, losing 1.76 percent as miner Grupo Mexico shed 3.46 percent and billionaire Carlos Slim's telecommunications firm America Movil dropped 1.52 percent. The IPC posted a nearly 1.8 percent rise for the month.

* Mexico's stock exchange, which has seen a record amount of stock issuance this year, could see up to five more stock offerings in 2013 on top of four already in the works, the bourse's chief executive Luis Tellez told Reuters on Monday.

* Chile's IPSA index fell 1.27 percent as shares in industrial conglomerate Copec lost 2.4 percent. The IPSA gained about 5.4 percent during the month.

Baghdad hit by wave of deadly car bombs

A series of car bomb blasts in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, has killed at least 47 people and injured many more, officials say.

The blasts targeted markets and car parks in mainly Shia Muslim districts of the city.

There has been a recent upsurge in sectarian violence, sparking fears of a return to the bloodletting of 2008.

More than 5,000 people have been killed so far this year, according to United Nations data.

Monday's blasts struck during Baghdad's morning rush hour, with reports of 13 bombs, most of them in Shia neighbourhoods.

Groups of labourers gathering ahead of the working day were among the bombers' targets.

One of the deadliest attacks was reported from the eastern Sadr City district where seven people were killed and 75 injured in a crowded vegetable market.

Another six were reported killed in Shuala, a mainly Shia area of north Baghdad.

The city neighbourhoods affected also included New Baghdad, Habibiya, Sabaa al-Bour, Kazimiya, Shaab and Ur, as well as the Sunni districts of Jamiaa and Ghazaliya, the Associated Press news agency reports.

'War with terrorism'

No-one has claimed responsibility for Monday's attacks, but Sunni Muslim insurgents have been blamed for much of the most recent violence.

The interior ministry accused rebels linked to al-Qaeda of exploiting political divisions and regional conflicts to sow violence.

"Our war with terrorism goes on," interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan told AP.

The recent upsurge in violence was triggered in April by an army raid on a Sunni Muslim anti-government protest camp near Hawija, north of Baghdad.

Many in the country's Sunni Muslim minority complain of being excluded from decision-making and of abuses by the security forces. Recent raids in Baghdad on suspected al-Qaeda hideouts in mainly Sunni districts are thought to have worsened grievances.

One of the bloodiest attacks over the past few weeks was a double bombing in a funeral marquee in Sadr City on 21 September, which left more than 60 people dead.

Several dozen people died in a wave of attacks on Sunday, including another explosion at a funeral.

A suicide bomber attacked a Shia Muslim mosque south of the city, causing the roof to collapse. More than 40 people are now known to have been killed in that incident.

Irbil, the normally stable capital of Iraq's autonomous province of Kurdistan, was hit by a series of bombings on the same day, killing six members of the security services. Officials said that violence could be linked to fighting between jihadists and Kurds in Syria.

It's a risky, dirty job, but somebody's got to do it: Chemical weapons experts head to Syria

AMSTERDAM - They left in secrecy on a private jet, bound for one of the world's most dangerous places, to destroy substances so deadly that the smallest particle can kill within minutes. The inspectors for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons tasked with helping Syria destroy its chemical weapons have about nine months to find and dismantle an estimated 1,000-ton chemical arsenal that took years to build. It is the shortest deadline they have ever faced in any nation, and their first mission in a country at war.

Here's a look at the details of their plan so far and the hurdles inspectors may face:

PRIORITY NO. 1 — DESTROY WEAPON CAPABILITIES WITHOUT GETTING POISONED

Sarin — suspected in the Aug. 21 attack that killed more than a thousand people outside Damascus — has a shelf life of about a week once it's been made, so just disabling equipment used to mix chemicalprecursors will go a long way toward keeping civilians safe. Another important tactic is destroying missiles used to carry chemical weapons. Without a way to disperse them, deadly chemicals are all but useless in warfare.

THE SIMPLEST WAY TO DISABLE EQUIPMENT? SMASH IT!

Inspectors can use any means they deem necessary to render equipment inoperable, including techniques that are crude but effective. Options include: taking sledgehammers to control panels; driving tanks over empty vats or filling them with concrete; or running mixing machines without lubricant so they seize up and become inoperable.

SHHH! THE PLAN IS SECRET

After a brief layover at an undisclosed location, the first 20 inspectors will meet with officials in Syria's foreign ministry by lunchtime Tuesday. Some will be double-checking Syria's initial disclosure of what weapons and chemical precursors it has and where they are located. Others will begin planning the logistics for visits to every location where chemicals or weapons are stored — from trucks loaded with weapons up to full-on production sites.

Within a week a second wave of inspectors will arrive — fewer than 100 combined — and form teams that will fan out to individual sites. Their routes will be kept confidential — both for their safety and because Syria has the right not to reveal its military secrets, including base locations. Under OPCW rules, even the composition of its chemical arsenal won't be disclosed publicly, though it is widely understood to contain mustard gas, Sarin and probably VX nerve gas. The OPCW has said not all inspection teams will arrive or depart via Damascus.

INSPECTORS FACE DANGERS: TOXIC CHEMICALS AND A WAR ZONE

Each group will need experts from different fields: Chemical analysts, manufacturing experts, munitions and military specialists, and health experts versed in the dangers of dealing with toxins. They must also have the medical expertise to lend emergency assistance in case of accident.

Syria will bear primary responsibility for inspectors' safety, so they will be travelling with Syrian handlers. U.N. officials will also assist and may prove vital to negotiate passage through or near zones held by rebels.

THEY WILL SEEK AND DESTROY

Inspectors will verify what's at each site by taking samples. They will also vet each site's suitability as a future destruction centre: road access, electricity, and water are all desirable features. Failing that, they will look at possibilities to transport material to a better location — or perhaps even bring in mobile destruction facilities built by the U.S. or Russia. Transporting material out of the country is also theoretically possible, but it's not part of the current plan: exporting chemical weapons material would violate international law.

THE HARD PART IS GETTING RID OF BATTLE-READY WEAPONS

As Syria and the inspectors race to achieve the first milestone of rendering all mixing equipment inoperable by Nov. 1, back at headquarters, the OPCW will be drawing up plans for the next phase. That is, actually destroying battle-ready weapons and getting rid of precursor materials. That's a time-consuming and expensive process, usually done by incinerating materials in sealed furnaces at ultra-high temperatures; or by transforming precursor chemicals or diluting them with water. Experts inside and outside the OPCW say the mid-2014 target for completion is ambitious, though none have said it's outright impossible.

THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM FOR INTRIGUE

The inspectors are empowered to conduct surprise visits to sites they suspect may contain undeclared weapons, and the U.N. resolution says they must be granted unfettered access. If Syria refuses, it will ultimately be up to the OPCW's director general to decide whether the regime's motive is legitimate — say due to military sensitivity of a site — or if Syria's government is not sincere in its desire to get rid of all weapons, as Assad proclaimed he was on Sunday. Falling behind on timetables or disputes over access could easily escalate into political issues.

For now, the OPCW experts say that Syria's declarations look reasonable, and preliminary contacts have been nothing but businesslike. If the facts on the ground later lead them to the conclusion Syria is not co-operating, they say they'll be prepared to report that to the U.N. Security council without regard to the political consequences.

NASA wants to launch 3-D printer into space. Here’s why?

Moffett Field, California: NASA is preparing to launch a 3-D printer into space next year, a toaster-sized game changer that greatly reduces the need for astronauts to load up with every tool, spare part or supply they might ever need. The printers would serve as a flying factory of infinite designs, creating objects by extruding layer upon layer of plastic from long strands coiled around large spools. Doctors use them to make replacement joints and artists use them to build exquisite jewelry. In NASA labs, engineers are 3-D printing small satellites that could shoot out of the Space Station and transmit data to earth, as well as replacement parts and rocket pieces that can survive extreme temperatures. “Any time we realise we can 3-D print something in space, it’s like Christmas,” said inventor Andrew Filo, who is consulting with NASA on the project. “You can get rid of concepts like rationing, scarce or irreplaceable.” The spools of plastic could eventually replace racks of extra instruments and hardware, although the upcoming mission is just a demonstration printing job
.

“If you want to be adaptable, you have to be able to design and manufacture on the fly, and that’s where 3-D printing in space comes in,” said Dave Korsmeyer, director of engineering at NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of San Francisco. For the first 3-D printer in space test slated for fall 2014, NASA had more than a dozen machines to choose from, ranging from $300 desktop models to $500,000 warehouse builders. All of them, however, were built for use on Earth, and space travel presented challenges, from the loads and vibrations of launch to the stresses of working in orbit, including microgravity, differing air pressures, limited power and variable temperatures. As a result, NASA hired Silicon Valley startup Made In Space to build something entirely new. “Imagine an astronaut needing to make a life-or-death repair on the International Space Station,” said Aaron Kemmer, CEO of Made in Space. “Rather than hoping that the necessary parts and tools are on the station already, what if the parts could be 3-D printed when they needed them?” When staffing his start up in 2010, Kemmer and his partners warned engineers there would be ups and downs — nauseating ones. In more than a dozen flights in NASA’s “vomit comet” reduced-gravity aircraft, Made In Space scientists tested printer after printer. Last week at their headquarters on NASA’s campus, Made In Space engineers in lab coats and hair nets tinkered with a sealed 3-D printer in a dust free cleanroom, preparing the models for further pre-launch tests. As proof of its utility, the team revisited the notorious 1970 moon-bound Apollo 13 breakdown, when astronauts were forced to jerry-rig a lifesaving carbon dioxide filter holder with a plastic bag, a manual cover and duct tape. A 3-D printer could have solved the problem in minutes. “Safety has been one of our biggest concerns,” said strategic officer Michael Chen. Sparks, breakages and electric surges can have grave consequences in the space station. “But when we get it right, we believe these are the only way to manifest living in space,” he said. Space-bound printers will also, eventually, need to capture gasses emitted from the extruded plastics, be able to print their own parts for self-repairs and have some abilities to recycle printed products into new ones. Scott Crump, who helped develop 3-D printing technology in 1988 by making a toy frog for his daughter with a glue gun in his kitchen, said he never conceived how pivotal it could be for space travel. But he said that until metal becomes commonly used in 3-D printers, the applications will be limited. “The good news is that you don’t have to have this huge amount of inventory in space, but the bad news is now you need materials, in this case filament, and a lot of power,” he said. NASA and other international space agencies are pressing forward with 3-D printing. Mastering space manufacturing, along with finding and producing water and food on the moon or other planets, could lead to living in space. Last month, the space agency awarded Bothell, Washington-based Tethers Unlimited $500,000 toward a project to use 3-D printing and robots to build massive antennas and solar power generators in space by 2020. It replaces the expensive and cumbersome process of building foldable parts on Earth and assembling them in orbit. For Made In Space’s debut, when it’s shuttled up to the space station aboard a spaceflight cargo resupply mission, the initial prints will be tests — different small shapes to be studied for strength and accuracy. They’re also discussing with NASA about what the first real piece that they should print will be. Whatever it is, it will be a historic and symbolic item sure to end up in a museum someday. “It’s not something we’re discussing publicly right now,” said CEO Kemmer. Then, Jason Dunn, the chief technology officer, beckoned, dropping his voice as he grinned. “We’re going to build a Death Star,” he joked softly, referring to the giant space station in the “Star Wars” movies that could blow up planets. “Then it’s all going to be over.”
 

Powerful shock for the powerless

Electricity tariff for domestic, agri consumers up by 40 to 210pc | New per unit price Rs14 for 201-300 units, Rs16 for 301-700, Rs18 for above 700 units

ISLAMABAD - The PML-N regime that came to power on promise of ending energy woes of the people has ‘gifted’ them with an unprecedented power tariff hike of 40 to 210 percent ahead of Eid.
This record breaking tariff raise, applicable from today for domestic and agricultural consumers, comes with the withdrawal of Rs140 billion annual subsidy on electricity, as per the loan deal struck with the IMF, and it is likely to invite a fierce reaction from the public and opposition parliamentarian.
The domestic consumers using up to 200 units of electricity are exempted from this price increase, according to a notification issued by the ministry of water and power on Monday. But it shows Rs5.89 per unit increase for the domestic consumers using power from 201 to 300 units. Now they will have to pay Rs14 per unit instead of Rs8.11.
In the same way, Rs3.67 per unit has been increased for the consumers using 301 to 700 units. They have to pay Rs 16 per unit instead of Rs12.33. Consumers using 701 and more units per month will pay Rs2.93 per unit more. For them the per unit rate will be Rs18 instead of Rs15.01.
The domestic consumers having ‘Time of Use’ meters can bear Rs4 per unit hike in the peak hours as the new per unit power price during peak hours will stand at Rs18/unit while during off peak hours, they will have to pay Rs12.50/unit. The notification also shows Rs3.58 per unit heavy hike in the power tariff for agri consumers as the new per unit price for them will stand at Rs10.35.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in its election campaign had also promised to put the country on the party of self-sufficiency and not to seek foreign loans. But it did enter into an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program that requires the country to withdraw subsides on power.
The current raise in power tariff has been made under a four-phased plan to gradually cut the energy subsidies, and it is in line with the assurance of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to the IMF that power tariff for all consumers will be increased. The four-phase plan is expected to reduce the subsidies from about 1.8 percent of GDP to 0.3-0.4 percent of GDP in three years.
The government has already, in August, approved up to 116 percent power tariff hike for commercial and industrial consumers, for the consumers of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and those living in private housing societies. Water and Power Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, at a press conference in last week of July, had announced that “commercial, industrial and bulk consumers will witness a hike in power tariff from August 1 while increase in the tariff of domestic consumers would be made from October 1.”
The PML-N, which had made tall claims of making Pakistan an ‘Asian Tiger’, is now setting aside all its promises, saying that harsh monetary policies are a necessity of the time. The government says it has inherited a dilapidated economy and IMF loan was essential to save the country from defaulting.
The current increase in power tariff would trigger a general inflation, besides multiplying the cost of doing business, a finance expert said. It would also affect the productivity of economy and competitiveness of exports and hence deprive the country of the precious foreign exchange earnings, he added.
The power tariff jolt comes ahead of Eidul Azha so it is bound to be even more painful for the already heavily burdened people. The common man and the salaried class would find it even more difficult to manage their home budget.
The step is likely to seriously damage the popularity of the Nawaz government. Different opposition parties and religious groups had rejected the recent price hikes for POL, gas and power, declaring them ‘anti-people’. There have also been public protest demonstrations in different areas of the country over the issue. But the government has so far not accepted the demand to withdraw the prices increase in oil and power sectors.
As the electronic media broke the news of new power tariff increase, people from different walks of life expressed their strong resentment over it terming it another cruel act of the present government. Politicians from different political forces also condemned the increase in power tariff and warned the government of a severe reaction from the public and the parliamentarians in the coming days.

KPK MPs’ terrorising face-off

PESHAWAR - An unprecedented uproar was witnessed on Monday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly when a lawmaker from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) blamed the opposition for playing a point-scoring game on blats in Peshawar.
The KPK Assembly’s special session was convened following a request from the opposition after a series of powerful blasts in Peshawar.
The situation in the assembly turned ugly and most of the opposition members started speaking at once when PTI lawmaker Soran Singh alleged some political parties were using the tragedy for political point scoring.
Enraged Nighat Orakzai aggressively approached PTI MPA Soran Singh. Apart from that she gestured at Soran Singh angrily for a fight. Some parliamentarians tried to reconcile the matter while some watched and got amused at the untoward happening.
Later, the government and opposition members resolved the issue and the atmosphere of the KPK Assembly became normal.
PPP MPA Nighat Orakzai said it was not a matter of point-scoring; it was a reality that no facilities had been given to the blast victims at hospitals.
Nighat Orakzai showed the clothes of a baby girl, saying the body could not be found from the blast scene. Moreover, she told the house that the doctors of Lady Reading Hospital didn’t allow her to enter the hospital to see the victims of the Peshawar blast. She alleged the condition of the patients was very bad as there were no beds and medicines in the hospital.
PTI’s minority member, Soran Singh, interrupted her speech and claimed the opposition parties were responsible for protest in Peshawar after the Church blast. He said the opposition parties were using the blast for political point scoring, which was not good. He accused certain parties of provoking the minority members over the church blast.
“Where were the politicians during the last five years, who are now provoking people against the PTI government?” Singh alleged, adding peace would come through dialogue, not war.

National Savings Schemes interest rates up

ISLAMABAD  - The government on Monday enhanced the interest rates on various products of National Savings Schemes (NSS) in line with increase in the discount rate policy unveiled by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
Zafar Shaikh, Director General National Savings Organization, informed The Nation that the new rates would be effective from today (Tuesday). The government has enhanced the interest rate following the decision of central bank to increase the discount rate by 0.50 per cent in last monetary policy announced on September 13.
The State Bank of Pakistan had increased the discount rate to 9.5 percent from 9 percent in last monetary policy.
According to the official of National Savings Organization, the government has increased the saving account to 7.5 percent from 6 per cent.
The new rates for short-term savings certificates of three months, six months and one year have been fixed at 8.85 per cent, 8.95 per cent and 9 per cent respectively from earlier 8.45 per cent, 8.5 per cent and 8.55 per cent respectively.
He further informed that rates of special savings certificates (three years) have been enhanced to 11 per cent from existing 8.92 per cent. The rates of regular income certificates (5 years) have been increased to 11.4 per cent from 9.48 per cent.
The rates of defence savings certificates have been enhanced to 11.87 per cent from existing 10.36 per cent.
 Similarly, the rates of the profit rate of return for specialised savings schemes i.e. Bahbood Savings Certificates and Pensioners’ Benefit Account have also been revised and fixed at 13.68 percent from 12.24 percent in order to provide safety net to specialised segments of society.
The new rates are to be applicable on all investments made on or after August October 1 2013. It is worth mentioning here that rate of National Savings Schemes (NSS) are linked with discount rate.

Helping hand: Punjab MPAs, officers to donate one day’s pay

HUB: Deputy Speaker of Punjab Assembly Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani has said that earthquake-stricken people of Balochistan will not be left alone in this difficult time.

“Members of Punjab Assembly and officers of grade 16 and above will donate their one day’s salary towards the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund,” Gorchani told the media while sending off relief goods to the quake-hit Awaran district from Balochistan’s industrial town of Hub that borders Karachi.

He assured of maximum support from the Punjab government for the relief and rehabilitation of quake victims.

He said following the instructions of the Punjab Chief Minister, relief goods were being dispatched to Awaran on a daily basis to minimise the sufferings of the Baloch brothers.

So far 30 truckloads of relief goods donated by the Punjab government including tents and rations have reached the affected areas, while 20 more trucks would leave Hub for Awaran on Tuesday.

He said that the Punjab government will construct houses for displaced people and a hospital in Awaran.

Gorchani said that a liaison office has been established for coordination between Punjab and Balochistan governments regarding relief and rehabilitation work in the affected areas.

Provincial ministers of Punjab Chaudhry Abdul Waheed and Chaudhry Muhammad Shafiq and officials of Punjab government were also present on the occasion. 

Government drops power, petrol bombs

ISLAMABAD: In a major shock to the people, the Nawaz Sharif government has dropped electricity and petrol bombs on the already burdened masses by increasing the power tariff by 40 to 80 percent for domestic consumers and petroleum products prices, to be effective from today (October 1).

The prices of petrol and high speed diesel now stand at Rs113.25 and Rs116.95 per litre respectively. Ogra has issued a notification to this effect.In complete compliance with the IMF loan terms, the government has increased the power tariff for domestic consumers by withdrawing the subsidy of Rs140 billion.

The mammoth raise in the power tariff will be applied toconsumers of all electricity power distribution companies (Discos).The consumers of Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) will not be exempted from the impact of the decision and they will have to bear the brunt from today (Tuesday).

According to the notification issued here on Monday, for domestic consumers using power from 201 to 300 units, Rs5.89 per unit has been increased. Now they will have to pay Rs14 per unit instead of Rs8.11.

In the same way, Rs3.67 per unit has been increased for consumers using 301 to 700 units. They have to pay Rs16 per unit instead of Rs12.33. Those who will consume electricity more than 700 units per month will pay Rs18 per unit.

However, the government has maintained the power tariff at existing level for those consumers who consume only 200 units of electricity per month.

The government did not take pity on the agriculture consumers who sustained massive losses after their standing crops got destroyed in the wake of recent floods and increased the agriculture tubewell tariff by Rs3.58 per unit with an immediate effect. The agriculture consumers would now pay tariff of Rs10.35 per unit from October 1.

The most crucial decision the government has taken is to abolish the slab benefit for those poor consumers who exceed the usage of slab 1-200 and consume 201 units per month. This type of consumers would not be entitled for the first slab benefit, rather they will be exposed to pay cost of Rs14 even from unit 1 up to 201 units.The government has taken this ruthless decision knowing the fact that 65 percent electricity gets consumed by consumers who fall under the slab of 1-300 units. The new tariff of consumers who consume 201-300 is Rs14 per unit. However, consumers of 301-700 units slab and over 700 units slab will enjoy the one pervious slab benefit, meaning that the government has taken care of the interest of affluent consumers.

The lifeline consumers’ tariff has been maintained at Rs2 per unit, who consume just 50 units a month and for consumers who have been sanctioned load of 5kw and above, the off-peak tariff is now at Rs12.50 per unit and peak hours tariff will be at Rs18 per unit.

As per the earlier tariff regime, the tariff for 1-100 units slab consumers was at Rs5.79 per unit and for 101-300 units slab consumers Rs8.11 per unit, and tariff for 301-700 slab units consumers was at Rs12.33 per unit and Rs15.07 for over 700 slab consumers. And under the earlier tariff regime, off peak tariff was at Rs8.22 per unit and peak hours tariff stood at Rs13.99 per unit.

Also, the Ministry of Finance has increased the price of petrol (motor gasoline) to Rs113.25 from Rs109.13 per litre. It also increased the price of high speed diesel by a whopping Rs4.69 per litre — Rs116.95 from Rs112.26 per litre.

The mammoth raise in the price of high speed diesel means that the power tariff will further increase and transportation of all kind of commodities within the country would touch a new high, bringing more financial miseries to the people. The reliance of power tariff is 68 percent on diesel-run thermal power houses and almost 90 percent goods transportation is done through diesel-run transportation.

The price of HOBC (High Octane Blending Component) has also been jacked up by Rs5.77 per litre — to Rs143.90 from Rs138.33 per litre. The price of kerosene oil has gone up by Rs2.14 to Rs108.13 per litre.

No doubt the oil price in international market has increased, but the lethal impact on petroleum price in the country has appeared mainly because of the unbridled increase in the value of dollar, a government official said.However, Ogra had earlier advised the government to maintain the POL prices at the existing level but the Ministry of Finance still increased the prices.

Commitment to IMF fulfilled

LAHORE, Sept 30: The unprecedented hike in power tariff will spell disaster for people on three counts: a direct increase of 30 per cent, a similar rise in taxes on bills and withdrawal of slabs for those using less electricity.

Experts say the government decision will simply take electricity out of fiscal reach of most of the people.

“The withdrawal of slab system will alone jack up bills by 90pc,” says a former head of the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco).

Add 30pc direct increase, and people in the lower middle class (consuming between 300 and 450 units) will see their bill going up by 120pc. Add another 22pc of taxes, and see the amount they will be paying.

“This is political and financial naiveté at its worst,” he says, adding: “The PPP government tried in 2009 to do away with the slab system for over 300 units. The entire country was engulfed by protests and the government had to form a high-level committee, headed by Raja Pervez Ashraf, which advised the government to restore the slab before it was too late and the government complied with it quickly.”

Now the PML-N government has reduced the slab to 200 units. How people would react, the government may realise soon, the former Pepco chief warns.

“What makes the increase much worse than it looks is the fact that the PML-N appears to have totally forgotten other options for containing the crisis,” says a former member (power) of Wapda.

It has acted under pressure from the IMF conditionalities rather than being more proactive. It could have easily provided gas to the sector and lowered tariff by 60pc. By allocating over 700 million cubic feet gas it could have generated 2,800MW at Rs5 per unit against Rs15 from thermal sources.

By providing only 152 million cubic feet gas to some efficient plants near Lahore the government will start getting 840MW and avoiding the highest cost of generation and lowering pressure on tariff.

“The PML-N has not even talked about the gas option in its first 100 days in government and readily increased tariff by a socially dangerous 30pc in one go. It appears to have collapsed under the weight of the IMF rather than being more imaginative at local solutions,” he regrets.

The second option the government has forgotten is the conservation option, says a managing director of Genco Holding Company. The country, on an average, saved around 1,000MW in three years (2008-10) and the government simply ignored this option.

After an energy summit in 2010 also, the saving went up to 1,350MW. Both these factors (gas and conservation) could partially take price pressure off because the planners can stop generating highest cost electricity. Such options were not even discussed during the first 100 days of the present government. The only thing it talked about was to “rationalise tariff as being dictated by the IMF and other international financial institutions” and had acted at the first available opportunity.

The government could have at least capped its tax volume on the sector and correspondingly lowered the tax rate, without affecting total revenue. It has not done even that. The only option it looked at and executed it is increasing tariff and being creative to create a three-dimensional impact without mentioning it. This is bad politics and even worse economics.

Ulema urge govt, Taliban to stop fighting

ISLAMABAD: Ulema and representatives of various religious seminaries functioning under Wafaqul Madaris expressed concern on Monday over the “civil war-like situation” in the country and appealed to both the government and the Taliban to observe a “complete ceasefire” till the completion of the process of talks.

The appeal was made in a joint statement issued after a “consultative meeting” of the Ulema and teachers of seminaries held at a hotel. It was presided over by Wafaqul Madaris chief Maulana Salimullah Khan.

Abdul Quddoos, the spokesman for Wafaqul Madaris, a conglomerate of seminaries of Deobandi school of thought, said it was a routine “consultative meeting” to discuss the prevailing situation in the country and that was why the media had not been invited to cover the event or for a press briefing.

In reply to a question, he said the organisation wanted to play a mediatory role in the peace process, but at the same time it was mindful of the past when the establishment “used our shoulders, but ultimately did what it had already decided”.

Mr Quddoos recalled that Wafaqul Madaris played a mediatory role during the Lal Masjid episode in 2007 and later in Swat, but on both the occasions its efforts went in vain because of the use of military force. “This time we don’t want to put our reputation at stake.”

Moreover, he said, the organisation had no links with the Taliban. But he added that it would try to establish contacts with all “three stakeholders — the government, the army and the Taliban” — in an effort to know the real issues.

Mr Quddoos wondered if the United States could hold talks with the Afghan Taliban after indulging in a bloody war for 10 years, why the army and the government could not hold negotiations with those who belonged to Pakistan.

The participants of the meeting, who had come from different parts of the country, expressed sorrow over the loss of innocent lives in the recent incidents of terrorism. But at the same time they expressed satisfaction over the fact that the government and the Taliban had agreed to come to the negotiating table. It was the only way of resolving the issue, they observed.

The Ulema regretted that “some elements” were trying to sabotage the “peace process”.

“It is a matter of satisfaction for Ulema and Mashaikh that the government, the armed forces and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan all have agreed to end civil war in the country through negotiations,” the statement said.

“We appeal to the government of Pakistan, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and the country’s armed forces to observe ceasefire and not to indulge in any armed activity till the outcome of the talks.”

The meeting was attended by Mufti-i-Azam Pakistan Mufti Muhammad Rafi Usmani, Sheikhul Islam Maulana Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, head of Jamia Uloomul Islamia Binnori Town Maulana Dr Abdul Razzaq Iskandar, Maulana Fazal Muhammad, Maulana Sher Ali Shah of Jamia Haqqania, spiritual leader from tribal areas Maulana Mufti Mukhtaruddin Shah, Mufti Syed Adnan Kakakhel and Mufti Abu Labab of Jamiatur Rasheed, Maulana Muhammad Hassan of Jamia Madina Lahore and Secretary General of Wafaqul Madaris Maulana Qari Muhammad Hanif Jalandhary.

Balochistan CM seeks foreign help

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch has appealed to the international community and non-governmental organisations to come forward and extend help to carry out rehabilitation work in earthquake-stricken areas of Awaran.

Talking to delegations of NGOs in Awaran after visiting Gishkor, Malar and other quake-hit areas of Mashkay sub-division, he said it was hard time for the people of Awaran and Kech districts where hundreds of people had lost their lives and suffered massive financial losses.

“The international community should extend help and cooperation for rehabilitation of people of Awaran district,” the chief minister said, adding that NGOs and philanthropists could also help people of this backward district.

He held out the assurance that full protection would be provided to those who came forward to carry out relief work in quake-hit areas.

Two US generals ousted over failure to secure Afghan base

WASHINGTON: The head of the Marine Corps on Monday effectively fired two US generals over their failure to defend a major base in Afghanistan from a deadly Taliban attack last year, in an extraordinary and rare public censure.

Two Marines were killed and eight personnel were wounded when Taliban insurgents breached what a military investigation determined was inadequate security at Camp Bastion, in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province.

A four-month investigation concluded that Major General Charles Gurganus, the top Marine commander in the region at the time, and Major General Gregg Sturdevant “did not take adequate force protection measures within the range of responses proportionate to the threat,” the Marine Corps said.

Marine Corps Commandant General James Amos asked both men to retire on Monday, speaking personally with Gurganus at the Pentagon and by video-conference with Sturdevant, who was abroad, one Marine Corps official told Reuters.

Both men accepted that request, the official said.

US officials could not recall any similar top-level firings in the 12-year-old Afghan war over failure to properly defend a base.

“Every Marine commander must properly position his command and his Marines to both successfully accomplish the mission and defend itself in any clime and place,” Amos wrote in endorsing the findings of the investigation by the US military's Central Command.

“We owe this duty to the courageous Marines like Lt Col (Christopher) Raible and Sgt (Bradley) Atwell, who so faithfully served our Corps” and died in the attack, he wrote.

Beyond the loss of life, the Taliban also caused millions of dollars in damage, destroying six Marine AV-8B Harrier jets during a large-scale Taliban attack including use of mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire.

The Central Command review concluded that Gurganus “made an error in judgment when conducting his risk assessment of the enemy's capabilities and intentions.”

Sturdevant, who commanded the aviation arm of the Marine force, also did not adequately assess security at Bastion Airfield, the Marines said.

Gurganus had been awaiting Senate confirmation to promotion to the rank of lieutenant general. Amos has recommended that nomination be rescinded and that Sturdevant receive a letter of censure from the secretary of the Navy.

Central Command declined to discuss the results of its investigation until after family were notified.

Camp Bastion is a British-run air base that is connected to the US-run Camp Leatherneck, which serves as the headquarters for the Nato-led mission in southwestern Afghanistan.

Petrol price reaches Rs113.25 per litre

ISLAMABAD: The prices of petroleum products were an increase on Monday evening, with petrol witnessing an increase of Rs4.12 to reach the selling price of Rs113.25 per litre, DawnNews reported.

Earlier, petrol was being sold for Rs109.13 per litre. The new prices of petroleum products are effective from midnight.

High-speed diesel price has been increased by Rs4.69 per litre to Rs116.95 per litre from the existing Rs112.26.

The price of light diesel oil saw an increase of Rs2.81, and reached Rs101.24 per litre from Rs98.43.

The price of kerosene oil went up from Rs105.99 to Rs108.13 per litre after an increase of Rs2.14.

The price of high octane saw an increase of Rs5.57 to Rs143.90 per litre compared to existing Rs138.33.

A notification issued by the government stated that the entire increase in petroleum products prices was not passed on to the consumers.

It further stated that on the directives of prime minister, a subsidy of Rs2 per litre on petrol and diesel would be given.