US to Send 1,400 Extra Troops to Afghanistan

WASHINGTON: The United States has ordered an additional 1,400 Marines to southern Afghanistan to preempt a Taliban spring offensive, despite a planned troop drawdown starting in July, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday “approved additional Marine forces to southern Afghanistan to exploit and consolidate gains already achieved and apply pressure on the enemy during the winter campaign,” spokesman Colonel David Lapan told media.

The Marine contingent could start arriving within weeks and would only be on the ground for a short mission of less than 90 days, defense officials said.

The move was designed to cement tentative gains against the mostly Pashtun insurgency, with the hope of bolstering recently cleared areas between Kandahar city and Helmand province, officials said.

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently based on a ship in the Indian Ocean, would be heading to Afghanistan for the “winter campaign,” the head of US Central Command, General James Mattis, said later in a statement.

There are currently about 97,000 American troops in Afghanistan, along with 45,000 forces from other countries, and officials said the new Marines would not put the total number of US forces above the limit of 100,000 authorized by President Barack Obama.

“These forces are within the current authority,” Lapan said.

Obama last month said the US war strategy in Afghanistan was “on track,” but warned that gains won by his surge strategy at a heavy cost in casualties remained fragile and reversible.

That assessment came one year after Obama announced both a surge of 30,000 reinforcements to Afghanistan and gradual troop drawdown beginning in July 2011.

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the Marine reinforcements, said that commanders were considering an even larger boost of up to additional 3,000 troops. Pentagon officials could not confirm that detail.

The new Marine deployment comes as a surprise given the preparations for withdrawals by the United States and its allies in Afghanistan, where a war against Taliban insurgents has dragged on for more than nine years, with nearly 2,300 coalition deaths, about two-thirds of them Americans.

US commanders are under pressure to show clear progress in Afghanistan in 2011 and successfully counter any upswing in Taliban attacks in the spring, or else face fresh public doubts about the course of the war.

Defense officials insisted the Marine deployment did not reflect difficulties in the war but was aimed at hammering home progress at a time when the insurgents usually pull back to prepare for fighting after the winter.

US officials see the American-led campaign in the south as make-or-break for the war effort, pinning their hopes on undermining the Taliban in its heartland.

The White House strategy review issued last month said progress in Afghanistan was evident in gains by Afghan and coalition forces against Taliban bastions around Kandahar city and in the Helmand province.

But the study was short on details, and did not include pointed criticisms of the Pakistani and Afghan governments that have featured in US government documents leaked in recent months.

Though pledging to work with Afghanistan to improve governance and reduce corruption, the review said little about countrywide graft, including in President Hamid Karzai’s government, which many analysts see as endemic to Afghanistan and a serious threat to the US-led war effort.

Lorgat Call For Suggestions To Improve UDRS

ICC’s Chief Exective Haroon Lorgat has called for suggestion from cricket playing nations. He said that UDRS is always open for suggestion as suggestions are necessary to make it good. He added that it is an on going process and it will get better and better with suggestions.

ICC’s committee has also given its approval to be use in World Cup 2011. This review system will not be used in South Africa India series. There are some countries which are still not in its favor. He added that ICC is ready to accept all king of changes as they are open minded and will access it according to situation.

Umpire Decision Review System was implemented in 2008 for the first time in the India-Sri Lanka Series. After that it was used in different series with the mutual understanding of the teams. In the current Ashes Series UDRS is in use. Lorgat also said that UDRS is acknowledged by many countries and there are few countries who are not favoring this system.

Lorgat said that by getting ideas this system will gets better and better but to get it 100% right is a difficult task. This system was basically introduced to control the on field umpiring errors.

India and South Africa Asked for Umpire Decision Review System

Haroon Lorgat has asked BCCI and South African board to decide about the use of UDRS in the upcoming series between these two countries. It has already got the favor of South African board and they welcome the decision of using the technology in the series. South African board said that the review system should be used on regular basis.

Haroon Lorgat said that the final decision is to made by both boards as they have left the decision to the two boards. They will decide after consulting with each other. India has some reservations about the technology as it went against then in Sri Lankan series where 11 decision went against them and only 1 in their favor.

Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan showed some favor to this system and they said that it will enhance the fairness and slandered of the game. Some analyst said that the technology will make the umpires useless. SA is using the referral system on regular basis as they used it thrice in four test series.

The final decision will come from both boards. The series is starting from 16th of December. Three test matches at the start of the tour then one T-20 match and after that ODI will conclude the series.

Pakistan, IMF to discuss release of next tranche

KARACHI: Officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistan are due to meet on Wednesday in Islamabad to discuss the country’s performance for the release of the sixth tranche of a $11 billion IMF loan.

Policy level discussions will take place on Nov. 1-2, according to official sources.

The last review was completed in May and the review for the release of the sixth tranche has been delayed since August over several issues, such as an increase in power tariffs and the implementation of a reformed general sales tax (RGST).

The meetings are also likely to discuss the revised macro-economic targets after August’s devastating floods caused $9.7 billion in damages as well as any follow-up IMF programme.

The IMF wants Pakistan to do four things: introduce an RGST along the lines of a value added tax to increase the tax base; reform the

SC Rejects Govt Plea for Time in NRO Review Case

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Monday rejected the government plea seeking more time in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) review hearing.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry rejected government plea this morning.

The government on Saturday filed an application in the Supreme Court through Raja Abdul Ghafoor, advocate-on-record, seeking more time in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) review petition to engage another counsel in place of Barrister Kamal Azfar, who was appointed the Advisor to the Prime Minister.

The court rejected the government request and now Barrister Kamal Azfar will have to appear before the court on behalf of the government in the hearing of the case on October 13th.

Irfan Qadir moves SC against sacking

Former prosecutor general National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Irfan Qadir filed a review petition against his sacking in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
A three-member bench of the apex court termed Irfan Qadirs appointment as PG NAB as unlawful.
Earlier, Registrar Office of the SC returned Qadirs petition after putting some objections on it. One objection stated that the review petition contained derogatory language has been used against some judges.
Irfan appealed that his petition be heard in an open court and not by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, Justice Ramday and Justice Rabbani.

Irfan Qadir moves SC against sacking

Former prosecutor general National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Irfan Qadir filed a review petition against his sacking in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
A three-member bench of the apex court termed Irfan Qadirs appointment as PG NAB as unlawful.
Earlier, Registrar Office of the SC returned Qadirs petition after putting some objections on it. One objection stated that the review petition contained derogatory language has been used against some judges.
Irfan appealed that his petition be heard in an open court and not by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, Justice Ramday and Justice Rabbani.

SC rejects govt.’s plea to adjourn NRO review case hearing

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan has rejected a plea of the government to adjourn the hearing of NRO review case on Monday.

A 17 member bench of the Supreme Court headed by the Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry started hearing the case. The CJ said during the hearing to the government’s counsel that it attached implementation of the matter with the review petition, but now the hearing is trying to be avoided.

He questioned what the government’s hurry was to open offices on Sunday and issue a notification regarding Kamal Azfar. If the government is really serious about the matter, it can cancel the notification for few days.

He added further that two review pleas of the Federation have technical shortfalls and they could have been easily rejected by the court. “The common people use delay tactics in their cases,

Khaleja Movie Review

Khaleja Movie Review: The much-awaited film of director Trivikram Srinivas will get the tough competition from Rajnikanth’s blockbuster film Endhiran.

The Mahesh Kaleja movie starts with the scene Rajasthan deserts.

Mahesh is a taxi driver and belongs to a middle class family. He spends happy life without interfering into others business. All of sudden one of his friend dies and he reached Rajasthan to hand over the insurance amount to bereaved family.

Mahesh meets beautiful Anushka in Rajasthan and comes close to her. Without any intention Mahesh involves in local problem. Actually, people of the area are in pain in real trouble due to atrocities of the villain Prakash Raj. There are some murders and assassinations.

As usually, hero take the responsibility to end the rule of Prakash Raj. Overall movie is good but based on old masala movie.

However, Mahesh is at his best. He looks superb in the movie. Scene of deserts are excellent.

Songs of the movie has already topped the chart list. You have another weekend to enjoy after Endhiran.

Senate proposes removal of DG Hajj

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee for religious affairs on Thursday proposed the removal of Shakeel Rao as Director General (DG) Hajj, over corruption in purchasing residential buildings for Hujjaj in Makkah.

The committee has taken this decision under the light of the report prepared by the review committee.

The review committee was established by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Imran Shah, a member of the review committee, blamed DG Hajj Shakeel Rao for accepting his appointment to this post after giving Rs. 30 million.

Minister for Religious Affairs Hafiz Saeed said that a summary for the removal of DG Hajj will be sent on the proposal of review committee. AGENCIES

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