ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)
Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday lambasted National Assembly Speaker Ayaz
Sadiq for 'victimising' him and alleged that Sadiq is no longer an
impartial speaker.
Members of the PTI staged a walkout from the House after Imran's remarks in the NA.
Speaking
to journalists outside the NA, Khan said, "I referred to him as Ayaz
Sadiq, not as the Speaker. In my opinion, he is not a speaker. A
speaker is supposed to be unbiased."
"Whatever he's done, he has done under pressure from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif," Imran Khan alleged.
"Nawaz believes if someone can be bought, buy them. If they cannot be bought, then they must be suppressed," he alleged.
AHMEDABAD: Pokemon Go is blasphemous and
should be banned, an Indian court was told Wednesday, because it rewards
religious vegetarians with eggs.
Lawyer Nachiket Dave
argued that the game offended the religious sensibilities of Hindus and
Jains ─ some of whom do not eat meat or other animal products ─ by
giving players virtual eggs, including in places of worship.
"Those
who succeed are rewarded with eggs. Offering eggs to people in temples,
even in the virtual world, is highly objectionable and amounts to
blasphemy," Dave told AFP after the brief hearing at the court in the
western Indian state of Gujarat.
Many Hindus are
vegetarian, among them Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while
members of the Jain faith usually follow a very strict vegan diet.
Dave,
who is acting on behalf of a private individual named Alay Dave, said
the court would now ask the Gujarat and Indian governments as well as
the San Francisco-based makers of Pokemon to respond to the claims.
The
global Pokemon Go craze has prompted a slew of complaints, with
religious sites arguing that it is disrespectful to play there and some
countries imposing a complete ban.
The game was recently updated to remove the Hiroshima and Berlin Holocaust memorials as Pokemon landmarks.
A
Russian blogger has been charged with offending religious believers and
inciting hatred after filming himself playing Pokemon Go in a church.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Squash Federation
(PSF) said Wednesday the World Squash Federation (WSF) has assured it of
an opportunity to host an event worth $50,000 next year.
Talking
to APP, PSF Vice President Qamar Zaman said the WSF Chief Executive
Officer Andrew Shelley has assured Pakistan that it will be provided
with maximum PSA events.
"Andrew was present in Poland
where Pakistan clinched the 2016 World Team Junior Squash Championships
title and there he committed that a $50,000 PSA event will be given to
us next year," said the PSF vice president.
He said that
Egyptian and Malaysian players, too, have shown eagerness to play a
bilateral Test Series with the Pakistani players.
"Egyptian
and Malaysian officials have assured that they will come here and play a
bilateral Test Series with Pakistani. Pakistan has eight to nine
players who can outcome any international player. It's just that we need
to groom them."
TEHRAN: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad
Javad Zarif accused Saudi authorities of “bigoted extremism” late
Tuesday in an increasingly bitter war of words over Iran's exclusion
from this year's Haj.
Javad Zarif was responding to a
claim by Saudi Arabia's most senior cleric, Grand Mufti Abdulaziz
al-Sheikh, that Iranians were "not Muslims".
"Indeed, no
resemblance between Islam of Iranians and most Muslims, and [the]
bigoted extremism that Wahhabi top cleric and Saudi terror masters
preach," Zarif tweeted.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei was due to meet later on Wednesday with the families of
some of the more than 400 Iranian victims of a stampede that killed
nearly 2,300 pilgrims at last year's Haj.
He published a scathing open letter on Monday, accusing the Saudis of failing to protect pilgrims.
"The
hesitation and failure to rescue the half-dead and injured people... is
also obvious and incontrovertible. They murdered them," he wrote.
For
the first time in almost three decades, Iranians have been blocked from
the annual pilgrimage to Islam's holiest places in Saudi Arabia after
the regional rivals failed to agree on safety and logistical issues.
That has sparked acrimonious exchanges ahead of the start of the Haj on Saturday.
Khamenei
described the Saudi royal family as "small and puny Satans who tremble
for fear of jeopardising the interests of the Great Satan (the United
States)”, and called on the Muslim world to end its management of the
Haj.
The grand mufti responded on Tuesday, telling the
Makkah daily: "We must understand these are not Muslims, they are
children of Magi and their hostility towards Muslims is an old one."
"Magi"
was a reference to the Zoroastrian religion that was prevalent in Iran
before Islam, and is sometimes used as an insult against Iranians.
Iran and Saudi Arabia often vie for regional dominance, backing rival sides in conflicts from Syria to Yemen.
On a recent visit to the mountain resort of Nathia Gali in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), I clambered up the narrow and steep path to
the Lalazaar Wildlife Park to revisit the snow leopard being kept in
captivity there.
I was attending a workshop on climate
change organised by the Heinrich Boll Foundation based in Islamabad with
a group of journalists interested in environmental reporting.
The last time I was there in 2012, I wrote a blog piece "Snow Leopard in a Birdcage"
in which I had criticised the local wildlife department for not feeding
the snow leopard properly and for housing it in a small enclosure meant
for pheasants, causing injury to the animal.
I had hoped things would change for the better for the male snow leopard named Sohni or Sundar.
Promises
were made of shifting him to a larger, purpose-built enclosure and
there was plenty of talk of money being allocated for it by the
provincial government.
Four years on, the only thing that had improved for Sohni was that his birdcage had grown in size.
He looked bored but otherwise healthy as he sat atop his shed looking at us lazily in the cool, summer evening.
Sohni has been living in a birdcage for the past six years. Photo provided by the author
The sun was setting yet hundreds of tourists were still trekking up to Lalazaar.
But not everyone was happy about what they saw.
One
lady, who had brought her three children to see Sohni, was disappointed
after finding out that the snow leopard was kept in such cramped
conditions.
She didn't think it was worth trekking up and told me her children felt really bad for Sohni.
Sohni's
past is certainly more colourful than his present. Shahbaz Sharif’s
eldest son, Hamza Sharif, allegedly acquired the snow leopard cub from a
source in Central Asia illegally.
The Convention on the
International Trade against Endangered Species, to which Pakistan is a
signatory, bans the trade of endangered animals.
Sharif kept the cub in his house for six months in nearby Doonga Gali, where it was reportedly taken care of and fed well.
But
six years ago, WWF-Pakistan learnt about Sohni being kept in illegal
captivity and approached Sharif, convincing him to hand the animal over
to a local zoo to avoid bad publicity.
This is how Sohni ended up in the Lalazar Wildlife Park.
I
had hoped that the environmentally inclined Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
(PTI) government would do more for Sohni after coming to power in the
2013. But so far, there has not been any action taken to improve his
lot.
As one friend recently quipped, “perhaps you should
tell the PTI that it’s a political defection from the Noon League and
they might do something about it!”
Experts say that only around 3,500 to 7,000 wild snow leopards remain in the mountain regions of Central Asia, including the 200 or so in the mountain ranges of Pakistan. In addition, there are between 600 and 700 snow leopards in zoos around the world.
In
Pakistan, there are currently two snow leopards in captivity: Sohni and
a female snow leopard Lovely, also known as Lolly, in Gilgit-Baltistan
(GB).
Lovely was found in December 2012 by local villagers in the nearby Khunjerab National Park after being abandoned by her mother.
The
villagers say the injured six-month-old cub was deserted by her mother
when the cub failed to cross a river in Khunjerab with her.
Snow
leopard cubs cannot survive in the wild once taken from their mothers
because it is their mothers who teach them how to hunt.
The wildlife department of GB was alerted by the
villagers and the cub was moved to a rehabilitation centre in Sust, the
closest town near the Khunjerab National Park.
The centre
has a small wire mesh cage with a flimsy notice put up by the Park and
Wildlife Division Hunza-Nagar, urging visitors not to give the animal
“any food or other items without the prior permission of the wildlife
authority”.
Unfortunately, the snow leopard was treated
so poorly in the last few years that she currently suffers from
malnutrition and sits listlessly in her cage, barely switching her tail.
Dr Ali Nawaz of the Snow Leopard Foundation in Pakistan has been actively trying to do something positive for Lovely.
The
organisation has designed and raised funds to construct a purpose-built
enclosure for her up in the picturesque Naltar valley, which should be
open to public soon.
He told me that by the end of
August this year, they would be shifting the female snow leopard to the
enclosure, which they have designed in accordance with international
standards.
They will then hand the centre over to the GB government to run it.
While Lovely has a bright future, what about poor Sohni stuck in Lalazaar?
So
far, Dr Nawaz has not been asked to develop a new enclosure for Sohni
but he is ready to provide technical support should the government ask.
Every
winter when it snows in Nathia Gali, Sohni is sent down to Abbottabad.
Dr Nawaz told me that it must be stressful for the animal. He said it
would be better to shift the snow leopard to its natural habitat.
As
for any suggestion to house both Sohni and Lovely in the same enclosure
in order to encourage breeding, Dr Nawaz is against such a proposition.
They can barely take care of these two — imagine the headache if there
were more.
SHAAR-I-SHALLI: Go to the southern villages in Indian-held
Kashmir and they'll tell you stories about Burhan Wani, the Hizbul
Mujahideen militant commander who was shot by security forces in July as
he tried to escape through the back door of an isolated hideout.
They
say Wani would slip out of the forests sometimes just to visit, a
22-year-old with an AK-47 and an easy way of talking that made him so
different from earlier generations of Kashmir's insurgents.
The
villagers say he'd play cricket with village boys, and visit
orphanages. They say he'd pay for the weddings of poor young women.
In
the weeks since Wani was killed on July 8, the stories have grown into
mythology — a polite teenager who left home to become a Himalayan Robin
Hood, a powerful insurgent commander who remained a man of peace — that
it's no longer clear what is true.
But in death, Wani has
become something that India has long feared ─ a homegrown militant
openly lionised across the embattled region, a powerful symbol against
Indian rule who has united IHK's many factions.
Today,
rock-throwing high school students paint his name on shuttered
storefronts — "Burhan our hero" — while everyone from fearsome
insurgents to moderate politicians mourn him.
In this Aug 31, 2016, photo, graffiti eulogising militant commander Burhan Wani who was killed in July is painted on the shutters of shops in downtown Srinagar, IHK. ─ AP
Wani had already rejuvenated the Hizbul Mujahideen, the
largest of IHK's militant groups, attracting dozens of new recruits with
postings on Facebook and other social media sites.
Young,
handsome and charismatic, he looked more like a college student than a
gunman. He sometimes posted photos of himself in the forests, a smile on
his face and an assault rifle in his hands. If he was more a savvy
recruiter than a menacing fighter, that only made him more popular.
But
his killing, and the public fury it set off, now threaten to give new
life to a militant movement in IHK that had withered in recent years,
reduced to just a couple hundred fighters in scattered rebel outfits.
Wani's
death sent tens of thousands of protesters into Kashmir's cities and
villages, beginning a cycle of protest-and-crackdown that has left more
than 70 civilians dead — most killed by Indian government forces — and
thousands injured. Strikes, curfews and intermittent communications
blackouts have effectively shuttered the region for more than seven
weeks.
It has also helped make the militancy, which had
once been at the extreme end of the Kashmiri independence movement, into
something mainstream.
Villagers, who had learned long
ago to hide any sympathy they felt for fighters, now speak of them
openly with reverence and warmth.
Wani has become the face of the militants' cause.
"He
was a good man, a gentle man," said Abdul Majeed, a farmer and elder in
the village of Shaar-i-Shalli. "That's why people cared about him."
Late
one night in mid-August, Indian soldiers forced their way into dozens
of homes in Shaar-i-Shalli, driving dozens of men into the town square.
Over the next five hours, they beat the men so brutally that one villager died and a general was forced to apologise.
The soldiers, military officials later said, were offended that village elders had not wanted to meet with them.
An Indian paramilitary soldier walks past graffiti — demanding freedom "Azadi" — on a wall in Srinagar. ─ AP
On a recent morning, Majeed and more than a dozen other
men from the village crowded into the home of the dead man — Shabir
Ahmed Mangoo had been a literature teacher at a nearby college, and his
wife had just had their first baby — to talk about what had happened.
A
scowling young man also named Shabir Ahmed (many men in the village
share the same name) suddenly interrupted Majeed. He had jet black hair
and a long beard, and could barely control his fury.
"People
used to be afraid to say that they support the militants. But with the
death of Burhan we have overcome that fear," he said.
Militants have been fighting since the late 1980s for independence for IHK.
At
its height, in the 1990s and early 2000s, a seemingly never-ending
series of bloody insurgent attacks and brutal crackdowns by Indian
security forces had given IHK the feel of an occupied state, a place of
informers, torture centres and soldiers on nearly every corner.
The
attacks of Sept 11, 2001, and subsequent United States pressure on
Pakistan to rein in militants based there, were a major setback for the
insurgent movement.
Indian security forces largely
crushed the militancy after that, though popular demands for "azadi" —
freedom — remained deeply ingrained in Kashmiri culture.
In
the last decade the calls for freedom have shifted to unarmed
uprisings, with tens of thousands of civilians repeatedly taking to the
streets to protest Indian rule, often leading to street battles between
rock-throwing residents and Indian troops.
Immense protests, some lasting for months, shook Kashmir in 2008 and 2010.
Today's
IHK is an often-contradictory place where bloody clashes mingle with
skyrocketing real estate prices and increasing wealth (fed, in part, by
Kashmiris working elsewhere in India or abroad).
It's a
place where you can buy high-end electronics or go shopping at
Babelicious Fashions, but where you rarely go more than a few minutes
without passing a heavily armed soldier or an armoured military vehicle.
Increasingly, many Kashmiris see the recent uprisings as unsuccessful.
Wani attracted dozens of new recruits with postings on Facebook and other social media sites. After his death, the medium allows his supporters to continue his story. ─ AP
"In 2008 there were nonviolent protests, and no change.
Then after the 2010 protests what happened? Nothing at all," said a
young protest leader who identified himself only as Mohammed, and who
hinted at ties to Hizbul Mujahideen, saying he could find a Hizbul
fighter "in a few minutes" if he wanted.
"This generation grew up with the idea of nonviolence, no guns. But we got nothing" from that, he continued.
"What can we do but take up the gun?"
While
Wani's killing sparked the current wave of unrest, it has also been fed
by widespread unemployment, especially among young people, and
political frustration.
Most Muslim Kashmiris have been
deeply distrustful of state politics since 2014, when a local political
party vaulted itself to power by forming an alliance with the
Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has long advocated
a hard-line response to any call for increased Kashmiri autonomy.
The
latest protests, and the open support for insurgents, deeply worry
India's security establishment, which can no longer say the militant
movement is a Pakistani creation.
The uprising has also
gone on far longer than security officials expected. While most hope it
will begin to fade after Eidul Azha, some worry it could last until the
winter cold hits the region in November or December.
A
high-ranking Indian security official, speaking on condition of
anonymity in order to talk openly, worries that the brutality of India's
clampdowns, and its ineptness with such basic concerns as traffic
enforcement and criminal investigations, have left Kashmiris with no
trust at all in the government.
Instead, the public ends up glorifying men like Wani, and the stone-throwing teenagers.
They
are young men with nicknames like "Bunker," for his courage in
attacking armoured cars, which are often called bunkers, or "Discovery,"
who acts as a scout for stone-throwers.
"This generation, it's like gunpowder ready to explode," the official said.
"When you make boys like this into heroes, then you have a big problem."
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on
Wednesday implied that his government would return to power following
the 2018 election. He was addressing a public meeting in Chitral when,
in a departure from the PML-N's familiar refrain that most major road
and power projects announced by the government would be completed by
2018, Nawaz told the gathering: "Some of these projects will be finished
by 2018."
"Those that aren't will hopefully be
completed after 2018," he said, quickly adding: "And we will be the ones
to complete them...because we believe in serving the people... And
Nawaz Sharif never makes an announcement that he cannot fulfil."
"Today
I am only here to see the Lowari tunnel," the premier said. "This
project should have been completed some time during the last three to
four years," he said, adding that it had been underway for about 55
years.
"It will be complete by June 2017," Nawaz said in a shift from his earlier proclamation that he would "inaugurate the project in December 2016 at all costs".
"From your applause, your affection and your loyalty, I can tell that you love me as much as I love you," he told the gathering.
The
prime minister took a moment out of his speech to issue what appeared
to be a rejoinder to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan who a day
earlier announced a public march towards Raiwind on September 24. Imran
had said that the public march was going to be an important undertaking
because Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif "is accused of corruption...an
allegation that was revealed through the Panama Papers".
"I
don't reply to those who make contentious statements on TV, or even
take notice of such statements," the prime minister said.
"I can only pray that God guides them," he said to a smattering of laughter.
"Why
are you laughing?" he asked his audience. "Praying for guidance is a
good thing... I hope God guides them to work with us for the country's
progress."
During the gathering, President PML-N Chitral thanked the prime minister for his attention towards the region's development, Radio Pakistan reported.
During
his visit, the prime minister announced and inaugurated several
development projects, including a broadband sustainable development
project for Chitral and Shangla, and the expansion and repair of the
25-kilometre-long Bon Bozand Torkho highway.
"Lots of
universities will be built here," Nawaz said. "We are spending Rs17
billion on roads [in Chitral]; they will not be less than motorways. You
can call them motorways if you like," he said.
SEOUL: Better-than-expected demand for
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's new Galaxy Note 7 is causing supply
constraints globally, the South Korean tech giant said on Wednesday,
suggesting strong initial sales for the new premium smartphone.
While
robust demand could help deliver another solid quarter of earnings,
Samsung also risks missing out on potential sales if it cannot boost
supply quickly. Rivals such as Apple Inc are poised to launch new phones
which could pull customers away from Samsung if a shortage persists.
"As
pre-order results for the Galaxy Note 7 have far exceeded our
estimates, its release date in some markets has been adjusted," Samsung
told Reuters in a statement without commenting on where launch delays
could occur.
Production problems for the curved displays
for the Galaxy S6 edge phone resulted in disappointing sales last year,
and some investors fear a repeat if the world's top smartphone maker
does not move quickly to meet Note 7 demand.
Samsung
shares were down 2 per cent as of 0339 GMT Wednesday after hitting a
record high on Tuesday, while the broader market was down 0.3pc.
Samsung
said it was trying to boost production at the secret locations where
the Notes are made, and aimed to meet demand "as early as possible". It
gave no further details.
A person familiar with the
matter told Reuters there was no production issue for the curved screens
used on the Galaxy Note 7 and that the shortage would not be a
long-term problem.
"The party got more visitors than
Samsung expected, so they just need to put more food out," said Nomura
analyst C.W. Chung, who said the supply situation was not a major risk
given that Samsung made key parts such as displays and chips in-house.
Samsung
could sell as many as 15 million Galaxy Note 7 phones this year, Chung
said, compared with an estimated 9 million Galaxy Note 5 phones sold
last year.
The phone went on sale on Aug. 19 in countries including the United States and South Korea, where it retails for $882.
Samsung
hopes it helps maintain sales and earnings momentum in the second half.
Some analysts raised their profit forecasts for Samsung after the phone
received favourable reviews.
"There could be a
temporary issue but Samsung has almost never had prolonged production
misses," said IBK Asset Management fund manager Kim Hyun-su, adding that
the share price decline appeared to be profit-taking after a recent
rally.
Online media outlet BuzzFeed will split
itself into two new departments that will focus on news and
entertainment, CEO Jonah Peretti wrote in a memo sent to employees.
The
move to create two departments - BuzzFeed News and BuzzFeed
Entertainment Group - comes at a time when online media companies are
grappling with the balance between covering news and politics, and
lighter fare like social media, entertainment and lifestyle.
BuzzFeed
will integrate some existing groups like the health team and video news
into BuzzFeed News, which will be run by Ben Smith, editor in chief of
BuzzFeed.
"In this new structure, video won't be the job
of just one department. Having a single video department in 2016 makes
about as much sense as having a mobile department," Peretti said in the
memo, a copy of which was made available to Reuters.
BuzzFeed
Entertainment Group will now become the umbrella for all entertainment
news and will be headed by the president of BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, Ze
Frank, who will assume the role of president of BuzzFeed Entertainment.
"Instead
of organizing around a format or technology, we will organize our work
to take full advantage of many formats and technologies," Peretti said.
The
company is best known for online list-based articles and quizzes and is
trying to better attract more young internet-focused audiences who have
different consumption patterns from their parents.
ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday
approved an $810 million multi-tranche financing facility to develop
Pakistan’s power transmission system aimed at improving the reliability
and quality of energy supply, and to meet increasing demand for
electricity.
The loan facility will help fund the staged
rehabilitation and expansion of the transmission network, increasing
transmission capacity and energy efficiency and security.
Under
the arrangements, $800m will come from ADB’s ordinary capital resources
while $10m will be financed through the Asian Development Fund.
It
will also support government efforts to develop a more transparent and
efficient power sector by promoting reforms in the National Transmission
and Despatch Company Ltd, and the sector’s newly established commercial
operator, the Central Power Purchasing Agency (Guarantee) Ltd. ADB’s
facility will be delivered in tranches, implemented from 2016 to 2026.
To
achieve this, the investment programme includes staged physical
investments in the transmission system to increase transmission
capacity, improve efficiency and energy security, and evacuate
additional sources of power; and non-physical investments to support
institutional efficiency, cost recovery, competition, transparency and
good governance within the sector.
“A reliable and
sustainable power sector is critical to the economic growth and
well-being of Pakistan,” said Megan Wolf, Energy Specialist with ADB’s
Central and West Asia Department. “Fast implementation of this facility
and related reforms to alleviate power shortages will improve the
prospects for the economy.”
Power shortages are a major
obstacle in Pakistan’s economic development. With demand for electricity
outpacing supply, inefficient and inadequate transmission and
distribution systems are key bottlenecks in the development of the
energy sector that is stifling growth and threatens social strife.
Chronic
power shortages are estimated to have reduced GDP growth by at least
2pc in 2012 and 2013, and are considered the major cause of the slowdown
in large-scale manufacturing, which grew at only 1.1pc in FY12 and
4.1pc in FY13.
WASHINGTON: The New York Times said on
Tuesday its Moscow bureau was targeted by a cyber attack this month but
that there was no evidence the hackers, believed to be Russian, were
successful.
"We are constantly monitoring our systems
with the latest available intelligence and tools," Times spokeswoman
Eileen Murphy told the newspaper.
"We have seen no
evidence that any of our internal systems, including our systems in the
Moscow bureau, have been breached or compromised."
Earlier
on Tuesday, CNN, citing unnamed US officials, reported that the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other US security agencies were
investigating cyber breaches targeting reporters at the Times and other
US news organisations that were thought to have been carried out by
hackers working for Russian intelligence.
"Investigators
so far believe that Russian intelligence is likely behind the attacks
and that Russian hackers are targeting news organisations as part of a
broader series of hacks that also have focused on Democratic Party
organisations, the officials said," CNN reported.
The FBI
declined a Reuters' request for comment. Representatives for the US
Secret Service, which has a role in protecting the country from cyber
crime, did not reply to a request for comment.
A
government official briefed on the inquiry told the Times the FBI was
looking into the attempted cyber attack but was not carrying out similar
investigations at other news organisations.
The Times had not hired outside firms to investigate the attempted intrusion, contrary to the CNN report, Murphy said.
News
of the cyber attack comes amid a wave of similar attacks targeting
major US political parties that have surfaced in recent weeks ahead of
the Nov. 8 presidential election.
The Democratic National
Committee, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign
and the party's congressional fundraising committee have all been
affected.
Hackers have also targeted the computer systems
of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Republican Party
organisations, sources have told Reuters.
A breach at the
Times would not be the first time foreign hackers infiltrated a news
organisation. Media are frequently targeted in order to glean insights
into US policies or to spy on journalists.
In 2013, a
group of hackers known as the Syrian Electronic Army attacked the Times
and other media outlets. Chinese attackers also infiltrated the Times
that year.
A SUGGESTION to elevate Gen Raheel Sharif to rank of field
marshal is rumoured to be under consideration. Some media reports
maintain that a decision has already been made. There is, however, no
confirmation or denial from either the government or the military
spokesman, raising questions about the credibility of these stories.
There are some reports that the offer came as an alternative to a
request made by the general seeking an extension of his tenure that the
prime minister is reluctant to grant.
It all sounds so
surreal as only months ago the general had promised to bow out at the
end of his term in November this year. It would tarnish the image of a
good general were this report about his impending elevation true. He
certainly does not need the grand but ceremonial title of field marshal
in recognition of his great services for the nation. Indeed, Gen Sharif
must be given credit for leading from the front the fight against the
militants challenging the state. But one must not ignore the
contribution of other commanders too in this war that has been going on
for more than a decade.
It is most intriguing how the
rumour about a mere proposal was circulated and politicised. Is it a
game of deception? Firstly, it will not be easy to create this position
without a constitutional provision, however ceremonial the title may be.
Then there is also a problem of altering the command structure of the
armed forces if his role is to be made more effective.
There
is certainly no such move yet. So what is the rumour all about weeks
before the appointment of the new chief? It has generated unnecessary
controversy casting shadows over the transition of the army leadership
that should be following the normal process.
It is most intriguing how the rumour about a mere proposal was circulated and politicised.
Field marshal is usually the highest rank in the armed
forces and it requires extraordinary achievement by a general winning a
major war. But in Third World countries we have seen many examples of
military rulers appointing themselves to that position. Ayub Khan, the
first Pakistani military dictator, assumed the position of field marshal
in the 1960s without fighting a war — maybe in order to usurp power.
The main purpose was to stay as part of the military, the source of
power. But that title could not save him in crunch time.
Interestingly,
Egypt that remained under military rule for most of its recent history
had appointed eight field marshals over the past four decades despite
the country having been humiliated in conflict against Israel. Most
recently, the country’s new military strongman Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
declared himself field marshal after ruthlessly crushing the resistance
to the military takeover.
Afghanistan has seen field
marshals in recent history. The last one was field marshal Mohammad
Qasim Fahim who served as vice president. He was given the title
apparently for leading the Northern Alliance’s forces against the Afghan
Taliban and capturing Kabul with the support of the US-led coalition
forces in November 2001. This appointment was more to do with politics
than his services in the military. There are several other instances of
tinpot dictators harbouring self-delusions of grandeur assuming this
title.
One wonders if Gen Sharif would be interested in
getting his name listed alongside them. This kind of artificial title
cannot further raise his professional reputation and stature. During his
three years’ term that is about to end soon, Gen Sharif led his forces
clearing most of the tribal areas including North Waziristan from the
insurgents. This helped re-establish the state’s writ.
Gen
Sharif has also been instrumental in pushing the government to act
against the militant groups operating on the mainland, though he may not
have been fully successful in his efforts. A thorough professional, he
may not harbour any political ambition but he did assert the military’s
authority when it came to taking decisions on critical foreign and
national security policies. That also reinforced the perception of the
military being in the driving seat.
Gen Sharif has tried
to change the narrative on terrorism and religious extremism and has
taken a much tougher stance on those two issues. That also won him the
kind of mass popularity no other army chief had received. But there has
also been criticism within and outside the military of over-projection
of his personality by an overactive ISPR that tweets his every movement.
His frequent foreign travels have also raised many eyebrows. One is
not questioning the importance of most of those visits, but some others
could have been avoided.
There is no denying Gen
Sharif’s role as a leader, but it is the military as an institution that
has made those successes possible. One must also not take away the
credit from his predecessors who led operations in Swat, South
Waziristan and other tribal areas. The North Waziristan operation could
not have succeeded without other tribal regions having been cleared
earlier.
Certainly, a lot more has to be done before the
situation in the tribal areas can be stabilised and militancy
eliminated from the country. But it does not depend on one person to
take this existential battle to its conclusion. With the entire top
brass battle-hardened there is little possibility of course reversal by
the future military leadership.
One must learn from the
past experience of generals getting extensions. The controversy over Gen
Ashfaq Kayani getting a second term refuses to die down. However
effective and brilliant one may be, no one is indispensable.
One
expects that being a highly professional and dedicated soldier Gen
Raheel Sharif will keep his promise and pass on the baton to the next
chief who one hopes will take his mission forward. Also, the government
must clear the ambiguity over the rumours about his appointment as field
marshal. Such controversies demoralise the troops. That is the last
thing the armed forces need when they are engaged in battle so critical
for the country’s security and its survival.
LONDON: The British police have announced that they are
assessing the contents of Altaf Hussain’s speech in which he asked his
workers if they were about to move on media houses in Karachi.
A
statement released by Scotland Yard said: “We have received numerous
calls from the public and are currently assessing the content of a
speech given by an individual associated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement
(MQM) to ascertain if any crimes have been committed under UK
legislation. Where evidence of criminal activity is found we will
consult with the Crown Prosecution Service.”
In the UK
system, it is the police who gather evidence of possible crimes and the
Crown Prosecution Service that decides whether or not to press charges
thereby initiating a trial. The MQM leader is already being investigated
for possible hate speech offences.
Scotland Yard said the existing enquiry would continue alongside a new one into Mr Hussain’s latest speech.
The
statement marked a sharp change of direction by Scotland Yard which, in
the immediate hours after the MQM leader’s speech, tried to play down
its significance, saying it would not lead to any renewed
investigations. At that point Scotland Yard responded to enquiries by
saying: “It was a matter for Karachi law enforcement.”
The
evolving police attitude suggests that, after many years of exhaustive
investigations into various aspects of the MQM’s UK activities, the
British authorities might now be willing to use the incitement issue to
register a charge against Altaf Hussain.
“Both the money
laundering investigation and the enquiry into the murder of Imran
Farooq are in the doldrums,” a source close to the UK investigation
said. “It might just suit everyone involved — both the Pakistanis and
the British — to go for an incitement charge.”
The
impression of an increased UK willingness to move against the MQM has
been bolstered by a tweet issued by the British High Commission in
Islamabad which said: “We stand with #Karachi at this difficult time.
Strongly condemn the attack on media.”
In the past
British Foreign Office officials have routinely and consistently refused
to make any comment on the MQM, saying that any allegations against the
party were a matter for the UK police to investigate.
It
is difficult to understand the timing of Altaf Hussain’s speech which
came just as his legal problems appeared to be going away. The money
laundering investigation into the MQM seems stuck.
In
April this year, the Metropolitan Police’s National Terrorist Financial
Investigation Unit submitted a file to the Crown Prosecution Service
(CPS) containing evidence of suspected MQM money-laundering activities.
Officials at the CPS then considered whether the evidence was strong
enough to press charges. Sources close to the CPS suggested they were
considering dropping the case.
Meanwhile, the inquiry
into the 2010 murder of MQM deputy leader Imran Farooq also seems bogged
down. Long-running negotiations between the British and Pakistani
governments are reportedly making little progress and have failed to
overcome deep distrust between the two sides.
Pakistan
is holding three suspects in connection with the murder of Imran Farooq,
but the two governments are deadlocked over the question of how many of
them should be extradited to the UK. While the British want to try just
one of three suspects, Mohsin Ali Syed, Pakistan insists that it will
either extradite all three — or none at all.
The London office of the MQM did not respond to a request by Dawn for a statement for this article.
SYDNEY/PARIS: India is investigating the
extent to which secrets about French Scorpene submarines being built in
the country have been compromised, its defence ministry said on
Wednesday, after a leak of documents relating to its combat
capabilities.
The leak, which was first reported in The
Australian newspaper, contains more than 22,000 pages outlining the
secret capabilities of six submarines that French builder DCNS has
designed for the Indian Navy.
The newspaper The
Australian reported that the leaked data includes descriptions of what
frequencies the submarines use to gather intelligence, where a crew can
speak safely to avoid detection, and specifications of the torpedo
launch system.
"I understand there has been a case of hacking," Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told reporters.
"We will find out what has happened."
The
submarines are being built at a state-run shipyard in Mumbai and the
first one was expected to go into service by the end of the year, the
first step in the Indian navy's effort to rebuild its dwindling fleet.
The
massive leak has also raised doubts about the security of DCNS's
submarine project in Australia where it won a US $38.06 billion contract
to build the next generation of the submarines. Australia's government,
which signed a big-budget deal in April with DCNS for 12 submarines of a
different class, said the leak shouldn't affect the Australian ships.
DCNS
beat out Germany's ThyssenKrupp AG and a Japanese-government backed bid
by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, in a blow
to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to develop defence export
capabilities as part of a more muscular security agenda.
The
leaked documents cover the Scorpene-class model and do not contain any
details of the vessel currently being designed for the Australian fleet.
DCNS said it could not immediately authenticate the
documents, but would not rule out that the leak was part of an "economic
war" waged by the competitors it beat in the contest for the Australian
contract.
"For now we don't know if the information is
correct," a DCNS spokeswoman said. "The competition is more and more
hard and all means can be used in this context."
"There
is India, Australia and other prospects, and other countries could raise
legitimate questions over DCNS. It's part of the tools in economic
war," she said.
Shipmaker DCNS said in a statement that
French national security authorities are investigating the size,
seriousness and cause of the leak.
Thales, which owns 35
per cent of the shipbuilder, could not immediately be reached for
comment outside normal European business hours. The French defence
ministry declined to make an immediate comment.
Thales was down more than 2pc in early trading, while the wider French blue-chip index was down 0.75pc.
Major strategic problem
The breadth of detail in the documents creates a major
strategic problem for India, Malaysia and Chile, all of which operate
the same submarine, an Australian political source with decades of
experience in the global arms industry told Reuters.
Excerpts
published in redacted form on the newspaper's website contained highly
sensitive details of the submarine including technical manuals and
models of the boat's antennae.
"If it's 22,400 pages, it's a major stuff-up," the source said. “It's a huge deal.
"It
allows them to understand everything about the submarines. What speeds
it can do; how noisy it is; what speeds the mast can be raised at ...
all of that is just devastating."
The Indian Defence
Ministry said it was investigating the impact of the leak on the
submarine programme which it said had occurred from abroad. It gave no
details.
"The available information is being examined at
Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) and an analysis is
being carried out by the concerned specialists," it said in a statement.
"It appears that the source of leak is from overseas
and not in India." Uday Bhaskar, a former naval officer, said that if
the leak was established, it would amount to a significant compromise of
the credibility of the submarines.
India has a fleet of
13 ageing submarines, only half of which are operational at any time,
opening up a major gap with China which is expanding its maritime
presence in the Indian Ocean.
Australian Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull sought to deflect concern about the leak, touting the
high security standards in Australia, where the submarine will be built.
The Australian reported that the leak occurred in France in 2011.
"But
clearly, it is a reminder that, particularly in this digital world,
cyber security is of critical importance," he told the Seven TV network.
KARACHI: Nine-Zero wore the look of a ghost town on Tuesday,
a day after Pakistan Rangers sealed the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)
headquarters there.
Torn-up pamphlets with tattered
banners and posters of Altaf Hussain could be spotted lying around on
the floors and footpaths or hanging from poles outside all the important
but deserted MQM offices.
The gates to the Jinnah
Ground and the MQM ‘martyrs monument’ there were left ajar and even with
no one to guard the place no one seemed interested in entering it as
there was business as usual with almost all shops in Azizabad, even the
Bandhani Colony furniture market nearby, open.
It being
Tuesday and a meatless day, the few shops that were closed, however,
were the butcher shops. Meanwhile, children in uniforms with backpacks
walked home after school as they eyed the roadside chaat, bun-kabab and fruit vendors.
The
‘Welcome to Azizabad’ gateway on Shahrah-i-Rashid Shami Shaheed was dug
up here and there which had nothing to do with the chaos of the day
before. And the MQM checkpoints everywhere were left vacant. The chairs
near the no-go barriers that were always occupied looked worn when
empty, a rusted board nearby read ‘Keep Quaid Avenue clean’.
The
golden fist of Mukka Chowk seemed smaller in size next to the Pakistan
flag flying from a bamboo that was tied to the fist with a galvanised
wire. Since the monument was erected on Aug 14. 2009, the flag suited it
better than the fist.
A little girl on her bicycle with
training wheels pedals away, up and down the narrow lane outside the
actual Nine-Zero residence. Two more skip past her, smiling at her as
they invite her to join them in play as in the verandah floor of the
sealed Altaf Hussain residence a disabled man watches.
Another
Altaf poster hanging from a lamppost with a loudspeaker on top has been
ripped but the green Pakistan flag bunting on windows only a few steps
away are intact and fluttering in the gentle breeze.
All
the lights, fans and air-conditioners of the Khursheed Begum
Secretariat are on as the premises remains sealed with police personnel
watching it from inside the scout checkpoints there. “The MQM scouts
were pretty fierce, guarding the place with weapons. We are just keeping
an eye until further orders,” a policeman posted there told Dawn.
Lying
around were slippers and sandals of people who apparently fled the
place in a rush. They had also left behind some reading material. A
purple booklet titled India aur Dunya: Altaf Hussain ki Aham Taqarir was lying on the floor with six or seven other textbooks a half bundle of A4 size printer paper.
The
Rangers personnel who patrolled by in their mobiles and motorbikes were
alerted about the electricity being wasted due to the accessories and
appliances still being on. “Good, let it be cool and bright,” chuckled a
Ranger official on being informed.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran
Khan has accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of offering an extension
and a promotion to Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif because “he is
afraid of the army”.
In his post-midnight address to a
rally in the capital on Sunday, Mr Khan said, in so many words: “The
prime minister is repeatedly asking the army chief to take an extension
and become a field marshal because he fears him; [PM Sharif] has all
other institutions under his control.”
His claim came as
the capital was rife with rumours that the army chief might be promoted
to the rank of field marshal, in recognition of his success in leading
Operation Zarb-i-Azb.
Information minister dismisses claim
According to some quarters, the offer was made, but Gen
Sharif refused to accept it and decided to stick to his earlier decision
of retiring as per schedule, on Nov 29 this year.
In
January, when social media was abuzz with talk about a possible
extension for the army chief, Gen Sharif had come out with an
unequivocal statement, saying: “I do not believe in extension(s) and
will retire on the due date.”
Information Minister
Pervaiz Rashid said: “The PTI chief is known for making such
irresponsible statements,” adding that until Mr Khan revealed the source
of his information about the prime minister’s purported offer, “How can
I respond to this assertion that is based on rumours?”
A
security official told Dawn that the army chief had already announced
his decision to retire on time and only the government could explain the
rumours that had been doing the rounds over the past few weeks.
“As
far as a decision regarding an extension or promotion for the army
chief is concerned, it can only be made by the prime minister,” the
official said.
In his speech, the PTI chairman predicted
that the next Aug 14 would be the “real independence day”, when the
country would be free from the clutches of the current ruling elite who
had deprived the masses of education, health and other basic facilities
over the years.
“They win elections through fraud and
then make money in connivance with corrupt government officials as there
is no one to check them,” he alleged.
He also came down
hard on the National Accountability Bureau, saying that it only acted
against minor criminals. “Those who loot the country appoint a Federal
Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman and bring in people of their own choice
to the Election Commission to manage elections.”
Overseas
Pakistanis were willing to come back and invest in the country, but
because of rampant corruption they preferred destinations like Dubai and
Malaysia, he said.
In contrast, Mr Khan said, a minister
had been arrested in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the father of a member
of the KP Assembly had been sent behind bars by the provincial
accountability department. “One must ask the FBR why it doesn’t act
against those named in the Panama Papers.”
Imran Khan also accused two FBR officials — Dr Irshad and Amjad Tiwana — of ‘fixing’ the tax records of the Sharif family.
Challenging
the democratic credentials of the Sharif brothers, the PTI chairman
said those who were “spoon-fed politics by military dictators, took
money from the ISI and even attacked the Supreme Court” were now giving
him sermons on democracy.
He supported the military
establishment’s assertion that the National Action Plan (NAP) against
terrorism couldn’t achieve the desired results because the government
had failed to fulfil its commitments about NAP.
Mr Khan
said the federal government had failed to bring reforms to the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas, or streamline seminaries.
NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan continued their wordy duel on
Sunday, with one side underscoring the importance of Jammu and Kashmir
to its existence and the other pouring scorn about alleged terrorism
emanating from its neighbourhood.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner in New Delhi Abdul Basit made a series of comments about independence of Kashmir.
“As
far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, we dedicate this independence
day to the independence of Kashmir,” Mr Basit said at the flag-hoisting
ceremony at the mission on Pakistan’s Independence Day.
Indian reports claimed his comments came within hours of “two ceasefire violations and a terror attack in Kashmir’s Poonch”.
Basit says political aspirations of Kashmiris cannot be suppressed
The Indian side used the opportunity to change the focus.
“India and others in the region have already received enough of
Pakistan’s trademark exports — international terrorism, cross-border
infiltrators, weapons, narcotic and fake currency,” alleged a statement
from the external affairs ministry, citing an “apparent” Pakistani
proposal to send supplies to Jammu and Kashmir.
Two days
ago, Pakistan had suggested an exclusive dialogue with India on Kashmir
after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said Azad Kashmir belonged to
India.
The Indian premier had said the foreign ministry
should get in touch with expatriates from Azad Kashmir, gather
information from them on “the pitiable condition in the region and let
the global community know about it”.
At the
flag-hoisting ceremony, Mr Basit stressed that political aspirations of
the people of India-held Kashmir could not be suppressed, nor could
anyone belittle or wish away their legitimate struggle, according to APP
news agency.
He called upon the international community
to ensure implementation of the relevant UN resolutions in order to
settle the longstanding Kashmir dispute.
The high
commissioner said Pakistan would continue to extend its full diplomatic,
political and moral support to the valiant people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the people of Pakistan were united in their
efforts to overcome internal and external challenges and thwart all
conspiracies aimed at destabilising the country.
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on
Monday granted bail to Axact Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shoaib Shaikh
and 13 others in the fake degrees case.
Justice Iqbal Kalhoro approved the bail plea against a surety bond of Rs500,000 each after hearing arguments from both parties.
All those granted bail in the case have been in custody for the past 15 months.
Lawyer
for Axact, Shaukat Hayat, argued during the hearing that the Federal
Investigation Agency (FIA) and the prosecution had been employing
delaying tactics, pointing out that the accused have not been indicted
thus far – despite a lapse of 15 months.
Hayat claimed
there had been no headway in the case to legitimise his stance that the
accused were entitled for bail, especially since his clients had no
criminal record or allegations of involvement in terrorism.
The
Axact scandal surfaced in May last year when The New York Times
published a report that claimed the company sold fake diplomas and
degrees online through hundreds of fictitious schools, making “tens of
millions of dollars annually”. Subsequently the offices of Axact were
sealed, its CEO and key officials were arrested and a probe was launched
on the basis of the allegations leveled by NYT.
NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi took aim at what he called supporters of “terrorism” in his
Independence Day speech on Monday, ratcheting up criticism of Pakistan
while avoiding direct mention of month-long protests in Indian-held
Kashmir.
Modi also pitched a vision of national unity
and progress in his third annual address from the ramparts of the Red
Fort in Delhi that, at 94 minutes, was the longest delivered by the
65-year-old leader.
Yet it was a broadside against
Pakistan that left the strongest impression in a speech that otherwise
skirted foreign affairs and focused on his government's own
achievements.
“What kind of life is this, inspired by
terrorism? What kind of government setup is it that is inspired by
terrorism?” asked Modi, who delivered the open-air address amid a
security lockdown in the Indian capital.
“The world will know about it and that's sufficient for me.”
The Indian PM went aggressively further in a diatribe against Pakistan.
"People of Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) have thanked me a lot in past few days, I am grateful to them," said Modi in his Monday address.
Modi also said that Indians "also cried" when children in Peshawar were killed in the APS attack in December 2014.
"This is our nature, but look at the other side. They glorify terrorists."
As
Modi spoke, two gunmen attacked a police station in Indian-held
Kashmir, wounding six reservists. The army also claimed it had foiled an
attempt to infiltrate two 'militants' from Pakistan into north Kashmir,
killing both.
Kashmir has witnessed violent protests
since a July 8 encounter in which the security forces eliminated a
commander of militant group Hizbul Mujahideen. At least 54 people have
been killed and thousands hurt in clashes with the security forces.
Modi met national party leaders on Friday to seek ways to end the worst unrest in Kashmir since 2010.
Report card
In keeping with earlier speeches, Modi delivered a report
card on efforts to improve the lot of ordinary Indians, reeling off
achievements in rural electrification, financial inclusion and health
provision.
He strongly backed the fight against
inflation, endorsing a 4 per cent target, within a range of 2 percentage
points either way, agreed with Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram
Rajan.
He barely mentioned his government's latest ─ and
arguably most significant ─ reform achievement: the passage of a key
amendment that clears the way for the introduction of a Goods and
Services Tax (GST) next year.
He said only that the GST
would “give strength” to the economy, while thanking opposition parties
that, after a drawn-out battle, had come on board to pass the amendment
unanimously through both houses of parliament.
The GST
would unite India's $2 trillion economy and 1.3 billion people into a
single market for the first time and, its backers say, boost economic
growth and job creation that Modi needs to win a second term at the 2019
general election.
The tradition of delivering the
annual address from the steps of the 17th-century Red Fort from where
Mughal kings ruled Delhi for two centuries dates back to Jawaharlal
Nehru's historic “tryst with destiny” speech of 1947.
Modi,
despite a barnstorming campaign that carried him to the biggest
electoral landslide in three decades in 2014, has so far failed to touch
the rhetorical heights achieved by India's first prime minister.
But,
sporting a red, pink and yellow turban, he did indulge in some
trademark wordplay to say that India was moving from “swaraj”, or self
rule in Hindi, to “suraj”, or good governance.
"One society, one dream, one resolution, one destiny ─ we proceed in this direction," he said.
LONDON: Leicester's Premier League title
defence got off to an embarrassing start as the champions crashed to 2-1
defeat at troubled Hull in the season opener on Saturday.
Just
three months after their astonishing title triumph, Claudio Ranieri's
side were brought back down to earth by a team whose preparations for
the new campaign were marred by the resignation of manager Steve Bruce
and their failure to sign a single player.
Adama
Diomande gave Hull a first-half lead before Riyad Mahrez brought
Leicester level with a penalty shortly after the interval.
Robert
Snodgrass drove in the winner 12 minutes into the second half as a team
in crisis on and off the pitch became the first to beat the defending
English champions on opening day since Manchester United defeated
Arsenal in 1989.
Hull have approached the season in a
state of turmoil, with no permanent manager following Bruce's
resignation on July 22, and a thin squad stretched to its limits by
injuries.
Caretaker manager Mike Phelan went into the
game with just 13 fit senior players, and named a substitutes' bench
consisting largely of untried youngsters, including three teenagers.
Hull's
supporters have blamed owners Assem and Ehad Allam for a lack of
investment in the squad, and graffiti calling for them to sell the club
was found daubed on the outer walls of the stadium on Saturday morning.
As
stewards hastily tried to paint over the vandalism before kick-off,
supporters gathered outside to display banners and chant for the Allams
to leave.
A Chinese consortium, led by businessmen Dai
Yongge and Hawken Xi Liu, has expressed an interest in buying the club,
and its key figures were at the match to watch the Premier League season
begin.
Leicester were sharper for the opening 30
minutes, but were unable to capitalise on the chances they created, with
Jamie Vardy a particular culprit.
Thwarted
Vardy, who scored 24 league goals last season, miskicked
horribly after new signing Ahmed Musa had darted down the left to roll
the ball back to him 16 yards from goal.
After Danny
Drinkwater had screwed wide from Mahrez's inviting right-wing cut-back,
Vardy was then thwarted by some dogged Hull defending.
Christian
Fuchs got clear after playing a one-two with Musa and, when goalkeeper
Eldin Jakupovic raced out to block, the ball ran loose to Vardy - but
Jake Livermore threw his body in the way of the shot.
Vardy,
part of the England team beaten in the last 16 by Iceland at Euro 2016,
then skied an easy chance after Musa had dashed past the flat-footed
Curtis Davies.
Hull rode the pressure, though, and took the lead in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.
Kasper Schmeichel clawed out Davies' near-post header from a Snodgrass corner, but Diomande's overhead kick flew into the net.
Leicester
responded immediately after half-time, winning a penalty within 20
seconds of the restart as Tom Huddlestone was judged to have clipped
Demarai Gray inside the area.
Television replays
suggested the contact may have been outside the area, but Mahrez sent
Jakupovic the wrong way with a cool spot-kick.
However, spluttering Leicester were only level for 10 minutes.
Ahmed
Elmohamady was quick to intercept a Schmeichel throw, and raced down
the right to create space for a cross that Danny Simpson half-cleared,
before Snodgrass drove in the loose ball.
Ranieri's
response was to throw on Shinji Okazaki and Daniel Amartey in a bid to
find an equaliser, and Mahrez almost delivered with a 25-yard free-kick
that Jakupovic shovelled away.
Snodgrass almost caught
out Schmeichel with a free-kick from wide out on the right, which the
goalkeeper had to beat away at his near post.
By the
time the match entered its closing stages, the Hull fans were singing
'Can't Help Falling In Love With You' and chanting 'We are top of the
league'.
