Drone use down in Pakistan, up in Afghanistan: UN

GENEVA:The number of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan plunged last year amid growing care to avoid civilian deaths, but the death toll in neighboring Afghanistan continues to rise, the United Nations´ special investigator on counterterrorism said Wednesday.



Ben Emmerson says that for the first time in nine years no civilians were reported killed in 2013 in Pakistan´s Federally Administered Tribal Regions, or FATA, a semi-autonomous area along the 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) Afghanistan-Pakistan border where militant groups operate.



The U.N. special rapporteur, a British lawyer who reports to the 47-nation Human Rights Council and the U.N. General Assembly, told reporters in Geneva there has been "a very significant de-escalation" of U.S. armed drone use in Pakistan´s FATA region, down to 27 strikes last year from a peak of 128 in 2010.



But he said the picture is uglier in Afghanistan, where drone strikes and civilian deaths resulting from their use are intensifying.



In Afghanistan, he said, the number of civilian casualties from drone strikes last year rose to 45 dead and 14 injured, triple the rate experienced in 2012.Emmerson said Yemen had suffered around 500 civilian casualties from drone strikes since 2009, largely because of incompetent targeting.



It doesn´t have to be that way, he said. "In principle, at least, technology which allows military commanders to observe a target 24 hours a day in almost real time is capable of reducing those risks," Emmerson said.



"But that depends on a combination of different forms of intelligence ... and on responsible operational decisions being taken.



"Before his press conference, Emmerson reported to the Geneva-based council on the civilian toll from drone attacks, chiefly carried out by U.S. forces, and called for more independent investigation.



He examined about 30 drone strikes involving civilian casualties committed by American, British and Israeli forces in Afghanistan, Gaza, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen.



He said the U.S. military had reduced the frequency of drone attacks, and limited them to high-value targets, because of growing criticism in Pakistan and abroad.

Special Court Upholds Decision:Musharraf treason trial

ISLAMABAD: The special court hearing the high treason case against General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has upheld its decision to present the former president on Friday.



The former president will be indicted when he appears before the three member special court bench.



During today's proceedings, Anwar Mansoor Advocate, the former general's counsel said he could not give arguments on the petition owing to sickness. The doctors had advised him rest for few days as he was diagnosed with food poisoning, he added.



Security



Pervez Musharraf will be provided foolproof security comprising 1,500 personnel.



Only cleared personnel will be deployed as part of Musharraf’s personal security detail. All individuals including female journalists will have to go through a security check before entering the courtroom.



Mobile phones, tablets and laptops will not be permitted inside the court premises.



ISI Officials Brief Special Court



ISI officials provided an in-camera briefing to the special court regarding security threats faced by Musharraf. Officials said a normal phone call was intercepted which revealed that the former president may be attacked. According to ISI officials, threats are communicated to the Interior Ministry as a measure to alert law enforcement agencies.

Devoted to overcoming challenges: Prime Minister

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says the government is committed to resolving issues through dialogue.



The prime minister met a delegation of the All Pakistan Ulema Council here on Thursday. The prime minister urged Ulema (religious scholars) to play a positive role in improving Pakistan’s credibility.



The prime minister told Ulema that he was devoted to overcoming the challenges faced by Pakistan. Prime Minister Sharif said the government was playing its role for peace and harmony and Ulema from all sects should do the same.

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Fariha Pervez Sitting with Verstile Talented Artist

Fariha Pervez is one of the leading female singers of Pakistan. Fariha started her career with anchoring and acting from a very young age on PTV (Pakistan state television channel). She also co-hosted a popular children’s music program “Aangan Aangan Taray”. After the release of her debut Album. “Nice n Naughty”, her song “Patang Baaz” (a.k.a Bo kata) became a super hit. Her musical career took off and she there onwards decided to focus solely on singing.



Today we are here  with our dear and loved one Fariha Pervez.

Exclusive Interview with Nice n Naughty Patang Baaz Fariha Pervez

By khabardar TV’s Reporter Maria (Islamabad)

Fariha if you get a chance to judge future singers in Pakistan Idol will you go? And how do you see Hadiqa , Ali Azmat & Bushra Ansari as judges? 

Fariha: If I was called as a judge I would have joined. All of them are unique and well experienced known names of the industry who have been there in the industry since quite a long time.

Fariha as female singer how you handle hurdles in you sinning career?

Fariha: Being a female media person it is very difficult to carry one as I find my personality unfit for the showbiz. I am a realistic and a down to earth person and I try not to bring fakeness to my personality. It is very very tough but when you have support from your family things become a bit easier.

What career  would you be in if not in singing?

Fariha: I would have been a teacher or a doctor if I wasn’t a singer.

Do you like singing in other languages then Punjabi? Ever thought to sing in English?

Fariha: I enjoy singing in different languages other than Punjabi and Urdu. I have also sung in Pashto and every now and then I perform one of the folk numbers in my concerts. Who knows may be I’ll work on an English number next.

How was the experience of performing in Jogi Coke Studio Season 6?

Fariha: It was quite a different experience and I loved being a part of Coke Studio Season 6. I loved the blend and the fusion as Jogi is the qawali that I have been listening since forever. Performing with Alamgir sahab is another great experience which I will remember forever as I consider it an honor that I performed with him. I also had the chance to perform live in Turkey with Sumru Ağıryürüyen and Turkish musicians all thanks to Coke Studio and Rohail Hayat. I learnt a great deal from it and loved the experimentation and the different kind of a sound.

Do you think being Courteous is bad in the music or showbiz industry?

Fariha: There is nothing too courteous. This is how I am. Respect should be given to those who deserve them. I have always respected my seniors, my colleagues and my fans and I always will. Because in the end it is all about respect and you earn it by being respectful to others and doing your best in your line of work.

Do you regret that your Teenage years are not how you wish it to be and what advice you give to teenagers about life?

Fariha: I don’t regret anything because I always tried to live in the moment whether it was my teenage years or now. And I would advise the youth to do the same. Learn from the past. Live in the present and be prepared for the future.

Your father wanted to become a singer but family didn’t support him. What do you think which singer he sounded like?

Fariha: As I have mentioned quite a few times that singing was always in my genes as my father had that passion and craze for singing. But his family opposed. I wouldn’t compare as each and every singer has his own unique voice which makes them stand out among the lot.

Fariha what do you love other than music?

Fariha: Just singing, music and good food.

Any Celebrity crush?

Fariha: None.

What is the Best advice given by your fans?

Fariha: Everything will work somehow. So no need to worry just live in the moment and let ALLAH do what is best.

When did you start singing?

Fariha: Music is in my genes and singing is my passion from my childhood. I have performed in various events at school and college levels. My debut song was released in 1996 but I have sung a few tracks for Ptv before that.

What genre of music you cannot listen at all?

Fariha: I listen to anything which is melodious regardless of genre, language or country boundaries.

What do you enjoy more, writing music or lyrics?

Fariha: I don’t write lyrics. I only concentrate on my singing and let the experts do their job :)

If  you could dabble in another genre of music, what would it be?

Fariha: I mostly cover most of the genres already like pop, folk, classical, semi-classical, ghazal and geet. I think that’s pretty much enough.

Who are your favorite singers?

Fariha: Sajjad Ali, Asha Bholse, Nayyara Noor, Mehnaz Begum

What do you think when you are performing?

Fariha: I always try to give my best while performing whenever I go on stage and try to enjoy myself when I am performing because when I am enjoying performing then my audience will also enjoy the music.

What else can we expect from you in the future?

Fariha: Lots of new things and projects including my new album.

How do you feel when you get comment on your songs?

Fariha: It feels good when a listener gives feedback on my work. If it is positive feedback and compliments I love reading them and if its criticism I try to take it positively and try to do my best to make more good music.

Is performing outside Pakistan feels any different than performing in Pakistan?

Fariha: It is a great feeling and experience wherever I perform no matter if it’s in Pakistan or outside Pakistan. I have performed all over the world. Pakistanis living in different countries miss Pakistan so much that when I perform for them it’s an unbelievable and unexplainable feeling. They give so much love and support that boosts my performance and my spirits even more.

Do you teach music?

Fariha: No I consider myself a student I cannot call myself a teacher while there is so much left to learn.

What advice would you give to beginners to deal with nerves during performance?

Fariha: Just try to give your best and sing from the heart. And keep practicing because in the end it is only practice which will lead you to become the best in your skill and career.

Do you get nervous before a performance?

Fariha: Ofcourse I do become nervous before my every performance even now as my each and every performance is different from the rest. But when I am on the stage and start performing concentrating only on my singing and performance my nervousness goes away.

How do you handle mistakes during a performance?

Fariha: No one is perfect and as humans we make mistakes and mistakes happen every now and then. I do my best to cover it with performing my best. I do sometimes make mistakes because I perform almost all kind of genres and in them I not only perform my own songs but I do get the honor of performing the golden numbers of legends and also attending to the requests made by the people in the audience so it is hard not to make a mistake. But when you and your audience are enjoying the performance it all ends well.

Do you listen to old records & tapes? Who do you like to listen?

Fariha: I have always listened to the old classics of Madam Noor Jahan, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Mehdi Hassan Khan sahab, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, Ustad Baday Ghulam Ali Khan. The list will go on as there are so many legends who are great maestros. One can learn a great deal just by listening to them.

Pakistani people show you much love and support, what would you like to say to Pakistan?

Fariha: What I am today is because of my fans that love and support me all the way. For Pakistan I am just going say one thing. I am thankful to ALLAH that I am a Pakistani. If I wasn’t born as a Pakistani then I would never want to belong to any other country. I am proud to be a Pakistani and I always will be.

 

Kindly add your Official Pages on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and email addresses so your fans will not follow fake ids and connect with you?

Fariha:My Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/FarihaPervez

Twitter: @FarihaPervez

Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/FarihaPervez

My Website: www.FarihaPervez.com

Email: info@FarihaPervez.com

Few words for our website Khabardar.tv and for the journalist (Miss. Maria)?

Fariha: It was a different interview which I have done after quite a long while. The questions were well thought. I wish the organization the best of luck for the future.

Fawwad AlamI I know the worth of sporting national colours

KARACHI:

A on the face of it forgotten entity till recently, Fawad Alam was finally given his due for his consistent domestic performance over 3 years because the national selectors recalled him for the Asia Cup.

The 28-year-old even his choice, striking good knocks of seventy four against People's Republic of Bangladesh ANd an unconquered 114 within the final against state within the tournament.

In doing therefore, he became Pakistan’s 1st left-handed middle-order baseball player to attain a century within the 50-over format.

Fawad’s comeback in international cricket came once December 2010, wherever he featured in an exceedingly Twenty20 game against New Seeland.

After that, though his batting performance remained consistent in domestic seasons, he remained sidelined from the national team for 3 years.

“Years of isolation from Asian country team gave Pine Tree State the spirit to fight,” Fawad told The specific apsis in AN interview, bearing on his knocks within the Asia Cup.

The baseball player wasn't the highest selection for the team management ANd was solely chosen within the taking part in eleven once opener Sharjeel Khan sustained an injury.

“I knew that i'll not get opportunities like this. After all, the possibility came to Pine Tree State once plenty of diligence.

“I was longing terribly tough times [prior to the Asia Cup]. At times, I wont to feel demoralised after I wasn't most well-liked despite my diligence. However, i'm lucky to possess individuals around WHO supported Pine Tree State in those powerful times.

“I recognize the worth of sporting the national colors and failed to need to waste the possibility. I created full-scale efforts to carry my team however it's unfortunate that my innings couldn't facilitate Asian country win the ultimate.”

The baseball player else that head coach Moin Khan and captain Misbahul Haq were terribly adjunct.

“Scoring like that once a protracted time wouldn't are doable while not their help.

“Moin was a fighting player and his steerage created plenty of distinction whereas Misbah’s recommendation at the crease was a large facilitate too.”

Misbah content with overall performance

Misbah, in conjunction with different team members, came back home from the UAE yesterday.

Speaking to reporters at the Lahore field, the Asian country captain expressed satisfaction over the team’s overall performance within the Asia Cup.

“Losing the ultimate was unsatisfactory, however i'm happy with the performance within the tournament,” he said.

“It was a tricky tournament for the fast-bowlers as a result of there was very little help for them. However, we have a tendency to square measure returning with plenty of positives.”

The captain appeared irked with criticism on his slow-pace batting.

“Ask critics what ought to be the approach after you lose 3 fast wickets within the begin. All the world’s best groups adopt identical approach to endure such a state of affairs.”

The check and One-Day International captain hoped Asian country would had best within the approaching World Twenty20, spoken communication the team has the momentum before the event.

Published within the specific apsis, March 11th, 2014.