ISLAMABAD: A majority of the NRO beneficiaries have been bureaucrats and government officials as a list, released by the government on Saturday, contained names of only 34 politicians out of a total of 8,000.

According to the list, almost 97 per cent of the beneficiaries are from Sindh. The ordinance will lapse on Nov 28 in the light of the Supreme Court’s July 31 verdict in the PCO judges case.
The list shows that a total of 8,041 people — 7,793 from Sindh — have benefited from the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), promulgated by former president Pervez Musharraf on Oct 5, 2007.
These people have got withdrawn 3,478 cases (3,320 in Sindh) registered against them on charges of corruption, financial bungling, misuse of authority and criminal charges.
Gen (retd) Musharraf promulgated the NRO after striking a deal with PPP leader Benazir Bhutto in order to grant amnesty to all those against whom politically-motivated cases were registered between Jan 1, 1986, and Oct 12, 1999.
Mohammad Afzal Sindhu, the Minister of State for Law and Justice, released the list at a news conference soon after a meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
In reply to a question, the minister said the government would not defend or protect any NRO beneficiary.
Earlier this month, the PPP had to withdraw its earlier initiative of presenting the NRO before parliament following a vociferous protest by the opposition and the decision of all its major coalition partners not to support the bill in the legislature.
The NRO is among the 37 ordinances about which the Supreme Court, in its July 31 verdict, had decreed that their fate should be decided by parliament within 120 days.
There are no surprises in the list as most of the prominent names had already appeared in the national press over the past few days.
Interestingly, the list provided by the minister contained the breakdown of only those withdrawn cases that pertained to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. The document is silent about the number of cases registered against other beneficiaries.
The minister said there were only 34 politicians among the NRO beneficiaries, belying the insinuation that it was the politicians who had benefited the most from the amnesty.
Mr Sindhu said President Asif Zardari enjoyed indemnity under Article 248 of the Constitution and no new or old cases could be opened against him as long as he was in the Presidency.
‘In my opinion relief once granted cannot be reversed under the law. However, the government will implement the Supreme Court’s decision on the matter in letter and in spirit.’

He recalled that two petitions challenging the NRO were already pending before the apex court.
According to Mr Sindhu, several cases in Sindh were disposed of on the recommendations of a review board that had been set up under clause 2 of the NRO.
He said PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had himself admitted that most of the cases against President Zardari and PPP leaders were politically-motivated.
The two parties had agreed in the Charter of Democracy, signed by Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif in 2006, to withdraw all politically-motivated cases. He said the name of the prime minister’s wife was not there in the list.
The list showed that MQM chief Altaf Hussain had got withdrawn the highest number of cases against him – 72, including 31 on murder and 11 on attempt to murder charges.
Dr Farooq Sattar, the MQM’s parliamentary leader, occupied the second slot. A total of 23 cases were withdrawn against him, including five on charges of murder and four on attempt to murder.
The third biggest beneficiary appeared to be provincial minister Shoaib Bukhari, of the MQM, against whom 21 cases were withdrawn, including 16 on murder and attempt to murder charges.
The Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping, Babar Ghouri, Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad, Imran Farooq, Saleem Shahzad, Waseem Akhtar and former MNA Kunwar Khalid Yunus are other prominent MQM leaders who benefited from the NRO.
Among the beneficiaries belonging to People’s Party were Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Nawab Yousuf Talpur, Mir Baz Khetran, Sindh provincial minister Agha Siraj Durrani and Senator Jehangir Badar.
Salman Farooqi, secretary-general to the president, Pakistan’s Ambassador in Washington Hussain Haqqani and Wajid Shamsul Hasan, High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, were prominent in the section that had names of individuals other than politicians.
Although PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had been claiming that no member of his party had benefited from the NRO, the list showed that at least four PML-N members had got relief.
They are MNA Chaudhry Shaukat Ali, Rana Nazir Ahmed, former MNAs Chaudhry Abdul Hameed and Haji Kabir, and former MPA Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali.
Despite the official release of the list, a number of “beneficiaries” denied that they had taken any relief under the NRO.
The parliamentary leader of the MQM in the National Assembly and Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis announced that his party was ready to face all cases in courts.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to UK Wajid Shamsul Hassan told a private TV channel that he was not an NRO beneficiary and that he would take up the matter with the prime minister.
Hussain Haqqani, the ambassador to Washington, also protested innocence. Senator Jehangir Badar, the PPP secretary-general, also contested the inclusion of his name.
The following is a list of other prominent NRO beneficiaries:
Nusrat Bhutto (PPP); Haji Nawaz Khokhar (former deputy speaker of National Assembly); Malik Mushtaq Awan (PPP); Mian Mohammad Rasheed; Tariq Anees; Anwar Saifullah Khan (MNA); Sardar Mansoor Leghari (ex-MNA); Aftab Sherpao (MNA); Habibullah Kundi (former NWFP minister); and Ahmed Sadiq (ex-principal secretary to PM).

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Pakistani cricket team in trouble

Pakistan n Newzealand in the battlefield
Pakistan won the toss n elected to bat first,this ground is worst for Pakistan,out of 7 matches Pakistan only won one match.
At this time Pakistan has made 192 runs for 43.3 overs n 8 players have lost their wickets. Will Pakistan win this match? My mind says it will be a miracle if Pakistan win.

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Great Allama Iqbal

Tundi e bad e mukhalif sy na ghbra ay aukab

Yay to chlti hai tjhy oncha uranay k liay

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Forty three militants killed in Khyber operation

A local tribal man seen in a house destroyed during a crackdown operation against militants in Khyber Agency.





Another 43 militants were killed in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency.

According to military sources, 35 militants were killed on Saturday when helicopter gunships shelled bases of the outlawed Lashkar-i-Islam in Sandan area of Tirah valley and Gogrina village in Bazaar-Zakhakhel area. Paramilitary troops and artillery units also took part in the operation.

The helicopters also attacked a training centre of Lashkar-i-Islam in Tirah valley where, according to officials, its chief Mangal Bagh has taken refuge. Six militants were killed in a clash with security personnel in Qambarkhel area.

Militants attacked a military convoy in Sheen Qamar area. Troops returned fire and killed two of the attackers. Security forces demolished 15 houses in different areas of Bara owned by important Lashkar-i-Islam shura members.

Prominent among them are Haji Amal Gul, Haji Jan Gul, Amir Said Nawab, Amir Musa Khan, Maulana Buner, Jan Mast and Shah Faisal.

Hundreds of Bara residents defied curfew and moved to safe places. Some of them said that they had to walk several kilometres to save their lives. ‘We are running out of food and other basic items.’

The Khyber administration announced a relaxation in curfew from 3pm to 6pm on Saturday. Officials said that they were trying to set up relief camps for the displaced people.

‘A total of 43 militants were killed during the operation in Khyber,’ said a Frontier Corps statement.

Troops have been fighting in the area after a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a border police post near Torkham on Aug 28, killing 22 policemen.

‘Today (Saturday) the security forces destroyed the hideouts and a training centre of the Lashkar-i-Islam in Tirah valley. Heavy casualties of militants are expected,’ said an earlier Frontier Corps statement.

On Thursday, troops destroyed the vacated house of Mangal Bagh, who had already escaped to the mountains, officials said.

Mangal Bagh has been accused by officials of running torture centres, private jails and a Taliban-style system in some parts of Khyber.

‘So far, 57 militants have been killed during six days of operations. Five security men have been wounded,’ Tariq Hayat, the top administrator of Khyber, told reporters on Saturday.

The operation would continue until militants were eliminated, he added. Militants frequently attack trucks along the Khyber Pass, a main route for supplies for US troops in Afghanistan.

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Beautifull Islamabad Pictures

These are some very beautifull pics of Islamabad

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Future of Idps

AN estimated two-thirds of the 2.7 million people displaced internally by the conflict between the army and the Taliban have returned to their hometowns. However, they are finding the odds still stacked against them. They have lost crops and livestock that constituted primary sources of income, while the conflict has also taken a heavy toll on roads, schools and hospitals. The plight of the returnees is underscored by the UN’s statement that it has so far received a mere three per cent of the $58m it needs to institute ‘early recovery projects’ in the region, such as food aid and the restoration of educational, healthcare and water-supply networks.



The global credit crunch is being blamed for the reluctance of donors to part with the urgently needed funds. No doubt, the worldwide recession has been severe. Nevertheless, donors must understand that the situation is grim: a survey in some militancy-hit areas reveals that 80 per cent believe they will not be able to survive for more than a fortnight without assistance.



Militancy in Pakistan is not an entirely homegrown or isolated issue. It is inextricably linked to international militancy, specifically the situation in Afghanistan. The plight of thousands of affected citizens should make rehabilitation work a priority for the international community. The fact that most IDPs seem to have made the choice to return reflects well on the efforts made by the government to repair the badly damaged civic and administrative infrastructure. Most importantly, the security situation has stabilised, giving many IDPs the confidence to return. Still more needs to be done and it is time the interna- tional community rewarded these citizens’ courage by donating generously to rehabilitation projects and thus lowering the possibility of further strife in the affected areas.

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Mobile Robot

New Mobile Robot Balances, Moves On Ball Instead Of Wheels Or Legs
ScienceDaily (Aug. 11, 2006) — Carnegie Mellon University researchers have developed a new type of mobile robot that balances on a ball instead of legs or wheels. "Ballbot" is a self-contained, battery-operated, omnidirectional robot that balances dynamically on a single urethane-coated metal sphere. It weighs 95 pounds and is the approximate height and width of a person. Because of its long, thin shape and ability to maneuver in tight spaces, it has the potential to function better than current robots can in environments with people.


Ballbot's creator, Robotics Research Professor Ralph Hollis, says the robot represents a new paradigm in mobile robotics. What began as a concept in his home workshop has been funded for the last two years with grants from the National Science Foundation.

Hollis is working to prove that dynamically stable robots like Ballbot can outperform their static counterparts. Traditional, statically stable mobile robots have three or more wheels for support, but their bases are generally too wide to move easily among people and furniture. They can also tip over if they move too fast or operate on a slope.

"We wanted to create a robot that can maneuver easily and is tall enough to look you in the eye," Hollis said. "Ballbot is tall and skinny, with a much higher center of gravity than traditional wheeled robots. Because it is omnidirectional, it can move easily in any direction without having to turn first."

Ballbot has an onboard computer that reads balance information from its internal sensors, activating rollers that mobilize the ball on which it moves -- a system that is essentially an inverse mouse-ball drive. When Ballbot is not in operation, it stands in place on three retractable legs.

Hollis noted that current legged robots, such as humanoids, are complex and expensive. He's looking for simple alternatives to better understand the issues of dynamic stability for mobile robots in human environments. He believes that the research may produce a robot that could have useful, meaningful interactions with people who are elderly, disabled or need assistance in an office environment.

Hollis and his team -- including Robotics Institute Project Scientist George Kantor and graduate students Tom Lauwers, Anish Mampetta and Eric Schearer -- have demonstrated Ballbot moving on carpeted surfaces. They presented their research findings in October 2005 at the prestigious International Symposium for Robotics Research in San Francisco, and most recently at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation, which took place in mid-May in Orlando, Fla. Future plans for Ballbot include adding a head and a pair of arms. Swinging the arms, said Hollis, would help to rotate and balance the body.

"We want to make Ballbot much faster, more dynamic and graceful," he said. "But there are many hurdles to overcome, like responding to unplanned contact with its surroundings, planning motion in cluttered spaces and safety issues."

Hollis has been a pioneer in the field of mobile robots since he began building them as a hobby in the 1950s -- well before there were commodity transistors, personal computers or easily accessible off-the-shelf parts. In the 1960s, he developed one of the world's first mobile robots and followed that in the 1970s with the Newt mobile robot, which was one of the first to have an onboard computer. Hollis wrote an article about Newt for the now-defunct Byte Magazine that was voted one of the publication's best stories of all time. Newt subsequently became a subject in the NOVA television documentary "The Mind Machines."

Hollis' hobby ultimately became his career. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in physics from Kansas State University and a doctorate in the field from the University of Colorado. After a short time at North American Aviation, where he worked on computer simulations of space-flight vehicles, he joined the staff at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center in 1978. He initially focused on magnetism and acoustics, but jumped at the opportunity to enter their fledgling robotics research program. He served as manager of advanced robotics in IBM's Manufacturing Research Department from 1986 to 1993, when he accepted a position as a senior research scientist at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute.

"When I started building robots, the field didn't even exist," said Hollis. "Now the field has grown up around me and I'm in the middle of it. It's like a dream come true."

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Robot

Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual, artificial agent.

It is usually an electromechanical system, which, by its appearance or movements, conveys a sense that it has intent or agency of its own.

The word robot can refer to both physical and virtual software agents, but the latter are usually referred to as bots to differentiate. Robots can be placed into roughly two categories based on the type of job they do: Jobs which a robot can do better than a human.

Here, robots can increase productivity, accuracy, and endurance. Jobs which a human could do better than a robot, but it is desirable to remove the human for some reason.

Here, robots free us from dirty, dangerous and dull tasks. Manipulation Robots which must work in the real world require some way to manipulate objects; pick up, modify, destroy or otherwise have an effect.

Thus the 'hands' of a robot are often referred to as end effectors, while the arm is referred to as a manipulator.

Most robot arms have replacable effectors, each allowing them to perform some small range of tasks.

Some have a fixed manipulator which cannot be replaced, while a few have one very general purpose manipulator, for example a humanoid hand. Grippers: A common effector is the gripper.

Usually it consists of just two fingers which can open and close to pick up and let go of a range of small objects. Vacuum Grippers: Pick and place robots for electronic components and for large objects like car windscreens, will often use very simple vacuum grippers.

These are very simple, but can hold very large loads, and pick up any object with a smooth surface to suck on to. General purpose effectors: Some advanced robots are beginning to use fully humanoid hands, like the Shadow Hand (right), or the Schunk hand.

These highly dexterous manipulators, with as many as 20 degrees of freedom and hundreds of tactile sensors can be difficult to control.

The computer must consider a great deal of information, and decide on the best way to manipulate an object from many possibilities. Locomotion For simplicity, most mobile robots have wheels.

However, some researchers have tried to create more complex wheeled robots, with only one or two wheels. Two-wheeled balancing: While the Segway is not commonly thought of as a robot, it can be thought of as a component of a robot.

Several real robots do use a similar dynamic balancing algorithm, and NASA's Robonaut has been mounted on a Segway. Ballbot: Carnegie Mellon University researchers have developed a new type of mobile robot that balances on a ball instead of legs or wheels.

"Ballbot" is a self-contained, battery-operated, omnidirectional robot that balances dynamically on a single urethane-coated metal sphere.

It weighs 95 pounds and is the approximate height and width of a person.

Because of its long, thin shape and ability to maneuver in tight spaces, it has the potential to function better than current robots can in environments with people.

Walking is a difficult and dynamic problem to solve.

Several robots have been made which can walk reliably on two legs, however none have yet been made which are as robust as a human.

Typically, these robots can walk well on flat floors, can occasionally walk up stairs.

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Kotli Azad Kashmir

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Centaurus

Centaurus, a seven star hotel in Pakistan

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