The Nation News

One more die of drug reaction, toll reaches 120

Agencies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:28:21 +0500

One woman lost her life due to substandard medicine reaction on Saturday and the toll now stands at 120, according to provincial health department. Hospital sources said that a woman named Bashiran Bibi aged 60 died in Mayo Hospital that has pushed the toll to 120. The toll is constantly rising while the health department told that more than 400 patients are still under treatment in various ...

Four children burnt to death in Multan

Agencies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:23:55 +0500

Four minors were burnt to death when fire erupted at a house in Larh village near Multan in the wee hours on Saturday. According to police, four children, three brothers and one sister, were sleeping in a room of their grandfather's house when fire broke out while lighting a lamp, killing all the children. Those who died were identified as Imran, Rizwan, Adnan and Farhat. Their ages ranged ...

Gilani finally in contempt bracket

Terence J Sigamony — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - Supreme Court rejected a last-ditch appeal from besieged Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday, ordering him to appear before the court on Monday to face indictment for contempt.“The appeal is dismissed,” Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry pronounced, reading the eight-member bench’s decision, which upheld a February 2 order by a seven-member bench of the apex ...

Produce missing on 13th at all cost: SC

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court on Friday again ordered the directors general of ISI and MI and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary to ensure the production of seven missing persons, allegedly picked up by the spy agencies from outside the Adiala Jail after their release, on February 13.Eleven persons were allegedly picked up by the agencies after their release from the jail in Rawalpindi. Out of ...

Imran vows to shoot down US drones

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

SWABI - At least 12 people were wounded in an attack on a police van at a PTI public meeting venue, minutes after Imran Khan left the place telling attendants they will shoot US drones down if voted to power.The attackers lobbed two hand grenades and opened fired at the vehicle of policemen - performing guard duty at Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) meeting in Shewa playground here on Friday - ...

PCNS takes notice of Munter’s statement

Abrar Saeed — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) has taken serious notice of the US Ambassador Munter’s statement that they were using Pakistani airspace for Nato supplies and sought explanation from Foreign and Defence Secretaries that who exactly had given this permission.The Committee meeting held under the Chairmanship of Senator Mian Raza Rabbani and took up host of ...

Zardari for expanding Pak-Lanka trade ties

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari Friday called for stepping up efforts to fully realise the potential of Free Trade Agreement with Sri Lanka and building a mutually beneficial economic and trade partnership to jack up the bilateral trade from current $375 million to $2 billion target in the next three years.The President urged for further exploring the currency swap agreement with Sri ...

Pakistan arrests 2 over Rabbani’s death

Agencies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

KABUL — Pakistan has arrested two people in connection with last year’s assassination of a former Afghan president who was trying to broker peace with the Taliban, two Afghan government officials said Friday.The officials said the two were detained in Quetta. The police chief in Quetta and the spokesman for the Frontier Corps said they had not heard of the alleged arrests. ...

Testing times await govt

Sajid Zia — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - The dismissal of the appeal filed by the prime minister against the February 2 order of the Supreme Court and the judicial commission’s move to take video link aid to record the statement of Mansoor Ijaz in the memogate scandal read with other cases of vital importance before the apex court appear to be drawing outlines of serious consequences for the ruling class. The case of ...

Mansoor to depose via video link

Kaswar Klasra — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD – The high-powered judicial commission, probing the memogate issue, ruled on Friday that it would record the statement of Mansoor Ijaz through video link on February 22 and directed the government to facilitate the commission in this regard.The commission rejected the application of former ambassador Husain Haqqani, seeking closure of the evidence of Mansoor Ijaz. The head of the ...

Two floors of shopping centre gutted

Ashraf Javed — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Fabrics and valuables worth millions of rupees were reduced to ashes when huge fire broke out in the 4th floor of the leading shopping mall – New Auriga Center – situated near Main Market Gulberg here on Friday evening. Shopkeepers said that the fire, which broke out due to short-circuiting in the power generator at the 4th floor, spread in the entire storey within no ...

Shahbaz for looters’ exit from Centre

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that it is highly unfortunate for the nation that looters are sitting in the corridors or power while the masses are in the lurch of abject poverty. Corruption among the rulers in the centre is wide spread and rampant and the time has come to throw the corrupt out and purge the country of this menace. The CM said he was committed to ...

Asma sees SC verdict against PM

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE–Supreme Court Bar Association’s former President Asma Jahangir has envisaged that the Supreme Court’s decision in contempt of court case against Prime Minister would be against him as the judiciary is not unbiased. Talking to reporters on the premises of the Lahore High Court, Asma Jahangir said: “I know the outcome of the contempt of court case against the Prime ...

LHC seeks report on medicine prices

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – The Lahore High Court on Friday sought report from Cabinet Division on a petition filed by medicine factories seeking permission to increase the prices of different medications. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has directed the cabinet division, drug control pricing and chief drug controller to file the report till Feb 13. The Petitioner EPLA laboratories submitted that federal government ...

PML-Q, PPP reach agreement on Senate seats

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – PML-Q will get one general seat of the Senate from Punjab and a technocrat seat from Islamabad, through an electoral adjustment with the PPP. The Nation has learnt from good authority. PML-Q’s Secretary Information Kamil Ali Agha and Secretary General Mushahid Hussain Syed will be the candidates of the party for the seats from the province and federal capital respectively, ...

Shahbaz flays Swabi attack

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has strongly condemned the incident of attack on police in Swabi in which a person was killed and ten persons were injured. The chief minister said that anti-social elements playing with the lives of innocent people deserve no leniency. Shahbaz Sharif said we would have to take effective steps jointly for taking the terrorists to task.

Rescuers take 97 hours to finish work

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – The search and rescue operation has been completed almost 97-hour after the three-storey factory building collapsed at Multan Road, putting the death toll at 24. “There were total 39 victims. We recovered at least 23 dead bodies from the debris apart from 16 injured who were pulled out alive. One of the injured expired at the hospital later,” Farooq Ahmed, a ...

Lahore undergoes major ‘surgery’

Khalid Malik — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – The provincial government’s sudden interest in dozens of new development projects in Lahore has left most roads around the City trenched, raising problems in the everyday lives of Lahorites, a survey conducted by The Nation revealed. Rush hour traffic in Lahore was never less than a nightmare, but with most of the city roads dug up for laying sewerage pipelines, widening, ...

N denies Senate tickets to Forward Bloc members

Jawad R Awan — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Two members of the PML-Q Forward Bloc, Ijaz Shafi and Ayesha Javed who applied for PML-N’s ticket for the Senate, have been denied by the PML-N on the grounds that technically they remain members of the PML-Q, The Nation has learnt. Insiders in the Forward Bloc told our correspondent on Friday that Ijaz Shafi and Ayesha Javed had launched efforts to get PML-N ticket for the ...

Malik refutes US claim on airspace

Imran Mukhtar — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - Interior Minister Rehman Malik in the Senate on Friday refuted US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter’s claim that supply to NATO troops in Afghanistan was continuing through Pakistan’s airspace before Opposition parties including PML-N and JI staged a protest walk-out from the House considering Malik’s statement unsatisfactory.Interior Minister told the House that ...

Two more die of killer medicine

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Two more heart patients lost their lives at different health facilities in the City on Friday due to reaction of medicine provided free from the Punjab Institute of Cardiology. Since the heart patients started developing complications after using PIC medicine, 146 have so far died. Muhammad Din (70) breathed his last at the Services Hospital and Muhammad Ramzan (70) died at Mayo ...

Cabinet likely to endorse 20th amendment draft in 72 hours

Abrar Saeed — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - The government is likely to get endorsement of new draft of the 20th Amendment Bill from the Federal Cabinet on Monday or Tuesday morning and it will be tabled before the National Assembly for approval the same evening.Sources aware of the developments in this connection informed TheNation that all the issues agreed upon between the ruling Pakistan People's Party and main Opposition ...

Tourism sector to be developed on modern lines

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - A 4-member representative delegation of Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) led by its Regional Chairman Dr Muhammad Sharif Khan called on Provincial Secretary Sports & Tourism Dr Allah Bakhsh Malik at his office on Friday and discussed matters of mutual interest. While talking to the delegation, secretary tourism said that Punjab government will take all stakeholders on ...

Saudia Arabia to ‘buy’ nukes if Iran tests A-bomb

The Nation Monitoring — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LONDON - Saudia Arabia would move quickly to acquire nuclear weapons if Iran successfully tests an atomic bomb.Citing an unidentified Saudi Arabian source, the Times newspaper in the UK (which operates behind a paywall) said that the kingdom would seek to buy ready-made warheads and also begin its own programme to enrich weapons-grade uranium.The paper suggested that Pakistan was the country most ...

MNAs blast govt over ‘Balochistan failure’

Jawad R Awan — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - The issue of worsening law and order in Balochistan on Friday once again echoed in the National Assembly, amidstan assurance given by Interior Minister Rehman Malik to brief the house on the situation in the provincenext week.The treasury benches again deferred the 20th Amendment Bill for seventh consecutive sitting without giving an alternative timeframe.The bill is intended to ...

LHC orders not to harass pharma owners

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE–The Lahore High Court on Friday restrained the provincial capital police from harassing the owners of a pharmaceutical company collapsed in Hanjarwal allegedly owing to boiler explosion. Orient Lab (Pvt) Limited owners Zafar Iqbal, Zaheer Iqbal and Zubair Iqbal contended that the concerned police officers were harassing them and their families despite the fact that Sessions Court ...

Gearing up to tackle dengue

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - Provincial Disaster Management Authority’s Director General Khalid Sherdil has directed all departments to be prepared to deal with Dengue virus during the coming season. PDMA’s DG said that the Meteorological Department has predicted normal rainfall during the month of February, but 15-20 percent more rain is expected in March. He said that keeping in view the future ...

Diplomats for ban on CNG kits import lifted

Ahmad Ahmadani — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD-Some foreign diplomats stationed in Islamabad are all set to use their clout in the government to get away with the ban imposed by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on the import of CNG kits and cylinders in the country.Though,considered a major shift in the policy, albeit a belated one,to ban the import of CNG kits and cylinders to meet the burgeoning gas demand ...

PU results

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - Punjab University Examinations Department has declared the results of M.Phil Persian, Semester System, Session 2008-10, BCom (IT), Semester System, Session 2009-11, M.Phil South Asian Studies (Social Sciences), Semester System (Fall), Session 2008-10.

Special pay incentives for govt employees in budget

Imran Ali Kundi — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - As the political circles believe 2012 is an election year, the government is seriously contemplating to give special pay incentives to the civil servants of the country in the upcoming budget 2012-2013 to win masses support ahead of elections, it has been learnt on Friday.Background discussions with different sources has revealed that government is likely either to merge 50 per cent ...

Four steel mills sealed

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – In connection with ongoing drive against illegally constructed factories, a team of the City District Government on Friday sealed four steel mills and three tires’ warehouses on account of polluting the environment as well. The CDGL team, under the supervision of Deputy District Officer Environment Muhammad Younas, raided four steel mills in Mominpura area and sealed them ...

Nato supplies never stopped: US

Agencies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon said Thursday that the air supply routes for Nato forces in Afghanistan were never closed by Pakistan. Pentagon Press Secretary George Little during a briefing said “only ground lines of communications were closed following the November 26 incident” adding that these ground routes had not been reopened yet. “We are hopeful that they would ...

Khosa terms bureaucracy ‘agent of change’

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - While urging the civil officers to become an ‘agent of change’, Governor Punjab Sardar Latif Khan Khosa on Friday said that it was prime responsibility of the training institutes to teach the officers about the dynamics of governance for better delivery of service to the people. Addressing a certificates award ceremony of Executive Programme on “Leadership and ...

India carries out missile shield test

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

BHUBANESWAR - India successfully tested on Friday an interceptor defence shield developed to detect and destroy incoming ballistic missiles, a government official said.Officials from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said an indigenously developed interceptor missile locked on to the targets, two nuclear-capable missiles, and destroyed them in a test in eastern India.DRDO ...

Jamaat rejects treason charges

Online — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

TORONTO - Former Indus Water Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah has termed the treason charges as baseless and said he is ready to face a judicial or ministerial forum to defend himself.Talking to a private TV channel Friday,Shah said his performance spanning over 18 years was considered fair and some careerists' leveled allegations against him during 19th year of his service tenure.He went on ...

New strategy for protests on The Mall

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - The Punjab government on Friday announced policy for restricting and regulating rallies, processions and demonstrations on The Mall to avoid suspension of business activities. Under the policy, the authorities concerned have been directed that bye-laws notified by the district administration under Local Government Ordinance 2001 to regulate protest processions and rallies be enforced ...

Liaqat Malik new CIA chief

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Finally, Inspector General of Police Punjab Javed Iqbal has appointed an officer of Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) as chief of the CIA police after a ranker SP was sent out of Lahore. According to an official handout issued on Friday, Capt (retd) Liaqat Ali Malik, Additional Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Civil Lines Lahore has been transferred and posted as SP CIA ...

Missing Imam Masjid not in MI custody, LHC informed

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – The Military Intelligence (MI) on Friday told the Lahore High Court that the missing ‘Imam Masjid, resident of Sabzazar, was not in its custody. The Lahore High Court, after the MI’s reply, sought report from Punjab Home Secretary till Feb 23 on petition filed by a citizen Hafiz Abdul Hakeem seeking recovery of his brother Hafiz Abdul Qayyum. A standing counsel Karamat ...

11 militants killed in Orakzai Agency

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Orakzai Agency - Security forces killed 11 militants and wounded 19 in Orakzai Agency on Friday, officials said, in a crackdown in the tribal region near the border with Afghanistan. Sources said the military fired artillery shells at three suspected hideouts in the Mamozai area of Orakzai, where dozens of people have been killed in fierce fighting between soldiers and insurgents in the ...

Woman crushed to death

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

– A 50-year-old woman was crushed to death by a rashly driven car here at Jail Road on Friday, police said. Resident of Okara, Khurshid Bibi, was crossing the road when a recklessly driven car ran over her, resulting in her on-the-spot death. The road mishap created worst traffic mess on the busy artery during the rush-hours. The police arrested the car-driver, later identified as ...

Karachi police arrest Dr Fauzia Siddiqui

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

karachi - A Pasban rally demanding Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s exoneration, who is in a US jail, clashed with riot police leaving scores of activists injured. Several participants including Aafia’s elder sister Dr Fauzia Siddiqui and Pasban President Altaf Shakoor were arrested on Friday. The rally, bound for US Consulate, was intercepted by riot police on Abdullah Haroon Road. Police ...

JI protests US Congress hearing on Balochistan

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Syed Munawar Hasan has called upon the government to lodge strong protest over US Congress meeting on Balochistan, saying this was an interference in the internal affairs of the country. Addressing the Friday congregation at Mansoora, he said that the foreign office notice of the matter was not enough and the situation called for a strong protest. Munawar ...

2 liver transplants carried out at Shaikh Zayed

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Team of surgeons from Pakistan and India carried out two successful liver transplant surgeries at Shaikh Zayed Hospital on Friday. Team headed by Indian Surgeon Prof Sabash Gupta transplanted liver to Khanam Ullah Khan of Tribal Areas and Abida Bibi of Baltistan. The other members include Dr Agarwal (India) and Pakistani surgeons Dr Amer Latif, Dr Tariq Bangash and Dr ...

LHC seeks reply from Ministry of Religious about Haj expenditures

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE–The Lahore High Court on Friday sought details from Ministry of Religious and Affairs about Haj expenditures before issuance of Haj policy. Chief Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed directed the ministry to submit the details till Feb 21. The court was a petition seeking directions for distribution of Haj quota on equality and the provision of details on the amount received for Haj services ...

Wateen office also demaged in fire

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE (PR) - On Friday night, a fire erupted at the New Auriga Complex on the Main Boulevard in Lahore at around 7:00 pm. The building also houses the head office of Wateen Telecom, Pakistan’s leading converged communications service provider. The cause of the fire remains to be ascertained, and investigations are pending as to where and how it started. Wateen employees immediately ...

Call to adopt healthy lifestyle stressed

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Speakers at a conference have stressed upon adopting healthy life style and controlling obesity to save from Diabetes. They also urged the diabetics to avoid using tablets and insulin simultaneously. Pakistan Academy of Family Physicians organized International Medical Conference at a local hotel on Friday. The conference will continue on Saturday and Sunday. The speakers gave ...

Pervez, Khawaja Imran greeted

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – PML(N) leader and ticket holder of PP-159, Rana Khalid Qadri has congratulated MNA Pervez Malik and MPA Khawaja Imran Nazir on becoming President and Secretary General PML(N) Lahore respectively. He lauded the decision of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shehbaz Sharif in this regard. Rana Khalid expressed hope that new leadership would work for the welfare of party and they would ...

Increase in buses demanded

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE (PR) - Nazim Shaukat in a statement on Friday has urged Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to increase number of buses on route no 43 because rush of people is increasing on this route. People have to wait for several hours to get a bus on this route. He also demanded increase in route no 45 buses.

Registration of newborn babies vital

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - Secretary Schools Education Aslam Kamboh has said that registration of new born male and female babies is of great importance for result-oriented planning in education and other social sectors. He said that it was the need of the hour to simplify the procedure of getting birth certificates of the children. He assured that Schools Education Department would provide all possible ...

Dogar PML-N candidate in NA-148

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE– PML(N) has nominated Abdul Ghaffar Dogar its candidate in NA-148, Mukhdoom Rashid, Multan constituency, where by-election are being held on February 25 to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi after he joined the PTI quitting PPP.

Appointed

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Punjab Health Department has appointed Dr Jafer Ilyas as Additional Director General (vector borne diseases) and Dr Syed Zafar Islam as Manager Operations against newly-created posts in Director General Health Services Punjab office. A notification to this effect has been issued on Friday.

Job fair at LSE

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - The Lahore School of Economics held its second job fair at the Burki Campus on February 9 (Thursday), says a Press release. 47 companies participated in this event to interact with the students and alumni of the Lahore School, who gave information regarding career opportunities and process of hiring at their respective companies. Some participating companies also conducted tests and ...

Warid Tijarat launched

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - Warid Telecom recently announced the launch of Warid Tijarat. This exciting portal allows Warid users to buy and sell simply through mobile phones, says a Press release. Warid Tijarat helps bridge the gap between people with similar interests by allowing them to trade their goods and services with someone in the same city. One can sell/buy property, cars, mobile phones, electronics, ...

AMWS sets up free eye camp

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - Al Mustafa Welfare Society (Regd) has organised a free eye camp at Al Raza Free College at Ghaziabad here on Friday, says a press release. Over 500 eye patients got treatment while 50 cataract operations were performed by highly qualified and professional doctors at the camp. It is pertinent to note that not only check up of patients was free at the camp but eye-aids like glasses and ...

Blue-eyed appointments galore in OPF

Ahmad Ahmadani — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - The Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Dr Muhammad Farooq Sattar is ostensibly hell bent to get blue-eyed appointed against all vacant posts in OPF on priority basis and has desired to initiate the recruitment process, it has reliably been learnt. Sources privy to the matter informed The Nation that government guru apparently in connivance with Secretary Ministry of Overseas ...

Remittances up by 21.5pc to $7.44b

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

KARACHI - Overseas Pakistani workers remitted $7.436 billion in the first seven months of the current fiscal year 2011-12 (FY12), showing an impressive growth of 21.54 percent over same period of last year. According to SBP here on Friday, home remittances were valued at $6.118 billion during July 2010 - January 2011. Remittances received from all countries of the world showed growth during the ...

Guilty drug firms be fined only on PIC deaths, says LCCI

Salman Abduhoo — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – In the aftermath of drug reaction’s deaths at Punjab Institute of Cardiology, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has chosen to support pharmaceutical companies, criticising the arrest of those drug manufacturers who were held responsible in inquiries. Talking to TheNation, LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh blasted the government’s act of sealing drug ...

Efforts on to promote favourites in OGDCL

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - Influential manoeuvres are in full swing to get blue-eyed officials elevated at the helm of affairs for getting the interests of an influential lobby served in OGDCL, it is learnt. “Two meetings of Human Resource Committee (HRC) was held at OGDCL for the promotion of blue-eyed officials that can better safeguard the vested interests of influential lobby, sources well aware of ...

Power outages likely to resurface soon

Usman Cheema — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - An attempt of Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar to gain political mileage by announcing end of loadshedding might fail right after February as with the first sharp sunshine visible power shortfall would appear, a top official of Wapda told TheNation. The official said that the only reason would be non-availability of fuel otherwise capacity is not that much bigger issue in ...

KSE gains 18 points amid caution

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

KARACHI – The Karachi stock market closed marginally higher on Friday amid speculations over upcoming corporate earning announcements in blue chip banks, fertilizer and oil scrips, ahead of the monetary policy announcement. The benchmark KSE 100-share index gained 18.36 points or 0.15 percent to finish the day at 12,231.60 points as compared to 12,213.24 points of the previous session. ...

India not acting fast on non-tariff barriers: Pakistan

INP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

NEW DELHI - Pakistan is unhappy with India for “not addressing’’ its concerns on removing non-tariff barriers ahead of a crucial ministerial meeting next week, but New Delhi said the delay was purely procedural. Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma is scheduled to meet his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Amin Fahim, in Islamabad next week where Pakistan is likely to announce a ...

OGDCL starts 120 MT per day LPG production

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has commenced first significant production of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in past seven years in the country. It is being claimed that the additional LPG will add 12 per cent to the existing local production and will once again boost local production which had been on the decline. The LPG Association of Pakistan (LPGAP) ...

Gold rate slips by Rs 300/tola

APP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

KARACHI - Gold price slipped by Rs 257 to close at Rs 50,228 per 10 grams in the local market on Friday as its international price dropped to $1,720 an ounce, market sources said. According to Karachi Sarafa Association official, tola (11.664 grams) price also fell by Rs 300 to close at Rs 58,600. Silver closed lower at Rs 930 per 10 grams.

Weekly inflation falls slightly

APP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended on February 09, for the lowest income group up to Rs 8,000, has registered nominal decrease of 0.04 percent over the previous week. The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 169.48 points against 169.54 points of the previous week, according to provisional figures of Pakistan Bureau of ...

Rupee recovers

Reuters — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

KARACHI – Rupee ended firmer at 90.69/74 to the dollar on Friday, compared with Thursday’s close of 90.70/75 because of lack of import payments, but dealers expect the pressure to continue following a rise in international oil prices. Dealers said they were also cautious after the International Monetary Fund advised Pakistan to take immediate steps to tackle growing budget ...

Oil prices slide as IEA slashes demand forecast

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LONDON - Oil prices fell sharply on profit-taking Friday after the IEA slashed its demand forecast and amid delays to a Greek bailout deal, analysts said. New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) light sweet crude for delivery in March, sank $1.09 to $98.75. Brent North Sea crude for March tumbled $1.33 to $117.26 in late morning London deals. On Thursday, the Brent contract had ...

‘Business train will not fail’

Iftikhar Alam — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Amid the fears that Business Express is failing to attract passengers and the owner company of the train is turning into defaulter of the Railways, Senator Zafar Iqbal Chaudhary, the CEO of the Business Express, is not only confident about the success of the project but said the management will add more coaches with the train in coming days. However, it was learnt that the ...

Czech Republic keen to enhance trade ties

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

RAWALPINDI - Ambassador of Czech Republic Miroslov Krenek has said that his country eager to enhance trade relations with Pakistan and have already invested in two energy projects of 250 MW. Czech Republic could assist Pakistan in engineering and electronics sectors to further enhance the bilateral trade relations, he added. He expressed these views with Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and ...

SNGPL officials strike continues

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Sui Northern Executive Officers Association (SNEOA) observed strike on the second day on Friday along with the Employees Union of the SNGPL at the company’s head-office and regional offices all over Punjab. The strike is continuing against the arrest of an Executive Engineer Shahid Shaukat by Federal Investigation Agency on the charges of corruption and abuse of power. The ...

Abu Dhabi Group announces launch of mobile financial services

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

KARACHI - In order to realize the potential of branchless banking, Abu Dhabi Group (ADG) has announced the launch of an independent mobile financial services company, says a Press release This venture will initially harness Bank Alfalah and Warid’s synergy in this space and will also develop a branchless and electronic eco-system comprising products and value proposition for ...

Schedule for CNG stations’ closure in Sindh announced

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - Sui Southern Gas Company has announced the schedule for closure of CNG stations for the current week, says a Press release. All the CNG stations in Sindh will remain closed for 24 hours from 9 am on Saturday 11 February till 9 am on Sunday 12 February 2012. This step is being taken by the gas utility to improve the line pack position all over Sindh province, which has been badly ...

Mobilink Torchbearers renovate Pehli Kiran School

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

KARACH - Mobilink Torchbearers, the volunteer wing of the Mobilink Foundation, participated in renovating JAQ Trust’s Pehli Kiran School No. 8 in Islamabad, says a Press release. The activity aimed at providing a safe and child-friendly environment in the school that provides education to children from the katchi abadis surrounding Islamabad. Mobilink Torchbearers worked alongside ...

SECP registers 356 firms in January

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - The SECP registered 356 companies in January as compared to 271 companies during previous month, showing an increase of 31%. During the current financial year, a total of 1,942 companies have been registered compared to 1,700 during corresponding period of previous financial year, reflecting an increase of 14%. An increase in incorporation of companies has been witnessed which is a ...

Gaza Hamas chief arrives in Iran

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

TEHRAN - The Hamas prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, arrived in Tehran on Friday on a three-day trip and is due to speak at a rally marking the 33 anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution on Saturday, state media reported. The state television website said the Palestinian will meet with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other high ...

Suspect in Serbia PM killing held

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

MADRID - Spanish police arrested Vladimir Milisavljevic, one of the fugitive convicts in the 2003 assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic, they said on Friday. Milisavljevic, on the run after being convicted in 2007 along with 11 others for the killing, was arrested Thursday in a restaurant in the eastern city of Valencia, along with Serbian gang leader Luka Bojovic, a police ...

Putin group accused of cyber attack

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

MOSCOW - Russia’s Kommersant business daily said Friday it had asked the police to probe a Kremlin youth group for alleged involvement in repeated hack attacks on its website. The popular broadsheet vanished from the Internet for several days in 2008 after publishing an unflattering article about a group of young supporters that formed around Vladimir Putin shortly after he became ...

Huge drug seized in Mexico

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

GUADALAJARA, Mexico - Mexican soldiers on Thursday seized more than 15 tons of methamphetamines and other substances used to manufacture illegal drugs from a farm in western Mexico, officials said. The confiscated drugs represent the biggest seizure in the country’s more than five-year war against drug cartels, according to the Mexican army. The operation resulted from an inspection of ...

Indian army chief withdraws case

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

NEW DELHI - India’s army chief on Friday withdrew a lawsuit in which he had sought a change in his birth date that would have let him remain in his post an extra year, ending a showdown with the government. General V.K. Singh withdrew his appeal after the Supreme Court upheld the government’s stand that the army chief’s birthday in official records was May 10, 1950. Singh, who ...

3 dead in Florida shooting

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

WASHINGTON - A Florida man shot dead two people, including a nine-year-old boy, before committing suicide after an hours-long hostage drama at a motor home park, police said Friday. The man also shot and critically wounded a woman and a seven-year-old boy, according to a statement from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. He appeared to have shot another man before barricading himself ...

Three tourists abducted in Egypt

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

CAIRO - Armed Bedouin kidnapped three South Korean tourists and their Egyptian guide in the Sinai Peninsula on Friday in the latest in a spate of abductions in the region, a security official said. The trio - three women - were returning from the historic monastery of St Catherine to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh when they were seized and taken off in a pickup, the official said on ...

Twin car bombs rock Syria’s Aleppo, kill 28

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

DAMASCUS - Twin car bombs targeting security posts in Syria’s second city of Aleppo killed at least 28 people on Friday, state media said, as rebels accused the regime of carrying out the attacks as a diversion. The explosions came as tank-backed troops advanced on pockets of resistance in the battered protest hub of Homs, and as heavy security deployments nationwide thwarted planned ...

EU to tighten economic curbs

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

BRUSSELS - The European Union has reached an agreement in principle to tighten economic sanctions against Syria at the end of February to further cut funding for the regime, diplomats said Friday. EU government representatives endorsed three new measures on Thursday, including an assets freeze against the central bank, a ban on Syrian phosphate exports and a prohibition on trading gold and gems, ...

Maldives’ ousted president threatens protests

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

MALE - The ousted leader of the Maldives, who claims he was deposed in a coup, called for fresh elections on Friday and threatened street protests over the detention of his party members. Mohamed Nasheed, who says rebel police and army officers forced him to resign Tuesday, claims up to 350 people connected to his former administration or his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have since been ...

Israel approves new settlements in West Bank

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

JERUSALEM - Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak approved the construction of buildings in the West Bank to serve as an educational facility for special-needs youth, his office said on Friday. The site, named Gevaot and located in the Gush Etzion bloc, “is not a settlement nor is it new in the Gush Etzion regional council, and is part of Alon Shvut,” a nearby settlement, the statement ...

Russian jailed for giving missile data to CIA

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

MOSCOW - A Russian space engineer received a 13-year jail sentence Friday on charges of passing secret strategic missile data to the US Central Intelligence Agency in return for cash. Russia’s FSB security service said test engineer Vladimir Nesterets from the northern Plesetsk cosmodrome admitted receiving payments for information about “tests on Russia’s latest strategic ...

UN tells Israel of concern for Palestinian hunger striker

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

JERUSALEM - A UN envoy called on Israel on Friday to do all it can for the health of a Palestinian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for the past 55 days in protest at his detention without charge. Robert Serry, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said he “follows with concern reports about the deteriorating conditions” of Khader Adnan, who has ...

Somalia’s Shabaab joins Qaeda

Reuters — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

DUBAI - Al Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahri said Somalia’s militant group al Shabaab had joined the global network, in a video posted on Islamist forums on Thursday. “Today, I have glad tidings for the Muslim ummah (nation) that will please the believers and disturb the disbelievers, which is the joining of the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia to Qaedat al-Jihad to ...

S Korea’s Lee holds talks with Abu Dhabi crown prince

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ABU DHABI - South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak discussed cooperation with the United Arab Emirates during a meeting on Friday with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, state news agency WAM reported. Lee discussed with Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahayan “several issues that help strengthen cooperation between the UAE and South Korea, as well as the latest developments,” WAM reported on ...

Rs122b needed for repair, NA told

Maqsood Termizi — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Communication Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan on Friday informed the National Assembly that due to heavy-loaded NATO containers various roads of the country have deteriorated and condition of the roads require reconstruction and rehabilitation at an estimated cost of Rs 122.95 billion.Responding to a supplementary question during question hour, he stated that NATO containers have ...

Unification Bloc ‘instructed’ to follow PML-N directives

Jawad R Awan — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – In the backdrop of the discussions being held among the Unification Bloc members to devise an independent strategy for the Senate polls, an additional secretary of the Chief Minister’s Secretariat has sent a SMS to the Bloc MPAs not to propose or second any candidate for the Upper house of the Parliament without the consent of the PML-N’s top leadership, claimed the ...

Gilani has no fears about going to jail, says Mukhtar

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - In what could be termed an indirect affirmation that government is not going to write letter to the Swiss court, Federal Minister for Defence, Ch Ahmad Mukhtar on Friday said that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani was not afraid of jails and ready to face imprisonment once again if the court so desired. ‘Gilani had been in the prison in the past and is ready to go to jail ...

US Balochistan hearing ‘ill-advised’: Sherry

APP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

WASHINGTON - Taking strong exception to a controversial Congressional hearing on Balochistan this week, Pakistan has termed it an ill-advised move that would be detrimental to building trust between Pakistan and the United States.A Pakistani embassy spokesman in Washington said Pakistan’s ambassador Sherry Rehman forcefully raised the issue of an exclusive hearing on Balochistan by a ...

Election Commission attempts to save face

Sikander Shaheen — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan’s “fresh” version to justify holding by-polls prior to its reconstitution after the passage of the 18th Amendment seems being filled with visible contradictions, factual inaccuracies and misrepresentation of facts.Over 1,500 words statement the Commission issued on Thursday to reason its presumed achievements and justify some ...

‘Bilour confesses MQM workers’ killing’

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

KARACHI - An MQM central leader on Friday claimed that the ANP’s Senator Ilyas Bilour had confessed that the latter party was directly involved in the killing of the MQM workers in Karachi.The MQM demanded that the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry should take an immediate notice of his confession. Addressing a hurriedly called press conference at Lal-Qila Ground, MQM Central ...

Aafia’s lawyer seeks reversal of her conviction

Special Correspondent — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

NEW YORK - The lawyer for Aafia Siddiqui Friday urged a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals to reverse her conviction and sentence to 86 years in prison, citing her mental illness and arguing that some of the evidences related to the case were questionable.Lawyers for the reversal of the heavy sentence given to Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist, and the US government side opposing ...

Power shortfall set to increase

Usman Cheema — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - An attempt by Naveed Qamar Minister for Water and Power to gain political mileage by announcing end of loadshedding might fail right after February as with the first sharp sunshine visible, power shortfall would increase, a top official of WAPDA told The Nation.The official said that the only reason is and would be the non-availability of fuel, otherwise, capacity is not that much ...

Gilani will have to write letter: Nawaz

The Nation Monitoring — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Lahore - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Nawaz Sharif has said that his party will stand by the court if Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani does not write letter to the Swiss authorities. “PM Gilani has no option but to write to Swiss authorities as mere apology won’t do,” he told a private TV channel. Nawaz said the implementation of 20th amendment will ensure transparent ...

FC secures release of 3 in Gulistan

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

QUETTA - The law enforcement agencies on Friday secured the release of three abductees in Gulistan. The Frontier Corps, backed by the local administration, secured the release of three people, including a child, in Gulistan, FC DIG Brig Shehzad Akthar said while addressing a press conference along with Balochistan Home Secretary Naseebullah Bazai. The abductees are Asmatullah, ...

Raisani orders holding of ‘massive’ Gwadar festival

Bari Baloch — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

QUETTA - Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani has announced holding of a festival on a massive level next month in Balochistan’s winter capital Gwadar, said an official handout issued here on Friday. Hr directed Inspector General Police and Secretaries of Sports and Education Departments for making arrangements for holding of Gwadar Festival.He further directed that cooperation of ...

Man kills wife in Kharotabad

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

QUETTA - A man killed his wife over a domestic dispute in Kharotabad area of the provincial capital on Friday, police said. According to police, Tur Khan fired shots at his wife Sherin, killing her on the spot. Police rushed to the site and shifted the body to Bolan Medical Hospital for autopsy.

Khuzdar blast kills man

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

QUETTA - A man was killed and another sustained wounds in a bomb blast in Katan Bridge area of Khuzdar, about 360-kilometre southeast of Quetta, on Friday.According to police, explosive material, fitted to a donkey cart, exploded at Katan Bridge area of Khuzdar, killing its driver on the spot and injuring a passer-by. “Explosives were fixed to donkey cart and the apparent target of bomb ...

3 BISE officials remanded in bogus results case

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

RAWALPINDI - Special Judge Anti-Corruption Friday granted Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) five-day physical remand of the three officials of Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Rawalpindi in the case of compiling bogus results for the annual examination of Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) Part-I.SJAC Ameer Khan awarded ACE Officials the five day physical remand of ...

Sindh police seek ISI help over Domkis’ murder probe

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court was informed on Friday that Sindh police had approached ISI for collecting forensic evidence of the matter about the brutal killing of lawmaker Mir Bakhtiar Domki’s wife and daughter.Female family members of Balochistan MPA Mir Bukhtiar Domki along with driver were killed in Clifton Block-9, Karachi, on January 30. During the hearing of suo moto case, ...

Ghulam Akbar Lasi quits PPP

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

QUETTA - Pakistan People’s Party Balochistan Vice-President Ghulam Akbar Lasi has tendered his resignation from his party office and basic membership.Talking to the media on Friday, Akbar Lasi said he had been a sincere worker of PPP which could be gauged from the fact that he had spent half of his life with the party. “Keeping in view my services and sacrifices, Benazir Bhutto ...

Journalists stage walkout from NA

Imran Mukhtar — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - The journalists covering the Senate and the National Assembly have staged a protest walkout from the press gallery for manhandling two of their colleagues by the lower staff of the Lower House over a petty issue of parking a motorcycle in the parking area.The two journalists told their colleagues that the drivers of the National Assembly Secretariat manhandled, thrashed and abused ...

India releases five Pakistani prisoners

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Lahore - Indian Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday handed over five Pakistani prisoners to Punjab Rangers at Wagha border, Rangers spokesman said. He said Punjab Rangers Jawans presented sweets and flowers to the prisoners on the directions of high-ups. The prisoners handed over by the Indian authorities included Muhammad Zaman, Muhammad Iqbal, Nasir Ahmad, Noor Aslam and Ramesh Kumar. ...

Two cops kidnapped from Jaffarabad post

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Quetta - Two policemen were kidnapped from a police post in Subatpur tehsil of Jaffarabad district on Friday. According to reports, unidentified gunmen kidnapped two cops from a police post at Goth Naseebuallah area of Subatpur tehsil. The abductees were identified as Karim Bakhsh and Lashkar Khan. Sources said the abductors also took away weapons. Kidnapping for ransom has surged in ...

‘Iran can destroy Israel in 9 minutes’

Agencies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Tehran - A website with close ties to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that the chance to remove the ‘corrupting material’ of Israel must not be lost - and that it would only take nine minutes to wipe it outThe doctrine, first reported by WND.com, said it was a ‘jurisprudential justification’ for Iran’s Islamic government to take ...

China to send envoy to Iran

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

BEIJING - China announced Friday it was sending an envoy to Iran, as tensions mount over the Islamic republic’s atomic programme and speculation Israel may launch a military strike on Tehran’s nuclear facilities. Assistant foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu will visit Iran on February 12. and 13 to exchange views on the issue, ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters. ...

Afridi, Younus sink Afghnistan

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

SHARJAH - All-rounder Shahid Afridi took five wickets while Younus Khan and Imran Farhat both hit half-centuries as Pakistan beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the day-night international here on Friday. Afridi claimed 5-36 as Afghanistan were bowled out for 195 in 48.3 overs before Younus hit an unbeaten 70 and Farhat made 52 to help Pakistan reach their modest target in 37.1 overs in ...

Aaqib gets UAE cricket team coaching offer

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Haroon Siddiqui LAHORE - Former Test fast bowler Aaqib Javed has received an offer to join the United Arab Emirates Cricket team’s head coach after the resignation of Kabir Khan, who resigned from his post to take a similar role with Afghanistan. On the other hand, Pakistan Cricket Board has no information about Aaqib’s resignation from the post, revealed a source on condition of ...

People throng Sharjah Stadium

Agencies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

SHARJAH - Expats from both Pakistan and Afghanistan thronged the Sharjah Stadium for the first-ever one-day international here on Friday, with the fans uncertain who to support for a win. Afghanistan, who rose to gain one-day status in 2009, have played 18 one-day games against fellow Associate teams, but Friday’s match was their first against a top Test playing nation. And for Pukhtoons, ...

Disabled cricketers set for Pakistan-England series

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

DUBAI - Cricketers with disabilities from Pakistan and England promise to defy all odds during their ground-breaking series which starts on Saturday, hoping it could set examples for such other people in life. They may not be big names like Misbah-ul Haq, Andrew Strauss, Saeed Ajmal or a Monty Panesar but they do not lack the passion to show their skills in matches, regarded as more than ...

Sania’s singles campaign ends

Agencies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

PATTAYA - Sania Mirza’s singles campaign at the Pattaya Open ended with a 5-7, 3-6 quarterfinal defeat against Chinese Taipei qualifier Su-Wei Hsieh but the Indian has kept herself in the doubles title contention by making the semi-finals on Friday. The 111-ranked Indian lost to the talented Taipei player after battling for one hour and 20 minutes. However, in the doubles, Sania and ...

PIA, Wapda set for final clash

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ANISUDDIN KHAN KARACHI - Wapda and PIA scored identical 2-1 margin victories over their respective opponents in the semi-finals here Friday at Hockey Club of Pakistan to set up a clash in the final of the 59th National Hockey Championship on Saturday. Playing in the first semi-final, PIA defeated a strong Pakistan Army 2-1 after leading 1-0 at half time. Later in the second semi-final, Wapda ...

Alonso gives Ferrari boost

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

JEREZ - Former double world champion Fernando Alonso clocked the fastest time on the final day of Formula One testing on Friday, ending a frustrating week for the Italian giants on a high. His time of 1min 18.877sec, off 39 laps, was good enough to keep out French driver Jean-Eric Vergne in the Toro Rosso, who timed 1:19.597 for second place. World champion Sebastian Vettel, in a Red Bull, was ...

Croatia, Japan draw even 1-1 in Davis Cup Tennis

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

HYOGO (Japan) - Ivo Karlovic beat Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to leave Croatia tied 1-1 with Japan in the first round of the Davis Cup World Group on Friday. Karlovic beat Nishikori with 18 aces in the day’s second singles. In the first match, Japan’s Go Soeda rallied from two sets down for a 6-7 (3), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 win over Ivan Dodig. “I tried to mix my shots a lot and ...

Sindh in U-14 Football semis

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ISLAMABAD - Punjab and Sindh entered the semi-finals after beating their respective rivals in the National Under-14 Football Championship quarterfinals at Pakistan Sports Complex on Friday. In the first quarterfinal, Punjab thrashed AJK 3-0. Punjab strikers remained unsuccessful to take early lead despite domination in the first half. AJK goalie denied Punjab strikers from scoring with some ...

Australia hold nerve to beat Sri Lanka

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

PERTH - Australian captain Michael Clarke's inspired start to 2012 continued when he led his side to victory over Sri Lanka in their tri-series one-day international at the WACA Ground on Friday. Man of the match Clarke had an impact with both bat and ball as Australia won by five runs to remain unbeaten after two outings in the triangular tournament. Australia made 231 from 49.1 overs ...

Beware the wounded Pakistan

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Dean Jones MANY people queried my decision to apply for the head coaching job for Pakistan. After Pakistan’s recent whitewash of England, you know why. I always knew Pakistan had a very talented squad. I just thought that when three players got caught for match fixing, then no player would get involved again and the team would play to its potential. If any Pakistan player gets caught ...

Amir confirms Peterson rematch in Las Vegas

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LONDON - Amir Khan is to face Lamont Peterson in a re-match in Las Vegas in May, the British boxer announced via Twitter on Friday. American Peterson deprived Khan of his World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) light-welterweight titles as a result of a controversial split points decision in Washington on December 10. That led the WBA to order a re-match ...

Ireland drop Niall O'Brien from squad

Agencies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

NAIROBI Ireland cricket selectors have left wicket-keeper Niall O'Brien out of the side going to Kenya as he was not available for the entire duration of the tour, owing to his commitments in the Bangladesh Premier League. The Irish squad arrived here Thursday for a four-day Intercontinental Cup and World Twenty20 qualifier in Mombasa starting Sunday. Besides being handy with the ...

Afghan teen girl to box at Olympics

Agencies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

KABUL Just by getting into the boxing ring at the London Olympics, Sadaf Rahimi will be throwing a few punches in the fight for equal rights for Afghan women. There are female Afghan success stories, yet most women in Afghanistan remain second-class citizens, cloaked from head-to-toe in blue burqas, abused or hidden in their homes. Rahimi, a determined 17-year-old student, wants to ...

Kerber sends Sharapova packing in Paris Open

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

PARIS - Top seed Maria Sharapova crashed out of the WTA Paris Open in the quarter-finals on Friday after falling 6-4, 6-4 to German ninth seed Angelique Kerber. Sharapova had breezed past Kerber in straight sets en route to the Australian Open final last month but the 24-year-old exacted sweet revenge on the world number three at a disbelieving Pierre de Coubertin indoor arena. Kerber, the ...

Bank Alfalah, Army win in Nurpur Polo

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Raul Laplacette scored superb four goals to steer Bank Alfalah 6-5 victory over Diamond Paints in the Nurpur Polo Cup here at the Lahore Polo Club on Friday. Bank Alfalah after defeating Diamond Paints qualified for the main final against Army/Nadra. The final will be played tomorrow (Sunday). Raul Laplacette played brilliantly and managed for goals for Bank Alfalah while ...

Punjab Sports Festival

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – Punjab Sports Festival at tehsil level entered the final phase as a number of finals were decided in different disciplines at various venues here on Friday. Wasiq from UC 126 bagged first position in the final event of 100m at Model Town Lahore, Mobeen from UC 150 was second in 200m, Wasiq from UC 126 got first position while Ramzan of UC 150 got second. In 400m, Amir Farooq ...

Ferguson vows United ‘dignity’ against Liverpool

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

MANCHESTER - Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted Manchester United will “keep their dignity” when they face Liverpool in a potentially fiery Premier League game at Old Trafford here on Saturday (today). The latest match between the bitter rivals is set to be the first time Liverpool striker Luis Suarez will come face-to-face with Patrice Evra since the Uruguay international was hit ...

Governor’s Cup Cricket begins today

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – The eighth State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor’s Cup Super Series Inter-bank Cricket Tournament will commence today (Saturday) here at three different venues of the city. The final of the event will be held on February 20 here at the Bagh-e-Jinnah ground and Governor State Bank of Pakistan Yaseen Akhtar has consented to be the chief guest at the final match. Director ...

PRA polls

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE – DIG Mian M Asif, PSP and Ayaz Ali Khan were elected president and secretary of Punjab Rowing Association (PRA) here at a general council meeting of the body. The house elected office-bearers for the term of next four years ending in 2016. DIG Mian M Asif, PSP was elected the President and Ayaz Ali Khan as Secretary. Prof Hamid Butt and M Nazir Bajwa were elected as Executive ...

SWAP office-bearers retained for next term

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - Sports Writers Association of Punjab (SWAP) current officials were retained unopposed for the next term of four years after the general council gave them vote of confidence at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at Lahore Press Club. After getting vote of confidence, all the officials of the provincial body thanked the members. The retained SWAP officials for the next four-year ...

LDCA elections

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LAHORE - Ch M Asim and Azhar Butt were elected President and Secretary of Lahore Deaf Cricket Association here on Friday at a general council meeting of the body. The house elected office bearers for a fresh term of four years ending in 2016,said a spokesman of LDCA. Following were elected, (Chairman), Jamil Amin Farooqi,(SVP),Inam Arif, (Vice Chairman), Farooq Iqbal,(President) Ch M Asim, ...

Slow pace of S Punjab uplift speaks for itself

Muhammad Irtaza — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Multan - At a time when the Punjab government sets the record of accomplishing mega projects in Lahore like Kalma Chowk flyover in just 135 days, there is an unfortunate health project in Multan that may take at least eight more years to complete, although the project has consumed four years so far, The Nation has learnt. The two-year Children Complex Hospital extension project was launched in ...

Zonal Tax Office set up in RY Khan

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

SADIQABAD/RAHIM YAR KHAN - The Zonal Tax Office Inland Revenue has been put in place in Rahim Yar Khan. The inauguration ceremony was held in the Zonal Tax Office on Khanpur Road. The ceremony was attended by Regional Tax Office Bahawalpur Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue Ghulam Kazim Hussain as chief guest. Other participants included DCO Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi, Tax Bar Association President ...

Pak VCs' week-long training ends in UK

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

BAHAWALPUR - Twelve vice chancellors from different public sector universities of Pakistan have returned home after completing a week-long training imparted by the Leadership Foundation on Higher Education, the United Kingdom. The vice chancellors visited two Scottish Universities, the University of Glasgow and the University of Strathclyde. This training is sixth in series jointly organized by ...

Bandits strike 10 times

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

OKARA - During various incidents of robbery and theft, bandits looted gold ornaments, cash, mobiles and other valuables here. In fruit Market Gogera, Iftikhar and Shakeel were present at their shop, when three armed men snatched cash and mobiles from them at gunpoint. Near graveyard Sultan Sher Garch, Asghar Ali of Siddiqnagar was intercepted by armed men and deprived of thousands of rupees. ...

MoU signed to stop child abuse

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

CHUNIAN - A memorandum of understanding has been signed between Zareena Muzaffar Trust and Sahil, an NGO, for the period of three years to launch a campaign against child abuse in Kasur. Sahil Executive Director Ms. Manizeh Bano, National Program Manager Rizwana Akhtar and Imran visited the trust office in Changa Manga to finalize the plan. Under the plan, 15 master trainers will train 1,350 ...

Education officer killed in road crash

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

TOBA TEK SINGH - An officer of the Education Department died in a road accident when his motorbike was ran over by a speeding car here in Gojra the other day. The deceased identified as Sabir Javed was hit by a car on Gojra-Painsara Road. He sustained severe injures and was rushed to Faisalabad Allied Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.

Encroachers warned

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

RAJANPUR - The construction work at Fakhr-e-Jahan Park, Rajanpur would be completed by June, 2012 at a cost of Rs6 million, the Rajanpur TMO said. Qazi Masoodur Rauf added that the TMA would launch a clean-up drive against the encroachers and grabbers to remove encroachments. To combat dengue, sanitation system would be improved in the city, he said. He added that the sanitation department ...

Newlywed killed by father

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

RAHIM YAR KHAN - A girl who contracted marriage against the wishes of her parents was abducted by her father and later put to death. She had eloped with her paramour and contracted court marriage with him. Saeed Ahmed, the husband of the victim, told media that he was the resident of Chak 46 NP. He loved Farzana but his father was not ready for their marriage so they left the native village and ...

BNAP protest rally on 13th

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

BAHAWALPUR –Bahawalpur National Awami Party (BNAP) leaders including, Malik Qasim Khokhar, Qari Moonas Baloch and Akram Ansari have invited the people to actively take part in the Feb 13 peaceful protest for the restoration of the provincial status of Bahawalpur. They strongly condemned Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s wrong stand for the Saraiki province and said that the ...

Students on tenterhooks for teachers, classrooms

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

SIALKOT - About 1,100 students of two government schools of girls and boys in Badiana, Pasrur are getting education while sitting on the ground in cold weather under the open sky as these schools have been being run without classrooms and furniture for the last 16 and 15 years respectively. Local notables said that the Government Boys Higher Secondary School Badiana was upgraded to higher ...

Crime plummeted in Bahawalpur in 2011

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

BAHAWALPUR – The crime rate in Bahawalpur division during year 2011 decreased significantly and the recovery ratio of narcotics, weapons and looted items also increased due to efficient policing techniques adopted by the police. Regional Police Officer Capt (r) Syed Abid Qadri said that the commitment and devotion of the personnel of Bahawalpur Division Police despite several constraints ...

Plaintiff in murder case harassed, shot at

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

HAFIZABAD - Twelve men opened indiscriminate firing to harass a plaintiff to get the murder and dacoity cases registered against them at Kaseesay police station withdrawn. According to villagers and Allah Ditta Bhatti, the plaintiff, six dacoits on the night of 1st of January this year had made off with 60 tolas of gold ornaments at gunspoint. On his complaint a case was registered and one of ...

Journalists flay attack on peer

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ELLAH ABAD - The members of union of journalists, both from the print and electronic media, protested against the attack on the life of a senior reporter of a local news channel here the other day. According to the police, reporter of a local TV channel Mehar Abubakar was shot twice in the left shoulder and other arm by unidentified men at his office situated on Kanganpur Road. He sustained ...

Govt blamed for deaths due to drugs

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

SADIQABAD - A PPP leader has held the Punjab government responsible for over 100 people's deaths due to the administration of infected and poor quality drugs in Lahore. "Because of the incapable Punjab CM, fraudulent persons connived with the health department officials to manufacture substandard and fake medicines and administered to the patients whereupon they died. The heirs of the deceased ...

CM vows to make Wazirabad Cardiology Hospital a model

Our Staff Reporter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

SOHDRA - Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif has said that Wazirabad Cardiology Hospital will be made model hospital of Gujranwala division, where all the facilities will be provided to heart patients and funds will be released soon. The CM expressed these views while talking to MPA Ch Shaukat Manzoor Cheema. He said opponents were spreading rumours about cardiology hospital, which would be automatically ...

McCartney gets Hollywood star

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

SIR Paul McCartney paid tribute to the other ‘three boys’ in the Beatles as he unveiled his own star on the Hollywood walk of fame. The rocker was introduced to a crowd of fans in Los Angeles by Neil Young at a ceremony in front of the Capitol Records building. McCartney said: “Way back in history, in Liverpool when we were kids and we were listening to Buddy Holly and all the ...

Why last chocolate tastes best

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

THE last chocolate tastes the best because knowing something is set to end makes people enjoy it more, a study has found. Psychologists discovered that people become “motivated” when they know an experience is about to be completed. The University of Michigan study found that this led to a person thinking the experience would end happily. The findings, reported in the journal ...

Lonely? Shy? Sad? So you’re mentally ill too?

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

MILD eccentrics, oddball romantics and the lonely, shy and sad could find themselves diagnosed with a mental disorder if proposals to add new conditions to the world’s most widely used psychiatric bible go ahead, experts have warned. A major revision of the 1994 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, whose fifth edition is due for publication next year, threatens to extend ...

Ape can do puzzles faster than human

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LIKE humans, chimpanzees have too the ability to understand the minds of others, as they know what tools others may need to get the work done, scientists have found. Researchers at Kyoto University in Japan found that apes are quite apt in considering the common goals and sharing the perspective of others, an aptitude known as “theory of mind” , which has long been considered unique ...

Driver survives as 4x4 flattened by 20-tonne boulder

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

A FATHER of two told of his miraculous escape after a 20-tonne rock flattened his car on a mountain road in the French Alps leaving him ‘completely compressed’. Rescuers expected to find the lifeless body of Ludovic Masciave, 36, inside the 4x4, which was so badly damaged that they could not even tell what make it was. Instead they found Mr Masciave, who is a sales manager, ...

Madonna stalker escapes from hospital

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

A MAN who was convicted of stalking and threatening Madonna in the 1990s walked away unnoticed from the California mental health facility where he was being held and remains at large, Los Angeles police say. Robert Dewey Hoskins, 54, was sentenced to 10 years behind bars in 1996 after being arrested for scaling a wall around the singer’s home in the Hollywood Hills and threatening to slit ...

Google to make home entertainment system

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

SAN FRANCISCO - Google will mirror Apple’s winning hardware-software formula with an Android-powered entertainment system that wirelessly streams content through homes, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The Journal cited unnamed sources as saying Google will take the unprecedented step of stamping its own brand on the home-entertainment system, which was expected to debut ...

Lindsay demands $20k gift

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

LINDSAY Lohan has no shame as the actress tried to persuade a wealthy patron to bid on an expensive gift for her in the auction at the star-studded amfAR benefit the other day. The gala managed to raise more than $1.4m for AIDS research at Cipriani Wall Street and brought out stars including Hudson, Hurley and Linda Evangelista. Sources say that when Lohan recognized a wealthy Canadian financier ...

Temple on 5,000ft high mountain

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

THE Taung Kalat Temple near the Mount Popa volcano in central Burma is built on top of a volcanic plug - a rock formation creation by magma seeping from a volcanic vent. A total of 777 steps take visitors and worshippers alike to the summit which enjoys stunning panoramic views. It is said that these steps and the temple were once maintained by the hermit U Khandi and the temple is still home to ...

Beyoncé, Jay-Z trademark Blue Ivy’s name

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

SHE appeared on her father’s single at just a few hours old, so it comes as no surprise that Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy is a brand in the making. According to reports in the US, the new parents have moved to trademark their one-month-old baby’s name. The power-couple have filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to protect Blue Ivy’s ...

Vanessa freaked out by centipedes

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

VANESSA Hudgens is scared of her latest costars. Vanessa - who stars alongside Liam Hemsworth and Michael Caine in her new project - encountered the oversized insects while shooting family movie The Island in Hawaii and she still having nightmares about them. “Those centipedes were awful,” says the High School Musical actress. “They were huge with lots of legs. The way the ...

James Joyce children’s book sparks feud

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

A CHILDREN’S story by James Joyce has been published for the first time by a small press in Dublin. However the Zurich James Joyce Foundation has called its publication an “outrage”, saying it had not granted permission for the book’s release. The Cats of Copenhagen was written in a letter to Joyce’s grandson in 1936 as a “younger twin sister” to the ...

HBO flayed over death of horses

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

ANIMAL rights group Peta has called for TV and film safety rules to be tightened after two horses were put down during filming for HBO drama Luck. The animals were injured in the making of the show starring Dustin Hoffman. Rights group Peta said it “repeatedly reached out” to HBO before filming to offer safety advice but was “rebuffed”. HBO, which worked with the ...

Loneliness more dangerous than smoking

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

PENSIONERS should go back to work because loneliness is more deadly than smoking, a senior Downing Street adviser said the other day. Not having someone to share problems with has a key impact on mortality rates. David Halpern said working for longer helped with this. Halpern is director of Downing Street’s behavioural “nudge unit” which advises government on ways to encourage ...

World’s oldest big-time film studio fetes 100 years

AFP — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

POTSDAM, Germany The world’s oldest major film studio celebrates its 100th birthday this month with Hollywood stars and European players ready to toast the Studio Babelsberg outside Berlin. It survived the Nazis and the communists and is now capitalising on its legendary status among cinema history buffs like Quentin Tarantino to beat back tough competition from the likes of London, ...

Jennifer Lopez’s daughter loves performing

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

New York (ES) Jennifer Lopez’s daughter Emme is a born performer. The ‘On the Floor’ hitmaker says three-year-old Emme takes after her father with her singing voice while Emme’s twin Max has his mother’s big personality. She explained: ‘’They love to sing and dance. Emme loves to dance. She loves to perform. I’ll be honest. I think Emme has a bit ...

Islamophobia is America’s real enemy

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Daisy Khan A report released this week has at last confirmed what we Muslim Americans have long known to be true: the threat posed to US national security by the radicalisation of its Muslim community is minuscule. The study, by the Triangle Centre on Terrorism and Homeland Security, found that only 20 Muslim Americans were charged with violent crimes related to terrorism in 2011, and of the ...

Maldives in trouble

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Asad Hashim Violence has erupted across the Maldives following the resignation of the country’s president, who says he was battling a dysfunctional judiciary and was removed “at gunpoint” for taking on vestiges of the 30-year dictatorship that preceded his government. Mohammad Nasheed, elected in 2008 in the country’s first democratic presidential elections, faced a ...

Egypt’s revolution continues to unravel

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Hani Sabra and Willis Sparks Some of the outsiders inspired by last year’s protests in Tahrir Square and the power of ordinary Egyptians to oust their long-time dictator expressed surprise when the country’s transitional government began in Dec to target prominent NGOs as agents of foreign (read Western) govts. They shouldn’t be. So far, the great lesson of Egypt’s ...

Perplexing decisions

John Hughes — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

US President Barack Obama is proving to be one of the most puzzling and enigmatic presidents to evaluate. He campaigned for the presidency with soaring oratory promising change and hope. But by many accounts his first term has been one of stagnation, leaving many voters who are enduring hard times in despair. It remains to be seen how an early uptick in the economy this year will improve his ...

Unfit to represent the Indian voter

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

The ugly, repressive and hypocritical face of Indian politicians, this time from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was once again put on show across the nation when Karnataka’s BJP ministers were caught viewing porn clips on their cell-phone while the assembly was in session. With this exposure the BJP’s zealously guarded ideology has been dealt a violent blow. The ministers, by ...

Rejecting PM’s appeal

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

The Supreme Court turned down, on Friday, the Prime Minister’s appeal against the show cause notice issued to him by a 7-member bench to indict him for contempt of court. As a consequence, he would be formally indicted on February 13 when he appears in person before it. Mr Gilani has incurred the indictment charge on account of his disregard of the verdict of 17-member bench of the Supreme ...

Confusion still there

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter has said that supplies to NATO forces still pass through Pakistani airspace. He made this revelation while speaking to the press after the inauguration of a photo exhibition at the National Council of Arts. Ambassador Munter also expressed the hope that the relations between the two countries would normalise soon. He seemed justified in his hope, as ...

An inalienable right

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

While the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs was discussing the prevailing turmoil in Balochistan, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher who was heading the session was largely perturbed by something else. He demanded that the right of self-determination must be granted to Kashmiris. Such opinion in the Foreign Affairs Committee must have caused quite a stir. It is very rare that Americans ...

A father to cherish

Tallat Azim — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Fathers are special, particularly for their daughters. It is an endearing bond that lasts for a lifetime and one that colours the first impressions of a girl about the opposite sex. As somebody said that, in actual fact, girls seek their father’s attitudes in their husbands and are so often disappointed. I do not know about anyone else, but it certainly holds true for me. I had an ...

Arise, wake up and transform Pakistan!

Dr Haider Mehdi — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

“I am alive, and was dead…….write therefore the things which thou hast seen.” – From a Holy Scripture If the PPP jialas were asked if their party could change the blue sky to green, they would readily claim that their leadership is capable of it; in fact, it has already done the impossible by passing the 18th Amendment and saving Pakistan’s nascent ...

Performance and image abroad

Inayatullah — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

It is interesting that the Federal Information Minister, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, has come up with the 17-point Pakistan’s true-face programme. The media and our press officials abroad would be harnessed. The programme includes an interaction with think-tanks abroad. The Information Minister is being hailed as a visionary for thinking up a great idea, which promises wonderful results. ...

Daur-e-Junoon

S Tariq — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Readers from my generation will remember the television play, Daur-e-Junoon, as Khalida Riasat and Muhammad Qavi breathed their last, clutching pictures of their children and grandchildren, in the forlorn hope that their loved ones would return from across the seas to end their loneliness. I was reminded starkly of this play, when I recently met an old, long lost friend and his wife in ...

Police-public relations

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

The department of police similar to all the government institutions is paid by the national exchequer, which evidently draws from the pockets of the citizens. Unfortunately the police have failed miserably in extending the desired services to the citizens of the country. It is suggested that the police should form a proper public relations department in every police station, where the feedback ...

Please improve governance

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Indeed, democracy is at work in Pakistan nowadays but governance is not visible especially, in my home province, Sindh. On the other hand ‘modernity’ is visible only in the Federal Capital, Islamabad or in a few other classified areas of the country. Obviously, by all these, I mean, democracy, governance or good governance. Modernity cannot be imported or imposed from outside a ...

Bridge at Nishter Ghat

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

Before elections, our politicians promise to make bridges even where there are no rivers. However, there is a place known Nishter Ghat where many governments have promised to make a bridge but immediately coming into power they have reneged on their words. There is a desperate need of a bridge at this place that should connect Rajanpur and D.G. Khan with Rahimyar Khan. It is stunning that ...

England’s whitewash a historical triumph - 1

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

The third and final Test between England and Pakistan has ended in a historical triumph for Pakistan with our team gifting the nation a ‘clean sweep bouquet’ which every cricket lover aspired for. The great honor fell into our lap by the grace of God almighty, the prayers of the cricket loving nation and relentless efforts of our team displaying tremendous confidence, determination, ...

Car thefts: Safety precautions

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

This refers to the letter by Mr Hassan Bashir ‘Car thefts’ (February 9). I fully agree with the writer. But it is not only car thefts on the increase it is also carjacking which has created a continuous threat for the car users. Car lifters have once again become active in the Federal Capital Islamabad - this time with new gadgets. According to reports in press an average of 4 to 5 ...

You too, Brutus?

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0500

"You too, Brutus?" is often used to represent the last words of Roman dictator Julius Caesar to his friend Marcus Brutus who betrayed him leading to Caesar's assassination in the immortalized play "Julius Caesar" by Shakespeare in 1599. Barrister Aitazaz Ahsan's siding with the Government reminds one of this famous quote. DR. IRFAN ZAFAR, Islamabad, February 7.