Sri Lanka asks PCB to revise schedule again

LAHORE: The Sri Lankan cricket board has requested to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for revising once again the schedule of the proposed series between the two countries.The Sri Lankan officials want their team to tour Pakistan in January instead of February.Chief operating officer PCB Saleem Altaf, talking in the Geo News programme 'Scorer', said that the Sri Lankan players want to take some rest after coming from the tour of Bangladesh but the Sri Lankan board did not make any formal contact with the PCB in this regard.Saleem Altaf agreed that the Sri Lankan team according to the new schedule wanted to play a series of five One-day Internationals and three Test matches instead of two Tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20 match.The PCB chief operating officer further told that the Pakistan team is already scheduled to leave for Bangladesh for playing the series of five One-day Internationals.

PHF’s Zia, Bajwa to discuss Indo-Pak hockey today

LAHORE: President Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Qasim Zia and Secretary PHF Asif Bajwa have been scheduled to meet in Islamabad on Thursday to through light on the likelihoods of India-Pakistan hockey series.Executive Board of PHF has given re-approval of the measures taken by President and Secretary PHF in a bid to hold Pakistan-India hockey series, said Secretary PHF Asif Bajwa after a meeting of Executive Board Pakistan hockey in Lahore.He informed that besides approving the appointments in the marketing department of Pakistan hockey the Executive Board of Pakistan hockey has also resolved to annually deal out as many as 10,000 hockey-sticks and balls in schools across country.Asif Bajwa also informed media, “Two offers made to Malaysia pertaining to their tour to Pakistan as one was a series with Pakistan senior hockey team and other was a tri-nation tournament including Pakistan junior and senior teams.”Taking strict action, ten-days salaries, of the couches of Pakistan senior and junior teams Ayaz Mehmood, Kamran Ashraf, Ahmed Alam and Qamar Ibrahim, have been deducted as they failed to participate in FIA course, Asif informed.

Pakistan Will Issue Coin of 10 Rupee in Honor of Benazir Bhutto

ISLAMABAD:Govt of Pakistan has decide to issue coin of 10-rupees at first anniversary of Benazir in honor of Ex chairperson Benazir Bhutho in Pakistan. It is decided by Govt of Pakistan.
The State Bank of Pakistan will issue about 300,000 of the commemorative coins bearing Bhutto’s portrait and inscribed with the phrase “Daughter of the East — Honourable Benazir Bhutto” in Urdu, it said in a statement.
Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide attack in Rawalpindi on December 27 after addressing an election rally, just two months after surviving a strike on her homecoming parade in Karachi.
The government has renamed Islamabad’s international airport after the two-time former premier, as well as a main road and hospital in Rawalpindi.

Raging Blaze Engulf 400 Shops In Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI: Fire broke out in a shopping center in Rawalpindi here early Saturday morning, in the fire around ninety percent of the shops were burnt and despite hours of efforts fire was not under control yet.
According to details sever fire erupts in a shopping center in Rawalpindi, the cause of the fire was said to be short circuit. Shopping center was one of the largest centers in Rawalpindi and around 400 to 500 shops were present there.
Rescue teams and fire brigades were trying to control the raging fire, no casualties were yet reported, while sources feared heavy property loss.
Fire was sever that people who were trapped inside jumped from the plaza in order to save their lives, two of the people in doing so get serious injuries and were taken to hospital. according to sources some of people were still trapped inside the plaza rescue team were trying to rescue them.
Rescue team were facing serious problem in controlling fire as according to report arround 90 % of shops were already burnt to ashes, sources said that in the shopping plaza most of shops were garment shops which helping fire spread quickly throughout the plaza.
Talking to A Pakistan News CCPO, Rawalpindi, Rao Iqbal said that fire was of serious nature, but fire fighters were trying all out to control this fire, he hoped that fire will be brought under control in couple hours.
CCPO insisted that in these kind of fire time is very important. “We have all the resources in this regard and officials were trying all out to control this fire,” he added.

Earthquake of 4.4 Shakes Quetta, Outskirts

QUETTA: No loss of life or property was reported after an aftershock of 4.4 scale rattled Quetta and surrounding areas, Met office officials said Saturday.
The jerk was felt at 11:45 a.m. at Quetta and Kuchlak. The epicenter of the aftershock is being determined.

Pakistan Warned By US To Do Right Against Terror

Washington: Pakistan has been clearly informed that the United States is not satisfied with what Pakistan had done so far for eradicating terrorism from its soil, with Washington asking Islamabad to come down heavily on “non state actors” operating from its soil.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged Pakistan publicly and privately to understand the gravity of the current situation and take immediate steps to stop terrorists from using its soil for attacking others in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror strikes.
According to US and diplomatic sources a much stronger message was conveyed to Pakistan at a meeting Rice had with Islamabad’s national security adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani, Dawn reported.
Diplomatic sources in Washington described the meetings as a follow-up of Secretary Rice’s visit to Islamabad earlier this month when she used her influence to prevent the Mumbai incident from leading to an armed conflict between India and Pakistan.
“The curt message that Durrani and the Pakistani team received from the Americans was: This is not 2002 and you cannot do what President Musharraf did after 9/11. In the past, you swept everything under the carpet while the problems were allowed to fester. No more,” said a senior diplomatic source familiar with the talks.
The Americans, according to these sources, told the Pakistanis that the Mumbai attack was no ordinary event and the tendency in Pakistan to deal with this as a minor incident was going to hurt the country.
“The message the Americans gave was: this is the Third time, we are saying such a thing. We may not be able to bail you out the fourth time,” the source said.
“Global terrorism is not just an India-Pakistan dispute. We see LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa at par with al Qaeda. Pakistan should stop thinking of this as just another round of India-Pakistan altercations.”
In a speech at Washington’s Council on Foreign Relations, Rice said what Pakistan had done so far to catch those responsible for last month’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai was not enough.
“You need to deal with the terrorism problem. And it’s not enough to say these are non-state actors. If they’re operating from Pakistani territory, then they have to be dealt with,” said the top US diplomat when asked what her message was to Pakistan.
The Pakistani team, which included Ambassador Husain Haqqani, learned from both Stephen Hadley and Rice that the Americans were not satisfied with what Pakistan had done so far for eradicating terrorism from its soil. (ANI)

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has declared December 27 as a public holiday throughout the country to observe the 1st anniversary o

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Monday scrambled fighter jets over several major cities as a sign of enhanced vigilance following mounting tension between India and Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks.“In view of current environment PAF has enhanced its vigilance,” PAF said in Press release issued here on Monday.Residents in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore made panicked telephone calls to media outlets to ask about the low-flying fighter jets. Two civilian flights were delayed due to the exercise of PAF, an airline official said.

Benazir Bhutto Martyrdom Day Declared Public Holiday

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has declared December 27 as a public holiday throughout the country to observe the 1st anniversary of martyrdom of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.

Blast in Saman Abad; Many Injured

KARACHI: An explosion went off in a parked vehicle laden with explosive material at Saman Abad area of Gul Barg Town, injuring many people, Agence reported on Tuesday evening.
Deaths are feared after the incident, area people and Edhi volunteers have initiated relief operations.
Reportedly, blast caused by explosive material kept in the vehicle parked near the house.
According eye witnesses the blasts are still happening in the house, however its walls also collapsed following the blow up.

Anti-Aircraft Guns Deployed In Gujranwala

GUJRANWALA: Armed forces fixed anti-aircraft guns at roofs of various buildings of strategic importance on Sunday morning and choppers patrolled the cantt and its surrounding areas.Hundreds of people witnessed this patrolling and came out while raising slogans of Allah-o-Akbar. Reportedly, Armed Forces deployed heavy anti aircraft guns at number of roofs inside Gujranwala Cantt, Defence Housing Scheme and adjacent DC Colony to cope with any external threat.
This deployment was followed by low altitude flights of Army gunship choppers which attracted the attention of hundreds of citizens who started shouting salogans of Allah-o-Akbar. Reports from suburban village Noshera Virkan also revealed that more than a dozen aircrafts flew at low altitude.

LAHORE: At least seven accomplices of arrested Indian spy Satish Anand have been arrested from Lahore area of GOR-II, reported TV Channel on Thursday.

Earthquake tremors jolt Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Abbotabad and adjoining areas this morning.The epicenter of the magnitude 5.9 quake was the border area of Afghanistan and Tajikistan.The quake tremors caused harassment in people of the area, which fled from their houses. No losses of life and property have been reported.

Five Suspect of Lahore Attack Are Indian Nationals Arrested

LAHORE: At least seven accomplices of arrested Indian spy Satish Anand have been arrested from Lahore area of GOR-II, reported TV Channel on Thursday.According to sources, the arrested criminals include five Indians, an Afghani and two Pakistanis.The security forces arrested these miscreants on a tip-off received from arrested Indian terrorist Satish, There are reports that huge arms and ammunitions, pictures of secret places, a camera, two pistols and secret maps have been recovered from the possession of these arrested persons.These criminals have been shifted to undisclosed location for further interrogations.
Indian terrorist Satish revealed that he is a resident of Kolkata and has worked in Indian embassy in London, adding he illegally entered Pakistan some time back.

Pakistan Moves Her Armed to Punjab border

Pakistan has stepped up its war moves by cancelling all military leave, sharply increasing deployment of its troops along the borderadjoining Punjab and Jammu, and building new bunkers along the border near Barmer, Jaisalmer and Ganganagar
Highly placed sources said Pakistan has shifted its 4 Corps, an important strike arm, to Lahore, just 25 km from Attari. Its 10th brigade, consisting of around 5,000 personnel, has further been moved to forward areas along Punjab. Similarly its 3rd Armoured Brigade has been moved towards Jhelum.
At the same time, the Pakistan army was making war preparations with old bunkers on the borders being renovated and new ones being constructed. “The new bunkers are being constructed mostly along the borders near Barmer, Jaisalmer and Ganganagar and construction materials can also be seen at several places,” said intelligence sources.
Sources revealed that Pakistan army has deployed its 10th Division at Ichogul Canal border area near Jammu and its 11th Division in the Tilla firing range, again bordering Punjab. These troops, said Indian Army sources on Friday, are around 10 km behind the international border. As per the Geneva Convention, no country can deploy its troops in such heavy numbers within 3-4 km of the international border unless war is declared formally. They can, however, conduct routine patrolling along the border.
With such heavy deployment of troops by Pakistan, Punjab has emerged as a vulnerable state as it shares a 553 km border with Pakistan. Further, sources said Punjab is strategically very important for Pakistan as the formation of its army is extremely strong in this area.
India’s 2nd Corps from Ambala and 10 Corps from Bathinda have also moved to border areas for what an Army spokesperson described as annual exercises. This comes even as 11 Corps from Jalandhar has already moved for the exercise.
Sources said BSF ground commanders have sent a report to the Union government giving details of the movement by Pakistan troops along border areas. Sources said the report also contains ascertained figures of Pakistani deployments and the kind of weaponry carried by that country’s forces.
Himmat Singh, IG (Punjab border) BSF, refused to divulge information about the report sent to the Centre, which sources said was discussed during the meeting of chief of staffs with PM Manmohan Singh in Delhi on Friday

All Disputes should Resolve between India and Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Observing that there was a need to avoid “further vitiation of the atmosphere”, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said Pakistan and India should engage in dialogue to address their differences.
During a meeting with visiting Chinese deputy foreign minister He Yafei, sent to Islamabad by Beijing to help defuse regional tensions, Zardari said Pakistan wants peace and stability in the region and wants to promote friendly ties with all its neighbours, including India.
Zardari “agreed on the need to avoid further vitiation of the atmosphere”, said a statement issued by the Foreign Office. “Pakistan and India need to engage in dialogue to address their differences,” he added.
“Pakistan wishes to resolve all its disputes with India in a peaceful manner,” he said.
Zardari said Pakistan had offered assistance and cooperation to India to investigate the Mumbai terror attacks and “displayed restraint and conciliation”.
“Our constructive proposals were aimed at sustained and pragmatic cooperation to deal with the problem of terrorism,” he said, adding he regretted “that instead of responding to Pakistan’s positive gestures, India had engaged in a blame-game which was counter-productive”.
He Yafei said the Chinese government was concerned over the current tensions between India and Pakistan. China wants peace in the region and “would like to see early steps towards de-escalation of tensions and resumption of dialogue between the two countries”, he said.
The Chinese special envoy expressed the hope that Pakistan and India will “exercise restraint and work together to resolve their outstanding disputes in a peaceful manner”.
He added: “Cooperation and dialogue was the only way forward.”
He Yafei said China would remain engaged to promote peace and stability in the region.
Earlier in the day, the Chinese envoy met army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, interior ministry chief Rehman Malik and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani as part of Beijing’s push to defuse tensions between India and Pakistan.

Gen Tariq Majeed Meets PM Gilani

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Tuesday said that the defence needs of thecountry will be fulfilled at any cost.
Talking to Chairman Joint Chiefs of Committee Gen Tariq Majeed in a meeting at PrimeMinister House the prime minister said that Pakistan have no aggressive intensions againstany country and it wants friendly relations with all neighbors.
The government will meet the defence needs of the country at any cost, he further said.
Gilani said Pakistan is a peace loving country and condemns all types of terrorism.
Gen. Tariq Majeed gave briefing on security situation to the prime minister

ISLAMABAD: Lord Bishop Michael Nazir Ali, a British citizen of Pakistani descent, called on President Asif Ali Zardari here on Tuesday.

BEIJING: A widely circulated Chinese daily has declared President Asif Ali Zardari among 2008 Top Ten Prominent Foreign Figures.
The Guangming daily in its issue of December 29 while declaring President Zardari among Top Ten prominent foreign personalities also published in detail his educational and political career.
The Chinese language daily stated that Asif Ali Zardari, the cochairman of Pakistan People’s Party, took oath as the 14th President of Pakistan for a period of five years on September 9.
“Consensus says that The Times of Zardari has commenced while the times of Musharraf concluded”, the paper noted.
President Zardari is husband of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto. His father, Hakim Ali Zardari is a successful statesman and businessman and he is political intimate of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
After assassination of Benazir Bhutto on December 27 last year, Zardari was nominated as cochairman of Pakistan People’s Party and became the prominent figure of country’s political circle as well as internationally.
As Cochairmen of PPP and working in coordination with country’s other political parties, Asif Ali Zardari contributed his efforts in maintaining the stability and achieved the successful change of country’s leadership.

Lord Bishop Calls On President Zardari

ISLAMABAD: Lord Bishop Michael Nazir Ali, a British citizen of Pakistani descent, called on President Asif Ali Zardari here on Tuesday.
Lord Michael is the 106th Bishop of Rochester and the first nonwhite Bishop in the Church of England. He heads the Network for Inter Faith Concerns of the Anglican Communion (NIFCON).
Lord Bishop mentioned that purpose of his visit was to pay homage to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto on her first death anniversary.
He praised her as an icon of democracy and stated that her contributions for the promotion of democracy were internationally acknowledged.
The President underlined that one million Pakistanis in the UK were a source of strength for promoting cultural bond between the two countries.
He apprised the Bishop on the Government’s efforts towards fighting extremism and terrorism, its fallout on the economy, constraints in terms of resources and capability and the need for the international support to Pakistan to bridge the resource gap.
He underscored that militants had access to greater resources and therefore the international support to Pakistan should be matching.
They agreed on the need for promoting interfaith dialogue, respect for religions and religious personalities.
The discussion also touched upon the minorities’ rights, blasphemy law, and the issue of death penalty.

Taliban Kill ‘US spy’ in North Waziristan

Taliban militants executed a man in a restive tribal region near the Afghan border after accusing him of spying for the United States, an official said Wednesday.
The bullet-riddled body of 28-year-old Mohammad Nawaz was found dumped on a roadside on Wednesday in the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan, a local police official said. Nawaz had been kidnapped in November after a US missile strike near Mir Ali town killed some local and foreign militants.
A note found near his body said Nawaz had been “found guilty of spying for the US,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India will swap the lists of nuclear facilities and prisoners on January 1st (tomorrow).

JAMRUD: Security forces operation underway against militants in tehsil Jamrud of Khybertribal region. The forces gunship helicopters were targeting the hideouts of militants inJamrud.
The supplies to Nato forces in Afghanistan through Pak Afghan highway were disrupted for thesecond day due to security forces operation in Jamrud.
The operation will be continued to secure tehsil Jamrud and ensure full security of the PakAfghan highway, the political administration sources said.
The forces have also arrested two persons for providing shelter to the militants.

Pakistan and India to Swap Nuclear Lists tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India will swap the lists of nuclear facilities and prisoners on January 1st (tomorrow).
The two countries exchange the lists of their nuclear facilities every year on January1st under a bilateral agreement signed in 1988, the spokesman of foreign office said in Islamabad.
According to Pakistan and India consular agreement in 2008 the two neighborly countries exchange the lists of prisoners twice in a year i.e. on January 1st and July 1st.
The officials of the foreign ministries of the two countries will formally exchange the lists tomorrow (January 1st), the spokesman added.

India rules out hot pursuit of ‘terrorists’ in Pakistan

NEW DELHI: Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday ruled out any hot pursuit on “terrorists” in Pakistan on the pattern of Israeli air attacks. “So that incident or that event, (Israeli air strikes) we cannot draw any lessons for the way we deal with Pakistan,” the home minister said when asked whether New Delhi has drawn lessons from the Israeli air strikes. Addressing a press conference here, the home minister said India had strongly criticised the Israeli strikes and asked it to stop those attacks on Palestine. This position has also been made clear by the Ministry of External Affairs, he said. About the investigation into the Mumbai terror strikes, he said: “Investigations are progressing on the right track.” He enumerated different steps being taken by the government to counter the challenge of terrorism. He said the National Investigation Agency, headed by a director general, will be on the ground on Thursday. It has been set up to investigate terrorist offences in the country.Twenty counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism schools will be set up to impart terror-related training besides making a new and mutually beneficial arrangement under which all intelligence agencies share intelligence on a real time basis. The cabinet will be asked to give approval to establish hubs of National Security Guards in four cities initially, he said and added about 20,000 bullet proof jackets for central paramilitary forces will be procured. The minister announced to appoint a senior officer as his internal security adviser. He denied any aerial terror threat to Indian aircraft carrier INS Viraat, which is currently docked in Kochi for a midlife refit. “In our assessment, there is no real threat to INS Viraat. If there is a threat, certainly navy and everybody will be alerted in this regard,” he added. Meanwhile, Anand Sharma, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, said India does not want any military action against Pakistan in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks. Talking to newsmen in Chandigarh on Wednesday, the minister asked Pakistan to take effective steps to bring those responsible for attacks to justice. India does not want any military action against Pakistan, he said, adding, “firm diplomatic initiatives have given results.” Responding to questions on the issue of the military action, he said: “We are a mature democracy.We are talking of individuals and organisations based in Pakistan.” Sharma said the UN Security Council has adopted a unanimous resolution against terrorism. He ruled out the fixing of any timeframe for Pakistan to take action against terrorists.

Zarar Shah confesses to involvement in Mumbai attacks’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani investigators have unearthed substantive links between the gunmen who attacked Mumbai in November and a banned militant group, a foreign journal reported on Wednesday.It said in an online report that at least one top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader, Zarar Shah, captured in a raid early this month had confessed to the group’s involvement in the attack.“He is singing,” an unidentified Pakistani security official told the newspaper, referring to Shah. Shah’s admission was backed up by the US intercepts of a telephone call between Shah and one of the attackers during the assault, the Pakistani security official told the newspaper.Shah told interrogators that he was one of the main planners of the assault and he had spoken to the attackers during the rampage to give them advice and keep them focused, the newspaper cited a second person familiar with the investigation as saying.Shah had implicated other LeT members, and had broadly confirmed the account the sole captured gunman told Indian investigators, the second person told the newspaper. Shah was picked up with another LeT commander, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, during Pakistani raids on militants. Pakistani authorities did not have evidence that the LeT was involved in the attacks before the militants were arrested in Azad Kashmir, the security official told the newspaper. Their arrest was based only on the initial guidance from the US and British authorities, the newspaper cited the official as saying.

British HC calls on President

ISLAMABAD: Robert Edward Brinkley, High Commissioner of UK to Pakistan called on President Asif Ali Zardari here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday. During the meeting, regional situation and bilateral ties came under discussion.

Iranian energy minister meets PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan attaches great importance to its brotherly relations with Iran which are rooted in common history, culture, geography and faith. The Prime Minister expressed these views while talking to Iranian minister for energy Parviz Fattah, who called on him here at the Prime Minister House on Monday.Talking about the regional situation, the prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s stance of not allowing its soil to be used against other countries for any terrorist activities.He said Pakistan always strived for peaceful co-existence with all its neighbours and expected the same from them as well.He expressed the hope that the MoU signed between the two countries for the import of 1000 MW of electricity from Iran would soon be materialized. The PM while underlining the importance of enhanced people-to-people contact said that frequent exchanges of visits is imperative to further cementing the existing bilateral ties between the two countries. Iranian Minister Parviz Fattah termed the stability and security of Pakistan essential for the peace and security of the region.

President, PM discuss Indo-Pak situation

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani held an important meeting here Monday in which current tension between Pakistan and India besides overall situation of the region came under discussion.According to well-placed sources in Islamabad, both the leaders appreciated the role of the Pakistan’s friends towards defusing the Indo-Pak tensions.The President and Prime Minister expressed agreement for easing tension with India and stressed the role of stakeholders in this regard.They were of the opinion that propaganda must be avoided in the present tense situation.“Action will definitely be taken if India provides concrete evidence regarding Mumbai attacks,” they assured. The said: “We do not want political aggression in the country,” adding the actual agenda is to strengthen the democracy. Any conspiracy aimed at derailing the democratic process will not be allowed to succeed, they asserted.

Moderate quake shakes Pakistan's northwest

ISLAMABAD: A moderate earthquake rattled large parts of northwestern Pakistan today, shaking buildings and sending terrified people out on the streets.Preliminary reports said the quake had a magnitude of 5.7 on the Richter scale, said Chaudhry Qamar-uz-Zaman, head of Pakistan's meteorological department. There were no reports of casualties or damage to property, he said.The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 8:37 am, was located in the Hindu Kush range. The temblor was felt in Islamabad, Peshawar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.Zaman said the quake also shook the Swat valley, Peshawar, Malakand, Dir, Hazara, Gilgit, Khyber Agency and Waziristan tribal region. He said aftershocks might be felt for some time.

President not to take over PM’s authorities: PCO

ISLAMABAD: Sending the strong denial to the Indian media reports that President Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari is seeking to hand the authorities of Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, President Camp Office said in a statement that president Asif Ali Zardari does not want to take over the authorities of PM Yusuf Raza Gilani and termed Indian media reports “Ridiculous and Baseless”.Earlier on Monday, an Indian T.V channel reported through the sources of its Islamabad-based reporter that President Asif Ali Zardari is looking for amendments in constitution to shift PM powers under his control.President Camp Office denied Indian media reports.

India to release 67 Pak prisoners today

AMRITSAR: India will repatriate 67 Pakistani nationals who are lodged in Amritsar jail on Tuesday.According to reports, the Pakistani nationals were identifies few months ago when a committee of Pakistan and Indian judges visited Amritsar jail.The Pakistani prisoners would hand over to Pakistani officials at Wagah border.

Zardari, Karzai hold talks

ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Hamid Karzai and President Asif Zardari made telephonic conversation on Tuesday.According to Presidency sources, both the leaders exchanged issues related to President Zardari’s proposed tour of Afghanistan

Karachi police kill 3 dacoits

Wednesday, December 31, 2008 KARACHI: In an encounter on Khalid-Bin-Waleed road in Karachi, Anti-car lifting cell’s officials have killed three dacoits and two others were injured, police sources said.The bandits were allegedly lifting cars on the road while they were also wanted by police in many car lifting cases, police said and added, the dead bodies and injured have been shifted to hospital.

Oil prices end tumultuous year below $40

SINGAPORE: Oil prices ended the year below 40 dollars Wednesday in Asian trade after a tumultuous 2008 which saw prices hit record peaks before plunging to multi-year lows.New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for February delivery, fell 62 cents to 38.41 dollars a barrel in afternoon trade after falling 99 cents to 39.03 dollars on Tuesday at the New York Mercantile Exchange.Brent North Sea crude for February delivery fell 65 cents to 39.50 dollars a barrel after shedding 40 cents to 40.15 on Tuesday in London.Prices soared in the first half of the year, reaching record highs above 147 dollars a barrel in July, before a sharp global economic downturn slashed world demand for energy and pulled prices sharply lower. New York crude plunged earlier this month to below 33 dollars, its lowest point for almost five years.

Massive blasts reported in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A series of massive blasts has been reportedly heard in Peshawar, the capital city of NWFP province on early Thursday, police sources reported.Police is trying to locate the exact scenes of blasts however, no casualty reports have so far been received in the incidents, police confirmed

Privatisation to be carried out through consultation: Zardari

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari Wednesday called for carrying out the privatisation process through a consultative process with all stakeholders specially the workers and labor unions. He made these remarks during a briefing by the Privatisation Commission in the Presidency.The President said the privatisation policy introduced by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had become bipartisan state policy.He said privatisation needed to be carried out through a consultative process with all stakeholders specially the workers and labour unions.Briefing the meeting, Minister for Privatisation said the government was pursuing privatisation in an open, fair and transparent manner, for the benefit of the people of Pakistan.He said today private public partnership instead of unchecked privatisation was the norm. He said Pakistan People’s Party and their allies adhere to new dimension of privatisation to face the challenges of the future.He also said that labor friendly policies would be introduced to cater to the needs of laborers and to safeguard their interests.The briefing was attended by Minister for Privatisation, Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Industries and Production Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, Minister for Investment Waqar Ahmed Khan, Minister for Law and Justice Farooq H. Naik, Sardar Assef Ali, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Finance Shaukat Tareen and other officials.

Bodies of Karachi traders sent to Quetta

QUETTA: Bodies of four traders killed by the personnel of law enforcing agencies in Karachi have been received by their relatives in Quetta amid cries and moans.Their bodies were sent to Quetta through a PIA flight.According to Geo News correspondent, the bodies will be laid to rest later today in the local graveyard of Chaman.The relatives have complained that police have refused to lodge the FIR regarding the killings. They called for arrest of the police personnel responsible for the killing.It may be mentioned that firing by the personnel of Anti Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) here at Khalid Bin Waleed road killed four persons.Those killed in the incident were all traders, said the family members of the victims.

Indian media reports misleading: Spokesman PM house

ISLAMABAD: Spokesman Prime Minister Secretariate has termed the Indian media reports regarding Pakistan Prime Minister’s statement about Lashkar-i-Tayyeba as baseless.The spokesman told Geo News on Wednesday that neither the Prime Minister nor his any member of his staff had issued any statement regarding arrest of any Lashkar-i-Tayyeba leader or their involvement in Mumbai attacks.He said the Indian reports in this regard are misleading.

Iran keen boosting trade, investment ties with Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Iran has shown great interest in booting the trade and investment in different sectors of Pakistan.Iranian Deputy Minister for energy, Abbas Ali Aabdi in a meeting with the Federal Minister for privatization, Waqar Ahmad Khan at the Privatization Board here told that Iran would provide 1000MW of electricity to Pakistan energy sector, for which, MoU has already been singed by the two countries.Privatization Minister, Waqar Ahmad Khan told his Iranian counterpart that direct investment from Iran in the year 2006-07 amounted to $34 million, but it plummeted to mere $1 million in the next year. He told the Iranian minister that the investors from his country were welcomed to make investments in Pakistan’s oil and gas, fertilizer, cement and food processing sectors.

Iran ready for gas deal with Pakistan, without India

Wednesday, December 31, 2008 TEHRAN: Iran will sign a deal with Pakistan to sell gas to the neighbouring country, even if India, a third party to the deal, walked out, a news agency reported Iran's oil minister as saying on Monday.India stayed away from talks in Tehran on a proposed $7 billion pipeline in September, saying it wanted to agree transit costs through Pakistan on a bilateral basis first.Iran Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari said a delegation from Pakistan had arrived in Tehran for two days."Iran will sign a deal with Pakistan, if India does not take part in the project," agency quoted Nozari as saying.In July, Iran said India and Pakistan had accepted Iran's demand for gas price reviews based on market changes, denying reports by some Indian newspapers that the pipeline talks had failed after Iran demanded a review every three years.The pipeline would initially carry 60 million cubic metres of gas daily to Pakistan and India, half for each country. The pipeline's capacity would later rise to 150 million cu metres.Iran said it has completed 18 percent of the work for the pipeline to bring gas from its South Pars field to the Iran-Pakistan border.Pakistan has yet to begin work on a 1,000 km (625 mile) stretch of the pipeline to link Iran with India.Iran has the world's second-largest gas reserves after Russia. But sanctions, politics and construction delays have slowed its gas development, and analysts say Iran is unlikely to become a major exporter for a decade.

Islamic Banking likely to grow two-fold in 2009

Updated at: 2117 PST, Wednesday, December 31, 2008 KARACHI: The expansion of Islamic Banking network continues in spite of global economic slowdown and it is likely that the network grows double of its present size during the year 2009.President Bank Islami Pakistan, Hasan Bilgrami during media briefing here Wednesday pointed out that the growth rate of Islamic banking is on the rise at a rapid pace and that his bank is also on the same track.He said the current economic crisis did not affect his bank as it had no stake in the stock market or in the real estate.

KSE investors’ further Rs700b sink

Updated at: 1310 PST, Tuesday, December 30, 2008 KARACHI: Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) investors have further lost Rs700 billion since the index ‘floor’ removed from December 16.KSE released data said that the KSE-100 index, which was at 9187 points and while the KSE listed companies’ shares valued at Rs2712 billion on December 15, 2008, went melting down by 33 percent i.e. over 3000 points and the KSE listed companies shares’ market capitalization evaporated by Rs733 billion, following the removal of index ‘floor’ from December 16. KSE-100 index on April 18, 2007 was seen at 15676 points, its history’s highs and the market capitalization was at Rs4783 billion, but since April to December the index plunged down by over 60 percent i.e. by 9500 points, while market capitalization has shrunk by Rs2800 billion, which goes in history as the worst KSE crash ever.

Pak-India standoff: Saarc business leaders conference put off

Updated at: 1520 PST, Tuesday, December 30, 2008 ISLAMABAD: The two-day Saarc business leaders conference scheduled to begin here has been deferred in the raging Pak-India tension.Saarc Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Executive Member, Zubair Ahmad Malik told Geo News here that the two-day Saarc business leaders conference slated February 21 here has been put off, as the Indian delegation’s visit to Pakistan didn’t seem possible due to the highly charged posture between the two countries.Zubair Ahmad Malik said that the conference would not have been that attractive for other countries also without the participation of India, as presently, Pakistan and India were the two major players among Saarc countries. Over 200 businessmen and economists were to attend this conference, while the inauguration of this conference was to be done by Pakistan Prime Minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani.

U.S., Pakistan, India agree on need to douse tensions

Updated at: 2350 PST, Wednesday, December 31, 2008 CRAWFORD: US President George W. Bush spoke with Indian and Pakistani leaders Wednesday and agreed on the need to avoid any moves that could heighten tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.Speaking separately with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Bush "urged both ... to cooperate with each other in the Mumbai attack investigation as well as on counterterrorism in general," said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe. "All three leaders from the United States, India and Pakistan agreed that no one wanted to take any steps that unnecessarily raise tensions," he added.

BB’s assassins to be unearthed soon: Sherry

Updated at: 0102 PST, Thursday, January 01, 2009 KARACHI: Information Minister Sherry Rehman has said registration of FIR and exposing the person who has fired bullet on Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto is not enough but "we want UN investigation into the assassination of BB to expose the hands behind this murder adding killers of Benazir Bhutto will be exposed soon." Sherry Rehman said this while addressing Meet the Press program in Karachi press club and later answering to the questions from the media men here Wednesday. She told Benazir Bhutto was an international leader therefore, investigations were being got conducted through UN so that probe could take place in transparent manner. UN had also assured Pakistan for initiating investigation soon, she added. She alleged several forces did not want Pakistan and democracy grows stable. But democracy had taken roots, she added. "We will fight against terrorism with full force", she affirmed. "We don't want war or confrontation as these are not in the interest of both the countries. Cleansing the country form terrorists is in the interest of Pakistan", she announced. Action will be taken where writ of the government is challenged, she held. Government would resolve all the problems of Balochistan as sense of deprivation had prevailed therein, she told. Judiciary issue would be resolved through parliament and all the decisions would be taken by taking all the allies on board, she remarked. "We will take all along with us in sensitive issues", she added.

Govt. approves inflation in gas prices by 5 to 17%

Updated at: 0046 PST, Thursday, January 01, 2009 KARACHI: A reveler has been killed while at least 25 others have received bullet injuries in separate incidents during the New Year festive here in Karachi on early Thursday.Police said many merrymakers resorted aerial firing at the eve of New Year that hit many unfortunates at various places of the metropolis.Police confirmed the injured people have been shifted to hospitals.

Karachi: One dead, 25 injured in new year celebrations

Updated at: 0046 PST, Thursday, January 01, 2009 KARACHI: A reveler has been killed while at least 25 others have received bullet injuries in separate incidents during the New Year festive here in Karachi on early Thursday.Police said many merrymakers resorted aerial firing at the eve of New Year that hit many unfortunates at various places of the metropolis.Police confirmed the injured people have been shifted to hospitals.

Govt. approves inflation in gas prices by 5 to 17%

Updated at: 0259 PST, Thursday, January 01, 2009 ISLAMABAD: Government has given approval of the inflation in the gas prices by 5 to 17 percent on Wednesday here.According to sources the summary in this regard has been sent to Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) that would be implemented from first of January.Five percent increase in gas prices would be applied on the domestic consumers in the first three beginning categories while medium and large categories of gas consumers would face six percent inflation in prices.Three percent increase in gas prices would be applied on the local industries while ten percent was increased in gas prices for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) industry.

Bush contacts Zardari, Manmohan Sigh

Thursday, January 01, 2009 CRAWFORD: US President George W. Bush spoke with Indian and Pakistani leaders Wednesday and agreed on the need to avoid any moves that could heighten tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.Speaking separately with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Bush "urged both ... to cooperate with each other in the Mumbai attack investigation as well as on counterterrorism in general," said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe. "All three leaders from the United States, India and Pakistan agreed that no one wanted to take any steps that unnecessarily raise tensions," he added.Bush, India, Pakistan agree on need to douse tensions Story : Zardari reiterated to Bush his government's position "that it would not allow its territory to be used by non-state actors for launching attacks on other countries," his spokesman Farhatullah Babar told a foreign news agency."Anybody found involved in such attacks from the soil of Pakistan will be dealt with sternly," he added.Pakistan Tuesday called for talks with India to defuse tensions, as New Delhi denied claims it had moved troops into offensive positions on the border.Officials in Islamabad said last week that Pakistani troops had been shifted from the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan to the eastern border with India, following intelligence that New Delhi had redeployed troops to the area.But an Indian army spokesman said there had been no troop movements on its side of the frontier.Earlier Wednesday Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Pakistan was in "denial" over the Mumbai attacks and refusing to acknowledge evidence linking the gunmen to elements in Pakistan.He told reporters the Pakistani father of the sole surviving gunman had confirmed to Pakistan television that his son was involved. "If that is not evidence, then what is?" Chidambaram asked.And India's junior foreign minister, Anand Sharma, said New Delhi had supplied key evidence to Islamabad linking the attackers to groups in Pakistan."Everyone knows who are the conspirators and from where they came. We have given enough evidence," Sharma said in the Indian city of Chandigarh."Evidence is not only with India but also with the investigating agencies of the United States and Britain (and) instead of being in a denial mode, Pakistan should take effective steps to bring those responsible to justice," he said.

Year 2008 ends with bittersweet memories

Updated at: 2346 PST, Thursday, January 01, 2009 KARACHI: The sun of 2008 has set leaving behind bittersweet memories.Overall the year 2008 was a period of many challenges for Pakistan.Acts of terrorism and U.S. missile strikes in tribal areas kept the entire nation in a state of uncertainty.The peace process between Pakistan and India came to a halt all of a sudden after the deadly violence unleashed in Mumbia, fueling tensions between two countries.The people were particularly hit by gas and electricity crisis as well as unprecedented price hike.However, dictatorship ended leading to the establishment of a democratic set up in the country after 2008 general elections, giving new hope to the people of Pakistan