16 January 2004 Friday 23 Ziqa'ad 1424 KARACHI: Govt mulls new rules for award of PhD, MPhil degrees KARACHI, Jan 15: The provincial education department is contemplating to impose some new conditions on private varsities and institutes conducting postgraduate research programmes. ... KARACHI: KESC told to make up for power shortage KARACHI, Jan 15: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) chairman, Lt Gen (Retd) Saeeduz Zafar, has asked KESC management to expedite Hubco-KESC linkup with the federal government and the WAPDA to overcome 1000MW power shortage in Karachi. ... KARACHI: Body formed to bring 550 schools under city govt KARACHI, Jan 15: A committee has been constituted by Sindh Education Department to merge over 550 elementary, secondary and higher secondary schools ... KARACHI: Blind student honoured KARACHI, Jan 15: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan on Thursday awarded gold medal to a blind student, Mumtaz Umer, on behalf of Korangi Town, who completed his PhD from the University of Karachi in Urdu literature. ... KARACHI: No jirga held, says Almani tribe chief KARACHI, Jan 15: The chief of the Almani tribe, Sardar Mohammad Usman Almani, has said that no tribal jirga has been convened in the case of Shaista Almani. ... KARACHI: Women's prison may get more facilities KARACHI, Jan 15: Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly Rahila Tiwana has assured the inmates and the staff of the Special Prison for Women that she will help provide additional facilities to them. ... KARACHI: Urdu varsity defers BSc classes till 20th KARACHI, Jan 15: The BSC classes at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences and Technology have been deferred till Jan 20. The teaching activities for the new session and commencement of examinations for the first batch of the varsity were scheduled for Jan 15. ... KARACHI: Sewage overflow at Jamia Cloth KARACHI, Jan 15: Sewage overflow in front of the Jamia Cloth Market on M. A. Jinnah road and near the shrine of Baba Hakim Shah Bokhari is posing problems to pedestrians, shopkeepers and area residents. ... KARACHI: Demolition work begins for Expressway project KARACHI, Jan 15: Authorities have restarted the demolition work for Lyari Expressway Project that was suspended some six months back. ... KARACHI: Delay in lecturers' test results causes concern KARACHI, Jan 15: Delay in results of 16,000 candidates, who had appeared in the test held for appointments against 752 vacant lecturers posts at intermediate and degree colleges in the province, is causing concern among the interested quarters. ... KARACHI: NICH receives medicines KARACHI, Jan 15: The National Institute of Child Health received here on Thursday a container of medical and surgical supplies donated to it by the House of Charity, an NGO of Pakistani Americans through Healthcare and Social Welfare Association, another NGO working in Karachi. ... KARACHI: General, civil officials poach partridges KARACHI, Jan 15: A top army official and several senior civil officials poached more than 100 partridges in the Pai Forest Game Reserve which has been closed for hunting for three years, it is learnt. ... KARACHI: Nazim's orders declared illegal KARACHI, Jan 15: Provincial Advisor to Chief Minister on Local Government, Waseem Akhtar, has termed illegal the orders issued by the city Nazim on Jan 14th regarding transfers and postings in the water board. ... KARACHI: Police report referred to ATC judge KARACHI, Jan 15: Justice Shabbir Ahmed of Sindh High Court who is also administrative judge of anti-terrorism courts in Karachi on Thursday referred the matter pertaining to release of activists of the banned Sipah-i-Mohammad ... KARACHI: Truck loaded with tobacco hijacked, recovered KARACHI, Jan 15: A truck loaded with tobacco consignment was snatched at gunpoint by armed men in North Nazimabad on Thursday morning. ... KARACHI: Warrants against Muttahida activist re-issued KARACHI, Jan 15: A division bench of Sindh High Court, comprising Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Azizullah M Memon, on Thursday repeated the non-bailable warrants for Qazi Nisar Ahmed, an activist of the banned religious organization ... KARACHI: Hearing of plea adjourned KARACHI, Jan 15: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, comprising Justice Zahid Kurban Alavi and Justice S. Ali Aslam Jaffery on Thursday put off the hearing of a constitutional petition against the KPT, the EPA and others till Feb 12. ... KARACHI: High Court decides to hear KBCA plea on its status KARACHI, Jan 15: The Sindh High Court decided on Thursday to urgently hear the Karachi Building Control Authority plea for protection and preservation of its status as an independent statutory body ... KARACHI: Two juvenile accused awarded life term: Kidnapping, murder case KARACHI, Jan 15: Two juvenile accused in a kidnapping-cum- murder case were sentenced on Thursday to life term on two counts by an anti-terrorism court. ... KARACHI: SHC suspends KRC chief's decision KARACHI, Jan 15: The Sindh High Court suspended on Thursday the Karachi Race Club administrator's decision to cancel the membership of all its 1,500 members and enrol them afresh after scrutiny. ... CHAKWAL: 25 Karsal UC members tender resignation CHAKWAL, Jan 15: A group of 25 opposition members of union council Karsal held a meeting at the residence of UC Nazim Pir Nisar Qasim and handed over their resignation to the leader of the opposition in the district assembly, Major Abrar Hussain Shah, on Thursday. ... LAHORE: Ban on firing, metal wire use on Basant LAHORE, Jan 15: The city district government squads will not allow firing and kite flying with metal wire on Basant. This was stated by district Nazim Mian Amer while presiding over a meeting held at his office on Thursday to review arrangements for the 15-day spring festival commencing on Feb 15. ... LAHORE: Subsidized flour scheme launch delayed LAHORE, Jan 15: The launch of the chief minister's subsidized atta scheme in the provincial metropolis has been delayed by a fortnight because of the failure of union council Nazims to furnish the lists of deserving families in their constituencies by Jan 1. ... LAHORE: Gen Ansari laid to rest LAHORE, Jan 15: Maj-Gen M.H. Ansari (retired) was laid to rest at the Gulshan-i-Ali Colony graveyard on Thursday. The octogenarian politician breathed his last at the CMH on Tuesday where he was admitted with a respiratory problem. ... LAHORE: ACE to replace NAB in Punjab LAHORE, Jan 15: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) will replace the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Punjab in six to 12 months. ... LAHORE: ACE receives most plaints against police, revenue LAHORE, Jan 15: The Anti-Corruption Establishment, Punjab, registered 710 cases against government officials, most of them against police and revenue, in 2003. ... ISLAMABAD: CDA razes 668 houses in Muslim Colony ISLAMABAD, Jan 15: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) in its ongoing campaign against encroachers has so far demolished 668 illegal houses at Noorpur Shahan (Muslim Colony). ... ISLAMABAD: Rs21m spent on installation of lights in Islamabad ISLAMABAD, Jan 15: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has spent Rs21 million on installation of lights on various roads of the capital, a source in the CDA told Dawn on Thursday. ... RAWALPINDI: Two policemen acquitted in prisoner escape case RAWALPINDI, Jan 15: A court on Thursday acquitted two policemen of the charges of abetting an under-trial prisoner to escape from their custody. ... RAWALPINDI: 33pc increase in traffic fatalities in 2003 RAWALPINDI, Jan 15: A record 33 per cent increase in fatalities on roads was reported in Islamabad during the year 2003 while 88,773 vehicles were booked for violating traffic rules, an official source told Dawn. ... RAWALPINDI: Security at churches moved into top gear RAWALPINDI, Jan 15: Security at churches in the federal capital has been moved into top gear in the wake of two bomb explosions in Karachi on Thursday leaving at least 14 people injured, official sources said. ... PESHAWAR: School owners welcome decision PESHAWAR, Jan 15: The Association of Private Schools Management, Hayatabad, on Thursday welcomed the NWFP government's decision to hand overthe affairs of Hayatabad township to the city development municipal department. ... PESHAWAR: PHC gives relief to BoR member PESHAWAR, Jan 15: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court has ordered the removal of the name of a former senior member of the board of revenue, Abdul Hamid Khan, from the Exit Control List. ... PESHAWAR: Missing student will be traced: governor PESHAWAR, Jan 15: Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has assured the Hindu community to reopen the inquiry into the missing of Jagdais, a third year student of Edwards College. ... PESHAWAR: NWFP likely to revise recruitment policy PESHAWAR, Jan 15: NWFP's newly-drafted contract employment policy is likely to undergo major changes after questions were raised over some of its provisions about their contradicting the NWFP Civil Servants Act, 1973, officials said here on Thursday. ... PESHAWAR: High court orders official's retrial PESHAWAR, Jan 15: An accountability appellate bench of the Peshawar High Court on Wednesday set aside the conviction of senior bureaucrat Ahmad Nawaz Shinwari and referred his case back to the accountability court concerned for retrial. ... PESHAWAR: Meeting called to discuss Hasba bill PESHAWAR, Jan 15: The NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has convened a meeting on Jan 16 to decide about tabling the Hasba bill for its passing in the NWFP Assembly, an official statement said here on Wednesday. ... HYDERABAD: 'Water shortage affects people, environment': Downstream Kotri HYDERABAD, Jan 15: Former Sindh minister and chairman technical committee on water resources A.N.G. Abbasi has said that the water shortage downstream Kotri has adversely affected the environment. ... HYDERABAD: Two held outside court HYDERABAD, Jan 15: The Jamshoro and Gulshan-i-Hali police picked up two applicants on Wednesday as they came out of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench. ... HYDERABAD: Registration of FIR against officials urged HYDERABAD, Jan 15: The Anti-Corruption Establishment, Hyderabad, on Wednesday recommended registration of criminal cases against five persons for making/receiving unnecessary payments in land acquisition cases. ... HYDERABAD: Nazim deplores slow pace of uplift work HYDERABAD, Jan 15: District Nazim Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman has expressed dissatisfaction over the pace of development work being carried out by the Hyderabad Development Authority in the district. ... HYDERABAD: Syed's birth centenary celebrations begin HYDERABAD, Jan 15: The three-day centenary celebrations of the late G. M. Syed, the founder of the Jeay Sindh Movement, began in Sann on Thursday. ... HYDERABAD: Dist govt's financial matters discussed HYDERABAD, Jan 15: A meeting was held at the DCO office at the Shahbaz Hall here on Wednesday to discuss the streamlining of financial matters of the Hyderabad District Council. ... FAISALABAD: Lawyers elect Bar officials FAISALABAD, Jan 15: Chaudhry Muhammad Husain was elected the district bar association president by getting 616 votes against 466 of his rival candidate Rana Muhammad Shahab, here on Thursday. ... FAISALABAD: Protection of women rights demanded FAISALABAD, Jan 15: The Citizens Action Committee, Faisalabad, has demanded that the government should immediately take measures for the protection of women rights. ... FAISALABAD: Agriculture scientist passes away FAISALABAD, Jan 15: The Ayub Agricultural Research Institute Director-General, Dr Ghulam Ahmad Chaudhry, died of a cardiac arrest here on Thursday. The late Dr Chaudhry served the agriculture department for more than 35 years in various capacities. ... MULTAN: Committee formed to devise strategy for prayers timings MULTAN, Jan 15: The district government has formed a committee to chalk out a strategy to ensure that prayer calls and prayers should be performed concurrently in the mosques of all schools of thought. ... BAHAWALPUR: Banned outfit activist held BAHAWALPUR, Jan 15: Muhammad Naeem, an activist of a banned Jihadi outfit, was arrested by police from Ahmadpur East on Wednesday. A source said here on Thursday that a police and Elite Force raided drug shop of his brother Dr Younas in the city's main bazaar and took Naeem into custody ... FAISALABAD: Contractors' staff clash with motorists: Toll collection FAISALABAD, Jan 15: More than two dozen incidents of clashes were reported on Thursday between contractors' staff and motorists as the district government started collection of toll tax on five major roads. ... GUJRANWALA: Two MOs relieved for corruption GUJRANWALA, Jan 15: The medical superintendent of the DHQ Hospital relieved four employees, including two medical officers, of their duties on Thursday. ... MIANWALI: Two brothers burnt MIANWALI, Jan 15: Two brothers were burnt alive while two others sustained serious burn wounds on Wednesday night when the cottage they were sleeping in caught fire at Moh Nurpura, the outskirts of city. ... MIRPURKHAS: MQM chief asks workers to improve performance MIRPURKHAS, Jan 15: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of party office-bearers and activists of Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah zones. ... LARKANA: CM promises Rs1.2bn for Larkana LARKANA, Jan 15: Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Mahar has promised to provide Rs1.2 billion to complete ongoing uplift works and meet requirements of the three-year development plan of the district. ... SUKKUR: Gas firm urged to launch uplift plan SUKKUR, Jan 15: Sindh environment secretary Shujat Ali Karni has advised the management of Sawan gas plant to take appropriate measures regarding conservation of wildlife and protection of environment in the gas field area. ... NAWABSHAH: Doctors demand justice NAWABSHAH, Jan 15: The chairman and members of the Pakistan Medical Association and the People's Medical College Hospital Doctors' Action Committee have announced collective resignations if Dr Sadiq Siyal is not provided justice. ... DADU: 200 Chakkis closed in Dadu DADU, Jan 15: Some 200 Chakkis and flour mills remained closed on Wednesday in different towns of the district due to a shortage of wheat. Chakkis and flour mills remained closed in Dadu, Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah ... KHAIRPUR: Naib Nazim, others get bail KHAIRPUR, Jan 15: The second additional sessions judge here on Thursday granted a bail of Rs50,000 each to acting District Naib Nazim Shafi Mohammad Chandio, Bukhari union council Nazim Amjad Ali Shah and Shabbir Chandio. ... KHAAR: Contractors told to expedite work KHAAR, Jan 15: The political administration has directed the contractors and officials concerned to expedite the construction of roads leading tothe new checkpoints along the Afghan border in the Bajaur Agency. ... QUETTA: Quota sought in overseas jobs QUETTA, Jan 15: Opposition leader in the Balochistan assembly Kachkol Ali Baloch has urged the federal government to fix a quota either on provincial or district basis on overseas employment opportunities. ... LANDI KOTAL: Power fluctuation damages computers LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Jan 15: Computer systems in a number of schools and computer centres in Landi Kotal have been damaged due to power fluctuation and unscheduled loadshedding, it was learnt on Wednesday. ... LANDI KOTAL: Loadshedding annoys students LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Jan 15: Prolonged loadshedding of electricity has negatively affected computer classes in a number of schools in Landi Kotal sub-division of Khyber Agency. ... QUETTA: Rs4 billion narcotics burnt in Quetta QUETTA, Jan 15: Over 53.33 tons of narcotics seized by the Frontier Corps from different areas of Balochistan was burnt on Thursday in Ghazaban area. ... MANSEHRA: UC Nazim survives attempt on life MANSEHRA, Jan 15: Bherkund Union Council Nazim Mohammad Asif Khan has survived an attempt on his life on Thursday. Police said that Mr Khan had lodged an FIR stating that two armed men riding a motorcycle tried to kill him when he was going to Mansehra in his car. ... QUETTA: Cancellation of plots has not affected people: CM - Singhar housing scheme QUETTA, Jan 15: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousuf has claimed that the government decision to cancel all plots in the Singhar housing scheme has not affected the common man. ...

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