08 February 2004 Sunday 16 Zilhaj 1424 Formation of NA bodies discussed: Speaker meets prime minister ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain called on Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali on Saturday and discussed with him reconstitution of NA standing committees. ... Will ARD's anti-govt move succeed? LAHORE, Feb 7: There is little possibility of the ARD movement against President Musharraf gaining momentum in the absence of crowd pullers Mian Nawaz Sharif and Ms Benazir Bhutto, leaders of the two major parties of the coalition living in exile for the past several years. ... PPP criticizes Musharraf for disgracing N-scientist SHIKARPUR, Feb 7: People's Party Parliamentarians leader Agha Siraj Durrani has criticized President Gen Pervez Musharraf for disgracing the respected scientist of the country, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan. ... PMAP slams MMA's policies CHAMAN, Feb 7: Strongly criticizing the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal's policies, the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) has said that by supporting the military regime the MMA has strangulated the rights of the masses. ... MMA slams MQM for opposing strike KARACHI, Feb 7: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Saturday bitterly criticized the Muttahida Qaumi Movement for opposing the MMA strike call, given to express solidarity with nuclear scientists on Feb 6. ... MQM demands issuance of CNICs to Biharis KARACHI, Feb 7: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Saturday criticized the non-issuance of computerized national identity cards and passports to the Pakistanis, who had settled in Orangi after the fall of Dhaka ... Proposed amendments to SLGO discussed KARACHI, Feb 7: Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Mahar, on Saturday, presided over a high-level meeting at Chief Minister Secretariat, where suggestions and recommendations regarding implementation of Police Order 2002 and Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001 were discussed. ... Opposition to requisition NWFP PA PESHAWAR, Feb 7: The combined opposition in the NWFP Assembly has decided to requisition the provincial assembly's session to discuss what it termed illegal appointments in certain departments besides alleging misappropriation of the development funds ... NWFP will recommend changes in LG Ord PESHAWAR, Feb 7: The Frontier government will recommend necessary amendments to the Local Government Ordinance, including giving magisterial powers to tehsil municipal officers, said provincial minister for local government Sardar Mohammad Idrees on Saturday. ... Evidence in Hashmi's case recorded ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: The Islamabad district and sessions judge on Saturday recorded the evidence of three prosecution witnesses in the mutiny case against Makhdoom Javed Hashmi ... Indian FM's statement criticized NOWSHERA, Feb 7: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad on Saturday criticized the statement of Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha in which he termed Pakistan an irresponsible state. ... Detained KRL official's mother hospitalized ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: The mother of Maj Islamul Haq (retired), one of the KRL officials still in the custody of security agencies, has been admitted to the KRL hospital. ... Bakakhel tribe given deadline PESHAWAR, Feb 7: The administration in Frontier Region Bannu set a deadline of 48 hours on Friday to the Bakakhel tribe for surrendering five persons allegedly involved in the kidnapping of the Punjab Minister for Sports and Culture, Naeemullah Shahani, and other three persons. ... Pakistani envoy to continue on UN board UNITED NATIONS, Feb 7: Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Maleeha Lodhi, who was in New York to attend a meeting of the United Nations advisory board on disarmament was asked to continue to serve on the board for another three years. ... UK to relax visa policy for Pakistanis MIRPUR, Feb 7: The British High Commission in Islamabad will restore the visa service for all categories of the intending deserving Pakistanis including those hailing from Azad Kashmir willing to visit or for permanent settlement, from May this year. ... Tasman wreckage sold for Rs24m KARACHI, Feb 7: The local ship-breaking firm, which offered the highest bid of Rs24.2 million, was selected as buyer of the forward section of the broken foreign oil tanker, Tasman Spirit, a representative of the ship owner said on Saturday. ... Jamali okays holding of exhibition in Bahrain: Single country show ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on Saturday approved the holding of single country exhibition in Bahrain from February 17 to 20 ... 34m CNICs issued so far: Nadra ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has so far issued 34 million cards to applicants since 2001. In an official announcement ... HEC to hold first Pakistan varsities games ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: The Higher Education Commission will organize the first Pakistan universities games from February 9 to 15, said an official statement. ... 22 varsity teachers to get awards ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: As many as 22 teachers of public-sector universities/degree-awarding institutions would be awarded 'Best Teachers Award' for the year 2002, said an official statement. ... Conference on rice, wheat begins ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: Low yields of wheat and rice in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) is the focus of a three-day conference of farm scientists that started here on Saturday ... 126 Pakistani pilgrims die during Haj ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: At least 126 Pakistani pilgrims have died due to illnesses, stampede and accidents during Haj in Saudi Arabia. ... Musharraf's peace moves supported MUZAFFARABAD, Feb 7: Kashmiri politicians, intellectuals and social workers have reposed confidence in President Pervez Musharraf's leadership, supporting his stance on the Kashmir issue and measures being taken to protect the larger national interests ... 'Genuine Kashmiri leaders should be included in talks' ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: International Kashmir Alliance (IKA), an alliance of three pro-independent Kashmir parties, has called for effective representation of genuine Kashmiri leadership during the talks between India and Pakistan to resolve the issue. ... 'Weak diplomacy hampering Kashmir dispute resolution' RAWALPINDI, Feb 7: India has an edge over Pakistan with regard to the Kashmir dispute due to the former's strong and effective diplomacy, Kashmir Women Forum chairperson Prof Shamim Shaal said. ... Peace march on The Mall LAHORE, Feb 7: A peace march organized by People's Forum for Peace and Democracy on The Mall here on Saturday, was attended by scores of people. ... Globalization contributes to communalism: historian LAHORE, Feb 7: Indian historian Dr. Hasrh Mander has said that globalization was contributing to the rise of communalism around the world. Speaking at a meeting at the Government College University here ... A glimpse into Gujarat riots LAHORE, Feb 7: Indian activist, scientist and documentary film-maker, Gauhar Raza's audio visual documentation of the Feb-April, 2002, Gujarat riots is a glimpse into the communal forces imperilling the secular structure of India. ... IIUI to continue to train Afghan judiciary: rector ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: The rector of International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), Justice Khalilur Rehman Khan (retired) said the university would continue training facility for the superior judiciary of Afghanistan through short-term orientation programmes at the Shriah Academy. ... Repatriating Afghan TB patients asked to get treatment cards PESHAWAR, Feb 7: Officials of the Afghan TB control programme have asked the refugees to receive the transfer-out-cards before going back to Afghanistan to avoid spread of the epidemic back home. ...

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