18 February 2004 Wednesday 26 Zilhaj 1424 Sami blasts Qazi, Fazl's policies FAISALABAD, Feb 17: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) Naib Amir and chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Senator Samiul Haq, has blamed Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazlur Rehman for playing in the hands of the establishment ... US calling the shot, say ARD leader GUJRANWALA, Feb 17: The protest against the government on the call given by the ARD continued in many cities of the Punjab on the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday. ... ARD stages token hunger strike QUETTA, Feb 17: Leaders and workers of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy observed a token hunger strike here on Tuesday in connection with the Musharraf-remove campaign. ... NA Speaker accused of tampering with record ISLAMABAD, Feb 17: Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Member of the National Assembly Maimoona Hashmi on Tuesday accused National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain of tampering with the record of the National Assembly Secretariat. ... Call to debate scientists' issue in parliament MIRPURKHAS, Feb 17: PPP MNA Nawab Mohammad Yousuf Talpur has called upon the government to bring the scientists' issue in parliament. ... ARD rally calls for fresh elections PESHAWAR, Feb 17: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), on the fifth day of its campaign on Tuesday. ... PPP stand on readmission to C'Wealth reiterated ISLAMABAD, Feb 17: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has expressed concern over a statement by Sir Nigel Sheinwald in which he assured the government of Pakistan of Britain's support for readmission of Pakistan to the Commonwealth. ... Paramilitary troops called out after bomb blast GILGIT, Feb 17: Angry mobs on Tuesday blocked all city roads and forced the shops to close down to protest against the bomb blast incident in a Imambargah that hurt at least five people on Monday evening. ... Equal provincial share vital for solving issues: National Finance Commission award QUETTA, Feb 17: The country's rich and poor areas should be given equal share for the next decade in the next NFC award, chief of the Millat Party Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari said. ... Tarbela may hit dead level soon LAHORE, Feb 17: Tarbela may hit the dead level in a week as releases from it have been increased while the inflows are experiencing a dip. On Tuesday, the dam level stood at 1,405.58 feet ... PPP criticizes move to divide Larkana KARACHI, Feb 17: The president of the Pakistan People's Party, Sindh chapter, Nisar Khuhro, on Tuesday criticized the provincial government's decision to divide the Larkana district, the home constituency of Benazir Bhutto. ... Durrani stresses consensus on major projects: 'Bhasha Dam better than Kalabagh' PESHAWAR, Feb 17: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani has said that all the four chief ministers have vowed not to implement any project, including the Kalabagh Dam in their provinces without evolving a consensus on the contentious issue. ... NWFP needs Rs99bn for education plan PESHAWAR, Feb 17: The NWFP government would need an amount of Rs 99 billion to implement its recently prepared education plan aiming to ensure that all children in NWFP have access to free primary education by 2015, said official sources. ... Speakers stress awareness: Seminar on leprosy PESHAWAR, Feb 17: Speakers at a one-day seminar underlined the need to raise awareness about leprosy, its prevention and cure. "We have already achieved the target set by World Health Organization (WHO) as far as the incidence rate of leprosy is concerned. ... Unicef, WHO to survey quake-hit areas PESHAWAR, Feb 17: A two-member WHO mission will undertake a two-day visit of the earthquake-affected areas of Mansehra and Battagram districts on Wednesday to assess the damage caused by theSaturday earthquake. ... Sindh water plans likely to be approved ISLAMABAD, Feb 17: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) is meeting here on Wednesday to approve the Reni Canal and distributaries and minors lining projects in Sindh at a cost of Rs28 billion. ... Govt to act against terrorists: Jam QUETTA, Feb 17: Chief Minister Jam Yousuf has said that terrorists involved in subversive acts in the province have been identified and the government will soon launch an operation against them. ... LHC seeks NAB report on Awan's Umra plea LAHORE, Feb 17: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the prosecutor-general of National Accountability Bureau, seeking a report on two cases against PPP leader Mushtaq Awan. ... Saarc law conference begins on Friday KARACHI, Feb 17: The 10th Saarc law conference is scheduled to commence here on Friday. The theme of the conference is 'leap forward-new generation laws'. ... UNHCR cuts down operations in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Feb 17: The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is constrained to cut down operations and staff in Pakistan facing budget requirements of $125.5 million to continue the repatriation of Afghan refugees in the region. ... Community partnership needed, says envoy LONDON, Feb 17 APP: Strong partnership is necessary between the Pakistani community and the High Commission to address various problems confronted by expatriates, says Pakistan's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Dr Maleeha Lodhi. ... Notices issued in Tasman case KARACHI, Feb 17: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued notices on an application challenging a subordinate court's decision to treat as final an interim charge-sheet in the Tasman Spirit case. ... Edhi's '115' to stay in use till April 30 KARACHI, Feb 17: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has extended the deadline for the change of the Edhi ambulance number to April 30. ... PPI slams faction KARACHI, Feb 17: Malik Sarwar Awan, founding president of the Punjabi Pakhtoon Ittehad, on Tuesday criticized the faction of his party which, led by Malik Sikandar Awan ... Ex-minister acquitted in corruption case QUETTA, Feb 17: A Balochistan High Court division bench on Monday acquitted former minister Bismillah Khan Kakar of the Pakistan People's Party, who had been awarded a jail sentence and fine by an accountability court in a corruption reference. ... Satellite phones being sold illegally PESHAWAR, Feb 17: Unauthorized sale of satellite mobile phone connections in the local market has not only caused revenue loss to the government, but also creating problems for law-enforcement agencies ... Pakistanis help Indian girl get artificial limb WASHINGTON, Feb 17: The current environment of peace between India and Pakistan is also having a positive impact on the citizens of the two countries living in the United States. ... Country must focus on low value-added fibre: expert ISLAMABAD, Feb 17: Pakistan stands no chance of reaping the benefits of increasing trade in high value-added man-made fibres after withdrawal of quotas on textiles next January because of wrong policies of the government ...

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