01 March 2004 Monday 09 Muharram 1425 MMA leader blasts army operation in tribal areas VEHARI, Feb 29: Jamaat-i-Islami secretary-general Syed Munawar Hasan has said that the army operation in tribal areas might pave the way for US intervention in Pakistan. ... Govt promises impartial probe into killings ISLAMABAD, Feb 29: The government on Sunday promised an impartial inquiry into Saturday's killing of 11 people in the South Waziristan Agency after opposition parties in the Senate protested against the incident and staged a walkout. ... MMA to launch anti-Musharraf drive: Qazi PESHAWAR, Feb 29: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has convened its two-day supreme council's meeting on March 5 and 6 to discuss the prevailing political situation, including the pro-US policies of Gen Pervez Musharraf. ... PML factions to merge soon: Ijaz MANSEHRA, Feb 29: Member of the National Assembly and former federal minister Ijazul Haq has said that all factions of the Pakistan Muslim League, except PML-N, will merge into a single party ... Aggressive campaign paid in Bar polls LAHORE, Feb 29: The victory of Ahmad Awais in the Lahore High Court bar elections on Saturday has once again established that the lawyers' community, as a whole, continues to be anti-establishment in its bent of mind. ... MPA says he wasn't favoured LAHORE, Feb 29: Punjab Assembly member Haroon Akhtar Khan says his membership is neither an undue favour nor because he belongs to the ruling Muslim League but owing to a prolonged legal battle which he won on merit. ... Govt striving for economic stability: PM ISLAMABAD, Feb 29: The government is striving for political stability and economic prosperity in the country, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali said. ... 93 councillors resign over separation of Wasa QUETTA, Feb 29: City Nazim Mohammad Rahim Kakar and 93 other members of the district council have handed in their resignations to the convenor of the assembly, Mir Wali Mohammad Lehri, to protest against the government separating WASA from the district government. ... Rs30m uplift project for IBA approved ISLAMABAD, Feb 29: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has decided to strengthen and upgrade the existing facilities at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi. ... Plea to enforce information law ISLAMABAD, Feb 29: Government departments are prone to withholding information rather than facilitating access to them as required under the Freedom of Information Ordinance (FIO). ... Chinese firm to help develop zinc deposits ISLAMABAD, Feb 29: Pakistan and China have agreed to join hands for the development of lead and zinc deposits at Duddar, in Lasbella district of Balochistan. ... Pakistan challenges UNDP's ranking ISLAMABAD, Feb 29: Pakistan has challenged Human Development Index (HDI) of the United Nations Development Programme which ranked it at 144th position in the group of low human development countries ... Law-enforcement agencies told to be vigilant PESHAWAR, Feb 29: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani on Saturday directed law-enforcement agencies to remain vigilant. Presiding over a meeting at the chief minister's secretariat, he said there might be attempts to create a law and order situation during Muharram. ... 24 multi-channel systems allowed ISLAMABAD, Feb 29: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday said 24 multimedia-multi channel distribution systems would be established in 21 cities of the country. ... Pemra accused of double standard RAWALPINDI, Feb 29: The office-bearers of Cable Operators' Association, Rawalpindi-Islamabad, have urged Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to stop their competitors from showing Indian channels ... NWFP govt may miss agriculture tax target PESHAWAR, Feb 29: The gap between the annual target and revenue raised under the head of land tax and agriculture income tax widened further by the end of the first seven months of the current financial year, according to official sources. ... Child labour major workforce at brick kilns - Report ISLAMABAD, Feb 29: Brick kilns across the country depend on the labour of children of age group ten to 14 years as "patheras" whereas boys of 14 to 17 years are employed in other working groups at the site. ... Tourists get stuck on chair lifts ISLAMABAD, Feb 29: A large number of tourists, who had gone to Murree, got stuck on chair lifts for over four hours due to a power failure on Friday. ...

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