20 May 2004 Thursday 29 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425 Parties to inform EC about merger with PML LAHORE, May 19: Parties, which have merged themselves with the Pakistan Muslim League, will now separately inform the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) about their decision of bringing an end to their separate entities. ... MMA accused of conspiring against democracy ISLAMABAD, May 19: The Pakistan Muslim League-N has accused the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) of hatching a conspiracy against the democracy by entering into a deal with the ruling coalition in order to allow Gen Pervez Musharraf to stay in uniform even after December 31. ... MMA wants Musharraf to honour commitment LAHORE, May 19: The MMA is hopeful that President Pervez Musharraf will honour his commitment on the uniform issue. This was stated by the alliance's deputy secretary-general Liaquat Baloch at a press conference here on Wednesday. ... PPP asks C'wealth to keep Islamabad out ISLAMABAD, May 19: The People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) has formally moved the Commonwealth urging it not to readmit Pakistan "as long as the military continues to control politics, political parties and parliament in the country". ... PML-N CWC meeting fails to finalize protest plan: Shahbaz's deportation ISLAMABAD, May 19: The Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting of Pakistan Muslim League-N fizzled out with a whimper here on Wednesday, as it failed to finalize any protest plan on the deportation of party president Shahbaz Sharif. ... PML-N may go for anti-govt alliance LAHORE, May 19: PML-N acting president Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is scheduled to go to Jeddah on Saturday to brief Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif on the decisions taken by the party's central working committee on Wednesday, party sources say. ... White paper on 'corrupt practices' of rulers LAHORE, May 19: The PML-N will shortly issue a white-paper on the alleged corrupt practices of the present rulers, a party leader said on Wednesday. ... PML-N men to be indicted on 26th RAWALPINDI, May 19: The senior civil judge, Abdur Rehman, has fixed May 26 for framing charges against 24 PML-N activists, including adviser to the prime minister on women development Nilofar Bakhtiar ... MMA rally on 25th KARACHI, May 19: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Wednesday decided to continue its protest until the arrest of the killers of nine MMA activists during the recent by-elections in the city. ... PPP quits alliance in Northern Areas GILGIT, May 19: The president of People's Party Parliamentarians, Northern Areas, Syed Jafar Shah, announced on Tuesday that the PPP had decided to part ways with the 14-party Gilgit-Baltistan National Alliance. ... Govt warned against fresh Wana drive WANA, May 19: A top tribal militant warned on Wednesday that another military operation would create a crisis for the whole country as a lashkar torched the house of a tribesman for interfering with its hunt for foreign militants in South Waziristan. ... Kasuri meets Saarc delegates NEW YORK, May 19: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri met ambassadors and representatives of the Saarc member states on Tuesday and exchanged informal views with them for exploring further avenues to expand co-operation. ... Pakistan, Brunei to boost ties ISLAMABAD, May 19: Pakistan and Brunei on Wednesday said they would boost cooperation in the fight against international crimes and have greater collaboration in defence. ... Sultan of Brunei made honorary colonel ISLAMABAD, May 19: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam on Wednesday said he would make endeavours to take friendship between Pakistan and Brunei to highest levels. ... Parliamentary bodies proper functioning stressed ISLAMABAD, May 19: The efficiency of parliamentary committees could be improved if their members followed the prescribed rules and procedures. ... Pakistanis may be freed ISLAMABAD, May 19: Pakistan expects that United States will soon free up to 24 Pakistani prisoners from its Guantanamo Bay detention centre, officials said on Wednesday. ... PBC opposes high court's proposal LAHORE, May 19: The Punjab Bar Council has opposed the move to empower the Lahore High Court to take disciplinary action against offending lawyers, saying it will undermine the jurisdiction of the council and lead to legal anomalies. ... Fake UK postal orders cause huge losses ISLAMABAD, May 19: The Pakistan Post (PPO) has suspended payments against postal orders of the United Kingdom following massive losses it faced due to forged British Postal Orders (BPOs), sources told Dawn on Wednesday. ... 'Expenditure on agri research declining' ISLAMABAD, May 19: Pakistan's expenditure on agricultural research is one of the lowest in the world and is continually declining with grave implications for food security and economic solvency of the country ... Narc develops solar dates drying system ISLAMABAD, May 19: National Agricultural Research Centre (Narc) has developed a solar dates drying system to minimize post-production losses of dates which are estimated to be around 50 per cent of the total production. ... Steps urged to avert water crisis QUETTA, May 19: The country is facing a serious threat of water shortage which may become dangerous and uncontrolled if proper steps are not taken to deal with this situation. ... Comments on army officers detention sought RAWALPINDI, May 19: The Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday sought parawise comments from the interior and defence secretaries on a case related to detention of six army officers, suspected of having links with Al Qaeda. ...

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