05 August 2004 Thursday 18 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425 President defends Wana operation RAWALPINDI, Aug 4: President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday strongly defended the ongoing military operation in the South Waziristan tribal agency and his government's decision to keep the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal out of the action ... JI wants uniform shed on Aug 14 LAHORE, Aug 4: Jamaat-i-Islami Naib Amir Asadullah Bhutto has urged Gen Pervez Musharraf to do away with his uniform on Aug 14 to enhance moments of joy for people on the Independence Day. ... Move to mend fences with Pir Pagara ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: Fresh efforts have been launched to bring about a rapprochement with Pir Pagara, the estranged chief of the defunct PML-F, to save the Sindh government from a possible collapse, sources told Dawn on Wednesday. ... Political code of ethics proposed LAHORE, Aug 4: Almost all opposition political parties on Wednesday resolved to develop a political code of ethics binding them to work for strengthening a democratic culture and political process as a fundamental right of the people. ... PPP-P for fresh elections LAHORE, Aug 4: The PPP-P has demanded dissolution of the existing assemblies and holding fresh elections within three months under a new caretaker government headed by the chief justice of Pakistan. ... PPP demands fresh polls PESHAWAR, Aug 4: The PPP has stressed the need for fresh general elections under the supervision of an independent election commission to steer the country out of what it termed the lawlessness. ... PPP condemns operation in Balochistan and Wana HYDERABAD, Aug 4: Sindh People's Party Parliamentarians president Nisar Ahmad Khuhro has condemned the operation in Wana and Balochistan. Accompanied by MPA Zahid Ali Bhurgari, Syed Shah Mohammad Shah, Amanullah Siyal and other party leaders, Mr Khuhro was speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Wednesday. ... Lessees to benefit from new policy: Musharraf - Okara farms RAWALPINDI, Aug 4: President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday supported the introduction of a contract system in place of the 'battai' system for the Okara military farms, saying the initiative carried many benefits for the lessees. ... Gen Yousaf visits S. Waziristan ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: Vice-Chief of Army Staff Gen Mohammad Yousaf Khan visited Wana and other areas in Waziristan on Wednesday and reiterated the army's resolve to rid the country of foreign terrorists. ... Troops for Iraq opposed PESHAWAR, Aug 4: The Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan, has asked the Pakistan government not to send troops to Iraq. ... Awais for Urdu SMS-enabled cellular phones ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: Federal Minister for Information Technology Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari on Wednesday asked the cellular phone manufacturers focusing on Pakistani market to develop Urdu SMS service ... HRCP says amendments aimed to terrorize press: Defamation law PESHAWAR, Aug 4: The Human Rights Commission Of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the proposed amendments to the Defamation Ordinance, 2002, and said it aims to terrorize the press. ... Kashmiris being deceived: AJK PM PESHAWAR, Aug 4: Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan has said India has always deceived the Kashmiris on the pretext of dialogue, suggesting that Islamabad must be aware of their tactics. ... Bangladesh fully supports Kashmir cause: scholar KARACHI, Aug 4: The people of Bangladesh fully support the cause of their Kashmiri brethren. This was stated by Abu Taher Salahuddin Ahmed, a Bangladesh scholar at the Australian National University. ... SBP circular hits NWFP flour mills PESHAWAR, Aug 4: The State Bank of Pakistan's circular (No. 12, dated May 10) imposing cash margin restrictions on bank advances to private sector for procuring wheat has hit the NWFP's flour mills hard ... Appointment of bank MD challenged PESHAWAR, Aug 4: The Pakistan Muslim League filed a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court on Wednesday challenging the appointment of the Managing Director of the Bank of Khyber by the MMA-led government. ... ILO identifies six new areas of intervention: Child labour ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has decided to increase substantially the scope of its International Programme on Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) in Pakistan. ... 'Final crusade against Muslims has begun' PESHAWAR, Aug 4: The chief of Tanzeem-i-Islami, Pakistan, Dr Israr Ahmad, said here on Wednesday that Jews and Protestant Christians had jointly started a 'final crusade' against the Muslims, whom they considered the biggest threat to their interests. ... 'E. Pakistan tragedy was result of a conspiracy' HYDERABAD, Aug 4: Federal Minister Mehmood Ali has said the East Pakistan tragedy was a conspiracy hatched by enemies of the country who did not want to see the emergence of a strong Muslim state. ... Irregularities in purchase of medicines alleged PESHAWAR, Aug 4: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has stopped medical supplies to the Project Directorate for Health (PDH) after detecting large-scale irregularities in the procurement of drugs ... Italy pledges help in promoting tourism RAWALPINDI, Aug 4: Italian minister for agriculture and forestry, Giovanni Alemanno, said on Wednesday that his country would assist Pakistan in a number of projects including the Karakoram Central Park to promote tourism in the country. ... AJK police offer help to Punjab MUZAFFARABAD, Aug 4: AJK police have offered cooperation to the Punjab police for the arrest of three proclaimed offenders wanted in a three-month-old triple-murder case of Lahore, it was learnt here on Wednesday. ... Snags in growth of marine resources identified KARACHI, Aug 4: Experts at a workshop identified factors contributing to the country's failure in achieving the required growth of fisheries. ... Thalassaemia Society team returns LAHORE, Aug 4: A Thalassae-mia Society of Pakistan's delegation, including two thalassaemic patients, has returned after a successful walk to K-2 base camp. ... Address social unrest: HRCP LAHORE, Aug 4: The Human Rights Commission has advised the government to address the root cause of growing social unrest instead of seeking to bully those highlighting the issue or attempting to expose wrongdoing. ... Deserving civil servants upset by unfair moves - Pomotions and postings KARACHI, Aug 4: Sheer frustration prevails among provincial services cadre due to the practice in vogue of assigning senior administrative jobs either to retired army officers or to their juniors, working on contract basis, through undue promotion. ... Baby boy born to woman seeking citizenship PESHAWAR, Aug 4: Dr Hafsa Aman, the Indian woman whose request for Pakistani citizenship has been turned down by the authorities concerned, gave birth to a baby boy on Tuesday. ... PNRA to extend support to universities KARACHI, Aug 4: Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) has decided to support universities and research organizations for research and development in nuclear safety. ...

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