26 August 2004 Thursday 09 Rajab 1425 MMA wants deputy speaker to quit PESHAWAR, Aug 25: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has asked the NWFP Assembly deputy speaker Ikramullah Shahid of JUI-Sami to resign. The differences deepened in the six-party religious alliance after Mufti Kifayetullah, a spokesman for the MMA ... Aziz urged to withdraw 'political' cases MULTAN, Aug 25: The Asif Ali Zardari Release Committee has urged PM-designate Shaukat Aziz to withdraw all the politically motivated cases against leaders of the opposition parties in order to create a conducive atmosphere for dialogue on vital issues of national interest. ... PMs being changed by an individual: Fakhr LAHORE, Aug 25: Former federal minister and NA speaker Syed Fakhr Imam on Wednesday expressed concern over the way prime ministers were changed during the past few months. ... Enforcement of Hasba law soon: Siraj PESHAWAR, Aug 25: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government has decided to table the Hasba Bill in the coming session of the provincial assembly. Speaking at the Guest's Hour programme of the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday ... PML to play due role in eliminating karo-kari KARACHI, Aug 25: Secretary General of the PML, Sindh, Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh has said that the party would play its due role in protecting rights of women and eliminating the menace of karo-kari from the province. ... JUI condemns raids on mosques ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam on Wednesday condemned the recent raids of law-enforcement agencies on Jamia Fareediya and Jamia Syedda Hifsa (Lal Masjid) ... 2 ministers come under fire for defending TCP ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: The treasury and opposition members in the National Assembly on Wednesday criticized the performance of the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and reprimanded Minister for Food and Agriculture Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind ... Harkat men awarded life term in blast case KARACHI, Aug 25: Nine workers of the banned Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Aalmi were sentenced to life term on Wednesday in the Macedonian consulate bomb blast case by an anti-terrorism court. ... Nancy Powell calls on CM KARACHI, Aug 25: The US Ambassador in Pakistan, Nancy Powell, called on Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim at Chief Minister Secretariat and discussed matters of mutual interest. ... Govt urged to keep price stable MULTAN, Aug 25: National Assembly former speaker Syed Fakhar Imam has urged the government to keep the Trading Corporation of Pakistan at "high alert" so that cotton prices could not fall below the officially-announced minimum procurement price of Rs925 per 40 kilograms. ... Envoys present credentials to president ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: The envoys-designate of various countries on Wednesday presented their credentials to President Gen Pervez Musharraf at the Aiwan-i-Sadr on Wednesday. ... Baloch leaders call for strike tomorrow QUETTA, Aug 25: The Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), National Party (NP) and Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) have given a joint call for a shutter-down strike on Friday. ... Jam condemns nationalists' strike call QUETTA, Aug 25: Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousuf has termed the strike call given by nationalists for Friday an aim to create hurdles in the uplift programme. But the government with the help of people would not permit this shutter-down protest. ... Sindh varsity extension plan okayed ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: The Higher Education Commission would provide an amount of Rs190 million to University of Sindh, Jamshoro, for extension and addition to its various institutes and departments. ... Karachi Shipyard a 'white elephant', says defence official ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Tanveer Hussain Syed has said that the Karachi Shipyard has become a "white elephant" and there is no chance of its revival. ... 80 prisoners arriving from US today RAWALPINDI, Aug 25: A batch of 80 Pakistani prisoners will arrive at Islamabad airport on a chartered flight from the United States on Thursday afternoon, a source said. ... India offers cheap raw materials ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: The Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) of India has offered to supply a large variety of raw materials and man-made fibre for Pakistani products at cheap rates. ... Kuwait's FM due today ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: Pakistan and Kuwait will sign MoUs on bilateral political consultations, fight against narcotics trafficking, cultural cooperation and a framework agreement on economic cooperation with the GCC. ... Pakistan offers technical help to Bosnia: Mining, industrial sectors ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: Pakistan and Bosnia on Wednesday discussed greater interaction between the parliamentarians of the two countries, besides further strengthening of cooperation in the economic, trade and cultural fields. ... Pakistanis take refuge in embassy in Kuwait KUWAIT CITY, Aug 25: Twelve Pakistanis hired by a local company to work in Iraq and who were denied wages, have taken refuge in the embassy premises and demanded justice. ... Chinese delegation reviews prospects of joint ventures LAHORE, Aug 25: A delegation from Hanan province of China on Wednesday reviewed prospects for starting joint ventures in agriculture, auto, information technology, pharmaceutical, cement, leather and other sectors in Pakistan. ... Japanese team scales K-2 ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: A 4-member Japanese expedition reached the summit of K-2 by the Cesen Route on Monday after remaining incommunicado with the world below for almost a fortnight and having no sherpas or high-altitude porters with them. ... Jamaat slams erection of barrier in AJK village MUZAFFARABAD, Aug 25: Chief of Jamaat-i-Islami, Azad Kashmir, Sardar Ejaz Afzal Khan, on Tuesday regretted that successive governments had failed to address the problems of the Neelum valley people although they had been serving the nation as an "unsalaried army". ... APHC wants Pakistan not to change Kashmir policy ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: Representatives of APHC have expressed fears that any change in Pakistan's stance will not only disappoint people and frustrate the freedom struggle but will also damage the Kashmir cause. ... Demonstration against occupation of Iraq LAHORE, Aug 25: The Tehrik-i-Husainia Pakistan on Wednesday took out a procession against what it called illegal occupation of Iraq by the US forces. The participants demanded the US vacate the land of prophets or risk its interests coming under attack all over the world. ... 338 Afghan families leave for home QUETTA, Aug 25: Around 338 Afghan families repatriated to their homeland from the Iris Verification Centre at Chaman on Tuesday. Now the number of refugees repatriated from the new camps of Balochistan has reached 18,000, says a UNHCR press release issued here on Wednesday. ... Turkish firms trapped in euro 9.37m scam KARACHI, Aug 25: President of a Turkish business group is running from pillar to post to get back a sum of Euro 9.37 million from a Pakistani national who defrauded the group and has now been arrested in Lahore. ... Bed plantation suggested to double yield FAISALABAD, Aug 25: Production of food grain could be doubled in Pakistan by switching over to bed plantation, said US Agronomist Greg A Mezner. ...

© The DAWN Group of Newspapers, 2004