08 October 2004 Friday 22 Shaban 1425 Govt set to table pro-uniform motion in NA ISLAMABAD Oct 7: Opposition groups in the National Assembly are expected to jointly condemn the Sialkot and Multan terrorist acts when the lower house meets today (Friday) in the afternoon. ... MMA to resist govt motion on uniform SARGODHA, Oct 7: Opposition leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that if the ruling party presents a motion in favour of General Musharraf's uniform at the National Assembly session on Friday (today), the MMA will resort to boycott. ... Parties condemn Multan blasts KARACHI, Oct 7: The tragedy in Multan shortly after a similar one in Sialkot is a manifestation of total breakdown of law and order in the country and the work of agencies, which are working to bring a bad name to Islam and the country. ... 12 MNAs remained absent without intimation: 21st NA session ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: Former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali's name is at the top of the list of those MNAs who "remained absent throughout the last session" of the National Assembly without any information or leave application ... MMA's call for joint struggle rejected QUETTA, Oct 7: Ponam's vice-president Mahmood Khan Achakzai has said that the nationalist alliance would support a political movement against the Musharraf government. ... Carnage widely condemned LAHORE, Oct 7: Leaders of various national parties have condemned the carnage in Multan and termed it a failure of the government and law enforcement agencies. ... PPP lashes out at CM for 'a pack of lies': Kalabagh dam KARACHI, Oct 7: The Pakistan Peoples' Party-Parliamentarians has taken strong exception to Sindh chief minister's allegation about the contract of Kalabagh dam construction ... Tharparkar by-election held peacefully MITHI, Oct 7: Polling was held in a peaceful manner on Thursday in the by-election for the NA-229 (Tharparkar) amidst a boycott by the main opposition candidate, Dr Mahesh Malani. ... NA body okays changes to criminal law ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: National Assembly standing committee on law, justice and human rights on Thursday approved the draft of Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2004. ... MPA's funds will no longer lapse: Jam tells Balochistan PA QUETTA, Oct 7: Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousuf has assured the house that MPA's funds would no longer lapse at the end of financial year and the government would issue a necessary notification in this regard. ... Allegations against Chaudhrys denied LAHORE, Oct 7: Punjab PML information secretary Senator Kamil Ali Agha has refuted the allegations levelled by the Tehrik-i-Istiqlal president against the Chaudhrys of Gujrat. ... Five small dams to be completed this year PESHAWAR, Oct 7: Five under-construction small dams in Fata are scheduled to be completed by the end of the current fiscal year while work on two other dams would be taken in hand soon. ... Military expenditure not bleeding economy: Dr Ishrat WASHINGTON, Oct 7: The popular perception that the defence expenditure was bleeding the national economy is wrong, says Governor of State Bank of Pakistan, Dr Ishrat Husain. ... PA to debate centre's 'unjust' attitude PESHAWAR, Oct 7: The Frontier assembly on Thursday admitted an adjournment motion for a full debate, denouncing the 'discriminatory' and an 'unjust' attitude of Islamabad towards the province. ... New CJCSC, VCoAS assume charge today ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Gen Ehsanul Haq and Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCoAS) Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat will assume the charge of their offices on Friday (today). ... Call for Muslim world's interaction with Europe ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: Foreign policy experts and scholars Thursday condemned terrorism in all its menifestations but termed the US-led war on terror unjustified. ... South Asian socio-political scene discussed KARACHI, Oct 7: Dr Anwer Moazzam, a scholar from India, was the guest of the evening at Irteqa Institute of Social Sciences on Wednesday. He was requested to present an overview on the prevailing socio-political conditions. ... Millers not to start crushing by 15th LAHORE, Oct 7: The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association on Thursday decided not to start early crushing and threatened a countrywide boycott in the event of arrest of any owner in Sindh for failure to start crushing by Oct 15. ... Environment work suffers for lack of expertise PESHAWAR, Oct 7: Procedural loopholes and lack of expertise and experience of various departments and project executing agencies have undermined the usefulness of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), official sources said. ... PIA fined for carrying asylum-seekers ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been fined £9,600 for having carried three passengers, including a woman, who claimed asylum on reaching London, sources told Dawn. ... More powers, independence, for regulatory bodies sought ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: Regulatory bodies must be made accountable to the parliament rather than the government, and given more independence with increased powers and less government interference. ... Afghanistan suspends traffic for three days PESHAWAR, Oct 7: Afghanistan has informed Pakistan it is suspending vehicular traffic from Pakistan from Friday, one day before the presidential elections due to security reasons, official sources told Dawn. ... Security beefed up in Bajaur Agency KHAAR, Oct 7: Security has been tightened in and around refugee camps here ahead of the Afghan presidential elections. ... Jirga reviews credentials for Afghan candidates QUETTA, Oct 7: Hundreds of Afghan elders and refugees belonging to different tribes attended a jirga here on Wednesday to discuss credentials of various candidates taking part in the forthcoming Afghan presidential election. ...

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