18 November 2004 Thursday 05 Shawwal 1425 Opposition plans to requisition NA session ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The opposition is planning to requisition the National Assembly session in the last week of this month, sources told Dawn here on Wednesday. The sources said the move had been initiated by the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and the Muttahida Majlis-i- Amal (MMA) would also be contacted in this regard because the ARD itself did not have the required number of members to submit the notice. ... Carrot for ARD, stick for MMA: Govt strategy to foil agitation LAHORE, Nov 17: The government is already working on various options and thinking of more to frustrate the movement the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal plan to launch to mount pressure on President Musharraf to quit. ... PPP weighs options for success of movement KARACHI, Nov 17: Members of the central committee of the Pakistan People's Party-Parliamentarians seem to be unsure about the possibility of success of their party's campaign against the Musharraf regime, without hinging it on social agenda affecting the broad masses, party sources said here on Wednesday. ... PML leader says party losing ground in Balochistan QUETTA, Nov 17: The Pakistan Muslim League is losing political ground in Balochistan because of the dominant role of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) in the provincial coalition government. ... JUI-F may attend NSC meeting PESHAWAR, Nov 17: The JUI (F) has agreed in principle to attend the forthcoming National Security Council meeting, but will try to evolve a consensus on the issue within the religious parties' alliance rather than acting separately, senior party leaders said. ... Non-appointment of acting CEC decried ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has questioned the non-appointment of acting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) during the absence of the present incumbent. ... PML-N leaders spend Eid in Jeddah ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: Several important leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-N spent their Eid days in Jeddah with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and party president Shahbaz Sharif, sources told Dawn here on Wednesday. ... Heated debate likely on law, order KARACHI, Nov 17: The whole spectrum of law and order is likely to come under a heated debate between the treasury and opposition benches at the Sindh Assembly session that begins on Thursday. ... JI lashes out at army's role in politics KARACHI, Nov 17: The Jamaat-i-Islami deputy chief, Senator Prof Ghafoor Ahmad, has said the uniform issue had gained importance because the army did not like to part with power, and the civil and military bureaucracy were working to fail Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. ... PML govt has put country on road to progress: CM LAHORE, Nov 17: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi said here on Wednesday the PML government had put the country on road to progress and the party's reorganization at the grassroots level had ensured people's participation in the welfare-oriented programme. ... Ghinva slams demolition of houses on Eid eve KARACHI, Nov 17: Ghinva Bhutto, chairperson of the PPP-Shaheed Bhutto, has deplored the KBCA's act of demolishing poor people's houses in Shah Rasool Colony, opposite Abdullah Shah Ghazi's mazar, on the eve of Eidul Fitr and rendering scores of families homeless. ... Qazi accuses govt of following US agenda SWABI, Nov 17: Muttahida Majlis-I-Amal chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad has accused President Musharraf of supporting what he called the world's biggest terrorist state, which is bent upon enslaving the Muslim Ummah and looting their resources. ... MMA units asked to hold corner meetings LAHORE, Nov 17: As a warm-up exercize for its drive against uniform, the MMA has directed its district units in Karachi, Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi to hold at least 1,000 corner meetings in each district to mobilize people to attend its planned public meetings in the cities. ... Withdrawal of Sherpao nominee welcomed PESHAWAR, Nov 17: The Pakistan People's Party has called upon all its breakaway factions to get united against anti-people forces supporting the 'apolitical' government in power. ... Water projects rejected DADU, Nov 17: Thousands of acres of farmland have been left uncultivated in Sindh due to water shortage and poor people pushed to suicide by financial pressure. This was stated by People's Party Parliamentarians MPA Marvi Mazharul Haq while talking to newsmen at her residence here on Tuesday. ... Achakzai demands equal rights for nationalities QUETTA, Nov 17: Mahmood Khan Achakzai, chief of the Pukthunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP), has urged the rulers to recognize equal rights of the deprived nationalities to steer the country out of the constitutional and political crisis and strengthen democratic institutions. ... Aziz expected to announce power subsidy: Consumers to benefit up to Rs21bn ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz is likely to announce on Friday an estimated Rs21 billion subsidy for power sector consumers to maintain a country-wide uniform domestic tariff and reduce industrial and commercial tariff. ... NIH plans to build lab for serum processing ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The government is considering building a new sera processing laboratory at a cost of Rs164.7 million to meet the increasing demand of vaccine production in the country by enhancing the production capacity of the National Institute of Health (NIH), an official source told Dawn here on Tuesday. ... Rs10m plan to monitor pollution in coastal waters ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The government is planning to undertake a Rs10 million project for Balochistan to monitor pollution in coastal waters resulting from industrial and port development, by strengthening the Oceanographic Research Sub-Station at Gwadar, an official source told Dawn. ... PPP shocked over deaths in Hyderabad: Poisonous liquor ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has expressed shock over the death of 16 people after consuming poisonous liquor in different parts of Hyderabad in Sindh during Eid days. ... Aziz's visit to Eidgah irks residents RAWALPINDI, Nov 17: The law-enforcement agencies adopted strict security measures around Asghar Mall and Saidpur Road and prevented residents from entering their homes to ensure security for Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday night. ... Shariat bench corrects anomaly after 13 years: Sentence for rape LAHORE, Nov 17: The Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court has recently revised and corrected its own judgment rendered in 1991, which virtually laid down a new law by amending section 11 of the Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance, 1979, and substituting the term of imprisonment for rape. ... Pakistani writer named 'professor of the year' WASHINGTON, Nov 17: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education have named Akbar S. Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and professor of international relations at American University, the 2004 District of Columbia Professor of the Year. ... All parties have to change their thinking: Mirwaiz SRINAGAR, Nov 17: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has risen above his country's traditional position on Kashmir and other parties now need to ditch their own long-held stances, a leading Kashmiri separatist said. ... Preparation of new electoral rolls in AJK MUZAFFARABAD, Nov 17: AJK Chief Election Commissioner Justice Syed Manzoor Hussain Gillani has called a meeting of all political parties of Azad Kashmir in connection with the next general elections of the state due in mid 2006, an official said here on Wednesday. ... Tribal malik living in Kabul returns WANA, Nov 17: A tribal malik who had sought political asylum in Afghanistan and had been living in Kabul since August, returned to South Waziristan on Wednesday after signing an agreement with the government. ...

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