05 December 2004 Sunday 22 Shawwal 1425 Musharraf says Osama is alive BUENOS AIRES, Dec 4: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Friday said that Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was alive. The statement came in an interview published by La Nacion newspaper after the Pakistani leader had concluded his 48-hour visit to Argentina. ... Soomro defends signing of bill JACOBABAD, Dec 4: Senate Chairman and Acting President Mohammedmian Soomro has said there is no political crisis in the country and every state institution is functioning within the ambit of the Constitution ... Top PML-N leaders to skip ARD public meeting ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) has nominated its Secretary-General Saranjam Zamindar and former NWFP chief minister Pir Sabir Shah to participate in the first public meeting of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) in Malakand on Monday (tomorrow). ... Zardari gets warm welcome in hometown NAWABSHAH, Dec 4: Former senator Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan People's Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto will soon return to the country with people power. Addressing people who had gathered to greet him in Shahpur Jehanian near here on Saturday ... Govt told not to use state machinery in by-poll ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar directed the government on Saturday not to use state resources to influence the upcoming by-election in Malakand. ... Kalabagh dam project opposed HYDERABAD, Dec 4: Condemning the obduracy of the government to go ahead with the construction of greater Thal canal and Kalabagh dam, the Sindh Water Committee has warned political leaders and parties of serious consequences. ... CJ seeks help for judicial reforms KARACHI, Dec 4: Drastic steps are needed to improve the judicial system and provide speedy justice to the litigants in their life-time. ... Plan to prevent misuse of loans ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: The government has devised a plan to effectively prevent misuse of foreign aid and development loans. ... Pakistan likely to sign rights convention ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: Pakistan is working to sign the global Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against Torture, officials told Dawn. ... CBR resolves 62 sales tax cases ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has resolved 62 cases of sales tax under the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism to facilitate taxpayers. ... Mobile lab in Islamabad by end of Dec: Emission testing ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pepa) is set to launch its first mobile vehicular emission testing laboratory in the capital by the end of this month, it has been learnt. ... Steps being taken to boost Steel Mills production LAHORE, Dec 4: Pakistan Steel Mills chairman Lt-Gen Abdul Qayyum (retired) has said efforts were being made for boosting the productions of the mills and improvement in the quality of its products. ... Proposal to establish coal board opposed KARACHI, Dec 4: The Sindh government has opposed the proposal of constituting a coal board and establishing coal mining and power generation company or any of the two by pointing ... PM lauds traditional Sindhi handicrafts KARACHI, Dec 4: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Saturday that handicraft and traditional products manufactured in Sindh could be exported after value-addition and innovation to earn the much-needed foreign exchange. ... Kidney Centre gets $0.14m KARACHI, Dec 4: A cheque of $140,000 was handed over to the management of the Kidney Centre by the head of a multinational company on Saturday. ... ADB to lend $160m to Balochistan QUETTA, Dec 4: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide $160 million loan to Balochistan for rural development, drought mitigation and social services. ... Revival of KCR in decisive phase KARACHI, Dec 4: Funding options vis-a-vis the revival of the Karachi Circular Railway are likely to be discussed at a meeting to be held on Monday in Islamabad, transport department officials said. ... Law soon on organ donation, transplantation KARACHI, Dec. 4: In the next budget, allocation for health sector would be increased from Rs4.3 billion to Rs6.1 billion, said the federal health minister on Saturday evening. ... Infrastructure vital for investment, says minister HARIPUR, Dec 4: The government is making efforts to improve industrial infrastructural facilities in Hattar to increase the quantum of investment in the sector, says Omar Ayub Khan, minister of state for finance. ... Changes in Haj policy soon, says minister HYDERABAD, Dec 4: State Minister for Religious Affairs and Zakat and Ushr Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain has said that Haj operations will be given to the private sector and existing Haj policy is being reviewed for major changes. ... Red Crescent asked to help Fata people PESHAWAR, Dec 4: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said that terrorism has engulfed the entire world, posing a grave threat to humanity and added that right from the United States to Far East terrorism had made lives of people unsafe and insecure. ... Search for judges launched SHIKARPUR, Dec 4: Heavy contingents of police from five districts have failed to find any clue to the two additional sessions judges, Abdul Wahab Abbasi and Farooq Ahmed Channa, who were kidnapped on Friday. ...

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