06 December 2004 Monday 23 Shawwal 1425 MMA asks Musharraf to shed uniform KARACHI, Dec 5: Leaders of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal at a demonstration here on Sunday stressed that Gen Musharraf must fulfil his commitment of shedding the military uniform by December 31 or face a nation wide protest movement. ... ARD leaders also attend MMA's Multan rally: Qazi threatens countrywide strike MULTAN, Dec 5: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has threatened to take its protest drive to streets if the government does not announce, by Dec 19, implementation of the agreement that Gen Musharraf will shed his uniform at the end of the current year. ... ARD's public meeting today PESHAWAR, Dec 5: The Pakistan People's Party has said that a public meeting to be held by the ARD on Monday in Butkhela, would "prove to be the last nail in the coffin of opportunists" conspiring to rig the Dec 15 by-elections. ... PPP's alliance with 'any party' possible LAHORE, Dec 5: The PPP may enter into an alliance with any party, including the ruling PML, according to future political situations, but it cannot forgive "traitors". ... PML now a party of masses, says Nisar KARACHI, Dec 5: Additional General Secretary of the PML Nisar A. Memon has said that the era of drawing room politics and slogans has ended and the PML today has become a party of masses and heart throb of people. ... Muttahida demonstrates massive show of strength KARACHI, Dec 5: It was a day of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's tri-colour flag as party staged a massive show of strength by organizing a huge public meeting, which was attended by people from all walks of life ... JI demands end to army operation PESHAWAR, Dec 5: The Jamaat-i-Islami has condemned military action in Wana and urged the government to stop the operation in South Waziristan Agency and release tribesmen detained during the operation. ... Activists 'off-loaded' from buses BAHAWALPUR, Dec 5: Local police teams blocked the main thoroughfare leading to Multan and off-loaded a number of MMA activists and workers from buses who were on board to attend the alliance public meeting. ... Sugar mills urged to resume operation KARACHI, Dec. 5: Speakers at a demonstration here on Sunday warned of a protest rally outside the Governor's House on Dec 12 if all sugar mills in Sindh did not restart their operation immediately ... JKLF calls for united Kashmir for 15 years ISLAMABAD, Dec 5: Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman Amanullah Khan has asked the Pakistani and Indian leadership to look into the Kashmir issue from the point of view of Kashmiris. ... Indian HC optimistic about easier visa, travel KARACHI, Dec 5: Indian High Commissioner Shiv Shankar Menon has said that his country is keen to reopen its consulate in Karachi as most of the Indian visa seekers come from Karachi and other parts of Sindh. ... Problem faced by minorities highlighted LAHORE, Dec 5: Minorities are living under pressure and facing discrimination in the country because of having been reduced to second clean citizens because of promulgation of discriminatory laws and constitutional amendments. ... Refugees of '71 war living in misery SKARDU, Dec 5: Refugees of the India-Pakistan war of 1971 from Nobra and Kharmang sectors have been living in a miserable condition owing to poverty and unemployment for the last 33 years. ... 'Strategy devised to alleviate poverty' ISLAMABAD, Dec 5: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Sunday said recent statistics showed that around 70 per cent of Pakistanis were engaged in some form of volunteerism significantly addressing poverty alleviation ... Rs2bn spent to stabilize oil prices: PM KARACHI, Dec 5: The government has paid Rs2 billion to oil marketing companies as a differential between local and international oil prices to save the public from the impact of higher global oil prices, says Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. ... Punjab to have drip, sprinkle irrigation LAHORE, Dec 5: President Pervez Musharraf is keen to build new water reservoirs and the country will soon to have two of them, Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool said here on Sunday. ... Australia to help cultivate land affected by salinity ISLAMABAD, Dec 5: Australia has shown willingness to launch a mega project aimed to grow various crops on thousands of acres affected by water logging and salinity in Pakistan. ... First PIA cargo flight leaves for Frankfurt KARACHI, Dec 5: An alliance between Lufthansa Cargo AG and national carrier PIA went into practical demonstration with the departure of the first PIA cargo flight loaded with 40 tons of freight for Frankfurt here on Sunday morning. ... PFUJ, Apnec reject ordinances QUETTA, Dec 5: A joint meeting of the federal executive council of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist and the national executive council of the All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation (Apnec) rejected on Sunday ... Refugees advised to return home PESHAWAR, Dec 5: State and Frontier Regions Secretary Sajid Hussain Chatha has said that the Afghan refugees should go back to their homeland. According to a press release issued on Sunday by the NWFP Afghan Refugees Commissionerate, the official told elders at the Kacha Ghari camp on Saturday ...

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