15 December 2004 Wednesday 02 Ziqa'ad 1425 MMA convenes APC on religion column issue ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has convened an all-party conference on Dec 18 in Islamabad to discuss the issue of omission of information about religion from machine-readable passports. ... ARD, MMA yet to decide about MQM conference ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) have not yet decided whether to participate in the All Parties Conference (APC) ... No compromise on uniform issue: MMA RAWALPINDI, Dec 14: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal Deputy Secretary General Liaquat Baloch on Tuesday rejected any compromise on the president's uniform issue ... Fahim to lead rally from Lahore: ARD's Sialkot meeting LAHORE, Dec 14: The PPP says religion column in passport is a non-issue being raised by 'B-team' of the army government to divert attention of masses from real issues. ... Govt turning Pakistan into a secular state, says Nawaz ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Quaid and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has taken strong exception to the decision to exclude religion column from new passports ... Benazir hails talks on N-conflict safeguards ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: Pakistan People's Party Chairperson and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has welcomed Indo-Pakistan talks on creation of nuclear conflict safeguards. ... PPP, PML-N working on code of conduct KARACHI, Dec 14: A four-member committee of the PPP and PML-N was working on a draft of code of conduct for political parties and certain constitutional amendments, said highly-placed sources on Monday. ... PPP for fresh polls to avert crisis ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) senior Vice-President Mir Baz Mohammad Khan Khethran has said the country will face anarchy if elections were not held next year. ... PPP requisitions PA session KARACHI, Dec 14: The Pakistan Peoples Party on Tuesday requisitioned the Sindh Assembly session to discuss the creation of new districts, resignation of a private member representing Sindh in the NFC ... Balochistan opposition to requisition PA session QUETTA, Dec 14: Opposition parties in the Balochistan Assembly have announced that they have requisitioning a session of the assembly to restart their protest in the house ... JI warns of movement over AKU board issue KARACHI, Dec 14: The Secretary General of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Syed Munawwar Hasan, on Tuesday warned the government that if the decision regarding establishment of Aga Khan University Board was not withdrawn ... Implementation of UN resolutions on Kashmir urged HYDERABD, Dec 14: The President of the Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Pakistan and central leader of the MMA, Prof Shah Faridul Haque, has said the government should not abandon UN resolutions while seeking an amicable solution of the Kashmir dispute. ... Senate body reviews Fata uplift, Afghans repatriation ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: The Senate Standing Committee on States and Frontier Region has called for completion of the Afghan refugees repatriation from NWFP and Tribal Areas by 2006 ... Kashmiris must be included in peace talks: Sultan KARACHI, Dec 14: Welcoming the peace initiative between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, former prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and opposition leader in the AJK Assembly, Barrister Sutlan Mehmood Chaudhry ... Report on CIA bases in Pakistan baseless: ISPR ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: Inter Services Public Relations spokesman Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan has said that a report saying that the CIA had set up secret bases in Pakistan to search out Osama bin Laden is absolutely baseless. ... Musharraf given copy of Indian film NEW DELHI, Dec 14: President Gen Pervez Musharraf was recently presented in London with a copy of Indian cinema's acclaimed magnum opus Mughal-i-Azam, amid hopes that it would pave the way for the film's screening in Pakistan, The Hindustan Times said on Tuesday. ... Pakistan, India must enter globalization march: Anwar MUZAFFARABAD, Dec 14: AJK President Major General (retired) Sardar Mohammad Anwar Khan has said that the world has been emerging as a global village and time demands that both Pakistan and India should enter the globalization march ... Govt told to ply vehicles on franchise routes: Changes in motor law ordered ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Punjab government to consider operating its own vehicles on franchise routes awarded to private transport companies in the province. ... Bar library gets US donation KARACHI, Dec 14: The Sindh High Court Bar Library was on Tuesday equipped with a set of American Legal Discovery Centre. ... Law amendments relating to bail bonds proposed LAHORE, Dec 14: The Pakistan Law and Justice Commission is reported to have proposed to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights legislation on execution of bail bonds and registration of contracts. ... NAB not interested in old cases: lawyer ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: The National Accountability Bureau is not interested in pursuing corruption cases instituted by previous governments, the bureau's lawyer has told the Supreme Court. ... Marine academy to be upgraded KARACHI, Dec 14: The Pakistan Marine Academy will be upgraded to Maritime University in the near future. This was stated by Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Khan Ghouri while speaking as the chief guest at the passing-out parade of the academy on Tuesday. ... Population study termed vital for policy making: International research moot KARACHI, Dec 14: Speakers at an international conference on population and development research called for enriching the interaction between sociologists, demographers and policy makers in issues related to population and reproductive health in the region. ... Ministry criticized for not monitoring NGOs: Preservation of environment ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: The National Assembly's standing committee on planning and development criticized the environment ministry for not monitoring the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working for the preservation of environment. ... Many NGOs not up to mark, says minister KARACHI, Dec 14: The Federal minister for Population Welfare, Chaudhry Shabaz Hussain, said on Tuesday the government would hold an international ulema conference in March ... APNS award recipients ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: Journalists and advertisement agencies who won the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) awards for best performance received their awards at a ceremony here on Monday. ...

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