24 December 2004 Friday 11 Ziqa'ad 1425 17th Amendment tied to uniform issue, says Qazi PESHAWAR, Dec 23: MMA chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad has said that if Gen Musharraf does not give up his uniform by Dec 31, the 17 Amendment to the Constitution will stand abrogated. ... Musharraf's statement on Benazir, Nawaz flayed ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: Deputy information secretary of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) Munir Ahmed Khan has said Gen Musharraf's statement that Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif could not come to Pakistan ... No objection to PPP-govt reconciliation: PML-N LAHORE, Dec 23: The PML-N has no objection to government-PPP reconciliation and is will rather be happy if the latter manages to end the army dictatorship through this effort. ... Another motion against police torture filed ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) on Thursday submitted another motion to the National Assembly Secretariat to raise the issue of police torture on the parliamentarians ... ARD criticizes imposition of section 144 HYDERABAD, Dec 23: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy has criticized the Sindh government for imposing section 144 Cr.PC throughout the province and said the move is aimed at sabotaging the alliance's Jan 2 public meeting in Sukkur. ... Benazir voices concern over KESC crisis ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: Former prime minister and Chairperson of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Benazir Bhutto has expressed concern that Karachi could face a power shutdown if the government failed to initiate a dialogue with the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) union. ... Opposition insists on requisition session KARACHI, Dec 23: Leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro on Thursday accused the government of violating constitution by not convening the requisitioned session of the assembly ... Zafar for PML-N reorganization ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) chairman, Raja Zafarul Haq, has directed all the provincial chief organizers of the party to finalize the names of the members of the respective organizing committees ... Heated debates expected in assembly today KARACHI, Dec 23: The winter session of the Sindh Assembly commencing on Friday is likely to witness fireworks as the House has been summoned when the political temperature over sensitive issues in the country is rising. ... Baloch won't succumb to pressure: BNP-M QUETTA, Dec 23: Balochistan National Party (Mengal) President Sardar Akhtar Mengal said on Thursday that the Baloch people would not succumb to pressure being exerted by the government by torturing political activists ... PPP leaders get pre-arrest bails MULTAN, Dec 23: A local court granted pre-arrest bails to PPP leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Salahuddin Dogar on Thursday in the cases registered against them and hundreds of their party comrades for violating section 144. ... PPP workers granted bail RAWALPINDI, Dec 23: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) workers and supporters arrested on Tuesday were granted bail by the court of Civil Judge Awais Khan Niazi here on Thursday. ... NA body chief stresses need to promote tourism ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: The chairperson of NA standing committee on tourism, Meena Ehsan Leghari, has stressed the need for adopting a well-coordinated strategy to promote tourism in the country. ... Petition challenging doctor brothers' detention put off KARACHI, Dec 23: The Sindh High Court adjourned on Thursday the hearing of a writ petition challenging the doctor brothers' detention to Dec 28 to enable the advocate-general to file a rejoinder. ... Sale of four Ittefaq units stayed LAHORE, Dec 23: A division bench of the Lahore High Court has stayed the sale of four steel mills of the Ittefaq Group with a direction that tenders for the disposal of the units should not be opened ... ADB approves $57m loan for Azad Kashmir ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday approved a $57 million loan for multi sector rehabilitation and improvement of economic prospects in Azad Kashmir. ... $7m UNDP assistance for women development ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will provide $7 million for initiation of three projects focusing on socio-economic empowerment of women in the country. ... UNHCR lobbying for law on refugees ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been working with parliamentarians to formulate laws for protection of refugees in the legal system of the country, UN officials told Dawn . ... Pugwash process to seek 'feasible' solutions ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: A conference on Kashmir dispute held recently in Kathmandu agreed to seek peaceful solutions that are 'honourable' and 'feasible', according to a consensus paper of the dialogue sponsored by the US-based think tank, Pugwash. ... Prices of plots in Gwadar scheme increased QUETTA, Dec 23: The Balochistan government has increased prices of plots in a Gwadar housing scheme and urged investors to deposit fee on transfer of plots. ... Faulty altimeter may have caused mid-air incident KARACHI, Dec 23: Preliminary investigations into Wednesday's mid-air incident involving PIA's flight PK-309 indicate that either faulty equipment or pilot's error led to a sudden turbulence which left a passenger and a crew member slightly injured. ... Body formed to monitor computer programmes ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has approved the establishment of a National Computing Education Accreditation Council (NCEAC) to have a check on computing programmes offered in the country. ... Teachers' salary to be revised soon: minister ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: Federal Education Minister Lt-Gen (retired) Javed Ashraf Qazi on Thursday said the salary structure of teachers would soon be revised to improve their living standard. ... CBR officials warned against corruption ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) Chairman, M. Abdullah Yousuf, has warned officials of the board to shun corruption otherwise action would be taken against them. ... Railways stand on land lease LAHORE, Dec 23: Reacting to a report "Railways lease out land for a paltry sum", a Pakistan Railways statement said on Thursday that the land was not leased against one time advance of Rs1.2 million. ... US firms to invest in Pakistan: envoy ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: Water and Power Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi on Thursday stressed the need to strengthen Pakistan's economic and trade relations with the United States and more exchange of visits of business delegations between the two countries. ... Khokhar's sentence suspended LAHORE, Dec 23: An Ehtesab appellate bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday suspended the sentence given to former deputy speaker of National Assembly Nawaz Khokhar on a reference decided by an accountability court in June. ... Kashmiris stage hunger strike MUZAFFARABAD, Dec 23: Activists of the Kashmir Students Liberation Front (KSLF), the student wing of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (Rauf Kashmiri group), staged a token hunger strike here on Thursday ... Duty-free zone for medical drugs planned in Gawadar PESHAWAR, Dec 23: Federal Minister for Health Naseer Ahmed Khan has said that a separate duty-free zone has been planned at the Gawadar Port to help pharmaceutical manufacturers and promote pharmaceutical products. ... Indian writers visit Naushahro Feroze NAUSHAHRO FEROZE, Dec 23: A delegation of Indian Sindhi writers, poets and intellectuals, led by Suresh A. Keswani, member of the Rajya Sabha and vice-chairman of the Sindhi Academy, New Delhi, arrived here on Thursday ...

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