March, 29 2005 Tuesday 18 Safar 1426 Pakistan soon to be among top 10 Asian economies: Aziz ISLAMABAD, March 28: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said the government is committed to providing healthcare facilities to the people. The prime minister was talking to Sheikh Yousaf Jameel, a leading... Body for allocating more funds to NHA: Maintenance of Coastal Highway ISLAMABAD, March 28: Senate Standing Committee on Communications Chairman Senator Kamil Ali Agha has said the Coastal Highway is a lifeline for inter-provincial trade and other links. Presiding over a committee... Use of force in Balochistan may split country: Altaf KARACHI, March 28: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief, Altaf Hussain, has warned that use of force in Balochistan and elsewhere could split the country into many independent units and vehemently opposed... Call to rid provinces of deprivation ISLAMABAD, March 28: Speakers at a symposium on Monday warned policymakers of a 1971-like situation if sense of deprivation among provinces was not addressed once and for all. They said the... 33pc of poor live in Sindh, Punjab: ADB ISLAMABAD, March 28: Over 33 per cent of Pakistan’s poor population live in agro-climatic zones of Sindh and southern Punjab where skewed distribution of land is hindering poverty alleviation measures, reveals... Reinstatement of 132 USC employees ordered ISLAMABAD, March 28: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) to immediately reinstate 132 employees after upholding the decision of the Federal Service Tribunal (FST). Out of... Talks on trade accord with Gulf states soon ISLAMABAD, March 28: The government is likely to initiate talks on a Preferential Trade Arrangement (PTA) with Gulf Cooperation Council of States (GCCS) aimed at enhancing trade with oil rich countries.... Locomotive deal PAC takes up $98m scam today ISLAMABAD, March 28: The $98 million defective locomotive deal finalized during the tenure of Lt-Gen (retired) Javed Ashraf Qazi as railway minister in 2001 would be scrutinized by the Public Accounts... Nadra starts printing MRPs with religion column ISLAMABAD, March 28: National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) on Monday started printing of an additional column of religion in machine readable passports, a source in the authority told Dawn. The source... Markhor trophy hunting accord in jeopardy ISLAMABAD, March 28: Local communities in Chitral have accused the wildlife department of violating an agreement and withholding their Rs7 million share of the proceeds of markhor trophy hunting in the... Plan to improve facilities at rural health centres RAWALPINDI, March 28: The Punjab government is working on a multi-billion rupees project to improve the quality of health care facilities at Rural Health Centres (RHCs) across the province. Provincial Health... Lawyers end strike on LHC judges’ assurance RAWALPINDI, March 28: The lawyers’ community here on Monday called off their strike after senior judges of the Lahore High Court assured them that their demands would be accepted. In this... ‘Violation’ of merit Recruitment in Punjab suspended LAHORE, March 28: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has suspended recruitment process in the province following complaints of merit violation, an official handout said on Monday. The order is applicable to all... JI’s advice to resolve Balochistan crisis LAHORE, March 28: Jamaat-i-Islami deputy secretary-general MNA Farid Piracha proposes certain measures to resolve the Balochistan crisis. Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, he feared a 1971 like tragedy... PPP planning warm welcome for Zardari ISLAMABAD, March 28: Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) Punjab Joint Secretary Agha Riazul Islam has said a warm welcome will be given to PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari who is... Govt ready to probe police encounter LAHORE, March 28: The provincial government announced on Monday that it was ready to order a judicial probe into a police encounter on Feb 1 last in which two youths of... Fountains, greenbelts are parks: minister LAHORE, March 28: The housing, urban development and public health engineering minister, rejecting objections by the opposition, insisted that fountains and greenbelts must be considered as recreational parks.... Selection of LHC judges LAHORE, March 28: The chief justice is considering a list of 10 lawyers and district and sessions judges for the selection of seven of them for elevation to the Lahore High... LHC seeks NAB view on Faisal’s plea LAHORE, March 28: The Lahore High Court on Monday allowed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) the only chance to come out with a firm view on the contention of federal minister... Rs5 million for new museum building LAHORE, March 28: The Punjab government has released Rs5 million for starting construction of a new building for the Lahore Museum. It has decided to construct the building on six-and-a-half kanals... Nazim accused of corruption LAHORE, March 28: Eighteen Nazims of Nishtar Town union councils have levelled allegations of corruption and dictatorship against town Nazim Rafiq Hasrat. District Nazim’s Model Town Coordinator Tahir Kardar and 17... Dictatorial rules blamed for emergence of extremists LAHORE, March 28: Sindh PPP Secretary-General Nafees Siddiqui holds dictatorial rules responsible for the emergence of extremists, terrorists, Jihadis and opportunists. Talking to reporters here on Sunday, he said liberal forces... 3 women of family found slain LAHORE, March 28: Three women of a family were found murdered at their house at Yousuf Park in Shahdara on Monday, while cash and gold worth Rs400,000 were also found missing.... Sialkot airport to start operation in August LAHORE, March 28: Sialkot International Airport, the first in the country being developed on a self-help basis, will be operational from August, says a Civil Aviation Authority official. The Rs2 billion... Growers asked to keep pace with market trends FAISALABAD, March 28: Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool has stressed the need to streamline the agriculture marketing system and to bridge the gap between the growers and the scientists for bringing about... Traders in crisis after ‘double taxation’ SAHIWAL, March 28: ‘Double taxation’ in local small industries has forced the industrialists to close their units and shift the business to Lahore, Sialkot and Gujranwala. This was said by Small... Remand in bribery case extended PESHAWAR, March 28: An accountability court on Monday remanded three officials of police and customs department in the custody of National Accountability Bureau for 10 days. The accused, DPO Dilawar Khan... Call for scientific research to solve farmers’ problems PESHAWAR, March 28: NWFP Governor Khalilur Rehman on Monday asked agriculture scientists and researchers to identify the problems being faced by farmers and find out practical solutions to those problems. He... MMA, Ponam urge traders to support strike PESHAWAR, March 28: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and the Pakistan Oppressed Nations’ Movement (Ponam) have contacted representative bodies of traders and goods transporters and asked them to take part in strikes called... Islam protects rights of everyone: minister PESHAWAR, March 28: Islam lays more stress on protecting fundamental human rights than any other religion, NWFP minister for religious affairs Maulana Amanullah Haqqani said on Monday. He was addressing the...

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