February 24, 2006	Friday	Muharram 25, 1427

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AJK village faces new threat of flooding HATTIAN BALA, Feb 23: When the Oct 8 earthquake split a Pakistani mountain, two villages and 560 people were buried under a 2.1 kilometre (1.3 mile) long rock slide....		Spillway at Hattian Bala operational HATTIAN BALA, Feb 23: A 2.2km spillway built at Hattian Bala Lake stands operational and is discharging 10 cusec feet of water daily. This was stated by Commander Task Force Lt-Col...
Three killed, seven hurt in Bara LANDI KOTAL, Feb 23: Three people were killed and seven injured after clashes between two groups in Bara on Thursday, officials said. However, according to AP five people were killed while a private TV channel put the death toll at seven....		Polls beyond 2007 will be disastrous, say SCBA chief ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president, Malik Muhammad Qayyum, on Thursday said that postponement of general elections beyond 2007 would lead to a serious constitutional crisis in the country....
Opposition groups to boycott APC in Karachi QUETTA, Feb 23: Opposition parties in Balochistan and the Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (Ponm) have decided to boycott an all-party conference convened by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in Karachi on Feb 25....		Bush should help resolve Balochistan issue: paper NEW YORK, Feb 23: The New York Times says the Pakistan army is losing war against Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in the NWFP, as the government has moved it to Balochistan to quell insurgency there....
Musharraf, Aziz inquire after Pagara’s health KARACHI, Feb 23: President Pervez Musharraf made a phone call on Thursday to Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) chief Pir Pagara to inquire after his health. Pir Pagara is at the Aga Khan Hospital recuperating from recent asthma complications....		Opposition urged not to trivialise religious cause: Warning of stern action against law-breakers ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) on Thursday strongly reacted to the combined opposition’s boycott of the Brussels-bound parliamentary delegation and urged it to desist from attempts to politicise a purely religious issue....
Seminaries given a month’s deadline: Registration drive PESHAWAR, Feb 23: The federal government has directed the four provinces to complete the registration of seminaries by the end of March, sources said. The ministry of religious affairs has issued...		Over 9,000 families build shelters in Mansehra ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: Over 9,000 families in Mansehra district have built quake-resistant shelters with wooden walls and tin roofs with the help of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)....
British MPs visit relief camps ISLAMABAD Feb 23: Three British MPs on Thursday visited a tented village in H-11 sector and inaugurated a computer lab that has been donated by an NGO “Helping Hand” for school at the camp....		Pakistan to help Azerbaijan in telecom deregulation ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: Pakistan on Thursday agreed to provide technical input and expertise to Azerbaijan to help the Central Asian state introduce deregulation in its monopolistic telecom sector....
Government to offset property losses: Pervaiz gives away motorcycles LAHORE, Feb 23: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi said on Thursday the people, whose property was burnt and damaged during violence in the city, would be compensated....		Lahore to be sealed during protest, strike: police LAHORE, Feb 23: City police chief Khwaja Khalid Farooq has said that nobody will be allowed to enter the provincial capital on Feb 24 and Feb 26, and law-enforcers will be deployed to seal city’s all entry points....
Industry likely to import skilled labour ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Engineering Development Board (EDB) Imtiaz A. Rastgar on Thursday said the industry was facing a severe shortage of skilled labour....		Opposition criticized for rejecting offer: Joint protest in Brussels RAWALPINDI, Feb 23: Pakistan Muslim League Central Vice- President Syed Kabir Ali Wasti has criticized the opposition for rejecting the government’s invitation to hold a protest against blasphemous cartoons by a joint parliamentary delegation in Brussels....
Saarc police proposed to check human smuggling ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: A regional conference here on Thursday asked South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation member countries to explore the possibilities of setting up a Saarc police for dealing with human smuggling....		Govt to formulate long-term industrial policy ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: The government plans to formulate a long-term industrial policy with the support of all stakeholders to ‘avoid sudden business shocks’. Sources say the government has been advised by...
Cases against PPP MPA condemned ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: President of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) Makhdoom Amin Fahim on Thursday condemned the institution of two criminal cases against party MPA from Sindh Assardass D....		Govt has no objection to peaceful rallies ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: Federal Minister for Population Welfare Ch Shahbaz Hussain on Thursday warned general public against playing in the hands of opposition parties on the issue of blasphemous cartoon....
Traders hold protest ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: Protest demonstrations were staged in different parts of the capital against the arrest of Mian Mohammad Aslam, MNA, and other opposition leaders. The protests were organized by traders community....		OIC youth moot soon ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Ms. Sumaira Malik has said that Prime Minister’s Youth Internship Programme and OIC Youth Conference would be organized soon....
Injuries to prisoner: LHC seeks reply from IG jails ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench has asked the inspector-general jails (Punjab) to submit reply with regard to severe injuries allegedly inflicted on a prisoner serving death sentence after...		217 protesters released on bail RAWALPINDI, Feb 23: Some 217 people arrested during last Sunday’s anti-cartoon protest in the city were released on bail on Wednesday. However, PPP MNA Zamurrad Khan, who was detained for one...
‘Nawaz to return home this year’ LAHORE, Feb 23: Local PML-N leaders are claiming that exiled former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif is planning to return home this year. “Most likely he will land here in the...		Fazl says US pursuing double standards ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: MMA central leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that according to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) report, the involvement of army in corruption is higher than in other institutions....
President back home ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: President Gen Pervez Musharraf returned home on Thursday evening after a five-day state visit to China.—APP...		Registration of birth project to cover all NWFP districts PESHAWAR, Feb 23: After its successful launching in four districts of the province, the universal birth registration project has been extended to all the 24 districts of the NWFP with the financial and technical assistance of ‘Plan Pakistan’, an international NGO....
Politicians responsible for military interventions, says Memon SUKKUR Feb 23: Terming President Musharraf’s China visit vital for Pakistan’s defence, the chairman of Senate’s standing committees on information and defence production, Senator Nisar A....		PPP condemns blasphemous caricatures LARKANA, Feb 23: Activists of the People’s Party Parliament-arians took out a protest procession here on Thursday against publication of blasphemous cartoons. Led by party MNA Mohammad Anwar Bhutto and MPA Munwar Ali Abbasi, they marched up to the Jinnahbagh....
23 booked for felling trees NAWABSHAH, Feb 23: Police on Thursday registered a case against 23 people for cutting trees and sowing crop on the government land in Thatt Jagir forests....		Thousands in Sukkur hold rally against cartoons SUKKUR, Feb 23: Thousands of people marched from Thehri to the Clock Tower here on Thursday to protest against publication of blasphemous cartoons. They also protested against the expelling of foreigners...
Two FIA men held for human smuggling PESHAWAR, Feb 23: Two employees of the Federal Investigation Agency have been arrested on charges of human trafficking, sources told Dawn on Thursday. Constables Saadat Afridi and Mir Samad were arrested...		Crushed stone in the name of cement GUJRANWALA, Feb 23: A district administration team on Thursday raided a cement manufacturing factory at Sabzi Mandi area and seized over 350 bags of fake cement, besides taking its owner into custody....
Police seek politician’s help as last resort: Kidnap for convict’s pardon FAISALABAD, Feb 23: The police have sought help from a politician for the recovery of a kidnapped man. Sources said that every effort made by the police to trace Zahid Saleem,...		‘Irregularities’ in NBP promotions LAHORE, Feb 23: ‘Irregularities’ in recent promotions and the new promotion policy have sent a wave of unrest among National Bank officers. Already dismayed at “double standards” being shown by the...
Arts college gets land at BZU MULTAN, Feb 23: A 25 acres piece of land on the premises of Bahauddin Zakariya University has been allocated for the Multan College of Arts building....		Protests against cartoons continue MULTAN, Feb 23: Activists of component parties of Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy staged a sit-in here on Thursday to condemn publication of sacrilegious cartoons....
Guru Granth to be translated into Urdu LAHORE, Feb 23: The Academy of Guru Granth Studies, USA, will help establish a research section in the Dyal Singh Library here. This was stated by academy president Dr Harbans Lal at a press conference here on Thursday....		Potato export hit by low production LAHORE, Feb 23: The exporters have suspended potato exports after a substantial drop in crop production due to the prolonged frosty spells in the months of December and January....
Verdict on plea against cineplex reserved LAHORE, Feb 23: Justice Muhammad Saeed Akhtar of the Lahore High Court on Thursday reserved judgment on a writ petition through which the residents of Gulberg had challenged the construction of an elitist entertainment complex at the Doongi Ground on M.M....		Centres to be set up for poultry screening PESHAWAR, Feb 23: The agriculture and livestock department is establishing four diagnostic centres in the province to screen poultry products, it is learnt. A doctor at the provincial veterinary research Centre,...
SHOs responsible for people’s safety: PHC PESHAWAR, Feb 23: The Peshawar High Court has observed that every SHO is responsible for safety and liberty of citizens and even if an agency other than police picks up a...		Life term in murder case set aside PESHAWAR, Feb 23: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday set aside the life imprisonment awarded to two accused by a qazi court in Swat in a case of honour-related double murder....
Violent protests criticized PESHAWAR, Feb 23: NWFP Information Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai has said that people who damaged public and private properties during protests were not well-wishers of the country....		Officials asked to recover power dues PESHAWAR, Feb 23: Peshawar Electricity Supply Company Chief Executive Brig Sakhi Marjan has directed officials of Pesco’s Khyber division to ensure recovery of dues in the current month and reduce line losses....
No strike today, says MMA PESHAWAR, Feb 23: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has announced that there will be no strike in the city during anti-blasphemy demonstrations to be held after Friday prayers (today)....		Five injured in blast DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Feb 23: A bomb ripped through a video shop in Zafarabad colony in Dera Ismail Khan on Thursday, wounding five people including a child, hospital sources said....
Robbers on the rampage GUJRANWALA, Feb 23: Dacoits looted cash and valuables in six strikes in and around the city here on Thursday....		Man kills two sisters over ‘honour’ VEHARI, Feb 23: Two sisters were shot dead by their brother over honour in Muslim Town here on Thursday....