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| April 23, 2007 | Monday | Rabi-us-Sani 05, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan pursuing four-prong strategy to tackle terrorism; Musharraf ISLAMABAD, April 23 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf said Monday that Pakistan has adopted four-prong strategy based on military, political, administrative and developmental measures to tackle the menace of terrorism and extremism. In an interview with Polish Television, he said besides taking effective military action, Pakistan has launched administrative, political and development reforms in the areas near Pak-Afghan border to combat terrorism. “We are pumping a lot of money and the United States is giving us $ 150 million annually for development projects for these area, “ he said. “We are sealing our borders so that the people do not go across into Afghanistan, but the ultimate battle still remained in Afghanistan, because the Taliban are in Afghanistan.” Explaining the strategy, the President said it includes military action against Al-Qaeda and militant Taliban, then political strategy of reaching out to the people through an agreement or deal which Pakistan is trying in North Waziristan. “We are now putting pressure with these people who signed the agreement to deliver what ever they singed.” He said 350 foreigners have been killed by the tribal people because of the political deal signed by the government with them. Answering a question, the President said there is total cooperation between the coalition forces and Pakistan. “I am satisfied with the intelligence cooperation, at the strategic level, and at the military level but my dismay is in the attitude of the Afghan President and the Afghan government and the people who keep abusing Pakistan for not doing enough.” The President said, “We have lost 500 soldiers, and killed thousands of people and arrested over 700 Al- Qaeda members in this war against terrorism.” He said only Pakistan has the strategy to deal with Al-Qaeda and Taliban and no other country has this strategy. (Posted @ 22:06 PST)
Pakistan to become major exporter of medicines: PM Aziz ISLAMABAD, April 23 (PPI)- Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Monday the government was taking steps to position Pakistan as the manufacturing and export hub of high quality medicines and the relevant regulations and procedures have been improved to bring them in line with the best international practices. Chairing a meeting to review pharmaceutical industry’s growth he said the steps taken by the government including the establishment of an Intellectual Property Rights Organization of Pakistan, strict enforcement of laws, streamlining of drugs and patents registration process have brought significant improvement in the pharmaceutical industry and Pakistan is poised to increase the export of drugs.He said plans to establish the Drugs Regulatory Authority have been finalised and emphasised the need to promote high quality medical research.The meeting was attended among others by the President of American Business Council and heads of leading pharmaceutical multi-nationals. (Posted @ 22:24 PST)
Three car bombers kill 20 in Iraq's Ramadi RAMADI, Iraq, April 23 (Reuters) - Three suicide car bombers killed 20 people and wounded 35 others in Ramadi on Monday, police said. A hospital source said 29 bodies had been received following the blasts. The first car bomb went off near a restaurant popular with police officers, killing 13 people and wounding 12, police said. The two other car bombs exploded near Iraqi police checkpoints set up after the first bomb went off, police said. (Posted @ 22:04 PST)
Salman hints at incentives for salaried class in budget LAHORE, April 23 (APP)- Advisor to Prime Minister, Dr. Salman Shah Monday said that the upcoming federal budget is likely to have incentives for the salaried class. Talking to newsmen at Punjab Development Forum here, he said that there would be good news for the low-income groups especially the salaried class in the2007-08 budget . Replying to a question he said government had taken all necessary measures to bolster the risk management system in the stock market. (Posted @ 21:52 PST)
NA cannot debate matter of reference against CJ: Wasi Zafar ISLAMABAD, April 23 (APP): Minister for Law,Justice and Human Rights Wasi Zafar told the National Assembly on Monday that it cannot debate the matter of reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as it was sub-judice. Speaking on a Point of Order about admissibility of the adjournment motion on the issue, the minister said that all issues related with he reference against the dysfunctional CJ have been challenged in the Supreme Court. So by that count too the matter is sub judice, he said. Earlier, Opposition members speaking on points of order called for a debate on the matter of reference sent against the dysfunctional chief justice. Those who spoke included chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan,Liaquat Baloch,Maulana Meraj Din,Hanif Abbasi and Khawja Saad Rafique. The Speaker reserved his ruling on the admissibility of the motion and adjourned the House till tomorrow evening. (Posted @ 21:24 PST)
Independence of judiciary does not mean absence of accountability; Wasi Zafar ISLAMABAD, Apriul 23 (APP): Minister for Law, Justice & Human Rights Muhammad Wasi Zafar Monday said that independence of judiciary does not mean absence of accountability. Judiciary is a vital pillar of the state and its optimum performance demands firm adherence to its code of conduct, he said in a meeting with a high level delegation of International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) headed by a senior Malaysian jurist Data' Param Cumaraswamy, says a press release. The ICJ delegation is on a seven day mission to Pakistan to examine events and developments in connection with filing of reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. It will seek to assess the impact of these developments, including an assessment of due process in relations to the SJC proceedings, on the independence of the judiciary in Pakistan. (Posted @ 21:18 PST)
Four killed, 9 injured in Bara; security personnel deployed PESHAWAR, April 23 (PPI):- Confirming four deaths and nine injuries in Bara of Khyber Agency, Secretary FATA Security Arbab Arif Monday said security personnel had been deployed at all entry points of Bara and government will soon launch operation against “activists of Laskar-e-Islami, which has been involved in militant activities in Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency since long, had attacked the residence of Pir Saifur Rahman and opened fire at Mehsood scouts which were deployed there”. During the crossfire four armed men of Lashkar-e-Islami were killed while 9 other injured, including students of the area”, he told newsmen at a press briefing. He said the situation in Bara was tense but no curfew was imposed . However, strict security measures had been taken and no one will be allowed to gather for any sort of demonstration or procession. “Lashkar-e-Islami used students as shield and thus managed to flee after destroying government buildings and setting check posts ablaze on Sunday,” Arbab Arif said. They attacked the house once owned by Pir Saifur Rehman. On Monday again they attacked a house of Pir Saifur Rehman, presently being used as official compound by Mehsood Scouts. “Mehsood Scouts fired back, killing four, two of them students. Nine attackers were injured ”. Arbab Arif said operation in Bara will be undertaken soon to root out Mangal Bagh's Lasker-e-Islami from the area. Replying to a question he said most of the wanted people belonged to Malak Deenkhel, Sipah and Akakhel tribes. He ruled out the presence of any of wanted foreigner in Khyber Agency. He also said the government would close all illegal FM radio stations in Khyber Agency. (Posted @ 21:14 PST)
Hockey: Abbasi dropped as Pakistan announce 18-member squad KARACHI, April 23 (PPI): Pakistan on Monday surprisingly omitted highly-rated striker Shakeel Abbasi from their new 18-member squad for next month's Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia. Seasoned winger Rehan Butt was retained as the captain but his deputy Shakeel Abbasi was dropped from the side on the basis of poor form and was replaced by defender Zeeshan Ashraf as the new vice-captain. The squad: Goal-keepers: Salman Akbar, Nasir Ahmad; Fullbacks: Ehsanullah, Zeeshan Ashraf (vice-captain), Imran Warsi, Muhammad Imran; Midfielders: Imran Khan, Adnan Maqsood, Sajjad Anwar, Rana Asif; Forwards: Rehan Butt (captain), Ishtiaq, Muhammad Amin, Tariq Aziz, Akhtar Ali, Waqas Sharif, M. Shabbir, Zubair. Reserves: Shakir, Majid Khan, Kashif, Sumair, Yasir Islam, Saeed, Arshad, Asim Khan, Abbas Haider. (Posted @ 20:44 PST)
President Musharraf talks with his Polish counterpart Warsaw, April 23 (PPI):- President Pervez Musharraf had a one-on-one meeting with his Polish counterpart Lech Keczynski at Presidential Palace Monday in Warsaw during which they exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional and international issues. Earlier the President was accorded very warm welcome when he arrived at presidential palace this morning. (Posted @ 20:40 PST)
Ruling candidate wins disputed Nigerian presidential poll LAGOS, April 23 (AFP) - Ruling party candidate Umaru Yar'Adua won Nigeria's presidential election Monday, even as foreign observers slammed the credibility of the disputed poll that claimed at least 200 lives. Nigeria's main opposition parties immediately rejected the victory on the grounds of rampant fraud and said they would take the matter to court. The United States also voiced deep concern at the violence and voting irregularities, while the chief EU observer Max van den Berg said the polls had “fallen far short” of basic international standards. “The process cannot be considered to be credible,” he said. Van den Berg's team said at least 200 people were killed in “unacceptable” election-related violence during the two polls, with victims including police and some candidates. (Posted @ 20:24 PST)
Pakistanis march against extremism ISLAMABAD, April 23 (AFP) - More than 200 women and children rallied in Islamabad on Monday and urged the government to act against clerics who were promoting a Taliban-style justice system. Demonstrators from civil society organisations chanted slogans of “No to religious extremism,” and “No to Taliban-style governance” as they gathered outside parliament. The protest was the latest in a series against the Lal Masjid in Islamabad, which has launched morality patrols targeting video shops and set up its own Islamic court. Hundreds of people marched against extremism in Islamabad on April 19 after thousands took to the streets of Karachi the previous week. The government has been in negotiations with the mosque's leaders in a bid to avert a potentially violent confrontation. (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Pakistan hopes Musharraf-Karzai meeting will end mistrust ISLAMABAD, April 23 (AFP) - Pakistan hopes that a meeting between President Pervez Musharraf and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in Turkey next week will help clear up misunderstandings. “It is always useful to maintain dialogue,” foreign office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said at a weekly briefing on Monday when asked what Pakistan's aims were from the meeting due on April 29. Aslam said statements from Afghanistan “reflect a lack of understanding about Pakistan and our policy and what we are doing to ensure that there is no cross-border movement by undesirable elements.” She said Pakistan has stood by Afghanistan “in all times of adversity very consistently” but said that its neighbour faced massive internal problems including from drugs, warlords and a lack of national reconciliation efforts. She reiterated that the presence of some three million Afghan refugees was creating problems for Pakistan because “there are reports that the refugees are providing shelter to Taliban and others.” (Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Former Russian president Boris Yeltsin dead: Kremlin MOSCOW, April 23 (AFP) - Former president Boris Yeltsin, the first Russian leader after the fall of the Soviet Union, died on Monday at the age of 76, a Kremlin spokesman told AFP. Interfax news agency quoted “informed medical sources” as saying that Yeltsin, who had a history of heart problems, had died of a heart attack. (Posted @ 19:48 PST)
Indian troops martyr 3 more Kashmiri youth SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, April 23 (PPI) - In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops, in their fresh acts of state-terrorism, martyred three more Kashmiri youth at two different places, reports Kashmir Media Service.Two youngmen were shot dead during crackdown by the personnel of 62-Rashtriya Rifles at Zainpora in Shopian. A house was also badly damaged.. The operation was continuing till last reports came in. The third youth was killed in another military operation at Rangwar in Kupwara district. A personnel of Indian army was killed in an attack at Rangwar in Kupwara district. Meanwhile, the dead body of an unidentified man was found inside a truck in Qazigund on Srinagar-Jammu Highway. (Posted @ 19:34 PST)
Gen. Ehsan to participate in Pak-China defence, security talks ISLAMABAD, April 23 (APP): Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Ehsan Ul Haq reached Beijing Monday at the head of a high-powered delegation of the Pakistan Armed Forces for the 5th Round of the Pak-China Defence and Security Talks (April 25-30). (Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Kashmir dispute be resolved via dialogue: Bazaz SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, April 23 (PPI): The chief of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Front (JKDF) Pandit Bhushan Bazaz has said he will not attend the so-called roundtable conference convened by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday (April 24). In a statement here, Bazaz said such a conference would harm the ongoing dialogue process on Kashmir and create confusion. He said New Delhi was not doing any good by holding such meaningless conferences, as they did not have the backing of Kashmiris. (Posted @ 19:28 PST)
Pakistan willing to play role if contributes to finding solution of Palestine issue: FO ISLAMABAD, April 23 (PPI)- Pakistan remains willing to play a role if it contributes to finding a just solution of the Palestine issue, Foreign office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said at the weekly press briefing Monday. Responding to questions she said President Musharraf launched his peace initiative in view of the deteriorating situation in Palestine and Iraq and mounting tension between Iran and the United States. There have been some positive developments which were encouraged by the awareness that the President's initiative created, she said. (Posted @ 18:40 PST)
Iraq: 35 killed, 61 injured; 14 bodies found Baghdad, April 23 (Reuters) At least 35 persons were killed and another 61 injured in a string of suicide bombing incidents and other acts of violence in Iraq on Monday. At the same time, police found 14 bodies bearing signs of torture. A suicide car bomber attacked a gathering of senior police officials in the city of Baquba, killing 10 policemen and wounding 23. Police chief Brigadier-General Safaa al-Timimi was among those killed. Another ten people were killed and 20 wounded when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the office of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (PDK) of Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani near Mosul, while six people were killed and 14 wounded when a suicide bomber blew up in a restaurant near the entrance to the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses the U.S. embassy and Iraqi government offices, police said. A car bomb killed one person and wounded four others in a parking lot across the road from the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, police said. The embassy was not damaged. In Mosul, gunmen killed traffic police Colonel Abdul Muhsin Hassan while Iraqi army killed seven insurgents during the last 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said. A roadside bomb exploded near a civilian car and wounded three people near the town of Mahaweel, 70 km south of Baghdad, police said. The bodies of three police officers kidnapped on Sunday were found shot in the town of Shirqat, 80 km south of Mosul. Another 11 bodies were found across Baghdad on Sunday, police said. (Posted @ 18:32 PST)
Big dams vital to harness water, power: WAPDA chief GUJRANWALA, Pakistan, April 23 (APP): WAPDA chairman Tariq Hameed inaugurating 132 KV Grid Station in Rahwali Cantt, Gujranwala on Monday. said it's a pity that water, a vital and inexpensive source of electricty, is going waste for lack of sufficient dams, adding that a strategy was underway to complete Kalabagh Dam by 2016. He said Rs 18 billion have been allocated for upgradation of electricity cables and grid stations in Muzaffargarh and Lahore during the current year. (Posted @ 18:28 PST)
Musharraf confers awards on 20 Polish for contribution in quake relief operations WARSAW, Apr 23 (APP): President Pervez Musharraf on Monday conferred 20 special awards including three Sitara-e-Esar and 17 Tamgha-e-Esar upon four Polish civilians and 16 military officials in recognition of their outstanding spirit of sacrifice and compassion showed by them in the wake of Pakistan's earthquake in October 2005. “International community especially medical and engineering team from Poland helped Pakistan to convert the challenge into an opportunity to improve the living conditions of affected people,” President Musharraf said at an investiture ceremony. He said now the government of Pakistan was moving ahead to restore the basic human medical help facilities and having better and improved life as compared to post-earthquake time. (Posted @ 18:26 PST)
Palestinian minister submits resignation, PM refuses GAZA CITY, April 23 (AFP) - Palestinian interior minister Hani al-Qawasmeh submitted his resignation on Monday but prime minister Ismail Haniya refused his request to step down, a government spokesman said. “He submitted his resignation to the prime minister but the latter refused and asked him to remain in his post,” spokesman Ghazi Hamad told reporters in Gaza City. Hamad linked Qawasmeh's decision to resign to the “professional situation within the interior ministry and the obstacles he is facing.” The spokesman said that the minister would continue to attend cabinet meetings, however, “until his resignation was defined” after president Mahmud Abbas returns from a foreign tour. (First Posted @ 14:06 PST Updated @ 17:34 PST)
US ambassador says next months critical for Iraq BAGHDAD, April 23 (AFP) - The new US ambassador in Iraq Ryan Crocker used his first Baghdad news conference to urge Iraqi leaders to push forward with attempts to reconcile their warring communities, warning that the next months are critical. Crocker who until recently served in Pakistan expressed optimism that a joint US and Iraqi security operation would help reign in the carnage, but that this would not be enough to end the war unless political progress is made. “I think the Baghdad Security Plan led by Iraq, supported by the coalition, can buy time, but what it does is buy time for what ultimately has to be a set of political understandings among Iraqis,” he told reporters. “These months ahead are going to be critical as this plan continues forward to increase security and gain the time, but most especially as Iraqis then try and use that time to grapple with some of these difficult issues,” he said. Crocker also welcomed the prospect of next month's ministerial conference of Iraq's neighbours and world powers, which he said ought to generate international support for Iraqi peace efforts. (Posted @ 17:20 PST)
Roadside bombs kill seven Afghan officials KABUL, April 23 (Reuters) A roadside bomb killed five Afghan intelligence officials and a similar device killed two police Monday, the government said. The officials were travelling in a car in the eastern province of Nuristan when a remote-controlled bomb went off, an official in the province said. The second blast occurred in the southern province of Zabul and also involved a vehicle, provincial officials said. (FirstPosted @ 14:05 PST, Updated @15:12 PST)
US missile shield threatens global security: Russia MOSCOW, April 23 (AFP) The United States' missile defence plans threaten to seriously destabilise regional and global security, Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told his US counterpart on Monday. “We believe the strategic missile defence system is a seriously destabilizing factor that can have a significant influence on regional and global security,” Serdyukov told US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, through an official interpreter. (Posted @ 15:09 PST)
Sarkozy, Royal duel to lead France PARIS, April 23 (AFP) Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal opened a dramatic left-right duel for the French presidency Monday after winning round one of an election marked by a near record turnout. Sarkozy won a commanding lead of 31.11 percent of the vote while Royal garnered 25.84 percent in the first round of voting on Sunday. The two will square off in the second round on May 6, and will put their starkly different visions to a public test in a face-to-face televised debate on May 2. (Posted @ 14:18 PST)
ABN Amro and Barclays announce merger AMSTERDAM, April 23 (AFP) Dutch bank ABN Amro and Britain's Barclays announced Monday they plan to merge, creating Europe's second-largest bank and the fifth worldwide. The new company will have 220,000 employees and 47 million customers. The two banks also said in the statement that with the tie-up 12,800 jobs would be shed and 10,800 would be sub contracted out. Arthur Martinez of ABN Amro will head the group and John Varley, who currently heads Barclays, will be the executive director. (Posted @ 12:24 PST)
Police arrest PPP activists Multan, April 23 (PPI) Multan police conducted raids at the residences of PPP office bearers and arrested a number of activists late Sunday so that they could not leave for Islamabad to join a protest rally to express solidarity with the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Abdul Rauf Lodhi, Muhammad Yasin, Mirza Nazir Baig and Raza Abbas of PPP were taken into custody. When contacted the SSP (Operation) Munir Ahmed Chishti said the police have arrested some activists of opposition parties as per instructions from the home department. However “I cannot tell the exact number of the activists taken into custody”, he added. (Posted @ 11:34 PST)
One killed, 17 soldiers injured in Thai south YALA, Thailand, April 23 (AFP) Insurgents killed a man Monday, while 17 soldiers were injured in attacks in southern Thailand, police said. The 40-year-old man was shot dead by insurgents as he drove his motorcycle in Yala province. Insurgents also staged four separate attacks in a district in Narathiwat province Sunday evening. Within two hours of a school being set on fire, insurgents injured 17 soldiers in three ambushes and bomb attacks across the district. (Posted @ 11:16 PST)
Bus plunge kills 26 in southwest China BEIJING, April 23 (Reuters) A bus plunged 20 metres off a highway overpass in Chongqing in southwest China Monday killing at least 26 people and injuring seven, five of them seriously, state media said. (Posted @ 10:43 PST)
Iraqi PM asks for end to work on Baghdad wall CAIRO, April 23 (Reuters) Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Sunday he had asked for an end to construction work on a wall which would separate a mainly Sunni part of Baghdad from nearby Shi'ite areas. “I asked yesterday that it be stopped and that alternatives be found to protect the area,” Maliki told reporters in Cairo after talks with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa. The U.S. military said last week it was building the wall in the Adhamiya quarter of Baghdad to protect the Sunni community from attacks. “I fear this wall might have repercussions which remind us of other walls, which we reject,” he said, apparently referring to other cities divided in the 20th century, such as Berlin and Beirut. (Posted @ 09:47 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 72.85 points: KARACHI, April 23: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 12018.68, down 72.85 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, April 23: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.82 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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