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| August 08, 2007 | Wednesday | Rajab 23, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Kabul peace Jirga: PM Aziz to lead delegation ISLAMABAD, Aug 8 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Wednesday assured Afghan President Hamid Karzai of Pakistan's full support in making the Joint Peace Jirga in Kabul a success. The Jirga is being held from August 9 to 11 and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will lead the Pakistan delegation that also includes a number of Federal Ministers. The President who was initially scheduled to attend the event called President Karzai on Wednesday and informed him about his engagements due to which he could not attend the Peace Jirga. President Karzai thanked the President for his telephone call and appreciated President's support for the Jirga process which the two presidents had initiated last September. President Karzai renewed his invitation to the President to visit Afghanistan in the near future. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, along with President Karzai, will inaugurate the Joint Peace Jirga and address its opening session. The three-day Joint Jirga will be attended by about 300 representatives from Pakistan including the tribal elders. (Posted @ 17:22 PST)
SHC makes Federal, Sindh governments respondents in May 12 incidents in Karachi KARACHI, Aug 08 (PPI):- The full bench of Sindh high Court Wednesday making Federal and Sindh government as respondents in petition regarding May 12 violence in Karachi issued notice for Aug 20 to Attorney General, AG Sindh, Government of Pakistan, Federation of Pakistan through Secretary Interior, Chairman Karachi Port Trust, Federal Minister for Port and Shipping Babar Khan Ghori, Sindh Home Advisor Wasim Akhter, Sindh Home Secretary . The full bench was hearing petition regarding government's failure to remove siege of High Court and City Courts buildings by mobs and three identical petitions against May 12 violence. Amicus curie Qazi Faiz Essa gave his arguments and submitted a 35-point questionnaire and proposed to seek their answer from respondents. The full bench while issuing notices directed to attach copy of the questionnaire to all concerned to respond in detail along with documents and all relevant record. Justice Anwar Zaheer Jami asked concerned authorities to inform the court what information, reports regarding May 12 incidents were forwarded to President Pervez Musharraf by Sindh government and LEA on which he (President) termed incidents of Karachi as 'show of public strength' while addressing the public meeting in Islamabad just two hours later. The full bench also directed to convert contempt application against Sindh Chief Minister Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim filed by Karachi Bar Association President Iftikhar Javed Qazi into criminal miscellaneous application. Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani said it was not suo moto reference but SHC had converted the Registrar’s report regarding May 12 incidents in Karachi in to petition. He said the purpose of the proceedings was to know what actually happened in Karachi on the said day, and who were responsible to maintain law and order. We want to fix responsibility of May 12 violence when peoples and lawyers were beaten up, SHC and City Court premises were cordoned by culprits and despite court order no measures were taken by concerned authorities to remove hurdles on the way leading to SHC and the airport. The court was informed by AAG Sindh that about 80 FIRs were lodges in connection with May 12 incidents in Karachi and investigation was under way. (Posted @ 19:46 PST)
SC asks Health Ministry to ensure reduction in drug prices ISLAMABAD, Aug 8 (APP): The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Ministry of Health to implement the rules issued last year to bring about reduction in prices of medicines. A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and Justice M. Javed also ordered the Ministry of Health to provide a comparative lists of prices of both the national and multi-national drug companies to the court on August 22. Representative of the ministry, Dr. Farnaz Malik, informed the court that under S.R.O.1103, 2006 drug manufacturer or importer would not to allow a sum of all discounts in cash or kind or both, exceeding 40 per cent on the trade price. She said that in the past the retailers were enjoying the facility of charging exorbitant rates from 70 to 80 percent with the connivance of manufacturers. Following the implementation of the S.R.O the prices of drugs would decrease to a considerable extent and the main beneficiary would be the buyers, she said. Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry observed that the Supreme Court would provide all assistance to ensure implementation of the S.R.O so that the relaxation in drug prices benefit the people. (Posted @ 20:48 PST)
Benazir says time running out for deal ISLAMABAD, Aug 8 (AFP) Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto warned President Musharraf that time is running out for them to make a deal, reports said Wednesday. In an interview with Voice of America (VOA), Benazir said President Musharraf had as yet made no gestures suggesting he was willing to act on her key demands. “One thing is certain, that time is running out for General Musharraf's side to reach some kind of an accommodation with the opposition,” she told VOA. “And unless they can come up with up-front gestures, I think it is going to be very difficult, given that nothing has happened since the process began.” Bhutto again declined to confirm a reported meeting with Pervez Musharraf in Abu Dhabi last month. “The uniform is not negotiable,” Bhutto said. “It is something that is not constitutionally permissible, and it is not negotiable because the whole country is against it, and PPP has spent its whole life fighting to make a distinction between democratic government and military government,” she said. Benazir said if Pervez Musharraf tried to seek re-election before the general elections, due early next year, PPP might resign from parliament or boycott the polls. (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Quaid-i-Azam's daughter vies for Jinnah House MUMBAI, Aug 8 (Reuters) Dina Wadia, the 88-year-old daughter of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, filed a petition on Tuesday in the Mumbai high court to grant her claim to Jinnah House, built by her father in Mumbai in late 1930s. Dina Wadia, who lives in New York, approached the court in a bid to gain ownership of the property, built on 2.5 acres (1 ha) of land estimated to be worth about $400 million. “Being the only child of Mr. Jinnah she is the sole heir to his property,” Wadia's lawyer, Shrikath Doijode, said. “This is the only property in India which she is claiming and which is in the possession of the Indian government at present.” Pakistan has repeatedly requested New Delhi either to sell or lease the house to its government for use as a consular office. India has neither refused nor accepted that request. The house now remains locked and is in an advanced state of decay. After partition, the Indian government appropriated immovable and movable property left behind by those who chose to go to Pakistan, designating such assets as evacuee property. But as a goodwill gesture, India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, ensured neither Mohammad Ali Jinnah nor his daughter were declared evacuees. Nor was Jinnah House registered as an evacuee property. Dina Wadia decided to go to court after the Indian government announced plans to turn Jinnah House into a centre for South Asian arts and culture. The court has given the government two weeks to file a reply. (Posted @ 16:34 PST)
Monsoon system weakens KARACHI, Aug 8 (APP) : A strong monsoon weather system which was formed over Bay of Bengal three days ago has weakened, but continues to move in westerly direction towards Indian Gujarat coast during next 36 hours. According to Met office alert issued for Sindh and Balochistan Wednesday, it might intensify after getting fresh moisture from Arabian Sea during this period. Under its influence, a widespread downpour is likely to lash southern Sindh and coastal areas including Karachi in next 24 hours. Sea conditions will also be very rough to extremely rough along Sindh coast. Fishermen are advised to stop fishing activities from August 9 till the afternoon of August 10. Heavy rain has already lashed lower Sindh, latest reports said. (Posted @ 20:50 PST)
Recent attacks on Chinese nationals will not affect Pak-China friendship: President ISLAMABAD, Aug 8 (APP) - President General Pervez Musharraf Wednesday condemned the recent attacks on Chinese nationals and assured the Chinese government of Pakistan's commitment to bring the perpetrators to justice. Such incidents will not affect the time-tested friendship between Pakistan and China, he said. He was talking to Cui Tiankai, the visiting Assistant Foreign Minister of China who called on President in Rawalpindi. (Posted @ 23:34 PST)
Three killed, two injured in rain related incidents MIRPURKHAS, Aug. 08 (APP) - Three persons were killed while two others were injured in rain-related incidents in Mirpurkhas District on Wednesday. According to police, two labourers and a mechanic were killed when lightening struck them while a woman and her son were injured in roof collapsed incident. (Posted @ 22:28 PST)
U.S. surprised by Musharraf's skipping of jirga meeting WASHINGTON, Aug 8 (AP) - Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf decision on Wednesday to pull out of a planned meeting in Afghanistan with Afghan President Hamid Karzai was met with dismay in Washington. U.S. officials were looking to persuade Musharraf to attend at least part of the council with hundreds of Pakistani and Afghan tribal leaders aimed at reigning in militant violence now plaguing both countries. “We want to understand whether there will be attendance at Musharraf's level,” said a U.S. State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. The U.S. ambassador in Pakistan, Anne Patterson, has been in touch with Pakistani officials inquiring about Musharraf's cancellation and whether he will attend any part of the meeting, the official said. (Posted @ 20:34 PST)
Musharraf's absence 'will not affect' meet on Taliban: Kabul KABUL, Aug 8 (AFP) -Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's absence from the peace jirga Thursday aimed at ending Taliban violence will not affect the talks, the Afghan foreign ministry said Wednesday. “We believe the absence of President Musharraf, who is busy at home, won't effect the jirga,” ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen told AFP. (Posted @ 18:06 PST)
US, Pakistani officials resolve to focus on progress in BIT negotiations: Commerce Minister WASHINGTON, Aug 8 (APP): Pakistan and the United States have resolved to make efforts for progress in bilateral investment treaty negotiations, Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan, who met with senior US Administration officials, stated at a Press briefing. We have resolved to focus and try to make progress in the bilateral investment treaty negotiations, which had been static in the last several months, he said. Khan was hopeful that the two countries would be able to achieve a consensus on a few unresolved issues in BIT negotiations but added no timeframe has been fixed as yet. (Posted @ 21:00 PST)
Sarfraz files petition in SC for restoration of PCB constitution ISLAMABAD, Aug 8 (APP): Former Test cricketer Sarfraz Nawaz filed a constitutional petition in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, praying for the restoration of constitution of Pakistan Cricket Board and for immediately setting aside adhocism in this organization. The petitioner further prayed that all the accounts of PCB from 1999 to 2007 be audited by some reputable firms. The petition has been filed through Barrister Zafarullah Khan. (Posted @ 20:46 PST)
Moderate quake sways buildings in Chilean capital SANTIAGO, Aug 8 (Reuters) - A moderate 5.0 magnitude earthquake shook the Chilean capital Santiago in the midmorning on Wednesday, causing tall buildings in the city center to sway. There were no immediate reports of damages. (Posted @ 20:26 PST)
Militants raid rivals in Pakistan PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Aug 8 (AFP) Militants in a Pakistani tribal area raided a village Wednesday to avenge an attack on them by supporters of the slain leader of an alleged criminal network, police said. The militants fired three rockets into the village in the tribal town of Darra Adam Khel near Peshawar, a senior local police officer said, adding that they currently had it surrounded. Five villagers were injured when one of the rockets destroyed a house, a local police officer said. “The situation is very tense and we have called a meeting of local elders to end the siege,” he said. Trouble erupted when militants shot dead Ameer Sayed, the leader of an alleged criminal gang hailing from the village, Monday. On Tuesday Sayed's supporters raided a hotel where militants were staying, killing three of them, a senior administration official said. Dozens of militants brandishing AK-47s and rocket launchers raided Sayed's village and were blocking all entry and exit points, the official said. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Moderate tremors hit Tajikistan, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Swat and Batagram PESHAWAR, August 8 (APP) An earthquake of moderate intensity measuring 5.1 on international Richter scale jolted Tajikistan early Wednesday morning. According to preliminary analysis of Meteorological Station Peshawar, the earthquake originated at 0537 hours and its epicentre lied about 350 kilometres north of Peshawar. The quake was also felt in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Swat and Batagram districts of NWFP. (Posted @ 11:20 PST)
Pakistan delegation to maritime talks arrives in Delhi NEW DELHI, Aug 8 (APP) - A three-member Pakistani delegation led by Rear Admiral Tayyab Ali Dogar arrived here Wednesday for two-day talks with India on bilateral maritime cooperation. The talks from Thursday would cover exchange of information concerning natural calamities, smuggling, pollution incidents and maritime search and rescue operations. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Three militants killed in Pakistan clash QUETTA, Pakistan, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces killed three separatist militants on Wednesday after they were fired on while surveying a flood-hit area in southwestern Baluchistan province, officials said. Two paramilitary soldiers, including a senior officer, were also wounded in the gun battle in the Mand area, close to Pakistan's border with Iran. (Posted @ 19:06 PST)
U.S. air strike kills 30 in Baghdad's Sadr City BAGHDAD, Aug 8 (Reuters) U.S. forces said they killed 30 people in an air strike in Baghdad's crowded slum of Sadr City on Wednesday, describing those killed as militants linked to Iran. Another 12 were captured, it said. Helicopters opened fire after spotting militants in a vehicle trying to attack ground forces. Television pictures showed a U.S. attack helicopter circling above bullet-riddled cars and a house that showed damage from shrapnel and fire. An official at Sadr City Hospital said it had received 10 bodies, while an official at Imam Ali Hospital said it had received three bodies. (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Cricket-Shoaib Akhtar fined for misconduct KARACHI, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been fined $5,000 for two breaches of the players' code of conduct,Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Shafqat Nagmi told a news conference on Wednesday. Shoaib Akhtar had left a training camp in Karachi last Saturday without informing the team management. Today also he was asked to appear before the disciplinary committee of the board but he didn't show up,” Nagmi said. “He has also been docked 1.5 points from the total of 20 points available to the players for discipline in their central contracts.” (Posted @ 18:24 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan revise South Africa tour itinerary KARACHI, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Pakistan Cricket Board has dropped Peshawar and Rawalpindi from the itinerary of the South Africa teams tour which starts next month. The visitors will now play these two ODIs at Karachi and Lahore respectively, Director of cricket operations Zakir Khan said adding that the changes were made for logistical reasons, not security concerns. “The stadium in Peshawar was not up to international standards while renovation work is due to start at Rawalpindi,” he said. (Posted @ 18:20 PST)
Israeli troops kill three Hamas militants in Gaza GAZA CITY, Aug 8 (AFP) -Israeli troops shot dead three Hamas militants Wednesday in separate incidents near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, medics and the army said. (Posted @ 18:08 PST)
Hundreds hold sit-in for missing Kashmiris SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Aug 8 (APP/AFP) - Hundreds of people staged a sit-in Wednesday demanding information about thousands of missing persons in occupied Kashmir, as a top separatist called for UN intervention. “We seek the attention and intervention of the United Nations against enforced disappearances in Kashmir,” said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of All-Parties Hurriyet Conference, who led the sit-in at a park in Srinagar. “The government is not taking the issue seriously,” Mirwaiz told protesters, most of them relatives of the disappeared. The protesters sat silently under a big tent, many carrying placards bearing the names of missing relatives. “Where is my son, Mohammed Yousuf Gajri,” read one, held high by a middle-aged woman. And there were countless others like that. Human rights groups say between 8,000 to 10,000 Kashmiri Muslims have disappeared since an insurgency erupted against Indian rule in 1989. Most were detained by government forces. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was the first to sign a memorandum addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon during Wednesday's protest. Hundreds others also signed the petition seeking UN intervention. “We hope the world body will come to our rescue,” he said, adding that copies would also be sent to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. (Posted @ 18:04 PST)
17 dead as buses crash head-on in Peru LIMA, Aug 8 (AFP) Seventeen people were killed, including two children, and 37 were injured when two buses collided head-on in southern Peru early Tuesday, highway police said. The buses crashed on the Panamerican Highway some 550 kilometres south of Lima due to “a wrong move by one of the drivers,” police Colonel Victor Ordinola told AFP. Among the dead were three women and two children. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
MNA calls for rectifying error in 1000 rupee currency note ISLAMABAD, Aug 8 (APP): A ruling coalition lawmaker, Rasheed Akbar Khan, Wednesday said the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has erroneously printed a red flag on rupee 1000 currency note and demanded that it should be replaced by Pakistan flag. Speaking in the National Assembly on a point of order, he said: “Pakistan's flag is green while the red flag is that of Turkey. Action should be taken against persons responsible for the error.” He also pointed out that the earlier practice of stapling the currency notes has been replaced by tying them with rubber string, which makes it easier to remove some notes from a stack. Finance Minister Omar Ayub said he will convey it to the SBP and inform the house on Thursday. He also said the cabinet committee was already aware of these two issues. Another MNA, Pervez Malik, said the onus is also on the cabinet committee which had approved the design of the currency note. Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain referred the matter to the standing committee with instructions to report back to the House within one month after a thorough probe. (Posted @ 17:34 PST)
PML-N to boycott Musharraf re-election: Javed Hashmi ISLAMABAD, Aug 9 (APP): PML-N Acting President Makhdoom Javed Hashmi has termed re-election of the President by the incumbent assemblies as 'unconstitutional. Talking to newsmen at Parliament Cafeteria on Wednesday, he said the PML-N would boycott the presidential polls if the president goes for re-election from the incumbent assemblies. He said the political parties committed mistakes in the past and this is the opportunity to make amends. Replying to a question he said the situation in FATA and Balochistan was alarming and it cannot be resolved by mere use of power. (Posted @ 17:08 PST)
Tennis- Sania Mirza stuns Hingis LOS ANGELES, Aug 8 (Reuters) - India's Sania Mirza stunned five-times grand slam winner Martina Hingis 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Los Angeles Classic on Tuesday. Wimbledon finalist and number six Marion Bartoli and Russian Dinara Safina also made early exits, although three seeds did survive. (Posted @ 16:42 PST)
Foreigners among 12 militants killed by Pakistan MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Aug 8 (AFP) At least 12 Al-Qaeda militants including foreigners were killed in a raid Tuesday by Pakistani gunship helicopters in a remote tribal area of North Waziristan near the Afghan border, the military said Wednesday. “There are unconfirmed reports that six to eight Arabs, Tajiks and Chechens were among the militants killed in the operation,” military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP. Around 10 militants were also wounded, he added. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Iraq security talks open in Syria DAMASCUS, Aug 8 (AFP) Representatives of Iraq's neighbours and the global community, including the United States and Iran, opened talks in Damascus on Wednesday aimed at restoring security in the violence-plagued nation. The meeting began just as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki arrived in Iran on a visit aimed at winning Tehran's full support for restoring security to his country and continuing talks with the United States. The two-day meeting groups delegates from Bahrain, Britain, China, Egypt, France, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Russia, Turkey, the United States as well as the Arab League and the United Nations. Saudi Arabia is not participating. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Clashes in Sri Lanka kill six COLOMBO, Aug 8 (AFP) Six people died in clashes across Sri Lanka's embattled northern and eastern districts, officials and rebels said Wednesday. Soldiers on foot patrol fired at a group of Tamil Tiger rebels in the eastern district of Trincomalee Tuesday, killing two guerrillas, defence officials said. Another suspected rebel blew himself up to avoid being captured in the northern district of Vavuniya Tuesday, officials said, adding that troops also found a dead body of an unidentified person in the same district. The Tamilnet.com website said two civilians were shot dead in Vavuniya Tuesday. (Posted @ 15:10 PST)
Solution of Kashmir issue vital for world peace: Sardar Attique LONDON, Aug 8 (APP) Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmad Khan called for earliest solution to the Kashmir issue for ensuring world peace. Addressing members of the Kashmir community and the “Labour friends of Kashmir” at Slough, 50 miles west of London, he said Kashmir along with Palestine and Iraq are major international issues that need to be addressed for the sake of global peace. He urged the British government to play its due role in the solution of the Kashmir dispute. “UK could act as an ideal bridge between Pakistan and India to help speed up the solution of the Kashmir problem,” he told the gathering. He also welcomed the statement of the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he expressed his desire to turn the Line of Control into a line of peace and said this was a positive development. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
Gunmen release six Russians in Nigeria MOSCOW, Aug 8 (AFP) Six Russians working for a Russian aluminium company were freed more than two months after their kidnap ordeal began in Nigeria's oil-rich south, their company said Wednesday. The Russians were kidnapped on June 3 from an expatriot compound at Ikot Abasi in southeast Nigeria. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 85.13 points: KARACHI, Aug 08: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 13518.94, up 85.13 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Aug 08: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.9 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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