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| February 24, 2008 | Sunday | Safar 16, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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 Siraj Durrani nominated CM Sindh ISLAMABAD, Feb 24 (APP): Pakistan People's Party has nominated Agha Siraj Durrani as Chief Minister of Sindh, a private television channel reported Sunday evening. The channel, quoting its sources, claimed that the decision was taken in the meeting of People's Party's Parliamentary Party in Sindh Assembly that took place here at Zardari House. Siraj Durrani served as provincial education minister in Sindh during previous PPPP government and he won the February 18 elections from Shikarpur. (Posted @ 23:22 PST)  PPP demands end of operation in Balochistan, provincial autonomy ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb 24 (AP) - The Pakistan People’s Party called Sunday for an end to military operations against insurgents in Balochistan and the release of all political prisoners in the southwestern province. The PPP, which will lead the new government after winning last week's elections, issued the call following a meeting between its top leaders and party officials from Balochistan, where militants have been fighting for self-rule and a greater share of royalties from the area's natural gas fields. In a statement, the party apologized to the people of Balochistan for “the atrocities and injustices committed against them” by government forces and called for the release of all political prisoners including Akhtar Mengal, a former provincial chief minister who was arrested in a government crackdown in September 2006. The statement also called for “maximum provincial autonomy” for Baluchistan and Pakistan's three other provinces. (Posted @ 17:54 PST)  Pakistan coalition may woo Musharraf allies ISLAMABAD, Feb 24 (AFP) - The Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which won the most seats in last week's election and has teamed up with the party of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif, is considering working with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP. He said his party was in talks with the pro-Musharraf MQM, which participated in government from 2002 to 2007 and enjoys large support in the urban areas of southern Sindh province, a traditional PPP stronghold. “The PPP wants to take all political forces along to form the government and is discussing the possibility of cooperating with the MQM,” Babar said. “Consultations are going on within the party and there are different opinions about whether to cooperate with MQM or not, but nothing has been finalised,” he said. He refused to reveal the coalition's plans for President Musharraf. “You cannot impeach him right now because you don't have two-thirds majority in the National Assembly and the Senate. Since we cannot do it now, there is no need to say anything about it,” Babar said. Currently, the PPP has cobbled together a coalition with the PML-N and the Awami National Party (ANP), but the PPP and PML-N have ruled out joining forces with the PML-Q. (Posted @ 17:12 PST) Four die in checkpost ambush in northwest Pakistan: police PESHAWAR, Feb 24 (AFP): Dozens of militants attacked a security checkpost in Peshawar’s outskirts early Sunday, leaving three security personnel and at least one militant dead, police said. Fierce fighting erupted after up to 60 insurgents armed with rocket launchers and machine guns attacked the checkpost in Mattni village, on the outskirts of Peshawar, senior police official Nasirul Mulk Bangash told AFP. “Two paramilitary soldiers and one policeman embraced martyrdom and six others were injured during the fighting,” he said. One militant was also killed and several others wounded in the gunbattle which lasted for more than 90 minutes, but militants fled with their casualties towards Khyber tribal district, he said. (First Posted @ 10:38 PST; Updated @ 13:05 PST) 
 Pakistani Taliban ready for talks with new government: spokesman PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Feb 24 (AFP) - Pakistani Taliban militant commander Baitullah Mehsud has welcomed the victory of anti- Musharraf parties in elections and said it was ready for peace talks, rebel spokesman Maulvi Omar said Sunday. But Baitullah Mehsud -- whom the government has accused of masterminding the slaying of former premier Benazir Bhutto in December -- warned the victors of Monday's vote not to pursue Musharraf's “war on terror”, he said. “The Taliban movement welcomes the victory of anti-Musharraf political parties in the election and announces its willingness to enter into negotiations with them for bringing peace in the restive tribal area,” spokesman Maulvi Omar said, quoting a statement by Mehsud. “Taliban are ready for negotiations with the political parties as long as they do not re-impose war on them. If they do so, then Taliban will continue their activities against them,” Omar told journalists in Peshawar by telephone, citing Mehsud's statement. “Taliban have no enmity with the political parties and these parties who have got the mandate of the people should strive for bringing peace and avoid repeating the mistakes of Musharraf government.” “The victory of political parties was due to Taliban who gained sympathies of the people by giving their blood and as a result of which people rejected US and Musharraf policies and gave victory to their opposing political forces,” he said. (Posted @ 16:46 PST) Pakistan's political coalition means new challenges for U.S. Washington, Feb 24 (PPI): After six years of relying on President Pervez Musharraf to combat terrorism, the Bush administration has begun “a slow and awkward separation” from its ally, reaching out to disparate new political and military leaders to ensure future cooperation with the United States, Washington Post reported Sunday. “No one wants us to be involved in giving Musharraf the bum's rush, pushing him out the door,” a senior State Department official said. “We're quite clear that we're going to work with him, but in a new role, as we'll work with new leaders in the parties, the army and civil society.” While waiting for new opposition coalition to form a government, the Bush administration is exploring range of ideas, including a proposal by Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), to triple nonmilitary aid, sustain it for 10 years, and focus on schools, roads, health care, U.S. officials said. The initiative would buttress recent U.S. strategy emphasizing education, economic development as keys to stabilizing society, weaning away tribal and rural support for extremists, U.S. officials said. The U.S. has allocated about $400 million for economic aid in fiscal 2008 in bid to address public grievances, according to State Department. (Posted @ 18:14 PST) Hashmi sees no role for Musharraf in Pakistani politics Multan, Pakistan, Feb 24 (PPI): Nawaz Sharif was nominated as parliamentary leader for National Assembly and Shahbaz Sharif for Provincial assembly by the central executive of the party. However, PML-N would not go alone, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi Central Senior Vice President of PML--N said at a press conference here Sunday. He said: “Pervez Musharraf now has no role in Pakistani politics and (he should)let the political forces think for 160 million people of the country.” He maintained that those who returned in February election on PML-Q ticket were elected on their own strength and they would be welcomed to the PML-N fold. Javed Hashmi said that PML-N and PPP could work together if they agreed on some principles. He also said that United States had to safeguard its own interests while we in Pakistan have to safeguard the interest of our 160 million people. (Posted @ 18:28 PST) 
Qazi Husain reiterates demand for Musharraf resignation LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb 24 (AP) - Qazi Husain Ahmad, chief of Jamaat-i-Islami, addressing a press conference Sunday called on President Pervez Musharraf to resign, saying “the people have given their verdict” and rejected the president's policies in the Monday ballot. “If he has any respect for democracy, any realization of public opinion, Musharraf should resign or we will ask the people to demand that he step down,” Qazi Hussain told reporters. He also said his party strongly condemns “the naked American interference” in efforts to form a new government , a reference to U.S. statements urging the winners to work with Musharraf.Qazi saheb’s party boycotted the recent election, saying any vote under Musharraf would be flawed. (Posted @ 17:56 PST) Pakistan blocks YouTube for 'blasphemous' content ISLAMABAD, Feb 24 (AFP) - Pakistan has ordered all Internet service providers to block the YouTube website for containing “blasphemous” content and material considered offensive to Muslims, officials said Sunday. An inter-ministerial committee has decided to block YouTube because it contained “blasphemous content, videos and documents,” a government official told AFP. “The site will remain blocked till further orders,” he said. Meanwhile, in the latest in the series of demonstrations over the cartoons in Pakistan, activists from a hardline Islamic organisation burned a Danish flag in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Sunday and asked the government to close Danish missions in Islamabad and sever diplomatic relations. (Posted @ 16:52 PST) Spokesman denies President Mushararf considering resignation ISLAMABAD, Feb 24 (PPI):- Presidential spokesman Rashid Qureshi Sunday denied report in Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper that President Pervez Musharraf was considering stepping down rather than waiting to be forced out by his victorious opponents. Sunday Telegraph claimed Musharraf believed he had run out of options after three of the main parties who triumphed in Monday's poll announced they would form a coalition government together. They also pledged to reinstate former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and other judges sacked by Musharraf in November last yea, the Telegraph report said. “I think, do not attach much credence to the report,” Qureshi said, He said Sunday Telegraph reporter did not identify source for his information and that was why it did not have any credence. Qureshi said President Musharraf had no role in government formation and it was up to the politicians to form governments following elections in the country. “I think it is now just a matter of days and not months because he would like to make a graceful exit on a high,” Sunday Telegraph quoted an unidentified friend of President Musharraf as saying. (Posted @ 20:12 PST) Rice arrives in SKorea at start of East Asia tour SEOUL, Feb 24 (APP/AFP): US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived Sunday in South Korea at the start of an East Asian tour, an AFP correspondent said. (Posted @ 22:52 PST) Communist leader wins Cyprus vote: state TV NICOSIA, Feb 24, (AFP) - Cypriot communist party leader Demetris Christofias won a presidential election on Sunday in a run-off against former foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides, according to final official resutls. (Posted @ 22:16 PST) Suicide bomber kills 40 pilgrims in Iraq KERBALA, Iraq, Feb 24 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber targeting pilgrims heading to Kerbala for the observance of Arbain killed 40 people, including women and children, and injured another 46, south of Baghdad on Sunday. Police and the U.S. military said the bomber struck in the town of Iskandariya, 40 km south of Baghdad, hours after militants killed three pilgrims and wounded 36 others in an attack in southern Baghdad. U.S. military said the attack took place on a two-lane highway near a residential area where about 42,000 pilgrims had passed through earlier in the day. In the Baghdad attack, the pilgrims were hit by a roadside bomb and then fired on by gunmen, police said. Millions of Shi'ite pilgrims are expected in Kerbala for Arbain this week, which commemorates the end of the 40-day mourning period following Ashura. Kerbala's police chief, Major-General Raad Shakir, told Reuters that 40,000 police and soldiers had been deployed and that Iraqi tanks were being used to protect the city for the first time. All public transport, including bicycles, has been banned within a 25 km radius of the city, and 600 female security staff have been assigned to search women, police said. (First Posted @ 19:12 PST Updated @ 19:42 PST) 45 Indian workers jailed in Dubai over violent protest DUBAI, Feb 24 (Reuters) - A Dubai court sentenced 45 Indian construction workers to six months in jail followed by deportation for involvement in violent protests to demand pay increases, a court official said on Sunday. Late in 2007, labourers closed down roads, assaulted police and overturned vehicles in one of several protests calling for better pay and living conditions. The court found the labourers guilty of charges including holding illegal gatherings, vandalism and violating public security, the official told reporters. (Posted @ 19:46 PST) Turkish army says rebel death toll in N.Iraq at 112 ANKARA, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Turkey's military General Staff said on Sunday the number of Kurdish PKK rebels killed during its ground and air offensive in northern Iraq had risen to 112. In a statement posted on its Web site, the General Staff said eight of its personnel and 33 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels had been killed on Sunday. The military confirmed a helicopter, which the PKK said it had downed on Saturday, had crashed. The military said the reason was not immediately known. (Posted @ 19:44 PST) Five picnickers drowned in Bolan QUETTA, Pakistan, Feb 24 (APP): At least five picnickers drowned in a deep rivulet, a picnic point in Bolan district on Sunday afternoon, police said. Divers retrieved the bodies from the river. (Posted @ 21:10 PST) Afghan governor survives bomb blast, three cops killed GARMABAK, Afghanistan, Feb 24 (AFP) - A roadside bomb tore through a convoy carrying the high-profile governor of Kandahar province Sunday, missing the governor but killing three policemen. The newly laid mine struck the lead vehicle in a convoy that was taking governor Asadullah Khalid to a meeting with tribal elders to discuss an opium poppy eradication campaign, the governor told AFP. “It was a new mine. Three of our policemen were martyred and two others wounded,” Khalid said. (Posted @ 20:44 PST) 6.6 quake hits Indonesia JAKARTA, Feb 24 (AFP) - A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island on Sunday, the US Geological Service said. The earthquake occurred at sea about 155 kilometres south of Padang in Sumatra, it said. (Posted @ 20:36 PST) Train service restored on Samasatta-Pakpattan-Kasur track PAKPATTAN, Pakistan, Feb 24 (APP): Train service on Samasatta-Pakpattan-Kasur-Lahore track was restored Saturday after it remained suspended for four hours due to derailment of Farid express engine near Pakka Sidahar. (Posted @ 20:06 PST) Six of a family die as coach hits car on Pakistan highway HYDERABAD, Pakistan, Feb 24 (APP): Six members of a family lost their lives when a speeding coach hit their car on Indus Highway at Aamri, near Sehwan town, in southern Sind province on Sunday. The car was proceeding to Larkana from Karachi. Police are searching for the coach driver who escaped after the accident. (Posted @ 20:04 PST) Afghan child, woman killed in U.S.-led operation KABUL, Feb 24 (Reuters) - An Afghan woman and child were killed during a U.S.-led operation against Taliban fighters in Helmand province, the U.S. military said on Sunday. A number of insurgents were also killed in the operation in Kajaki district of the province on Saturday, it said in a statement. “A search of the site after the exchange revealed a dead female and child in one of the rooms the assailants used to engage coalition forces,” it added”. The statement did not say if there were any casualties among coalition forces. Separately, three policemen died on Sunday in Kandahar province when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, an official there said. (Posted @ 20:00 PST) Bangladesh bird flu hits two more districts DHAKA, Feb 24 (AFP) - Two more districts -- Munshiganj and Chandpur-- in central Bangladesh have been hit by bird flu, the government said Sunday. That takes the number of affected districts to 45 since January. Nearly one million birds have been slaughtered since the latest outbreak began but government spokesman Salahuddin Khan said the situation was under control because fewer farms had been affected following a massive cull. (Posted @ 19:26 PST) 
Militant killed in North Waziristan PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Feb 24 (AFP) -A militant was killed and three paramilitary troops were wounded in a clash in the tribal zone of North Waziristan in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, officials said. The militant threw a hand grenade at a checkpost in the crowded main market in Miranshah, the main town in the tribal zone, and was killed when troops returned fire, a local administration official added. (Posted @ 19:24 PST) Cricket: South Africa's Boucher reclaims wicketkeeping record DHAKA, Feb 24 (AFP) - South Africa's Mark Boucher surpassed Australian Adam Gilchrist as the wicketkeeper with the most Test dismissals ever in the opening Test against Bangladesh here Sunday when he claimed his 417th wicket on the third day of the match when he caught Mushfiqur Rahim for two off Jacques Kallis. Gilchrist, who announced his retirement from international cricket last month, finished with 416 dismissals. Sri Lanka's Sangakkara is the next most prolific wicketkeeper among current players, but he has just 147 dismissals followed by Pakistan's Kamran Akmal (142). (Posted @ 19:10 PST) Zero point at Pak-Iran border opened QUETTA, Pakistan, Feb 24 (PPI): Iranian authorities Saturday opened Zero Point along Pak-Iran border at Taftan to mark the resumption of trade between the two countries. Iranian authorities had closed Zero Point following the kidnapping of an Iranian trader some 3 months back. The closure of Zero Point had pushed up the prices of items of daily use in Taftan, Nokkundi, Dalbandin and Chagai. (Posted @ 19:06 PST) PPP, PML-N urged to join hands for judges' reinstatement KARACHI, Pakistan, Feb 24 (PPI): Jamiatul Ulema-i- Pakistan (JUP) chief Allama Shah Anas Noorani said Sunday that Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) should respect people’s mandate and join hands to restore the deposed judges and oust dictators for good. In a Press statement, he said people would be disappointed if their decision is not respected. He also asked the two parties to pin their hopes on masses rather the United States and West. (Posted @ 18:24 PST)
World TT: Pakistan loses 1-3 to New Zealand BEIJING, Feb 24 (APP)- Pakistan men’s team was beaten 1-3 by New Zealand in the opening match of the World Team Table Tennis Championships which started in Guangzhou, south China on Sunday. Pakistan play against Lithuania and Uzbekistan on Monday. (Posted @ 18:08 PST) UK Chief of General Staff on week-long Pakistan visit RAWALPINDI, Feb 24 (APP): General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of General Staff, UK arrived Sunday morning on a week-long official visit to Pakistan. During his stay, General Dannatt and his delegation, besides meeting senior military officials is also scheduled to visit some premier military training institutions. (Posted @ 18:02 PST) Pak polls to pave way for Kashmir solution: Bazaz ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb 24 (APP):The President of occupied Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Forum (JKDF), Pundit Bhushan Bazaz has said that peaceful completion of the elections in Pakistan would pave way for an early resolution of the Kashmir dispute. Addressing a seminar titled, “Towards the Peaceful Settlement on Kashmir Issue,” held in Jaipur, India, Bazaz said that elections in Pakistan had generated the hope for early resolution of the Kashmir issue, KMS reported. He hoped that the relations between India and Pakistan would gain further momentum. “Through the talks, they would be able to settle the Kashmir issue,” he maintained. (Posted @ 17:58 PST) More U.N. sanctions will not harm Iran: Ahmadinejad TEHRAN, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Iran will not be harmed by more U.N. sanctions over its nuclear programme, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday after the United States and other powers said they would push for further steps. “If they want to continue with that path (of sanctions), we will not be harmed. They can issue resolutions for 100 years,” he said in an interview with state television, following a report on Iran's nuclear plans by IAEA. (Posted @ 17:52 PST) Cricket-India reject Pakistan ODI series invitation KARACHI, Feb 24 (Reuters) - India has rejected an invitation to play a three-match one-day series in Pakistan in March, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Sunday. Pakistan asked India to play the matches from March 12 in Lahore after Australia's tour was reduced to under a month from 44 days. “The president of the Indian cricket board, Sharad Pawar, called up and spoke to the (PCB) chairman explaining the tour was not possible due to the tight schedule of the Indian players,” a PCB spokesman said. “The Indian board has said that their players have been on tour for the last three months and start a home series against South Africa from March 26, and are fatigued.” “Obviously we are disappointed because our players are already short of cricket activities. But we are hoping the Australians tour from March 29 will go ahead as scheduled,” he added. Australia are set to send a delegation to Pakistan to inspect the venues and security arrangements before they confirm their tour. Pakistan has also invited Sri Lanka to play a one-day series. (Posted @ 17:50 PST) Cricket-Australia beat India by 18 runs Sydney, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Australia beat India by 18 runs in Sunday's tri-series one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Scores: Australia 317-7 from 50 overs (Ricky Ponting 124, Symonds 59, Hayden 54); India 299 all out from 49.1 overs (Gautam Gambhir 113, Robin Uthappa 51; Brett Lee 5-58). (Posted @ 17:20 PST) Cricket-S.Africa 178-4 (& 170) v Bangladesh (182 & 192) in 1st Test DHAKA ,Feb 24 (Reuters) - South Africa, chasing a target of 205 runs for victory, were 178 for four in their second innings at close of play on the third day of the first test against Bangladesh at Dhaka on Sunday. Scores: Bangladesh 182 (J.Siddiqui 74, J.Kallis 5-30, D.Steyn 4-48) (and 192) v South Africa 170 (S.Hossain 6-27) and 178-4 (G.Smith 62). (Posted @ 17:18 PST) Cricket: India, South Africa cruise to under-19 World Cup semi-finals KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 (AFP) - India and South Africa pounded their rivals Sunday to cruise to the semi-finals of cricket's under-19 World Cup here. India thrashed England by seven wickets while South Africa crushed Bangladesh by 201 runs in the second quarter-final. India await the winner of Monday's clash between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in the semi-final. The other semi-final will pit South Africa against the winner of the fourth quarter-final between Pakistan and Australia. (Posted @ 16:54 PST) Fighting kills 40 in northern Sri Lanka, says military COLOMBO, Feb 24 (AP): Clashes between government forces and Tamil separatists killed at least 40 combatants across northern Sri Lanka, the military said Sunday. The battles Saturday in Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya districts left 39 insurgents and a soldier dead, a military official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. The rebel spokesman did not respond to calls seeking comment on the military's claims. (Posted @ 11:05 PST) At least 18 killed as bus plunges into river in India GAUHATI, Feb 24 (AP): A bus veered off a road and plunged into a northeastern Indian river Sunday in an accident that killed at least 18 people and injured one more, officials said. Divers were searching for survivors in the river near the town of Sonapur, said government official Prateek Hazela. Sonapur is about 25 kilometers east of Gauhati, the capital of India's Assam state. Deadly road accidents are a common occurrence in India. (Posted @ 10:45 PST) Turnout causes chaos, at Nevada county Democratic convention LAS VEGAS, Feb 24 (AP): The hectic scramble for delegates between presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton played out at Nevada Democrats' county conventions, where a surge of turnout overwhelmed southern Nevada party leaders and forced them to shut down the convention before completing the vote. An estimated 10,000 people showed up Saturday at Bally's Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas for the Clark County Convention, the largest of the 17 county meetings held Saturday, according to casino staff. That's roughly 2,000 more than party officials expected. (Posted @ 10:00 PST) Malaysian PM opens election campaign with cabinet warning PENANG, Feb 24 (AFP): Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi kicked off his election campaign Sunday with a warning that his cabinet ministers were not assured of jobs in a new administration. Abdullah formally submitted his nomination for the March 8 polls in the Kepala Batas parliamentary seat on the island state of Penang, surrounded by supporters from the ruling National Front or Barisan Nasional. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
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