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| April 19, 2008 | Saturday | Rabi-us-Sani 12, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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 PM Gilani addresses Sindh Cabinet KARACHI, April 19 (APP): Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani Saturday said that an integrated and coordinated policy will be implemented in all the provinces to deal with various issues of national importance. Chairing a meeting of Sindh Cabinet he told the ministers not to waste time on non- issues but go forward with real issues in order to solve the problems of people and provide them relief. He said that in order to chalk out a uniform policy, meetings of Chief Ministers of the four provinces and thereafter the provincial ministers of each department will be held in Islamabad one by one to discuss related issues like NFC, water, provincial autonomy, wheat etc. For this purpose Gilani gave them two weeks to be fully prepared for the highest level deliberations. Gilani said the policy to be framed as a result of these meetings will be implanted in all the provinces and would give a reflection of harmonised relationship between them. Gilani while referring to issues and problems highlighted by the ministers in their respective briefings observed that since these were mostly related to finances, the government will first improve the treasury. Gilani referred to the wheat crisis and said that to him it was a top priority issue. He pointed out that wheat was being smuggled to Afghanistan and India and, like Punjab, Sindh should also take effective measures to stop its smuggling. The federal government will extend all cooperation in this regard, he added. Noting that the new wheat crop has arrived, he said wheat is also being imported and the situation, which suffered from mismanagement in the past, will improve. On the occasion, the Prime Minister announced the plan to develop Larkana as a Model District. He also announced that as a special initiative, hospitals will be established in every Union Council and construction of roads will receive priority. Earlier, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, in a detailed presentation referred to the issues of NFC, judicious water apportionment, and the federal loan of over Rs 31 billion out of which Sindh has repaid 5.5 billion rupees, but 26 billion rupees remain to be repaid and Sindh is being charged an interest higher than the bank interest. Referring to wheat crises, he said: “our target is to procure 0.6 million tons of wheat and it could exceed 0.7 million tons if support price is raised.” He said farmers are not willing to sell wheat to government as they are getting Rs 750 in the open market He demanded that recovery of GST be assigned to provinces with appropriate percentage to be given to the center. Several ministers also gave a briefing to the Prime Minister about their departments. (First Posted @ 16:05 PST Updated @ 19:20 PST)  Ambassador Tariq Azizuddin says being held by Taliban: Al Arabiya TV DUBAI, April 19 (AFP): Pakistan's envoy to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin, who went missing in February, appeared Saturday in a video aired by Al-Arabiya news channel in which he said he was being held by the Taliban. “We were on our way to Afghanistan in our official car on February 11 when we were kidnapped in the region of Khyber... by the Mujahedeen of the Taliban,” said Azizuddin, according to an Arabic translation accompanying the video aired by the Dubai-based channel. Azizuddin said he was held with his driver and bodyguard, and that they were living “in comfortable conditions and are looked after.” Two men who appeared to be the other hostages sat next to Azizuddin, while three gunmen stood in the background. Azizuddin called upon the government of Pakistan and Pakistan's envoys in Iran and China to “to do all they can to protect our lives and to answer all the demands of the Mujahedeen of Taliban in order to secure our release.” (First Posted @ 14:40 PST, Updated @ 14:55 PST) Pakistan tests long-range ballistic missile ISLAMABAD, April 19 (Reuters): Pakistan successfully test fired a long-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile on Saturday, the military said. “The missile Hatf-VI (Shaheen-2) has a range of 2000 km and can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads,” the military said in a statement.Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani watched the test of the surface-to-surface missile and congratulated engineers and scientists for achieving an “important milestone” in Pakistan's quest for sustaining strategic balance in South Asia, it said. The military cited Gilani as saying the missile and nuclear programme enjoyed complete national consensus and would continue to be consolidated and strengthened. “He made it clear that Pakistan's strategy of credible minimum deterrence is fully in place and is a guarantee of peace in the region,” the military said. Gilani also gave an assurance that the country's defence needs would remain a high priority with the elected government, the military said. (First Posted @ 10:00 PST, Updated @ 10:45 PST) Pakistan, Turkey agree to start strategic dialogue at FM level ISLAMABAD, April 19 (APP): Pakistan and Turkey Saturday decided to initiate strategic dialogue at foreign ministers level. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan, at a joint press conference said that they have also agreed to further enhance trade, economic and defence relations between the two countries. During the talks, they also decided to hold the next meeting of the Joint Working Group in May. (It was scheduled for January but was postponed due to elections in Pakistan) The two countries also agreed to hold the third round of tripartite talks between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey in May this year. Mahmood Qureshi said after this meeting of working group on tripartite meeting, a tripartite summit is possible in June this year. He said Pakistan and Turkey believed that military action is not the only solution to the Afghanistan issue. Ali Babacan said the two countries have close cooperation at various levels and due to Pakistan's geo-strategic location, the relations between the two countries are particularly important. (Posted @ 16:40 PST) JUI(F) against time frame for reinstatement of deposed judges QUETTA, Pakistan, April 19 (APP): Central Secretary General of Jamiatul-Ulema-i-Islam (Fazal) Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri Saturday said that independence of judiciary was more important than reinstatement of the deposed judges. Talking to APP, he said that from day one JUI(F) favoured an independent judiciary as a perfect remedy to all the ills of the society, but felt that the 30-day deadline for the reinstatement of the deposed judges would add to the troubles of the nascent democratic government. He further said the JUI(F) had supported the PPP-led coalition on the condition that the government would guarantee an independent judiciary, foreign policy and press but would not create problems for the government by pressure tactics. (Posted @ 16:30 PST) 3 militants killed, 13 Israeli soldiers injured in attack at Gaza-Israel border GAZA, April 19 (Reuters): A Palestinian suicide bomber and two other gunmen were killed when they attacked a border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel Saturday, wounding 13 Israeli soldiers, Hamas and Israeli army said. A Hamas spokesman said the bomber, who was driving a car when he blew himself up, was killed in the attack at the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern Gaza Strip. Hamas said in an earlier incident the Israeli army killed one of their militants near the fence with Israel in central Gaza. (First Posted @ 11:15 PST, Updated @ 14:10 PST) Afghanistan detains 68 Pakistani nationals KABUL, April 19 (AFP): The Afghan army detained 68 Pakistani men soon after they entered the country over suspected ties with Taliban-linked militants, the defence ministry said Saturday. Prior to the mass detention Friday near the border in Kandahar province, the ministry received intelligence that a group of Pakistanis with possible links to “terrorists” was entering the region, it said. “The army ... detained yesterday 68 unarmed Pakistani nationals. They are being investigated,” the ministry said in a statement. General Mohammad Zahir Azimi, chief spokesman for the ministry, said, “We had intelligence reports that a group of Pakistanis possibly linked to terrorists were entering. When our units encountered these Pakistanis, they detained them to find out if they're linked to terrorists.” “When they were detained, they had no travelling documents,” Azimi added. (Posted @ 13:10 PST)  Cricket: Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 150 runs in fifth one-day KARACHI, April 19, (AFP) - Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 150 runs in the fifth and final day-night international here on Saturday to win the five-match series 5-0. Brief Scores: Pakistan 329-9 in 50 overs; Bangladesh 179 in 40.5 overs. (Posted @ 23:02 PST) Resolution for restoration of judges next week: Mahtab ISLAMABAD, April 19 (APP): Pakistan Minister for Railways, Sardar Mahtab Khan Abbasi Saturday hinted about introducing a parliamentary resolution next week on restoration of the deposed judges. “In the light of heavy mandate given by the people on February 18, the deposed judges would be restored through a unanimous resolution in the National Assembly most likely during the upcoming week,” the minister told a public gathering at Chakara, Karak City. He also said consensus would be evolved to bring the army back from the FATA and other Frontier regions. (Posted @ 21:06 PST) Pakistan wants to work in unison with Muslim countries to enhance economic cooperation: Dar ISLAMABAD, April 19 (APP): Pakistan would work in unison with brotherly Islamic countries with a view to increasing economic cooperation in trade and investment, Senator Ishaq Dar, Minister for Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs and Statistics, said Saturday in meetings with the ambassadors of Qatar, Jordan and Muscat who called on him separately. Hamad Ali Al-Hanzab, Ambassador of Qatar said that Qatar would be investing i US $ 5 billion in Pakista. They agreed to convene the meeting of Joint Ministerial Commission. Dr. Saleh Ahmed Aljawarneh, Ambassador of Jordan proposed convening of the meeting of the Joint Economic Ministerial Commission and the meeting of Joint Business Council to increase economic cooperation between the two countries. The Ambassador of Muscat, Mohamed Said Mohamed Al-Lawati discussed role of Pak-Oman Investment Company in promotion of economic cooperation between the two countries and reviewed progress of various projects in Balochistan. (Posted @ 21:00 PST) 
OIC sees progress for peace in Philippines MANILA, April 19 (AFP) - The Philippines and former Muslim separatists are making progress towards implementing a peace accord granting autonomy to Filipino Muslims in the south, the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) said Saturday. OIC envoy Sayed El-Masry told reporters the OIC was now counting on the government and the MNLF to come up with proposals on amending the 1996 peace agreement which ended decades of fighting and led to the creation of an autonomous region for Muslims, headed by MNLF officials, in the southern Philippines. El-Masry, who had met with MNLF and government representatives during his visit here, said a joint working group would submit a report to the OIC in May on possible amendments for autonomy to be fully realised. “Now they are just finalising these documents. We hope that there will be a combined report,” El-Masry said. (Posted @ 20:58 PST) Chinese company offers hydro-electric project at Taunsa LAHORE, Pakistan, April 19(APP): Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Dost Mohammad Khosa Saturday met a delegation of China National Electric Wire & Cable Export Corporation which said their company was interested in setting up a hydro power project at Taunsa barrage with a capacity of 50 MW which could be increased to 100-MW. The Chief Minister asked them to formalize the offer within two months. (Posted @ 19:34 PST) Firing at Bilawal-House KARACHI, April 19 (APP): Armed men riding an Alto car fired at the main gate of Bilawal House on Saturday evening, a spokesman for late Benazir Bhutto’s private residence in Karachi said. He said after firing six shots, the gunmen managed to flee from the scene. No one was hurt, he added. Police reached the scene, recovered six empties and are investigating. (Posted @ 19:12 PST) Cricket-Australia agree to split postponed tour of Pakistan KARACHI, Pakistan, April 19 (Reuters) - Cricket Australia have agreed to split their postponed tour of Pakistan into two and complete it before the teams meet in Australia in 2009, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Saturday. The Board said a final announcement of the new arrangement would be made in next two or three days. Australia postponed their tour to Pakistan in March because of security concerns. “Australia has been very receptive and cooperative and in the next two or three days we will hopefully be able to announce the revised schedule,” Shafqat Naghmi, chief operating officer of the PCB told reporters. Naghmi said five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 game would be played first, then Australia would tour again to play three tests. Sources in the board told Reuters that Australia were expected to tour Pakistan before the Champions Trophy in late September and again in March 2009 for the tests. (Posted @ 18:58 PST)
US, Iraq forces build wall through militia bastion BAGHDAD, April 19 (AFP) - US and Iraqi forces are building a concrete wall through the Baghdad Shiite militia bastion of Sadr City in a bid to stop militiamen firing rockets as fresh clashes in the district killed 13 people on Saturday. The wall of varying height is being constructed along the main road dividing the southern side of Sadr City from the north of the sprawling district of some two million people. Residents of Sadr City said there had been sustained clashes in the district through Friday night with extensive mortar fire. At least 13 people were killed and 80 wounded, medics said. Fresh clashes also erupted overnight between Iraqi police and Mahdi Army militiamen in Nasiriyah, in which two militiamen were killed, police said. Police imposed a curfew in Nasiriyah. Iraqi forces, meanwhile, took control of a district of Basra Iraqi troops entered the northern Hayaniyah district of Basra and took control of the area in an operation lasting several hours, interior ministry spokesman Major General Abdel Karim Khalaf said. (Posted @ 18:50 PST) No proposal to introduce tenure of chief justices: Law Minister ISLAMABAD, April 19 (APP): Federal Law Minister Farooq Naek Saturday said the coalition government was committed to restore deposed judges as per the Murree Declaration and there should be no confusion in this regard. Talking to newsmen after participating in the meeting of the Pakistan Bar Council, he said the government was working for the supremacy of the Constitution and law by strengthening democracy and national institutions. Asked to comment on the issue of bill to introduce tenure of chief justices of the superior courts, he said no such proposal was under consideration. (Posted @ 17:50 PST) US, Pakistan say Taliban commander killed PESHAWAR, Pakistan, April 19 (AP): A Taliban commander blamed for the deadliest attack on U.S. troops has been killed in a shootout with security forces in Pakistan, American and Pakistani officials said. Police killed Ahmad Shah, also known as Mullah Ismail, at a roadblock near Peshawar, a senior Pakistani intelligence official said. Two U.S. security officials confirmed Shah's death in a shootout and said Pakistani authorities had his body. U.S. and Afghan officials have described Shah as the leader of Taliban militants who ambushed a group of U.S. commandos in June 2005 and shot down a Chinook helicopter sent to rescue them. Sixteen American special forces members died on the helicopter. Jehanzeb Khan, a police official in Badhber, six miles south of Peshawar, said local officers responding to an emergency call about a kidnapping on April 10 set up a roadblock to check passing vehicles and opened fire on one car when the driver tried to speed away. Khan said two suspected kidnappers were killed and their victim, an Afghan national, was freed unharmed. He said the dead men carried papers that identified them as Haroon and Noor Agha. He said local police took the bodies to a local morgue and had no more details about the case. But the senior Pakistani intelligence official said the papers were false and further investigation had identified one of them as Shah. He did not identify the second man or provide other details of the incident. Spokesmen for the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan and the Pakistan army said they could not confirm Shah's death. Zabiullah Mujahed, a Taliban spokesman, also said he did not know if Shah had been killed. (Posted @ 17:35 PST) Iran says oil at 115 dollars a barrel is too low TEHRAN, April 19 (AFP): Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that oil is priced too low at 115 dollars a barrel adding that the commodity “should find its real value”, the state-run broadcasting website reported Saturday. “Oil at 115 dollars a barrel in today's market is a deceiving figure, oil is a strategic commodity and should find its real value,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying. (Posted @ 17:15 PST) ADB lends 113 million dollars to India wind power projects MANILA, April 19 (AFP): The Asian Development Bank said Saturday it will provide a 113 million-dollar loan to develop two wind power facilities in the Indian states of Gujarat and Karnataka. (Posted @ 17:15 PST) Heavily-guarded Olympic torch relay in Bangkok ends BANGKOK, April 19 (AFP): The Bangkok leg of the protest-hit Beijing Olympic torch relay finished Saturday, witnesses said, largely free of trouble despite noisy demonstrations by opposing pro-Tibet and Chinese groups. The flame ended its 10-kilometre run from Bangkok's Chinatown at a plaza near the Royal Palace at about 6:10pm, after spending nearly three hours snaking past historical landmarks. A senior police official estimated that thousands of people lined the route to see the torch, which was protected by about 2,000 police. Two groups of about 100 pro-Tibet and 300 pro-Chinese protesters gathered outside the United Nations headquarters in the government district and screamed slogans at each other, but the torch passed without incident. (First Posted @ 13:45 PST, Updated @ 16:55 PST) Crude oil touches $117 for first time NEW YORK, April 19 (APP): Crude oil futures rose nearly 2 U.S. dollars a barrel on Friday to close at a new record high of 116.69 dollars a barrel on news about pipeline sabotage in Nigeria. The front-month contract hit 117 dollars a barrel in electronic trading after markets closed. Crude oil for May delivery gained 1.83 dollars, or 1.6 percent, to settle at 116.69 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. (Posted @ 16:50 PST) Hockey: Pakistan Jr defeat South Africa Sr 3-2 LAHORE, April 19 (APP): Pakistan Juniors defeated Olympic qualifier South Africa Seniors 3-2 in the second hockey match of the tour at Durban on Friday. (Posted @ 16:15 PST) At least 12 dead in Kenya cattle raid NAIROBI, April 19 (Reuters): At least 12 people were killed in northern Kenya when police fought cattle rustlers believed to have crossed the border from Ethiopia, a police official said Saturday. (Posted @ 15:55 PST) Blast kills three civilians in Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 19 (AFP): A bomb blew up a car in Afghanistan Saturday, killing three men, while another blast struck a convoy of civilian security contractors but caused little damage, officials said. The civilian car was struck by a bomb planted on a road in Zabul province, said Qayoum Khan, head of the area's Nawbahar district. “Three civilians were killed and another was injured after their vehicle hit a roadside bomb,” Khan said. Separately, in Kandahar province, a bomb struck a convoy of civilian security contractors, said the International Security Assistance Force that works with Afghan authorities. There were no injuries and no serious damage, said the ISAF spokesman in southern Afghanistan Lieutenant Commander Pierre Babinsky. (Posted @ 15:00 PST) 29 killed in Sri Lanka fighting COLOMBO, April 19 (AFP): At least 28 Tamil Tiger rebels and one soldier were killed in artillery duels across northern Sri Lanka Friday, the defence ministry said Saturday. Security forces killed 25 members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Mannar district while three others were killed in nearby Weli Oya district, the ministry said. One soldier was killed in clashes in Weli Oya. There was no immediate word from the LTTE. (Posted @ 13:55 PST) Two killed in Thai south NARATHIWAT, Thailand, April 19 (AFP): A member of a pro-government militia and a suspected militant were killed Saturday in southern Thailand, police said. A 45-year-old man who worked for a village defence force was shot dead in Narathiwat province Saturday morning. In nearby Yala province, meanwhile, an unidentified man suspected of being a militant was killed in a pre-dawn clash with government soldiers. (Posted @ 13:30 PST) 
US soldier killed north of Baghdad BAGHDAD, April 19 (AFP): A US soldier was killed in a bombing north of Baghdad, the military said on Saturday, bringing US losses already this month to 28, more than in all of January, February or March. The soldier was on patrol in Salaheddin province on Friday when the bomb, which was hidden in a vehicle, detonated, a statement said. The US military's overall toll since the March 2003 invasion now stands at 4,040, according to an AFP tally. (Posted @ 11:45 PST) Bus accident kills 18, injures dozens in Bangladesh TANGAIL, April 19 (AP): Police say at least 18 people were killed when a speeding bus lost control and plunged off the road in central Bangladesh. The local police chief said another 46 people were taken to hospitals after Saturday's accident in Tangail district. The area is 80 kilometers north of the capital, Dhaka. (Posted @ 09:35 PST) 11 killed in Mexico military helicopter crash MEXICO CITY, April 19 (AP): A military helicopter crashed in western Mexico on Friday, killing 11 soldiers and seriously injuring another, the Defence Department said. The soldiers, including an army major, were on their way to raid a marijuana field when their helicopter crashed outside the city of Uruapan in the western state of Michoacan, the department said in a news release. (Posted @ 09:10 PST) Citigroup posts $5.1bn loss, to cut 9,000 jobs NEW YORK, April 19 (AFP): US banking giant Citigroup Friday reported a $5.1 billion net loss during the first quarter and said it would cut 9,000 jobs as it struggles with bad bets on subprime mortgages. It was the second consecutive quarterly loss for the banking titan. (Posted @ 08:55 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
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