ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Friday dismissed any crisis following PML-N leader’’s voice of dissent and said he was ready to meet anyone in this regard to resolve the matter. “Let the committee take decision. I am ready to meet Mian Sahib,” Gilani said while talking to reporters after inaugurating the Aiwan-e-Quaid at F-9 Fatima Jinnah Park here. “There can be no crisis in the way of democracy,” said Gilani when asked about PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’’s point of view. He said he had talked to Chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Constitution Reforms Raza Rabbani and it was up to them to decide the future course of action. Regarding Nawaz Sharif’’s complaint that he was not taken into confidence over the Pak-US strategic dialogue, he said it was already planned and the nation would be taken into confidence. When asked whether the strategic dialogue would put Pakistan under lots of pressure, he said his was a democratic government and would do everything that was in the interest of the country without compromising national integrity and sovereignty. “We are answerable to the people of Pakistan and not to the United States of America,” Gilani said. With regard to the Pak-US and Indo-US ties he said Pakistan believed in composite dialogue and desired stronger bilateral relations. He said the address of the President to the Parliament was a constitutional requirement and referred to the past when a dictator did not do so. “We will not take any unconstitutional step and will take every step after taking opposition into confidence,” he added. To a question he said like always he has very good terms with the judiciary. About the energy crisis, he said,” power projects take lots of time for completion” and regretted that had the governments in the past done their part things would have been different now. Earlier while addressing the ceremony, Prime Minister said the country was at the crossroads of history. “It is time that we need to strengthen the foundation of the country and transfer the ideology of Pakistan to our next generation,” Gilani said. He said it was vital that all state institutions function independently within their own respective spheres, where they can gain strength and make the country stronger to face all challenges.
Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in
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LONDON: Pakistan has deployed more troops on the eastern border with India, saying the heightened tension with the neighbouring country has affected its efforts against the Taliban and other extremist organisations on the western border. Confirming the report about reinforcement of troops on the Indian border, Pakistan’’s High Commissioner to Britain, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, said that India had increased pressure on the border by building several new military cantonments close to the sensitive frontier, and Islamabad can not remain subservient to the move. “The government has had to send some troops down there because we don””t want to leave ourselves exposed. This is taking away from our defence capabilities on the Afghan border. We really wish the international community would intervene, but nobody has said anything to the Indians,” a British newspaper quoted Hasan, as saying. Experts and diplomats, however, have described the troops reinforcement as more of a political and diplomatic move rather than a strategic one.
Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in
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KARACHI: A fire broke out on Thursday in Karachi’s old Juna Market, Geo News reported. According to reports, the fire tenders were called to control the blaze, which was still raging.
Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in
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JERUSALEM: Israel insisted Friday it would continue construction in contested east Jerusalem, taking an uncompromising stance against U.S. pressure following a tense visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington. The refusal to change long-standing Israeli policy signaled that a high-profile rift between the two allies remained wide, withstalled Mideast peace talks caught in the middle. “The prime minister’’s position is that there is no change in Israeli policy on Jerusalem,”” Netanyahu’’s office said in a statement. Shortly after, he convened a previously scheduled meeting of key ministers to frame a response to Washington’’s demands for Israeli peace gestures. The Obama administration says Israeli building in east Jerusalem is provocative and undermines U.S. efforts to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. The Palestinians want that sector of the holy city for a future capital and view the expanding Jewish presence there as a challenge to their claim. Netanyahu’’s meetings with President Barack Obama and other top U.S. officials did not appear to quell U.S. anger over a major east Jerusalem construction project whose announcement in the middle of a visit by Vice President Joe Biden touched off the worst diplomatic row between the two countries in decades. The disclosure Wednesday that 20 new Jewish homes would be built in the heart of an Arab neighborhood in east Jerusalem only stoked the frictions.
Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in
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ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms (PCCR) will meet again on Wednesday to resolve the differences over renaming of NWFP, Geo News reported. Senator Raza Rabani told media men after the meeting that all issues including renaming of NWFP will be solved amicably. The committee met today with Raza Rabbani in chair. PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar was reported to come under fire from other members of the committee during the meeting after PML-N chief took a U-turn on constitutional reform package. The signing ceremony of the final report of the PCCR was postponed on Thursday due to reservations of the PML-N over the constitutional amendments.
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NEW DELHI: Indian star batsman Sachin Tendulkar is busy breaking records in cricket field and off the field his achievements are being hailed in the country. In recognition of his feats, The Maharashtra government has announced building of a museum in his honour. The museum will be based on the life and career of the master cricketer Tendulkar will be second cricketer after the legendary Sir Donald Bradman that a museum will be built on his cricket achievements. Tendulkar recently accomplished the milestone of becoming the first ever player to crack a one-day international double ton. The Little Master holds the records of making the most runs in Test and One-day International cricket besides scoring the highest number of centuries in these forms of cricket.
Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in
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KARACHI: The Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has accused PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif of hatching conspiracy against constitutional reforms and said he did not want to remove amendments made during former dictator Zia-ul-Haq. He was talking to newsmen on Friday outside Sindh Assembly. He was of the view that renaming of NWFP was of less importance.
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ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms (PCCR) met again today to resolve the differences over judges” appointment and renaming of NWFP. The meeting is currently underway with Raza Rabbani in chair. PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar was reported to have been under fire from other members of the committee during the meeting after PML-N chief took a U-turn on constitutional reform package. The signing ceremony of the final report of the PCCR was postponed on Thursday due to reservations of the PML-N over the constitutional amendments. With the delay in the finalisation of the recommendations of the Rabbani committee, the presentation of the report in both the houses of parliament, due today, was put on hold. Federal Minister Dr Babar Awan had announced on Wednesday that the government was summoning the joint session of parliament on Friday in which the 18th Amendment would be tabled following the address of President Asif Ali Zardari to the joint session. However, the signing ceremony was postponed, as the PCCR in its ”last” meeting, held here on Thursday, failed to reach a consensus on the renaming of the NWFP – the only contentious issue on which the ANP and the PML-N have locked their horns. The PCCR held two meetings here on Thursday, with Senator Raza Rabbani in the chair, to discuss the issue. However, the differences between the ANP and the PML-N remained unresolved, compelling the government to postpone the draft-signing ceremony by the committee members. Consequently, the joint sitting of parliament and the president’’s address to the joint session would also not be held today.
Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in
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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said in the National Assembly session that government will honour house’ view and would not move the clock forward from April 1. The government last year decided to move the clock forward by one hour from April 1 till October 31 in order to lessen power shortage. Earlier, Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that last year 250 MW electricity had been saved by moving clock forward by one hour which is crucial in power crisis. He admitted that unannounced load shedding is on in the country due to burden on the system. Unannounced load shedding will be ended with the improvement of water situation, he added.
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KARACHI: Postponed SSC exams will now be held on 14 and 15 April 2010, BSEK, Controller of the Examination, Kalim Asghar Kirmani announced today. Papers scheduled for March 24 and 25 were postponed after the Board of Secondary Education, Karachi (BSEK) failed to issue admits card. On Tuesday night, the SSC examination was postponed for two days on the intervention of the governor as hundreds of students had still not received their admit cards. The exam was scheduled for March 24. Earlier on Tuesday night, students of class IX and X staged a sit-in on the MA Jinnah Road near Tibet Centre to protest against the non-issuance of admit cards.
Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in
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