Fire engulfs Karachi’s Juna Market

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 News, Politics

Israel to continue building in east Jerusalem

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 International, News

Nawaz accused of hatching conspiracy against reforms

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.

Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in News, Politics

Parliament to decide about change in time

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.

Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in News, Politics

Power outages climb to 19 hours a day

LAHORE: Power outages continue across country as electricity shortfall remains at 4700MW, Geo News reported. Unannounced load shedding continued in Lahore and other cities despite Pakistan Electric Power Company (Private) Limited (Pepco) announcement. Duration of load shedding is more than seven hours in Lahore and more than 19 hours in smaller cities. Electricity shortfall may rise if temperature increases. Industrial and domestic consumers have seriously criticised the government for failing to provide uninterrupted power supply.

Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in News, Politics

Innocent people also killed in anti terror offense: Malik

ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik said he is fully aware of the fact that innocent people were also killed during operation against terrorism. Addressing in the Senate, interior minister said that terrorists of different countries skidding into Pakistan through Afghanistan’s Kunar. Malik said 823 terrorists were killed in operation ‘Rah-e-Nijat’ in North Waziristan and 1,950 suspected persons were arrested in Swat who is under investigations. He made it clear that government will take action if anyone challenges the writ of government.

Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in News

PCCR meets today

ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms (PCCR) will again meet today after Friday prayers to resolve the differences over judges” appointment and renaming of NWFP, and the signing ceremony might be held, if it succeeded in its attempt. 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 News, Politics

Pakistan nuclear ambitions give US leverage

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’’s hopes for civil nuclear cooperation have been a non-starter in Washington, but experts say the United States can use it as a dangling carrot as it seeks influence in Islamabad. The two nations Thursday wrapped up a first-of-a-kind “strategic dialogue,” which the United States hopes will show Pakistan’’s widely anti-American public that it cares about the country beyond seeking help against Islamic extremists. US officials stayed carefully on message, pledging respect for Pakistan and never explicitly saying no to its requests — a refusal that would have been sure to steal the headlines. Pakistan is seeking a civilian nuclear deal along the lines of a landmark agreement that the United States struck with India in 2008. The South Asian rivals stunned the world in 1998 by carrying out nuclear tests. Asked about the Pakistani request, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States would listen to “whatever issues the delegation raises” and highlighted a 125-million-dollar US package to boost Pakistan’’s energy sector. A nuclear deal could help ease the developing country’’s chronic energy shortages. But it would also amount to US recognition of Pakistan as the Islamic world’’s only nuclear power, a point of pride for many Pakistanis. “At the moment this looks like a non-starter, but it shouldn”t be,” said Marvin Weinbaum, a scholar at the Middle East Institute and former State Department official. “There is no reason why we couldn”t use this as a bargaining tool to get more cooperation, to say, ”This may not be something we can deliver now, but we would like to work something out with you,”” he said. “It could have a very positive impact both with the Pakistani elite and public.” But the United States has longstanding concerns about proliferation from Pakistan — and policymakers are said to have quietly drafted a crisis plan in case the nuclear arsenal risk falling out of government control. The father of Pakistan’’s bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, has admitted leaking nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea, although he later retracted his remarks. The level of separation between Pakistan’’s military and civilian nuclear programs also remains a matter of dispute. Pakistan returned to civilian rule in 2008 and President Asif Ali Zardari a year later handed over control of the nuclear program to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. “I think it’’s extremely premature to be talking about any civil nuclear cooperation between the US and Pakistan at this stage,” said Lisa Curtis, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation think-tank. “It would be more appropriate and important to be talking about conventional military cooperation, economic support and breaking down trade barriers,” said Curtis, who served in the State Department in former president George W. Bush’’s administration. Bush championed the nuclear deal with India, the signature part of his drive to build an alliance between the world’’s two largest democracies. The agreement faced criticism from some members of President Barack Obama’’s Democratic Party, who argued that it sent the wrong message as India, like Pakistan and Israel, refuses to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “One of the reasons the US was able to move forward in Congress was because of India’’s solid record against proliferation and Pakistan doesn”t have that,” Curtis said. Some critics who believe the Bush agreement was too easy on India said that Pakistan’’s requests confirmed their fears. “I think the fact that we gave India such a sweetheart deal set a very dangerous precedent and it’’s no surprise that Pakistan wants a similar deal,” said Leonor Tomero of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. She also said that Pakistan’’s request was “odd” coming so close to Obama’’s April 12-13 nuclear security summit in Washington and the Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference a month later.

Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in News

Arms smuggling foiled in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Foiling a bid to smuggle heavy cache of arms from Peshawar to Punjab, Peshawar police claimed arresting an accused involved in offense, Geo news reported. The arrested person, reportedly identified as Siraj, was hailing from a tribal area namely Dara Adam Khel, SSP Traffic Hammad Abid told a press conference while detailing on police action. Heavy amount of weapons were being smuggled to Punjab when during routine checking, police stopped a car to find a person bidding to carry his weapons-laden car into Punjab through Kohat Road near Civil Colony checkpoint, located on the border area of Peshawar province. The smuggler has been arrested and shifted to unidentified location for investigation, he added.

Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in News, Politics

Section 144 clamped in Gujrat

GUJRAT: Section 144 has been imposed in Gujrat city, police sources Thursday told Geo news. According to DCO Javed Akram holding processions, mass congregations have been banned while display of weapons has also been outlawed in city. The decision came in order to maintain law and order situation in city particularly in view of protest and rampage occurred early on the day.

Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in News

Sponsors

Categories

Links

Archive

Latest Stories

Tags

123 2010 2011 afghan afghanistan aid America army australia ban cia country Cricket friday government india indian International ISI islam islamabad karachi kashmir lahore media military monday News Pakistan pakistani police president Prime minister saturday taliban thursday tuesday united united-states USA uth War wednesday world Zardari
TopOfBlogs