Experts says Talks on restoration of the judges go deep into mystery even when the deadlock expires as both the parties to the talks say that the process of talks between the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N) still continues. Presently, Rehman Malik and Hussain Haqqani from the PPP and Shahbaz Sharif and Khwaja Asif from PML (N) are taking part in the talks.

Sources said that the objective of these talks is to determine the procedure of running the country’s affairs despite PML (N)’s separation from the government and how the PML (N) would face its constituencies for not fulfilling the promise of restoring the judges. According to the sources, the PML (N) may announce to continue its support to the government and may gradually separate itself from the government. On the other hand, no details are being provided to media regarding these matters except that the talks are going on.

Long awaited scenario finally arises, the chances of separation between Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League –N have increased as the deadline for the judges restoration is nearing an end. According to details, the differences between PML-N and PPP could not be done away with. It is expected that PML-N would announce its separation tomorrow;however, PPP said it would not quit Punjab government. PPP leader Hussain Haqqani said both the parties are at variance on modalities of judges restoration, adding the efforts are underway to remove the differences for which both the political parties will work in unison.

The US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher held separate meetings with Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari in London; however, the differences between the two parties still exist, which has jeopardized the existence of ruling coalition. It is said that the PML-N would quit the government, as PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif said the party’s Parliamentary Committee would be held tomorrow, where decision would be made regarding future course of action. Read the rest of this entry »

Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said that the protection of honour, dignity and prestige of all the individuals of all the society particularly the women folk is the responsibility of the state. The Prime Minister said after viewing a presentation made by Ms. Musarat Misbah President Deplix Smile Again Foundation which is building a thirty bed hospital for the treatment and rehabilitation of women with acid burns in Sanghi near Multan in collaboration with the Italian chapter of Smile Again Foundation. The presentation was made at the State Guest House, Lahore on Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »

HAZRO: Amir Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam Senator Maulana Gul Naseeb has termed the ongoing peace deal with Taliban as drama that lacks credibility. He was addressing ulema convention he said that the government should take steps to restore the judges and attend to all the important issues like inflation, power-crisis, unemployment and law and order. Lashing out at the mock peace deals with Taliban would never reach fruition as that lack will and representation on both sides. This statement has come at very crucial time when Government has started taking steps to initiate peace talks with Taliban.

Govt. warms up to negotiate peace with Taliban in Mardan
MARDAN: Government has started efforts to reach a peace deal with local Taliban here. District Nazim Mardan Himayatullah Mayar has convened session of the district government on Monday that would take stock of the prevailing law and order situation in the district and would set mode of negotiating peace deal with the local Taliban. Read the rest of this entry »

ISLAMABAD: The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group is meeting in London tomorrow to consider Pakistan’s re-entry into the organization. The Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma says he clearly believes that return to democracy following recent elections, has strengthened Pakistan’s case for re-admission in the organization. Pakistan was suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth on 22nd November 2007 due to the emergency being imposed on November 3, 2007 by General Pervaiz Musharraf. Pakistan join Common Wealth in 197 and left in 1972, rejoined Common Wealth in 1989.

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani has said that the focus of jail reforms should be on improving the condition of jail inmates. “Jails should act a reformation centre instead of producing criminals”, he said while charing a preliminary committee meeting to prepares recommendations on jail reforms here at State Guest House on Sunday. Justice Agha Rafique Ahmad Khan, Secretary Law division, Imtiaz Qazi Additional Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Muhamamd Naeem-ul-Haq member NRB, Mian Farooq IB prisons IG prisons NWFP and Major (Retd.) Akbar Lashari DIG prisons Baluchistan were also present. Read the rest of this entry »

ISLAMABAD:These relief flights carried tents, plastic sheets, mosquito nets, medicines and water purification tablets. According to reports up to one hundred and fifty thousand people may have been killed in the initial impact of Burma’s cyclone. Agencies warn they are in a race against time to prevent disease and starvation. Meanwhile, the Burmese government says there has been a massive turn out in the constitutional referendum held in most of Burma. Nature is sometimes far crueler than any constitution, any governmental obligations.

Akram’s postmortem sans torture traceable vital body parts
LAHORE: The postmortem report of a Pakistani citizen Muhammad Akram, who had died in the Indian city Amritsar jail, has been released here Sunday revealing the grisly story of untraceable torture. Doctors said that the heart, kidneys, lungs, liver and intestines were taken out from the body of Muhammad Akram, which has made it difficult for finding out the cause of the death.Some wound marks were found on the arms of Muhammad Akram. However, some sample of his body has been sent to the chemical examiner for finding out the real reason of death. It may be recalled that prior to Akram, Khalid Mahmood’s, who had died of Indian jail tortures, vital parts of the body were also taken out during the postmortem in India. Read the rest of this entry »

ISLAMABAD: The differences have occurred between CDA and ISCO over water shortage and supply and they are blaming each other for affecting the supply system in the federal capital. According to reliable sources, the water crisis has become worst and there is no regulatory in the water supply in Islamabad and the main reason of its fault in hundreds of tubewells which created lot problems of the residents of the city. Read the rest of this entry »

ISLAMABAD:The free mobile clinic was started three days earlier under the auspices of Al-Khidmat Foundation Islamabad. Personnel of the free clinic visited the outskirt areas of Islamabad like Sangjani, Shaheenabad, Jhangi Syedan and Maira Ja’afar where they examined patients without any fee and distributed medicine free of cost among the needy. Read the rest of this entry »

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said Pakistan wants resolution of the Kashmir issue according to the UN resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Speaking in a CNN-IBN programme, he described Kashmir as the core issue in bilateral relations between Pakistan and India.The prime minister said political forces will be taken into confidence on the Kashmir policy of the new government adding, “We have to take every one on board in confidence.” He said we want to build trust and confidence to create a facilitating environment to resolve the issue. Read the rest of this entry »

ISLAMABAD: All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) would observe countrywide Black Day on Monday against May 12 tragedy and JI Amir Qazi Hussain Ahmad would lead the APDM rally in Islamabad. More then fifty people were killed in violent incidents over preventing deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry from addressing to Sindh High Court Bar Association in Karachi last year on May 12. Read the rest of this entry »

ISLAMABAD: Interior Ministry Department, FIA has issued licenses to eight new Overseas Employment Promoters in various cities during March 2008, sources said. According to details, the FIA issued licenses to promoters Tahir Khitab, Alma Group Karachi, Muhammad Nazir –Abdul Wahid & Brothers Rawalpindi, Muhammad Arshad Zubair, Rich Consulting Rawalpindi, Kamran & Aurangzeb Rafay Travelers & Recruitment Agency Abbotabad, Muhammad Nisar Ghoman IGHC Lahore, Syed Arshad Ali Hotal Jobs Karachi, Muhammad Salman Khan, Asif Borthers Karachi and Warias Ali Al-Mir Corporation Lahore. It may be noted that the licenses were issues to all these Overseas Employment Promoters in March 2008.-SANA

DARGAI: Some unidentified gunmen fired at the vehicle of Abdul Rashid Turabi, former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Azad Kashmir and former Member of Kashmir Assembly and Ghulam Nabi Noshehrawi, chief of Foreign Affairs Jamaat-e-Islami in held-Kashmir when they were traveling on Malakand Highway in Sakhakot here Saturday night. Read the rest of this entry »

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has expressed his heart-felt regret over the fire incident at scrap market in Shershah area of Karachi here Sunday. He has expressed sympathy with affected owners of shops over the fire losses and issued directives to the administration for thorough inquiry of the incident.-SANA

Boucher to meet with Nawaz, Zardari on judges issue
ISLAMABAD: The US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher is arriving in London to hold meeting with PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N Qauid Nawaz Sharif about judges restoration issue, sources said. The US direct intervention in judge’s issue continued and it decided to hold talks with ruling alliance with this issue. Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif extended his stay in London for a day due to this news development. Political and diplomatic circles do not like the US direct intervention in the restoration of the judges’ issue. According to the sources, Saudi Arabia on the US line was also pressurizing Nawaz Sharif to bring flexibly in his stand over the reinstatement of the judges. Nawaz Sharif has decided not to accept foreign pressure and compromise over the judges’ issue. Nawaz Sharif would announce his future strategy if dialogue with PPP failed. Read the rest of this entry »

ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf has agreed over the restoration of all deposed judges excluding of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Presidency sources told private TV Channel. According to details, Pakistan Peoples Party was informed about this proposal while the PPP clarified that it was in favour of the reinstatement of all deposed judges but it wanted to restore Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry through constitutional amendment and retire him immediately after his reinstatement.

It may be noted that Pakistan Muslim League (N) is against proposal about the conditional restoration of Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and it stand is to restore all judges on their position pre- November 02. The sources claimed that there is deadlock in dialogue between PPP and PML-N.-SANA

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the government is determined to take all possible measures to restore the 1973 Constitution and strengthen the parliament. Addressing a news conference in Lahore this afternoon he said it is the responsibility of all the political parties to take the country out of the present day crisis and work untidily to mitigate the sufferings of the people. He said broad based governments have been set up in centre and provinces and it is the policy of the government to take all of its stake holders along to appropriately solve all the problems confronting the nation. The Prime Minister said PPP had rendered unprecedented services under the dynamic leadership of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto for the constitution, judiciary and democracy. Read the rest of this entry »

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Dr. Fehmida Mirza has asked the civil servants to adopt people friendly and pro-people attitudes and help the people in resolving the socio economic problems confronting them. She said this while addressing the faculty and the participants of 88th National Management Course at Parliament House on Saturday. The Speaker said that civil servants should serve the people and the country honestly, fearlessly and impartially. She said that the institution of civil service was a permanent body and as such they should remain non political in discharge of their duties. Read the rest of this entry »

KARACHI: Governor State Bank of Pakistan Dr. Shamshad Akhtar said decline in the rupee value is mainly due to uncertain political situation and added this includes the declaration of emergency in the country on November 3 and then the recent elections. She expressed the hope that the decrease in the value of the rupee would soon be controlled and there will be no adverse effects on the economy of the country. Talking to Geo News, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar said fluctuations in the foreign exchange rate were something usual and said that exchange rates kept changing in countries the world over. Read the rest of this entry »