ISLAMABAD: British High Commission Islamabad is not issuing visa to Pakistan’s World Champion Pakistan Blind Cricket team, scheduled to start tour England from 9th to 18th August 2009 for a cricket series of 3 One-day Internationals and 1 T/20, the Blind association has said. Blind Cricket England & Wales (BCEW), has invited the World Champion Pakistan.

Pakistan Blind Cricket team applied for the U.K visas through Gerry’s Visa Application Center Islamabad on 8th July 2009. “We requested British High Commission Islamabad and British Embassy Abu Dhabi several times to issue visas to Pakistan Blind Cricket Team, PBCC also provided them the Funds approval from Pakistan Cricket Board and N.O.C from the Government of Pakistan for the said tour but visas are still held in abeyance,” the association said.

As per the original schedule the Pakistan Blind Cricket team has to depart on Sunday but still the players are waiting for the visas.“If British High Commission may not issue visas until Monday then the tour will be called off,” a statement said.

The cancellation of the tour on one hand will cause huge financial loss to both PBCC and Blind Cricket England & Wales and on the other hand will create disappointment in the Blind Cricket players. We “are forced to think that, we, the visually challenged are the underprivileged part of the society whose fundamental rights of even playing cricket are being denied”. PBCC requested the Government of Pakistan to play their part and help us in getting our due right. NNI

LONDON: Terming Pakistan as high risk state the United Kingdom (UK) strict the visa policy for Pakistan. The UK Interior Secretary Jack Smith said on Tuesday that 12 persons were arrested under terrorism act 2000; adding one of them was released and other 11 who belonged to Pakistan did not release yet.

Thanking British police and other security institutions over the arresting the Pakistani students he said that the UK was facing the threat of terrorism. On the occasion, he also said that the UK’s government revised its policies in last month and it was the need of the day to strengthen the cooperation with international partners to counter the threat of terrorism.

He further stated “we are working with Pakistani government to control the extremism and to establish balance society in Pakistan. He said that the UK was spending 10 million pounds every year for the said purpose, adding the UK’s government had doubled the aid package to alleviate the poverty from Pakistan.

He further stated that the above said package had been increased to 480 million pounds by the end of 2011. The UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari also agreed on ongoing joint struggle for curbing the menace of terrorism. It is pertinent to mention that the denial of student visa for Pakistanis was increased.-SANA

NEW DELHI: In the backdrop of the heightened tension between India and Pakistan, the number of Indians travelling on the Samjhauta Express to visit Pakistan has declined to nearly half than usual at this time of the year. Against a total capacity of 777, the last train which left Old Delhi railway station of Pakistan had only 275 passengers on board.

“Among the total passengers, 209 were Pakistani nationals who had come to India, while only 66 Indians set off for the neighbouring country,” talking to Indian TV channel S N Malik, Old Delhi Railway Station Superintendent Delhi, said on Monday.

The lesser number of Indians travelling to Pakistan is attributed to the Indian government’s advisory warning Indians “not to travel or be in Pakistan”. According to the Indian railway officials, Samjhauta Express, the ten-coach train, was running almost full before the Mumbai terror strikes.

The Samjhauta Express, plying twice in a week on Tuesdays and Fridays from Attari and on Sundays and Wednesdays from Delhi, was started on July 22, 1976 following the Shimla Agreement and was the only rail connection between the two countries until the reopening of the Thar Express.-SANA

Alexandria, Virginia, USA, 14 November 2008 (InformPress.com) – Muhammad Saleem, a naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan, residing in Montgomery County, Maryland, was sentenced today to five months in prison, followed by five months of home confinement as a condition of his two year supervised release. On September 5, 2008, Saleem pled guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud and agreed to forfeit $250,000 of his illegal proceeds to the United States. Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Edgar Moreno, Assistant Director, Domestic Operations with the Diplomatic Security Service at the Department of State; Mark X. McGraw, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Washington Field Office; and Gordon S. Heddell, Inspector General of the Department of Labor, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

According to court documents, Muhammad Saleem operated the Lahore Foundation in Burtonsville, Maryland. Through the Lahore Foundation, Saleem recruited aliens overseas and fraudulently obtained visas for these aliens to enter the United States. Upon their arrival, Saleem housed the aliens in residences he owned and then employed the aliens through other companies he operated, namely Scientech Personnel, SVP Staffers, and Profourcing. Through these companies and in exchange for
an hourly fee, Saleem illegally contracted the aliens to construction companies to work as electricians in violation of their visa status. Saleem passed only a portion of the hourly fee to the aliens who
performed the labor. Saleem also assisted the aliens in obtaining an extension of their status to remain as a visitor, when in fact the aliens continued working through the defendant.

The case was investigated by the Diplomatic Security Service of the Department of State, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Labor. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Beth N. Gibson.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan intends to play its due role to prevent the climate change that has become a real critical challenge for the world. In his message on the occasion of World Tourism Day being observed on September 27 (today), the prime minister said: “In the present age, environmental changes have affected our lives adversely.

Our very existence on this earth will be in danger if we did not counter serious issues like dry seasons lasting for years, drought-like conditions in vast swathes of territory, continuous rains for months, flash-floods, thunder storms, rising temperature of the world and melting glaciers. This is the reason why climate change was made the topic of World Tourism Day.”

“To stop this change, is the need of the hour and Pakistan intends to play its due role in this regard,” the prime minister said. He said when tourist industry grows the economy of the country grows consequently. The day is being celebrated since September 27, 1980 by the World Tourism Organization. It was established at the Third Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Torremolinos, Spain, in the September of 1979. The purpose of this day is to display the awareness that tourism is vital to the international community and to show how it affects the social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.-SANA

PESHAWAR: NWFP Government on Thursday finalized arrangements for a bus service to be run exclusively for women in Peshawar. Talking to private TV channel, Peshawar District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali said that separate bus for women was the need of time, adding women and female students would benefit from the service.

He said these buses would be exempted from all kind of taxes. He announced separate bus stands would also be built for women. The transporters will be provided special packages and services, Ali said, adding all other arrangements including purchase of new buses have been finalized.-SANA

ISLAMABAD: Britain closed its visa application centre here on Thursday after receiving threats of terrorist violence. “The visa application centre in Islamabad received a threat, which we take seriously. So we opted to close down the centre in Islamabad in order that we fully assess the threat,” spokesperson for the British High Commission, Jennifer Wilkes told media without giving details of the threat. Continue Reading

KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has increased fares on its international flights and for Umrahs. PIA and other airlines have increased fares for their international routes and Umrahs due to rapidly increasing prices of oil. According to the revised rates the PIA’s two-way fares for London will be Rs 58,770, for New York Rs 97,800, for Dubai Rs 25,300 and for Canada Rs 98,500.The PIA fare for the Umrah has been fixed at Rs 53,800. Similarly, Saudi Airline has also increased its fare for the Umrah to Rs 57,500. Besides, other airlines including Emirates Airlines and Thai Airlines have also increased their fares for international flights.

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Water and Power and Tourism, Raja Pervez Ashraf has directed the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) to formulate a comprehensive strategy for development and improvement in the infrastructural facilities for the promotion of the tourism in the country. He said this while chairing a high level meeting here today. Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Managing Director, PTDC and senior officials of the Ministry and PTDC were present in the meeting. He also asked the PTDC to constitute a task force to chalk out a program with novel ideas to attract tourists in the country and submit its recommendation within 10 days. Continue Reading

ISLAMABAD: Under Section 10 of the Travel Agency Act, 1976, the license No. ID-1050 of M/S Ghandhara Tours, Abbas Town-Olding Skardu, Baltastan have been cancelled with immediate effect. This was stated in the cancellation letter no. DTS-29 (1115)/2005 issued by Department of the Tourist Services. The Agency is also required to close its office, remove the signboard and return the license immediately-SANA