"PAKISTAN" LAHORE, Aug 30: The ongoing military operation against militants in tribal areas will come to a halt on the midnight of August 31 and remain suspended during Ramazan,

"PAKISTAN" ISLAMABAD, Sept 8: The PML-N on Monday politely declined president-elect Asif Ali Zardari’s request to rejoin the ruling coalition, but assured him that it would play a positive role in the opposition. Mr Zardari had sought reconciliation when he met a delegation of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, headed by its chief Nawaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s House. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since the PML-N pulled out of the ruling coalition on Aug 25. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also attended the meeting.

"USA" WASHINGTON, Sept 10: The US military will revise its strategy for Afghanistan to include militant ‘safe havens’ in Pakistan in its area of concern, the top US military officer said on Wednesday. As Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen underlined key points of the new strategy at a congressional hearing in Washington, the White House and the State Department indicated that they already had an understanding with Pakistan on implementing this strategy.

"PAKISTAN" ISLAMABAD, Sept 10: Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has rejected US claims that the rules of engagement gave the coalition forces in Afghanistan the right to enter Pakistan and declared that the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity will be defended at all costs. In a statement issued here on Wednesday, the COAS said: “The rules of engagement with the coalition forces are well defined and within that the right to conduct operations against the militants inside own territory is solely the responsibility of the respective armed forces.

"BELGIUM" BRUSSELS: Nato will not take part in a proposed US strategy of conducting raids into Pakistan from Afghanistan against Taliban and Al Qaeda militants, a spokesman said on Thursday. “The Nato policy, that is our mandate, ends at the border,” James Appathurai told a regular news briefing. “There are no ground or air incursions by Nato forces into Pakistani territory.” Nato states would discuss the issue, Appathurai said, but he added: “Let me stress, it is not Nato that will be sending its forces across the border.”

"USA"NEW YORK, Sept 15: In a stunning reshaping of America’s financial landscape, two venerable Wall Street firms fell from the shockwaves of a credit crisis that has plunged the financial system into turmoil, as stocks tumbled across the globe on Monday in response. Lehman Brothers, burdened by $60 billion in soured real-estate holdings, filed for federal bankruptcy protection in the US Bankruptcy Court after attempts to rescue the firm failed. Bank of America Corp said it is snapping up Merrill Lynch in a $50 billion all-stock transaction.

"PAKISTAN" ISLAMABAD, Sept 11: The government expressed its determination on Thursday to defend the country’s borders in the wake of increasing air attacks by US-led forces on tribal areas and American and British demands that international security forces be allowed to target what they call Al Qaeda ‘sanctuaries’ in areas bordering Afghanistan. “We would take all possible steps to safeguard the country’s borders,” Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani told reporters after laying the foundation of the Zero Point interchange here on Thursday.

"PAKISTAN" ISLAMABAD: British Law and Justice Secretary Jack Straw has stressed the need for respecting Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty and extending support to strengthen the new democratic government and said that foreign incursions into Pakistani territory will be counter-productive. After a meeting with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani here on Tuesday, he said Pakistan had faced a lot of problems and rendered a lot of sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. He expressed the hope that Pakistan would continue providing passage to Nato supply convoys through its territory on their way to Afghanistan.

"UAE" ABU DHABI / PARIS, Sept 21: The United Arab Emirates on Sunday urged Pakistanis to support their government after an attack on an Islamabad hotel killed at least 50 people. Other countries also condemned the suicide bombing and issued rallying calls for the continued fight against extremism. The UAE foreign ministry said the country “vehemently condemns this foul crime perpetrated by terrorists” and expressed “solidarity with the Pakistani government in battling such acts of terror”. It urged the Pakistani people to “stand behind the government in its efforts to combat terrorism and establish stability in the country”. “China opposes terrorism of any kind,” said foreign minister Yang Jiechi in a message to his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

"KASHMIR" SRINAGAR, Sept 8: A one-day strike called by Kashmiri freedom-seekers to denounce planned elections closed shops, schools and businesses across occupied Kashmir on Monday and sparked fresh clashes that hurt 60 people. Government offices were also closed and public and private vehicles stayed off the road in the latest in a string of shutdowns and demonstrations called by Kashmiri leaders in the Muslim-majority territory. Kashmiri people oppose Indian-held elections, arguing they strengthen New Delhi’s hold over the region.

"PAKISTAN" ISLAMABAD, Sept 1: The Senate strongly condemned on Monday the burying alive of five women in Balochistan in the name of family honour and demanded severe punishment of people who committed the crime. The senators expressed serious concern over what they called a deliberate hush-up of the killing and then its attribution to Baloch tribal traditions. Saying that there was no such tradition in the Baloch society they urged the government to ensure that such crimes were not committed in future.

"INDIA" BHUBANESWAR, Sept 1: Mobs burnt at least four more churches as religious violence appeared to spread in Orissa. Thousands of people, mostly Christians, have taken shelter in makeshift camps in the Indian state, where mobs went on the rampage last week after a Hindu leader was killed. Mobs set fire to four churches in the districts of Koraput and Rayagada, Orissa’s director general of police Gopal Chandra Nanda said. Two churches and several houses were also burnt in the Kandhamal district.—Reuters

"PAKISTAN" ISLAMABAD, Sept 6: The ministries of interior and defence have taken diametrically opposite positions on the issue of halting Nato supplies to Afghanistan via the Torkham border post. While the former says it is a temporary disruption because of ‘security concerns’, the latter insists that the government decided to stop the supplies indefinitely because Pakistan has issues with the allied forces’ recent incursions inside the Pakistani territory.

(BREAKING NEWS) "PAKISTAN" ISLAMABAD, Sept 6: With a big parliamentary vote that can consolidate the fledgling coalition government led by his Pakistan People’s Party, Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday won the presidency which imprisoned him for years, but appeared faced with hard challenges ranging from personal credibility to terrorism and economic troubles afflicting the country

"KASHMIR" SRINAGAR, Sept 7: Kashmir’s top leader has warned that India’s heavy-handed crackdown on protests could trigger a renewed violent upsurge in the long-running freedom struggle. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said New Delhi needed to accept that the Kashmiris were as opposed as ever to Indian occupation and a referendum on self-determination was the only way out of the crisis. “We will continue to fight peacefully and politically,”

"PAKISTAN" ISLAMABAD, Sept 7: Afghan President Hamid Karzai will attend the oath-taking ceremony of president-elect Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday. “The Pakistani president invited him to take part in the oath-taking ceremony to be held in Islamabad soon”, and Mr Karzai has accepted the invitation, a TV channel quoted a statement of the Afghan government official as saying. According to the official, President Karzai expressed the hope that relations between the two countries would improve

"BRITAN" LONDON, Sept 16: The joint statement issued here on Tuesday by the Pakistan High Commission after the conclusion of nearly 150 minutes of talks between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that it was for the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to lead the efforts to combat extremism, with the support of the international community. The prime minister and the president also agreed that a stable and strong democracy in Pakistan would play an important role in promoting peace in the region. The two leaders also welcomed the ongoing collaboration between the UK and Pakistani governments to tackle violent extremism and radicalisation.

"England" LONDON, Sept 21: President Asif Ali Zardari who arrived here on Sunday afternoon by a British Airways flight is scheduled to fly early on Monday morning to New York. His entourage includes Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Information Minister Sherry Rehman, a couple of top Foreign Office officials and about 15 mediapersons who arrived separately by PIA and took a connecting Virgin flight to New York. According to the Pakistan High Commission, the president did not have any public engagements during his stay in London. Mr Zardari is scheduled to attend the UN General Assembly session and meet President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines.

"USA" NEW YORK, Sept 23: Presidents George W. Bush and Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday showed a keen awareness of the sensitivities of the Pakistani people and avoided using words and terms that could have had a negative impact on the people. The US president while talking about the issue of militancy avoided using the terms “war on terror” although his meeting with Mr Zardari focussed on joint efforts to fight insurgency in Fata. Mr Bush also noted Mr Zardari’s concerns at the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty by US forces but made no commitment. “Your words have been very strong about Pakistan’s sovereign right and sovereign duty to protect your country, and the United States wants to help,” said Mr Bush while addressing the Pakistani president sitting next to him.

"USA" NEW YORK, Sept 23: Iran and Pakistan agreed on Tuesday to float a joint company to raise funds for the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. The decision was taken at a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Iran will provide sovereign guarantee for the proposed company while funds will be raised in Pakistan, Iran and the Middle East. Briefing journalists on the Zardari-Ahmadinejad meeting, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said Iranian and Pakistani foreign ministers will meet on Oct 9 or Oct 10 to work out details. The project was proposed several years ago but could not be implemented because of a strong US opposition.

"PAKISTAN" LAHORE, Oct 13: Pakistan would neither drop its claim nor sell the Chenab water which India ‘stole’ in September this year, Indus Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah said here on Monday. Talking to newsmen at the International Congress on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), he said a delegation would leave for India on the 18th and re-emphasise its demand for 200,000 acre feet of water that India used to fill Baglihar dam. “India will have to compensate Pakistan during the coming Rabi season. Otherwise, Islamabad will resort to other treaty mechanisms to get its due share,” he insisted. Pakistan has no objection now to the design of the dam, which was changed by India on recommendations of a neutral expert. But it also had to observe the filling criteria, which was not part of the treaty, he said.

"PAKISTAN" MULTAN: Oct 03: Prime Minister, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani Friday said Pakistan will also seek to get a nuclear reactor if India receives it as a result of Indo-US nuclear deal. Talking to media here at Circuit House Multan, he termed the statements being issued by the US presidential candidates as part of their election campaign. Whatever government comes into power in the US will work shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan towards elimination of the scourge of terrorism or else there is no possibility to eradicate this menace, he said. The Premier attributed the current economic crisis being faced by Pakistan to the terrorist activities in the country, but hoped that the government will be able to convince the tribesmen by holding talks with them in a bid to find a solution to the problem.

"USA" WASHINGTON: Oct 03: The general who commands NATO forces in Afghanistan called Wednesday for enlisting tribes to help pacify the country and did not rule out reconciliation with ousted Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. General David McKiernan, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force, said reconciliation efforts should be led by the Afghan government, but that the military would support it within its mandate. Asked whether dealing with the man who harbored Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was beyond the pale, McKiernan said, "I think that's a political decision that will ultimately be made by political leadership." Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday that he has asked Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to arrange talks with the Taliban so that Omar and other militia leaders could return home in peace.

"CHINA" JIUQUAN: Sept 25: China on Thursday launched its riskiest space flight yet, sending three men into orbit on a mission that will include the nation’s first space walk, state media said. The Shenzhou VII spacecraft lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 9.10pm in the presence of President Hu Jintao and other senior leaders, state television reported live. “The successful launch marked the first victory of the Shenzhou VII mission,” a triumphant Hu said. As the spacecraft entered its pre-set orbit, the three astronauts kept in contact with ground control, occasionally waving to a camera as notebooks floated around in the weightlessness of their shuttle cabin.Hu earlier saw off the three, led by 41-year-old Zhai Zhigang, as they prepared for their 68-hour journey to space and back.

""USA" NEW YORK (PAKISTANS PRISEDENT ASIF ALI ZARDARI AND ALASKA GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN) "Oh, thank you," Palin said. Pakistan's recently-elected president, Asif Ali Zardari, entered the room seconds later. Palin rose to shake his hand, saying she was ‘honoured’ to meet him. Zardari then called her "gorgeous" and said: "Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you." "You are so nice," Palin said, smiling. "Thank you." A handler from Zardari's entourage then told the two politicians to keep shaking hands for the cameras. "If he's insisting, I might hug," Zardari said. Palin smiled politely. The Alaska governor did not answer questions from reporters at her first two appearances on Wednesday,

"ENGLAND" LONDON: Sept 26: Israel gave serious thought this spring to launching a military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, but was told by US President George Bush he would not support it and did not expect to revise that view for the rest of his presidency, senior European diplomatic sources have told the Guardian. Prime minister Ehud Olmert used the occasion of Mr Bush’s trip to Israel for the 60th anniversary of the state’s founding to raise the issue in a one-on-one meeting on May 14, the sources said. “He took it [the refusal of a US green light] as where they were at the moment, and that the US position was unlikely to change as long as Bush was in office,” they added.

"PAKISTAN" ISLAMABAD, Oct 13: The joint session of the two houses of parliament on the US-led war on terror and the law and order situation in the country was adjourned till 11am on Tuesday after of the sudden death of Pakistan Muslim League-Q MNA Nasrullah Khan Bijarani. The brief sitting on Monday offered fateha for the legislator who died of cardiac arrest in the Federal Services Hospital a couple of hours before the session began. Information Minister Sherry Rehman was scheduled to provide a ‘civilian view’ of the strategy on the war on terrorism after last week’s briefing by the military leadership. The session was convened on Wednesday and the briefing was given by Director-General Military Operations Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha. On Monday, the information minister was to explain the government’s policy because of the scathing criticism by the opposition of the operation being launched in tribal areas.

"CHINA" BEIJING, Oct 14: President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in China on Tuesday for his first official visit since taking office, aiming to cement economic and commercial ties with the long-time ally. President Zardari is expected to sign a range of agreements with Beijing during his four-day visit. The agreements will focus on strengthening strategic, economic and cultural ties. Mr Zardari’s visit comes at a time when Pakistan’s relations with the United States are strained after a series of air raids and at least one ground assault. Analysts said that while Pakistan would continue to act as an ally of the United States, Mr Zardari’s visit to China demonstrated Islamabad’s tendency to ‘look East’ when its ties with the West become strained.

"CHINA" BEIJING, Oct 14: PRESIDENT Zardari is visiting China at a time when the global economic power balance is undergoing a historic shift. “End of US era — now China calls the tune” declares a headline of The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s oldest and most respected newspaper. “Can Chinese cash save the world’s banks?” is a lead story in Time. “Is this the end of the American era?” is the title of an op-ed written by noted historian Paul Kennedy in The Sunday Times, UK. Billionaire investor George Soros has predicted the financial crisis would mean the end of a US-led market system that has dominated the global economy through debt and deregulation since the 1980s. “This is now over. The game is out. It does mean a very serious adjustment for America,” Soros said in a CNN interview.

"PAKISTAN" ISLAMABAD, Oct 21: The Pakistan Muslim League-Q has welcomed the statement of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani that neither was Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi named in the FIR nor was involved in the murder of Benazir Bhutto, but called for action against the Sindh government officials who had issued ‘threatening statements.’ Speaking at a news conference on Monday, PML-Q’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, Faisal Saleh Hayat, leader of the opposition in the Senate Kamil Ali Agha and information secretary Senator Tariq Azeem said that the party would chalk out a line of action if anything happened contrary to Mr Gilani’s assurance

"PAKISTAN" ISALAMABAD, Oct 21: India and Pakistan began trading between their respective parts of Kashmir for the first time in six decades on Tuesday, raising hopes of a drop in tension in the disputed Himalayan region. A convoy of 13 trucks carrying mostly apples set off on a historic trip to Azad Kashmir from occupied Kashmir, with 14 trucks with Pakistani goods making the journey in the opposite direction. ‘It is a historic day which will surely help the economy of both parts of Kashmir,’ said occupied Kashmir’s Governor N.N. Vohra, as he flagged off the convoy from Salamabad, 12 kilometres (seven miles) from the heavily militarised Line of Control.

"PAKISTAN" ISLAMABAD, Jan 23: President Asif Ali Zardari and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif met here on Friday in what appeared to be an effort to bridge the trust deficit between the PPP and PML-N on various national issues. However, the meeting is reported to have failed to yield a positive result. Significant changes in the political landscape are likely during the next two months, especially in March when Senate election and the lawyers’ long march are due. According to sources, the most contentious issue discussed in the meeting was the 17th Amendment which gives extensive powers to the president. President Zardari, who had invited Mr Sharif, who is president of the PML-N, to dinner, sought his party’s support on major issues and said he wanted to work in cooperation with him, the sources said. However, Mr Sharif stuck to his party’s stance that it would continue to support the lawyers’ movement for reinstatement of the deposed judges and repeal of the 17th Amendment

"INDIA" NEW DELHI, Jan 23: India’s Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee will stand in for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after he undergoes a heart surgery on Saturday, Press Trust of India said. It said Dr Singh was admitted on Friday to Delhi’s premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences where he would undergo a coronary artery bypass graft surgery. In the absence of Dr Singh, Mr Mukherjee “will look after the functioning of the government”. He will also represent the prime minister during the Republic Day parade on Monday. Dr Singh had undergone angiography on Wednesday together with other tests which showed that he had multiple blockages in the heart and needed surgery. Earlier, Dr Singh had undergone a bypass surgery in 1990 and an angioplasty for stent implantation in 2003. According to experts, the bypass surgery would not pose any danger to the prime minister. However, he would have to take a few weeks’ rest before taking up his duties. The prime minister would also have to take good care of his health for especially keeping blood pressure under control and do moderate exercises, PTI said.

05-09-2009/Peshawar/Pakistan Mr. Isaac Ali Qazi Qazi Advocate Supreme Court attend the meeting of Rotary Club after a Aftar party Mr. Isaac Ali Qazi is the Presedent of Rotary Club in Peshawar.

Monday, November 02, 2009 " LAHORE" PAKISTAN: The PPP and its allied parties will meet at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday (today) to devise a strategy for getting the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) passed by parliament. The meeting, to be followed by a dinner, has been convened by President Asif Ali Zardari. Sources said the president, who is also the co-chairman of the PPP, is expected to take the PPP allies into confidence on the NRO passage in the National Assembly. The invitation for the meeting has been sent to all the parliamentary leaders of the allied parties, including the JUI-F, ANP and MQM, as well as the MNAs from Fata. Besides, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, federal ministers and close aides to the president are also expected to participate in the meeting. The sources said the president would also take his allies into confidence on the Kerry-Lugar Law and the Waziristan operation. The NRO has already been approved by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Law. However, the MQM, which abstained from voting, has given rise to doubts about its intentions among PPP members.“We have been invited to a dinner by President Zardari, and any issue could come under discussion when the coalition parties meet,” Haider Abbas Rizvi, the deputy parliamentary leader of the MQM, said. About supporting the PPP over the NRO, he said his party would take a decision in this regard in a couple of days. Sources in the PPP said the party wanted to gain maximum support of parliamentarians to get the NRO passed, but it had to accelerate its efforts after dissenting voices were heard from the ANP and even the MQM. The PPP enjoys the support of 125 MNAs, whereas the MQM enjoys the support of 26 MNAs, which take the number to 151. The ANP, a party with 13 seats in the National Assembly, is yet to give a nod to the PPP over the issue. Both the ANP and the MQM in their respective parliamentary meetings reportedly decided not to become part of any controversy that might invoke severe criticism from the public and make a dent in their strength in the next polls. A group within the MQM believes that the party has also fought a legal battle in getting these cases cleared in the past and even if the issue is referred to the courts, it could defend its position well. The PPP would be unable to get 50 per cent votes without an active support of the MQM and the ANP in a house of 342, even if it is supported by the JUI-F, which has seven seats and the 12 Fata MNAs. The total number of the PPP and its supporters in the assembly will be 144 in this situation. Even the parties enjoying a lesser strength in the NA, including the PPP-Sherpao (1) and the PML-F (5) could not meet that shortfall, which could only be met if the MQM supports the PPP. The sources said the PPP was primarily focusing on improving its numbers by convincing the MQM to help get passed the NRO. “We enjoy the support of our allies. Being the party with the largest mandate and having the support of our democratic allies, we will get the NRO passed,” Fauzia Wahab, PPP Secretary Information, told The News. She said political parties would have to put an end to the politics of vengeance and victimisation forever. Everybody knew the cases registered against the PPP leaders were politically motivated, she added.

Monday, November 02, 2009 "ISLAMABAD" PAKISTAN: The Sindh government has blamed the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) for violating the inter-provincial Water Apportionment Accord (WAA) 1991, The News has learnt. “As far as water distribution is concerned, the only thing in vogue is the 1991 Water Accord. The Irsa is a creation of the 1991 accord and the creation cannot alter or violate the accord under which it was created,” an official letter sent to the Irsa by the Sindh government says. The document was duly signed by Sindh Minister for Irrigation and Power Murad Ali Shah and was addressed to the Irsa through its provincial member Mohammad Khan Memon.“The Irsa decided, in its last advisory committee meeting, not to entertain any provincial pressure in water distribution since all federating units have their representation in the authority to discuss and take vital decisions,” an Irsa spokesman responded when approached. The Irsa spokesman said not only Sindh Minister Murad Shah but also Punjab Minister Raja Riaz, in their separate letters, had sought water distribution in accordance with their respective province’s interpretations. “All Irsa members, five in all, unanimously took a decision to go by the accord in accordance with the three tier mechanism instead of accepting any pressure,” he said while expressing indifference to Sindh’s latest letter wherein Irsa was directly blamed for violation of WAA. Sindh Minister Murad, early October, wrote a letter to the water and power minister, calling for water distribution under para-2 of the WAA which Punjab Minister Riaz has rejected.“It is requested that looking at the people’s government manifesto of equity, the Irsa may be directed for fixing water shares of all provinces proportionate to the allocation given in para-2 of the accord,” Murad’s earlier letter said. In the latest communication on the Rabi season allocations, finalised by Irsa on Oct 13, 2009, Murad again sent an official communication to the Irsa on Oct 22, 2009. “I want to reiterate to Irsa that as far as water distribution is concerned, the only thing in vogue is the 1991 Water Accord. “Any use of historic uses in any form will be a violation of the accord as determined by the law division,” his letter reads. “How can Irsa decide to use any criteria in the absence of decision?”The Irsa conveyed in its Oct 15 official letter: “In the absence of any decision by the authority on the issue, it has been decided by Irsa that criteria for Rabi 2009-10 as per practice in vogue may be issued”. However, Murad described this statement as self-contradictory. “In view of the expected pressure, the five Irsa members took a decision not to bow before any pressure,” Irsa spokesman Khalid Idris said.