Absentee Zulqarnain to return Pakistan

KARACHI: Former Pakistan wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider, who fled to London last year citing death threats from match-fixers, has said he will return home and cancel his application for asylum in Britain. Zulqarnain was reassured by a meeting with Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik in London last week, and will seek to resume his cricket career, he said. "After meeting with (the) interior minister and getting assurance of my and my family's safety in Pakistan, I have decided to return home on April 24," Zulqarnain, 24, told Pakistani private TV channels GEO and others from London. "After getting this assurance there is no need for...

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Eight bodies recovered from dry well

 ATTOCK: Four days old eight dead bodies have been recovered from a dry well in China Chowk area of Attock, Geo News reported Sunday. DPO Attock told media that the bodies were four days old and they may have been killed due to personal enmity. Bodies have been shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for postmort...

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SIC announces to take part in politics

LAHORE: Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) on Sunday night while announcing to take part in the politics vowed to enforce the Nizam-e-Mustafa in the country. A large number of party workers from the country gathered in a public meeting, the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Conference, at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore. Addressing the public meeting, Chairman SIC Sahabzada Fazal Kareem demanded the Chief Justice of Pakistan to alleviate corruption from the judiciary and take suo moto action against suicide bombings. He said that his party would end the politics of horse trading. Chief of Sunni Tehreek while addressing the meeting said that those involved in shrine...

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Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would consider his job “well done”

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would consider his job “well done” if ties with Pakistan return to normal before he leaves office, local media quoted him as saying on Sunday, weeks after Singh’s diplomatic push at the cricket World Cup. The neighbours have slowly tried to rebuild a fragile trust shattered by the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which Singh’s government blamed on Pakistan-based militants in collusion with the country’s spy agency. According to a recently released Wikileaks cable, Singh has led the push for peace with Pakistan despite misgivings from members of his own administration, including the National Security Adviser. “Well,...

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Rains lash Pindi, Islamabad, Muzaffarabad, Swat

ISLAMABAD: Intermittent heavy downpours today lashed Lahore, Gujranawala, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar Division, Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir, while in the northern areas and upper Pakhtunkhaw the spate of sporadic rain continues. Met Department said that upper Punjab including Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, Islamabad and several areas in the upper Pakhtunkhaw likely to witness rains with thunder and lightening in the next 24 hours. Swat and its surrounding areas continued receiving rains for the second day today. Weather turned chill after showers and light snowfall in Astur and Skardu. District Kohistan,...

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Six killed in Karachi violence

Updated at: 1245 PST,  Sunday, April 17, 2011  KARACHI: At least six people were killed including three women and a policeman in Karachi while six were injured in different areas of the city since last midnight till this morning in a spate of firing that continues holding the city in its grip. In New Karachi area, a former SHO of Shareefabad Police Station Zulfiqar Qaimkhani was shot dead at his home. Another policeman residing in police quarters committed suicide within jurisdiction of Jackson Police Station, Geo News reported. Sources said that husband and wife in Baldia town, two persons in Korangi industrial area and Manzoor colony, three persons in Mauripur barracks and Lyari area and one person in Baldia town were killed by unidentified persons' firin...

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2 dead, 8 injured in Karachi firings

 KARACHI: Two persons died, while eight were injured in different areas of the city since last midnight till this morning in a spate of firing that continues holding the city in its grip. Sources said that husband and wife in Baldia town, two persons in Korangi industrial area and Manzoor colony, three persons in Mauripur barracks and Lyari area and one person in Baldia town were killed by unidentified persons’ firings.&nb...

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HEC ordered to keep working

 ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) ordered the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to keep working under the ordinance until any amendment in the law before adjourning the hearing for indefinite period, Geo News reported. On Monday, the SC while hearing the constitutional petition against the devolution of HEC issued notices to Attorney General of Pakistan, Ministry of Law, Ministry of Education and HEC and later adjourned the hearing till Tuesday. A three-judge bench, headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heard the petition filed by the Directory of Riphah University against the devolution of HEC. The apex...

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Famous comedian Babu Baral passes away

LAHORE: Famous comedian Babu Baral passed away here after a prolonged illness at the age of 47. Babu Baral had been suffering from Cancer, Hepatitis and kidney disease and was being treated at private Hospital. Babu Baral started his career as a comedian from Gujranwala in 1982. He appealed to the government to grant him aid for his medical treatment. He left behind two widows, a daughter and a son. MQM’s Quaid Altaf Hussain condoled the death of Babu Bar...

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Six more succumbed to Karachi unrest

KARACHI: At least six people including a policeman were killed in incidents of ethnic violence here in the metropolis on Saturday, Geo News reported. Meanwhile, the funeral prayer of MQM’s activist also a former councilor was offered in the morning today. A dead man was identified as Abdullah Ansari, an alleged activist of a political party and was a resident of Malir Khokhra Par area, police sources said. Two more people were shot and injured at Jinnah Square in Malir while a man was gunned down in Sherpao Colony in Landhi, which triggered panic and ended up in forced closure of shops and business in the area. The panic followed indiscriminate...

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British boxer Aamir to defend world title today

MANCHESTER: Pakistan-origin British boxer Aamir Khan will enter in arena here today to defend his the World Boxing Association (WBA) light-welterweight title against Paul McCloskey of Northern Ireland. Aamir Khan, 24, insists he is fully focused on his world title defence against Paul McCloskey on Saturday to set up a world title unification fight against American Timothy Bradley, who holds the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) titles. Khan, 24, maintains he is unconcerned by the huge reduction in the size of his purse and is confident he will come through McCloskey. There have already been discussions for Khan...

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Libya: Obama, Cameron and Sarkozy vow Gaddafi must go

The leaders of the US, the UK and France have said in a joint letter that there can be no peace in Libya while Muammar Gaddafi stays in power.Barack Obama, David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy say Nato must maintain military operations to protect civilians and maintain pressure on Col Gaddafi.To allow him to remain in power would "betray" the Libyan people, they write.Signs of division remain within Nato, which is struggling to find additional combat aircraft for its strikes.Late on Thursday Col Gaddafi's daughter appeared before cheering crowds and accused the Western leaders of "insulting" Libyans."To speak of Gaddafi's resignation is a humiliation...

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Libya future with Kadhafi 'unthinkable': Britain, France, US

 LONDON: A Libyan future including Moamer Kadhafi is "unthinkable" and would represent an "unconscionable betrayal" by the rest of the world, the leaders of Britain, France and the United States said Thursday. British Prime Minister David Cameron, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama vowed they would "not rest until the UN...resolutions have been implemented", in a joint article published in several international newspapers. "It is unthinkable that someone who has tried to massacre his own people can play a part in their future government," the article, which appeared in the London Times, The Washington Post...

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CM not sincere to resolve problems: Riaz

  LAHORE: Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz Thursday that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), as an opposition party in the assembly, would continue to pinpoint masses' problems. Speaking on a point of order during the 24th session presided over by Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal here, Raja Riaz said that the PPP had summoned the session to discuss the wheat procurement campaign for the yearm2011 but the treasury members were not serious to discuss the issue in the house. Criticising Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif for not attending the proceedings of the house, he said that the CM was not sincere to resolve the...

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CIA will not halt operations in Pakistan: US official

WASHINGTON: The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has no plans to suspend "operations" in Pakistan against terror suspects despite objections from leaders in Islamabad, a US official said Thursday. Pakistan has criticized missile strikes by US drone aircraft against in the country but CIA Director Leon Panetta has told intelligence officials that he has a duty to prevent attacks on the United States, the senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told French news agency. "Panetta has been clear with his Pakistani counterparts that his fundamental responsibility is to protect the American people, and he will not halt operations that...

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Hajj applications to be received from today

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Religious Affairs will receive applications from April 15 to May 10. 179,254 Hajj pilgrims would perform religious obligation this year. The Federal Cabinet approved the Hajj policy for the year-2001 on Wednesday. 5,000 designated bank branches would receive the applications and media would be kept informed on daily basis about the number of applicants. Minister of Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Shah said. "Out of the total allocation, 50 per cent will be allocated to the government Hajj scheme and 50 percent to private scheme," he said. This year, the minister said, there would be no balloting for Hajj as the applicants...

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Balochistan hit by 725MW power shortfall

QUETTA: Power shortage wreaking havoc in Balochistan, as the electricity shortfall has reached 725 megawatt and Qesco resorting up to 18 hours of load shedding in the rural areas across the province and the capital city hit by 6 hours of power outage every day. Qesco sources said that Balochistan needed 1250 MW of electricity to meet the demands, but the supply from the national grid lagged behind at 525MW and thus the Quesco facing heavy shortfall of 725 MW managing the grave situation by resorting to 12 hours of load shedding in the six district headquarters in Quetta, while up to 18 hours in the rural areas across the province. The citizens...

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