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Nawaz Sharif to return on 10th September
2007-08-30 18:53:00
Nawaz Shari f to return on 10th September Leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said that he along with his brother Mian Shahbaz Sharif would land at Islamabad airport on September 10 and then would go to Lahore via G.T. Road.Addressing the press conference in London, the former prime minister said that with the message of consolidarity and unity they would land at the same place where his democratic government was attacked in the night of October 12.Nawaz Sharif said that the government cannot send them again in exile after the Supreme Court�s decision.The former prime minister said that the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the APDM have also endorsed the decision of their returning home.He said that he knows there would be difficulties for them and the government would want to make difficulties for them in the country but his party workers are not afraid of batons of police.The former prime minister said that he has no personal but a national agenda.He...
More About: Return , Nawaz Sharif , Hari

Pakistan condemns sketch of Prophet in Sweden
2007-08-30 18:49:00
Pakistan condemned on Thursday what it described as an offensive and blasphemous sketch of the Prophet Mohammad in a Swedish newspaper.Cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad published in Danish newspapers sparked widespread anger and deadly protests in several Muslim countries, including Pakistan, in early 2006. Muslims believe images of the Prophet are forbidden. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said the sketch was published in the Swedish newspaper Nerikes Allehanda. It did not say when. “Regrettably, the tendency among some Europeans to mix the freedom of expression with an outright and deliberate insult to 1.3 billion Muslims in the world is on the rise,” the ministry said in a statement. “Such acts deeply undermine the efforts of those who seek to promote respect and understanding among religions and civilisations,” it said. The Swedish charge d’affaires was summoned to the ministry and a strong protest was lodged with him, the ministry said. The ministry said the Swedish dip...
More About: Sweden , Pakistan , Sketch , Condemn

Taj Mahal closed after riots in Agra
2007-08-30 18:23:00
The world-famous Taj Mahal was closed to tourists on Wednesday after officials in the Indian city of Agra imposed a curfew following riots that left one person dead and 50 injured.Rioters fought pitched battles with police, pelting them with stones, glass bottles and setting vehicles alight, after a speeding truck had crushed four Muslims to death in the morning.News of the accident spread quickly and residents spilled onto the streets, witnesses said.The Uttar Pradesh state government issued an advisory, asking tourists to stay in their hotels until order was restored in the city
More About: Riots , Closed

Katrina Kaif Visits Salman Khan in Jodhpur Jail
2007-08-26 15:10:00
Actress Katrina Kaif visited Bollywood star Salman Khan in Jodhpur jail today. The jail meeting of Katrina and Salman was last for 45 minutes. His brother Arbaz Khan and sister Alvira were also present in the meeting.Security arrangements in Jodhpur Jail were beefed up on the occasion. A large number of local fans and media men were also present outside the jail premises.Salman, who has been sentenced to five years in prison for hunting an endangered deer nine years ago, surrendered himself to Rajasthan Police on Saturday following an arrest warrant.The district and sessions court in Jodhpur on Friday dismissed the actor's plea against the five-year jail term handed by the chief judicial magistrate's court.
More About: Katrina Kaif

Shoaib Akhter Not to Join ICL
2007-08-22 23:57:00
Enigmatic pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar has said that he is not planning to join the Indian Cricket League (ICL) even though he is in touch with them. Speaking to reporters on the opening day of the national training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium for the Twenty20 World Championship to be held in South Africa next month, Shoaib expressed that he wanted to give his best to Pakistan, adding he was eagerly waiting for the chance to do so not just in the global Twenty20 event but also in the three forthcoming series against South Africa, India and Australia. Commenting on the recent row with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over skipping the national camp in Karachi and the Rs300,000 fine which had been imposed on him, Shoaib said it would have been better had the board quietly resolved the issue itself. He also hoped that instead of delivering notices to the players the PCB would focus more on the game of cricket. In this instance, the PCB’s appellate tribunal had later set aside the ...
More About: Join

Benazir Bhutto wants to share Power with Mush
2007-08-22 23:54:00
Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Tuesday urged President Pervez Musharraf to present a power-sharing reform package by the end of August, saying her party was becoming jittery with approaching elections. "I have shared with General Musharraf that my party is getting very upset, because elections are around the corner, and that, by the end of this month, we really need to know where we stand," she told the American PBS television network. "We either have a package or we don’t have a package," she said. "And if we have a package, well, then, we need the measures that we’ve agreed upon to come into play." Bhutto, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996, offered her view after she was asked by the US network how long it would take for her to conclude that Musharraf was not serious about sharing power with her. Leading the highly influential Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) from exile in London and Dubai, Bhutto met with Musharraf...
More About: Power , Share , Benazir Bhutto

China, Pak discussing nuclear deal
2007-08-19 16:14:00
China and its "all-weather" ally Pakistan are discussing an agreement similar to the one India has reached with the US on the civilian nuclear cooperation to maintain the regional security balance, sources said here today. Even as the two old allies discuss a nuclear deal, China’s reservations over the Indo-US deal and the boundary issue may be clouding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s maiden visit to Beijing, which is likely to take place towards the end of the year, they said. Since Pakistan has pleaded with China at the highest level not to let it down in the nuclear balance with India, Beijing is apparently working out a nuclear deal with Islamabad, in case the Indo-US nuclear agreement is okayed by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the sources told PTI here preferring anonymity. While China was apparently taken aback by the finalisation of the 123 Agreement, Beijing now hopes that the opposition within India itself will wreck the Indo-US nuclear deal, the sources said. ...
More About: China , Deal , Disc , Cussing

ICL Offers Asif Rs 100 million
2007-08-19 16:13:00
Stepping up their player signing up drive, the Indian Cricket League has wooed Mohammad Asif with a more lucrative second offer of Rs 10 crore, local media reported today. "The ICL has offered Asif Rs 100 million for a three-year contract and the pacer is carefully assessing the various aspects of the offer before taking a decision next week," the ‘Dawn’ reported today quoting Pakistan Cricket Board sources. The ICL had last month offered Rs 9 crore each to Asif and fellow fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar which they had refused. The sources also said the PCB was concerned about the congregation of several Pakistan players in London and were wary of their intentions to join the rebel League. Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Shahid Afridi are all in England these days where a former Test captain and wicketkeeper is intensely lobbying for the ICL, said the sources.
More About: Offers , Million , Offer

India-US deal works as catalyst for Pak N- programme
2007-08-18 18:23:00
With the India -US nuclear deal in mind, Pakistan has decided to accelerate its nuclear programme with President Pervez Musharraf issuing directives to scientists in this regard, Online news agency reported Saturday. Quoting reliable sources, Online said the National Command and Control Authority had discussed in detail the matter of disturbance of strategic balance after the India-US deal and it was decided that Pakistan would continue developing its nuclear and missile programme. The work on the Khushab reactor would be speeded up while four-five new nuclear reactors would also be installed. The sources said the Pakistan government had rejected any US pressure in this regard and clarified that it would take all necessary steps to ensure its sovereignty and defence and the strategic balance in the region would be maintained at all costs. The acquisition of the latest technology would also be ensured. In this regard, Musharraf has given a go-ahead to Pakistani scientists, aiming to...
More About: Works , Deal , Catalyst , Programme

Microsoft ups Hotmail storage to 5 GB
2007-08-16 16:58:00
Microsoft Corp. will soon let users of its Hotmail service store 5 gigabytes of photos and other e-mail messages, more than double the previous limit. Of course, only a small number of Hotmail users will ever approach that threshold, a reality the software maker acknowledged in a blog post this week outlining the storage boost and other upgrades to the free, Web-based service. "Just when you were wondering how you'd ever fill up 2 or 4 GB of mail, we've given you more storage," wrote Ellie Powers-Boyle, a program manager for Windows Live Hotmail.Microsoft's new limit, from 2 GB currently, will leapfrog Google Inc.'s nearly 3 GB. Yahoo Inc. and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL e-mail services already include unlimited free storage. Yahoo has the most active users in the United States among Web-based e-mail services, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. Hotmail ranks second, followed by AOL at third and Google's Gmail at fourth. Microsoft said Hotmail will also get faster in coming weeks th...
More About: Microsoft , Storage

Benazir Not to deal with Mush on dual posts
2007-08-13 15:40:00
Benazir Not to deal with Mush on dual postsFormer Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has said there is no agreement with Musharraf about allowing him to hold the dual posts of Army Chief and President, but the issue need not be the reason for breaking the talks and could be settled in court.Benazir Bhutto, addressing a meeting of her supporters in the city Saturday evening, also said she would call a meet of top officials of her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) here towards the end of this month.Sources close to her said she is expected to brief them on her meeting with President Musharraf and discuss the future course of action in view the forthcoming elections, including her possible return to the country.She told her supporters that there is no agreement with Musharraf that he should continue to hold both the posts of Army Chief and President. But she had only said that that need not be the reason for breaking the talks.Whether Musharraf can hold both the posts is something tha...
More About: Deal , Posts , Benazir , Dual

Obama calls Pakistan 'constructive ally'
2007-08-09 15:44:00
Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama said it is critical for Pakistan to be a constructive ally in fighting al-Qaida, a week after threatening military action if President Musharraf did not act. Obama and his spokesman offered measured criticism of the Bush administration's actions and policies on Pakistan. The candidate twice declined an opportunity to explain the difference between his proposals and the White House's, but expressed sympathy for Musharraf, who faces a growing militant backlash in his Muslim nation. ''President Musharraf has a very difficult job, and it is important that we are a constructive ally with them in dealing with al-Qaida,'' Obama said Wednesday. Obama did not repeat the most incendiary line from his foreign policy speech last Wednesday, when he promised: ''If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will.'' That pledge set off ripples of resentment in the relationshi...
More About: Calls , Ally

Emergency will not be imposed, says Mohammed Ali Durrani
2007-08-09 15:38:00
Seeking to put an end to speculation here that it could impose emergency in the wake of deteriorating law and order situation in the country, Pakistan government today insisted that it will not go in for the measure. The decision not to impose emergency was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by President Pervez Musharraf here, Information Minister Mohammed Ali Durrani said. Ruling PML-Q President Shujaat Hussain, who earlier said that a decision will be taken by late afternoon, also contradicted reports that emergency would be imposed in the country. Those who are giving such advices to Musharraf cannot be regarded as his well-wishers, he told media here. The remarks of Durrani and Hussain came following intense speculation here that emergency could be imposed in Pakistan because of deteriorating law and order due to suicide attacks launched by suspected pro-Taliban militants, especially in the country's tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. Last night, Minister of State for ...
More About: Merge , Emergency , Pose , Emerge