SC constitutes 17-strong bench for NRO Review case

September 29, 2010
 ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court (SC) has constituted a full bench comprising 17 judges to hear the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) Review case, Geo News reported Wednesday.

The bench will start hearing the case from October 13.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry said the hearing of 18th Amendment case will be completed tomorrow.

The CJ Chaudhry will head the bench.

It should be mentioned here that the government pleaded the court to defer the NRO Implementation case till the NRO Review case hearing is completed.

The apex court in the previous hearing gave government time by October 13 in NRO Implementation case.

SC calls for loan write-off records

Tuesday, September 28, 2010
 ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has sought the list of ten big cases of loans written off every year since 1971, Geo News reported Tuesday.

SC also said to review the State Bank Circular 29.

The three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was hearing the suo moto case regarding the waiving of bank loans worth billions of rupees.

When the court asked for the details of loans written off during past two years, the counsels told the court that loans worth Rs50 billion were waived during the said period.

Meanwhile, the counsel of State Bank of Pakistan told the bench that it has provided the list adding that the private banks waived them.

How could the commercial banks write off laons on their own while they operate under SBP laws, the CJ questioned, adding that they would be recovered if irregularities were found?

The SBP report presented to the court showed the sum of the loans written-off from 1971 to 2009 to be in the vicinity of Rs256 billion.

Chinese Film Festival kicks off at PNCA

ISLAMABAD – The Chinese Film Festival opened with the screening of a film ‘Aftershock’ here Saturday at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA).
The film reminded the audience of the Kashmir earthquake 2005 miseries in which about 75000 lives were lost including many children in the schools. Aftershock is the latest Chinese film that was a box office hit and presented in the Chinese Film Festival for the locals. It shows the goodwill and love of the Chinese for the Pakistanis.
The film revolves around a family that suffered agony in 1976 after earthquake in Tangshan where Yuan Ni lived in a small apartment with her husband and their twins Fang Deng and Fang Da. Yuan Ni expresses to her husband her desire to have one more child, and they get into the back of their truck after putting their son and daughter to bed. Suddenly the ground shakes, and buildings begin tumbling down. Running back to save their kids, Yuan Ni is pulled back by her husband, who runs ahead of her and is instantly crushed. Their house falls down, trapping her two kids. In the aftermath of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, a rescue team informs Yuan Ni that her twins Da and Deng are trapped together under a slab of concrete. Lifting the slab in any way will kill one of her children - lifting it one way will save the daughter at the expense of her son; lifting it the other will save the son at the expense of her daughter.
Heartbroken, she is forced to choose between her children, and finally decides to save the boy. Her decision, however, is overheard by her daughter, who tearfully whispers “Ma...” as the scene ends.
Directed by Feng Xiaogang, the film was released on July 22, 2010 and it cost about $25 million. The main cast includes Zhang Jingchu, Chen Daoming, Lu Yi, Xu Fan, Zhang Guoqiang and Li Chen. The film was produced by HuaYi Bros., which partnered with IMAX to produce three Chinese films of which ‘Aftershock’ is the first. Aftershock was released in over 5000 conventional and 14 IMAX theatres in late July. In early August 2010, the film surpassed The Founding of a Republic as the highest-grossing locally-made film in China, with a RMB532 million gross.

Musharraf plans to return to Pakistan as its 'saviour'

London:  Pakistan's ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who calls himself "a born optimist", says he plans to return to Islamabad to enter politics for the "greater cause" of the country, where the leadership has "failed."

"I am very comfortable travelling around the world on lectures, but I am going into politics for the greater cause of Pakistan," Musharraf told 'The Sunday Telegraph'.

"The people have reached the end of their hopes and I want to try to rekindle their faith in both themselves and Pakistan itself. It would be better to try and fail rather than not to try at all."

The former Pakistan military General, who has been living here since stepping down in 2008, is launching his own political party - the All Pakistan Muslim League.

The party, which will have its manifesto launch in London on Friday, will be aiming for nothing less than to "change the political culture" of Pakistan, where last month's devastating floods have affected over 20 million people.

While declining to comment on the civilian administration of President Asif Ali Zardari, Musharraf said "there is a lot of disappointment among the people over the way the flood relief was tackled."

"What is required is unity of thought and action between three elements: the political forces, the Army and the bureaucracy. They need an individual who can get them to think and act alike."

He said, "Personally, I never saw myself as a dictator, even though people called me that, but now when I come back I will be a politician on normal terms.

"I am also a born optimist, which helps. We have everything going in Pakistan - the failure is only of leadership, not the people."

Musharraf was also vocal on the military challenges in neighbouring Afghanistan, saying the escalating body-count of British, US and other NATO soldiers should be no excuse for an early pullout.

US-led plans to start drawing down troops by the middle of next year would, he warned, lead to the region becoming a "nexus for terrorists" all over the Muslim world.

"I am not trying to portray a doomsday scenario unnecessarily, but the implications would be very serious for Afghanistan, Pakistan and the rest of the world," he said.

"It would encourage and strengthen the Taliban and Al-Qaida, giving them a country to fall back on. Quitting cannot be time related, it has to be effect related."

Commenting on the recent killing of Imran Farooq, the exiled leader of Pakistan's MQM party, Musharraf said, "It is terrible that such an assassination could happen in a place like London."

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/musharraf-plans-to-return-to-pakistan-as-its-saviour-54931?cp

Suspected US missile attacks kill 7 in NW Pakistan

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — Suspected U.S. drone aircraft carried out two missile strikes against a house and a vehicle near the Afghan border in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing seven alleged militants, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
The U.S. is now suspected of conducting 19 such attacks this month - the most intense barrage since the strikes began in 2004. Most have targeted Datta Khel, part of the North Waziristan tribal area that is dominated by militants who regularly stage attacks against NATO troops in Afghanistan.
In the first strike Sunday, a drone fired three missiles at a house in Lwara Mandi village in Datta Khel, killing three suspected militants, said the intelligence officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Minutes later, a drone fired two missiles at a vehicle in the same area, killing four suspected militants, the officials said.
The exact identities of the seven people killed in the attacks were not known, but most of this month's strikes have targeted forces led by Jalaluddin Haqqani, a commander who was once supported by Pakistan and the U.S. during the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan.
Haqqani has since turned against the U.S., and American military officials have said his network - now effectively led by his son, Sirajuddin - presents one of the greatest threats to foreign forces in Afghanistan. Another militant commander, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, and his forces also hold sway in North Waziristan.
The U.S. wants Pakistan to launch an army offensive against insurgents in North Waziristan, but the government has resisted. Analysts believe Pakistan wants to maintain its historic relationship with the Haqqani network, which could be an ally in Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw.
Without a Pakistani offensive, the U.S. has had to rely on CIA-operated drone strikes to target the network, which also has bases in eastern Afghanistan.
The 19 missile strikes this month have killed around 90 people, according to an Associated Press tally based on Pakistani intelligence reports.
U.S. officials do not publicly acknowledge the missile strikes but have said privately they have killed several senior Taliban and al-Qaida militants in the region, which is largely out of the control of the Pakistani state.
Pakistan often criticizes the attacks as violations of the country's sovereignty, but the government is widely believed to help the U.S. carry out the strikes. Criticism of the strikes has been more muted in recent months.

Pakistan minister quits after accusing army of killings

The Pakistani minister for defence production has resigned after criticising the military.

Abdul Qayum Jatoi had told journalists on Saturday that the Pakistani army was provided with funds to defend the country, not to get involved in political assassinations.
His comments were played repeatedly on Pakistani television channels.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani summoned him to explain his remarks and a short time later, Mr Jatoi resigned

"We provided the army with uniforms and boots not so that they kill their own fellow countrymen, kill Nawab Sahib [Bugti] and Benazir Bhutto," he told a news conference in the city of Quetta.

Military might Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007 as she was campaigning in Pakistan's presidential elections.
Nawab Akbar Bugti was a tribal leader in the province of Baluchistan who was killed in a battle between government forces and tribal militants in August 2006.
Pakistan's military has carried out coups against the civilian government on three occasions - in 1958, 1977 and 1999 - and has governed the country for much of its 63-year history.
There has been speculation in the media that the Pakistani military would move against the civilian government, which was widely criticised for its handling of the recent floods.
However, most analysts believe a coup is unlikely at the moment.
During the same news conference, Mr Jatoi suggested that the benefits of corruption should be equally available to all.
"All groups — Sindhi, Pakhtun, Baloch, Seraiki and Punjabi - should get an equal share in corruption," he said.

President calls meeting of PPP lawmakers

September 26, 2010
 ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has convened a meeting of PPP Parliamentary Party for Monday, Geo News reported.

Members of National Assembly and Senate belonging to Pakistan People’s Party besides Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani will be attending the meeting to be held here at the Presidency.

Source told Geo News that the main agenda of the meeting is to review the overall political situation in the country.

The meeting will also contemplate tabling of a resolution in connection with President’s immunity in the National Assembly.

PM sent list of NRO-beneficiaries asif zardari not included

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has been sent the list of 270 NRO-beneficiaries on Saturday, Geo News reported.

Meanwhile, Law Ministry is reviewing the list for further scrutiny.

Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Gilani directed the Establishment Division to furnish a complete list within two days of all those 270 NRO beneficiaries who are presently holding various positions in government offices.

Sources in the Government informed that the decision to this effect was taken following the withdrawal of notification of Adnan A Khawaja as Chairman Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) on the direction of the Supreme Court of Pakistan as he was a NAB convict.

As during the course of hearing an impression was drawn that Prime Minister Gilani had shown extra interest in the appointment of Adnan A Khawaja as Chairman OGDCL.

Sources further informed that the matter of such follies on part of the Government also figured in the meeting held at Presidency on Friday night, which was co-chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani.

The Prime Minister was given the mandate to deal the governance issues with full authority and remove all such things, which he considered coming in the way of smooth sailing of the Government already confronted with host of problems and challenges.

Sources in the Prime Minister Secretariat informed media that Premier Gilani was determined to remove all such bureaucrats who were NRO beneficiary and they would be asked to first clear themselves of the cases and till that time they would not be allowed to hold lucrative slots in the government.

Games should not have gone to Delhi, says Australia

Australia's Olympic Committee president has said the Commonwealth Games should not have been awarded to Delhi.

John Coates said the Commonwealth Games Federation lacked the resources to monitor progress and to ensure that construction deadlines were met.
England have become the first overseas team to reach Delhi, but other nations have delayed their arrivals.
A New Zealand cyclist became the first member of his nation's team to pull out because of health and safety fears.

Greg Henderson, who has won four medals at previous Games, cancelled on Friday, citing concerns over the state of facilities - a day after four British cyclists withdrew from the 3-14 October competition.

On Thursday, the BBC obtained pictures showing flooding, leaking toilets, dirty bathrooms, incomplete apartments and paw prints on beds in the athletes' village.
Delhi Games organisers have drafted in staff from the city's five-star hotels to help the last-minute scramble to get the accommodation ready.
The build-up to the event has been marred by construction delays, corruption scandals, a dengue fever outbreak, the collapse of a footbridge near the main stadium and security fears after Sunday's shooting of two tourists outside Delhi's Jama Masjid mosque.
"The Games shouldn't have been awarded to Delhi in hindsight," Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates told Australian radio on Friday.

"The problem is the Commonwealth Games Federation is under-resourced. It doesn't have the ability to monitor the progress of cities in the way the [International] Olympic Committee does."

Nevertheless, Australian Commonwealth Games officials said that having visited the athletes' village on Friday, their team were "quite happy" with the accommodation and would move in on Monday.
The first England athletes - the men's hockey and the bowls teams - arrived in Delhi on Friday, although they plan to stay in hotels until Monday, when the village should be ready.
New Zealand announced on Friday it would send its team to compete in Delhi, although they would continue to review the situation daily.
Scotland said its team would fly to Delhi on Saturday. The Welsh team is on its way, too, but there is still no word from Canada.

Kenya has said it will send its team to the Games, after receiving security assurances from India.

Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell said in a statement that "considerable improvements" had been made to the athletes' village.
But he added: "It is vital that all remedial work that has already started continues with the greatest urgency."
The first athletes, from India's team, have just moved into the accommodation.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken control of the crisis.
He held talks on Thursday night with his sports minister and Delhi officials.

Games organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, whose team has been mired in corruption allegations, was not invited.

Other athletes who have pulled out because of health and safety fears include Australian world discus champion Dani Samuels and English world triple jump champion Phillips Idowu.
Ticket sales have been low, and the cost of hosting the largest sporting event in India's history has soared.
It has become most expensive Commonwealth Games so far, with estimates ranging up to more than $10bn (£6.3bn).
Delhi has had seven years to prepare, though very little work was done until 2008.

Nawaz says govt must implement SC verdicts

 Friday, September 24, 2010
 LAHORE: PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif said his party was behind the Supreme Court and only the court can rule over the issue of presidential immunity, Geo News reported Friday.

He was addressing a press conference here today.

He advised the government to abide by the verdicts of the SC and not to confront with the judiciary.

Nawaz Sharif pointed out that his party blocked the presentation of NRO in the Parliament. He also demanded resignations from all NRO beneficiaries.

‘Corruption can not be tolerated in the name of democracy.’ He noted that implementing the verdicts of the Supreme Court could only stop the change.
The change would occur if it had to and nobody then could forestall it, he added. ‘We are against any martial law.’

Commenting on Swiss Cases, he said that former president Pervaiz Musharraf be questioned for winding up the cases adding that the federal government could initiate proceedings against him under Article 06.

US Senate blocks debate on gay military policy repeal

US senators have rejected attempts to open a debate on a bill which included a provision allowing the repeal of the ban on openly gay military personnel.

Just 56 senators voted in favour of debating the defence authorisation bill, four short of the 60 required.
Gay people can serve in the military, but face expulsion if they reveal their sexuality. US President Barack Obama has promised to scrap the policy.
Democrats could still try again later this year to pass the legislation.

Reacting to the vote - which split largely along Republican-Democrat party lines - White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said: "We're disappointed at not being able to proceed on the legislation, but we'll keep trying."

The BBC's Paul Adams, in Washington, says the vote is a setback for Mr Obama, who had hoped to deliver on a campaign promise to repeal the law - known as "don't ask, don't tell".
The Pentagon is conducting a study into how repeal might be implemented, but Republicans, and many in the military, fear that it could damage morale at a time when the armed forces are fighting two wars, our correspondent adds.
Procedural tactic
Earlier, the only Republican senator to support repealing the law, Susan Collins, said she was withdrawing her support.

Her vote was seen as the crucial 60th vote needed to limit debate and advance the bill in the 100-seat Senate.

In the event Democratic senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor both sided with Republicans to block the bill, while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, also voted against the measure as a procedural tactic.
It is not clear how the Democrats intend to respond to this setback in the Senate, but it seems highly unlikely that President Obama will get his way on gays serving openly in the military before November's mid-term elections.
If the Republicans retake control of one or more houses of Congress, then the president may never get his way, our correspondent says.
'Distraction'
Defence Secretary Robert Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, have said they support a repeal but want to move slowly on it so as to not damage morale.
Mr Gates has asked Congress not to act until the Pentagon finishes a study on the impact on the military of lifting the ban.
The Obama administration has said any repeal of the law would not be implemented until after the study, which is due on 1 December, is completed.
Most Americans now accept openly gay service personnel, according to a recent Gallup poll.
Mr Obama's nominee to take over command of the Marine Corps said on Tuesday that he opposed repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
In testimony to a Senate committee, General James Amos said letting gay people serve openly in the force could disrupt unit morale.
"I'm concerned that a change now will serve as a distraction to marines who are tightly focused at this point on combat operations in Afghanistan," he said in written testimony.
"In my personal view, the current law and associated policy have supported the unique requirements of the Marine Corps, and thus I do not recommend its repeal."

Delhi Games village 'unfit for athletes'

The Commonwealth Games Federation head has demanded the Indian government take immediate steps to improve conditions at the athletes' village in Delhi.

Team delegates have described the accommodation as filthy, unhygienic and unfit for human habitation.
But organisers of the event, which runs from 3 to 14 October, said the facilities would be excellent.
Meanwhile, police said 23 labourers were injured as a bridge being built near the main Games venue collapsed.

It is the latest setback to an event plagued by construction delays, allegations of corruption and a dengue fever outbreak in the Indian capital.

New Zealand, Scotland, Canada and Northern Ireland have demanded their teams be put up in hotels if their accommodation is not ready.
Michael Fennell, the Commonwealth Games Federation president, said he had written to the Indian cabinet secretary urging immediate action.
He said "many issues remain unresolved" and the athletes' village was "seriously compromised".
Although team officials had been impressed with the international zone and main dining area, he continued, they had been "shocked" by the state of the accommodation itself.
"The village is the cornerstone of any Games and the athletes deserve the best possible environment to prepare for their competition," Mr Fennell added.
Indian media is reporting that only 18 of 34 residential towers at the village are complete
Two days before the village officially opens to the first of 7,000 athletes and officials, New Zealand chef de mission Dave Currie suggested the Games might even be cancelled.
He said toilets in the accommodation were leaking and did not flush, and there were piles of building debris in bathrooms.
Mr Currie told New Zealand commercial radio on Tuesday: "If the village is not ready and athletes can't come, obviously the implications of that are that it's not going to happen.
"It's pretty grim really and certainly disappointing when you consider the amount of time they had to prepare."

Team Scotland said in a statement that on arrival in Delhi last week their officials found "its allocated accommodation blocks were far from finished and in their view, unsafe and unfit for human habitation".

Commonwealth Games England called for "urgent" work on the facilities, raising concerns about "plumbing, electrical and other operational details".
Australia's chef de mission, retired marathon runner Steve Moneghetti, said in Melbourne the hosts "have got two days to do what's probably going to take about two weeks".
As the row unfolded, 23 construction workers were injured, five seriously, as an elevated footbridge gave way near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, police said.
It is not clear what caused the collapse of the walkway, which was being built to link a car park to the arena, where the Games opening ceremony is to take place.
Delhi government's Chief Secretary, Rakesh Mehta, told Indian TV the bridge was cemented earlier on Tuesday.
Lalit Bhanot, secretary general of the organising committee, said in a news conference that the athletes' accommodation needed a "deep cleaning", but everything would be ready on time.

"According to us the room may be clean, but the foreign officials may require a certain standard of cleanliness and hygiene which may differ from our standards," he said.

"We are on the job and everyone is working day and night."
He added: "All other things and all other venues are ready and in the best of condition to conduct these events."
There have also been safety concerns surrounding the Games, heightened on the weekend when gunmen shot and wounded two tourists near Delhi's Jama Masjid, one of India's biggest mosques.

Arrested Brig. Imtiaz, Adnan Khawja being shifted to Adiala

Tuesday, September 21, 2010
 ISLAMABAD: Brig. Imtiaz (rtd) and Adnan Khawja of the OGDCL have been arrested from the courtroom today and were being shifted to Adiala Jail, Geo News reported Tuesday.

Both of them have been arrested from the court on orders by Supreme Court (SC) during the hearing of a case relating the implementation of National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

A SC bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry heard the NRO implementation case today.

The Chief Justice said the judicial orders were being disparaged.

Later on, the CJ ordered the arrest of both the accused from the courtroom.

The apex court said the accused may submit the bail challans within three days.

It should be mentioned here that a three-member Supreme Court bench, Friday, issued notices to Adnan A Khawaja asking him to explain why he assumed two posts - Managing Director Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and Chairman NAVTEC - despite the fact that he, as NAB convict, was disqualified to assume such a post.

Also in the previous hearing, Brig (R) Imtiaz Ahmed, former DG ISI, who is also involved in NAB cases, was directed to appear in the next hearing.

It is pertinent to mention here that in the wake of the suo motu notice taken by the apex court and the subsequent revelations in the media, the government annulled the appointment of Adnan Khawaja as OGDCL Chairman, only a day after he assumed the charge.

India MPs meet Kashmir separatist leaders

The three main separatist leaders in Indian-administered Kashmir have met members of an all-party delegation of Indian politicians from Delhi.

The separatists had earlier refused to meet the delegation, which is visiting after months of violent protests that have claimed more than 100 lives.
Moderate separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was told there was no chance of Kashmiri secession from India.
But he was told that all other issues could be discussed.

Different groups of MPs from the delegation met Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik at their residences.

The BBC's Altaf Hussain in Indian-administered Kashmir's main city of Srinagar says the Indian government is trying to build a consensus among the country's major parties on how to deal with the situation.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the leader of the moderate faction of the separatist alliance the Hurriyat Conference (HC), was told by the MPs who visited him that while the idea of Kashmiri succession from India would not be entertained, all other options were on the table.
Mr Farooq, who is under house arrest, told India's NDTV that a private call from the five MPs was not the same as talks with the government.

Before the meeting, he told the BBC the delegation's visit to Kashmir was of limited value.

"The Kashmir issue is not about sending delegations from Delhi with no mandate, it's very clear that they have come to Kashmir to assess the situation."
He added: "I mean what is there to assess? A hundred people have been killed in the last three months, young children, from 80-year-old to 60-year-old people have been shot dead."
Another group of MPs from the Indian delegation had earlier visited Syed Ali Shah Geelani at his residence, where he too is under house arrest.
Mr Geelani leads the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference.
Our correspondent says Mr Geelani's decision to talk to the MPs is unexpected because he has been a strident critic of Delhi's policy in the region.
The leader of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Yasin Malik, was also visited by a group from the delegation.
The delegation is led by Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram and includes lawmakers from all major national parties.
The government announced the all-party fact-finding mission last week after an emergency meeting in the capital, Delhi.
During their two-day visit, the delegation plans to consult members of the public and Kashmiri politicians in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley.
But there is resentment among many people who want to meet the visitors, but have so far been unable to do so because the valley remains under curfew.

Until now the delegation has only met pro-India politicians and business leaders.

In the latest violence in the valley, five people were injured on Monday in clashes with the army outside of the town of Sopore.
A 22-year-old woman was killed in Sopore at the weekend during clashes between police and protesters, as residents continued to defy the curfew.
Anti-India sentiment is high in the region, which has been under an almost round-the-clock curfew for the last nine days.
Kashmir has been on the boil since June, with tens of thousands of protesters taking to the streets.
Protesters in the mainly Muslim valley have been hurling stones at troops and demanding independence from India.
Many analysts see the recent unrest as the biggest challenge to Indian rule in Kashmir for 20 years.

MQM blames Sindh Home Ministry for Karachi killings

Monday, September 20, 2010
 KARACHI: Deputy Convener Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Coordination Committee, Dr. Farooq Sattar Monday said a fresh wave of targeted killings has been started to undermine peaceful atmosphere of the city and held the ‘government, particularly, Provincial Home Ministry’ responsible for it.

Dr. Farooq Sattar, flanked by other members of MQM Coordination Committee, said this while addressing a press conference here at MQM headquarters.

“Attempts are being made to disturb the peace of the city of the city since last night and this has resulted in death of two MQM workers so far,” he said.

He said similar to the previous occasions, MQM is once again being linked with the fresh incidents of targeted killings.

Issuing appeal to the people for remaining calm, Dr. Farooq Sattar said the murder case of Dr. Imran Farooq has been forwarded to the court of Allah.

'Brave' Afghan voters hailed amid Taliban threats

Nato and the UN have praised voters who turned out for parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, despite violence that killed at least 14 people.

Nato forces chief Gen David Petraeus said the voice of Afghanistan's future belonged to the people, not extremists.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Afghan voters had shown "courage and determination".
Turnout has been put at 40%. However, there were many reports of fraud that may question the results.
More than 2,500 candidates are vying for 249 seats in the lower house of parliament, or Wolesi Jirga.
Governor targeted Most polling stations had opened on schedule on Saturday.
However, the Taliban staged a series of rocket and other attacks around the country to deter voters.

The interior ministry said three security officials and 11 civilians had been killed.

The Kandahar provincial governor was also targeted in a bomb attack but survived.
Faizal Ahmad Manawi, head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), said initial figures pointed to a turnout figure of 40%. Turnout for the last parliamentary election, in 2005, was about 50%.
"As a whole I would rate this election successful," he said.
Gen Petraeus said the "people of Afghanistan sent a powerful message".
"The voice of Afghanistan's future does not belong to the violent extremists and terror networks. It belongs to the people," he said.
Gen Petraeus also praised the Afghan forces for "safeguarding a weapon with greater potential than any other - the people's right to vote".
Nato senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, Mark Sedwill, said the poll had shown "the future of Afghanistan remains one where violence cannot overthrow the democratic will of the people".
However the UN envoy to the country, Staffan de Mistura, told the BBC that it was premature to say the vote had been a success.
He said there had clearly been security problems, particularly in the south, but that in many other parts of the country the vote had been "enthusiastic".

Earthquake jolts northern Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: High-intensity tremors jolted vast areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Azad Kashmir and Islamabad a little before midnight on Friday, triggering panic among people.
According to seismic department, the magnitude of the quake was 6.3 on the Richter scale and its epicentre was somewhere in Hindukush mountains. The tremors lasted 14 to 15 seconds.
The tremors were felt in Gilgit, Chitral, Skardu, Abbottabad, Swat, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Mansehra, Peshawar, Kohat, Nowshera, Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Sarai Alamgir.
No loss of life was reported from any part of the country. 

Pak-English 3rd ODI was fixed, claims UK paper

Updated at: 0808 PST,  Saturday, September 18, 2010
 LONDON: An English newspaper has claimed that the third One Day International (ODI) match between Pakistan and England was fixed, adding that ICC has commenced probe to get to the bottom of its claims.

Pakistan defeated England in a dramatic fashion amid last moments of game when English team seemed to have gained full control over it.

Cricket chiefs launched an investigation during England's one-day match against Pakistan yesterday amid fears it was fixed by an illegal betting syndicate, it claimed.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) acted after the paper’s probe exposed evidence apparently showing that bookies knew details of Pakistan's innings before the match even began, it wrote.

Incredibly, it comes after three Pakistani stars had already been sent home in disgrace amid claims of match-fixing.

The new investigation will centre on suspicious scoring patterns in Pakistan's innings and on two suspect overs during yesterday's match at The Oval.

Illegal bookies in India and Dubai apparently knew in advance what would happen so they could launch a betting coup.

But The daily’s undercover team was able to pass details to ICC inspectors before the match began.

Cricket chiefs then watched as Pakistan's score mirrored the target that bookies had been told in advance by a fixer.

It is not thought that the overall result was fixed, only scoring rates in parts of Pakistan's innings. Pakistan eventually won by 23 runs.

The scandal centres on whether the match was manipulated by underground bookies to cash in on a popular bet among punters in India, where betting is illegal.

Gamblers like to bet on how many runs will be scored in each ten-over session of an innings.

Bookies cash in by knowing in advance what will happen, then offering odds that tempt punters to back the wrong result - or by placing bets with other bookies backing what they know will happen.

The dramatic probe began after The Sun received details of calls between a notorious Dubai-based match fixer and a Delhi bookie.

We alerted ICC corruption busters led by ex-police chief Sir Ronnie Flanagan. After a frantic round of calls the ICC decided to issue a general warning to Pakistan's players, but by then the game had started.

The newspaper is withholding details of the alleged fix while the investigation continues - but we can reveal that horrified ICC chiefs launched their investigation before the Pakistan innings had even finished.

The probe centres on an individual within the team camp who is believed to be the ringleader, taking money from bookies and ensuring their orders are carried out.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat last night thanked the daily for its investigation and pledged tough action on any players found guilty.

It said that it can reveal the ICC is also investigating whether the same cartel rigged a Test between Pakistan and Australia in July after allegedly paying players £700,000.

Pakistan's Test captain Salman Butt, 25, and bowlers Mohammad Asif, 27, and Mohammad Amir, 18, flew home after the News of the World revealed no-balls were deliberately sent down in the Lord's Test. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal is also under investigation. All deny any wrongdoing.

Karachi shut down after killing of Imran Farooq

Supporters of the party have gathered to mourn Imran Farooq, who was stabbed outside his home on Thursday afternoon.
A BBC correspondent in Karachi says the situation is tense but peaceful. Most shops and schools are closed.
Last month, more than 80 people were killed in clashes in the city after the killing of another MQM politician.
The MQM has long been accused by its critics of illegal activities, and of endorsing or ignoring ethnic, sectarian and political violence in Karachi.
British police say no-one has yet been arrested over the stabbing of Mr Farooq, and it is not clear if it was politically motivated.
Raza Haroon, a member of the MQM central coordination committee, said: "He was a gentleman, a very, very soft spoken person with a lot of knowledge, and who was very outspoken as well.

"It's a very huge loss to the party to have lost a senior leader, in such a manner. This is an irreparable loss and a great tragedy for the MQM," he added.

'Great loss' Mr Farooq had been living in exile in the UK since 1999, when he claimed asylum. He had previously spent seven years on the run from Pakistani police, who accused him of involvement in several serious crimes.
In 1999, he told the BBC the charges against him were politically motivated.
The former Pakistani parliamentarian was one of the founding members of the MQM, a former opposition party which is now part of the ruling PPP-led alliance.
After news emerged that he had been stabbed several times in the head and neck, the MQM declared a 10-day mourning period in Pakistan and in its offices across the world.
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said the PPP would also suspend its activities for 10 days, adding: "It was a great loss to the party and the family."
MQM leaders said they expected Mr Farooq's body to be flown back to Karachi for burial after legal formalities had been completed.
Local media in Karachi reported that some vehicles were torched and shots fired late on Thursday, but police said there had been no violence on Friday as hundreds of party activists converged on his family home.
Amid fears that the crowd could turn violent, most markets, restaurants and schools were closed and no public transport was available.
The BBC's Shoaib Hasan in Karachi says MQM leaders had told him there was "a lot of grief and a lot of sorrow going around".
But, our correspondent says, the situation has remained peaceful.

Mr Farooq was in essence the party's deputy leader, though he had not returned to Pakistan since claiming asylum in the UK, he adds.

Dozens of people were killed and hundreds were wounded in several days of clashes in Karachi last month, sparked by the killing of an MQM parliamentarian, Raza Haidar. He was shot dead while attending a funeral.
Most of those killed belonged to the Pashtun community, whom MQM leaders had initially held responsible for the attack. Investigators later said the pro-Taliban militant group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, was behind it.
MQM activists were also involved in bloody factional clashes and battles with the security forces in Karachi during the 1990s.
The MQM seized power in Karachi in the 1980s. The party claimed to represent ordinary working class people, but opponents accused it of kidnap, torture and murder.
In 1992, the authorities launched Operation Clean Up - in the next six years some 8,000 people were killed and Mr Farooq fled to London.

IMF releases $451m emergency loan for Pakistan floods

The IMF said the money would help Pakistan cope in the aftermath of the floods that have affected about 18 million people.
It said it hoped its decision would encourage more lending by international donors.
Meanwhile, new flooding has been reported from around the town of Dadu, near the Indus river in Sindh province.
The army is continuing relief efforts, rescuing hundreds of people trapped or isolated by floodwaters, in the area.
"The [IMF] board's approval enables the immediate disbursement of the full amount of this emergency assistance," the IMF said in a statement.
"Pakistan's economic outlook has deteriorated sharply as a result of the floods. The agriculture sector, which accounts for 21% of Gross Domestic Product and 45% of employment, has been hit particularly hard," it added.
The floods which hit the country at the end of July have killed at least 1,500 people and devastated large areas.
The United Nations has said that billions of dollars would be needed in the long term.
But charities say the response to the UN's appeal has been sluggish.
The US has made the biggest contribution so far, followed by the UK.
UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has called the international response "lamentable".

Falling in love costs you friends

We probably all know that a passionate new relationship can leave you little time for others, but now science has put some numbers on the observation.
Oxford University researchers asked people about their inner core of friendships and how this number changed when romance entered the equation.
They found the core, which numbers about five people, dropped by two as a new lover came to dominate daily life.
"People who are in romantic relationships - instead of having the typical five [individuals] on average, they only have four in that circle," explained Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Oxford.
"And bearing in mind that one of those is the new person that's come into your life, it means you've had to give up two others."
The research, which has only recently been submitted for publication, was presented to the British Science Festival at Aston University.
Professor Dunbar's group studies social networks and how we manage their size and composition.
He has previously shown that the maximum number of friends it is realistically possible to engage is about 150. On the social networking site Facebook, for example, people will typically have 120-130 friends.
This number can be divided into progressively smaller groups, with an inner clique numbering between four and six.
These are people who we see at least once a week; people we go to at moments of crisis. The next layer out are the people we see about once a month - the "sympathy group". They are all the people who, if they died tomorrow, we would miss and be upset about.
In the latest study, the team questioned 540 participants, aged 18 and over, about their relationships and the strain those relationships came under when a new romantic engagement was started.
The results confirmed the widely held view that love can lead to a smaller support network, with typically one family member and one friend being pushed out to accommodate the new lover.
"The intimacy of a relationship - your emotional engagement with it - correlates very tightly with the frequency of your interactions with those individuals," observed Professor Dunbar.
"If you don't see people, the emotional engagement starts to drop off, and quickly.
"What I suspect happens is that your attention is so wholly focussed on your romantic partner that you just don't get to see the other folks you have a lot to do with, and therefore some of those relationships just start to deteriorate and drop down into the layer below."
By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

Notification of MD OGDCL’s appointment revoked

 Thursday, September 16, 2010
 ISLAMABAD: The notification of appointment of Managing Director, Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDCL), Adnan Khwaja has been revoked on the orders of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Geo News reported Thursday.

According to a press statement issued by the Prime Minister House, the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Resources has been directed to withdraw the notification and make a new appointment strictly on merit.

His selection as MD OGDCL was challenged in the Supreme Court on plea that he has been a NAB convicted and ineligible for any government post for 10 years.

Indian PM urges Kashmir protesters to end violence

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appealed to protesters in Kashmir to shun violence - as police shot dead two more demonstrators.

He spoke during an all-party meeting on how to resolve the crisis in Indian-administered Kashmir.
It will decide whether to lift 20-year-old emergency laws that shield Indian forces from prosecution.
Eighty-nine protesters have died in anti-India protests since June and the entire Kashmir Valley is under curfew.

Nearly all of them were shot dead by government forces.

The prime minister told Wednesday's meeting at his home in the Indian capital, Delhi: "The only path for lasting peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir is through dialogue and discussion.
"We are ready for dialogue with anybody or any group that does not espouse or practise violence."
He added: "I was shocked and distressed to see young men and women - even children - joining the protests on the streets."
The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main regional parties from Kashmir, among others, attended the talks.
Meanwhile, police shot dead two people and wounded several others during a violent demonstration.
Officers in the southern town of Mendhar opened fire at a group of people protesting over reports the Koran was desecrated during 9/11 commemorations in the US last weekend

Police said they opened fire as demonstrators marched on a Christian missionary school, "with intent of setting it ablaze".

A Christian school in the valley was burnt down by protesters on Monday, the worst day of violence so far this summer when police shot dead 18 civilians.
A policeman was also killed when he was run over by a lorry driven by demonstrators.
Many analysts see the recent protests as the biggest challenge to Indian rule in Kashmir for two decades.
Mr Singh admitted last week that he was "groping" for a response.
One suggestion, supported by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah - a government ally - is to ease 20-year-old emergency regulations as a gesture of goodwill.
But the security establishment and the BJP have opposed the move.
Critics say the Armed Forces Special Powers Act makes it impossible to prosecute the security forces for human rights violations.
But Indian generals argue that troops cannot operate in Jammu and Kashmir without the immunity available to them under the act.
The separatist leaders have warned that half-hearted confidence-building measures will not break the impasse, the BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says.
They insist that the Indian government must launch a serious political initiative towards a resolution of the basic dispute which is about the future status of Kashmir, our correspondent adds.
The Kashmir dispute has been the cause of major tension between India and Pakistan for six decades.

Nine dead in N Waziristan drone attack

Updated at: 0938 PST,  Tuesday, September 14, 2010
 MIRANSHAH: At least nine people were killed and various others injured in US drone attack in North Waziristan Agency (NWA), Geo News reported Tuesday.

According to sources, the US surveillance plane pounded a house with three missiles in Shawwal area of North Waziristan adjacent to Afghan province Paktia, killing at least nine people present at the house.

It should be mentioned here that this is the tenth attack in North Waziristan during the current month.

The people started relief activities after the attack.

The spy planes are still making low flights in the area.

Police shoot dead 15 during protests in Kashmir

Police have shot dead 15 civilians in the deadliest day in Indian-administered Kashmir since protests erupted three months ago.

A policeman was also killed when he was run over by a lorry.
The BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says reports of Koran desecration in the US have stoked anger.
Scores of Kashmiris have now died since June, when anti-India protests broke out after police shot dead a teenager

In Monday's protests, thousands of people defied curfews and took to the streets, chanting anti-India and anti-US slogans and burning effigies of US President Barack Obama, our correspondent says.

An angry mob set fire to several government buildings and a Protestant-run school, as well as attacking a police station, he adds.
Police fired live ammunition to break up the demonstrations, and confirmed that 15 civilians had been killed.
Several of the deaths were reported to have occurred in Budgam district, with others reported in the village of Tangmarg, where the school was burned.
One of those killed was a student aged 12 or 13, our correspondent says.
Meanwhile, a policeman died after he was run over by a lorry driven by demonstrators in the town of Humahama.
The attack on the missionary school was condemned by separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani - who has been put under house arrest by Indian authorities.
"I urge the Muslims to protect members of [the] minority community and their religious places. We should at any cost maintain the age-old communal harmony and brotherhood for which Kashmir is known the world over," he said.
An indefinite curfew remains in place in Srinagar and other big towns in the region.
The measures were imposed after mass protests against Indian rule on Saturday again turned violen

Iran offers Pakistan $100m more in aid

Iranian First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi says Iran has allocated $100 million worth of humanitarian aid for the flood-hit people of Pakistan.The international community has pleaded for a boost in global relief efforts to help some 800,000 Pakistanis stranded in areas only accessible by air.

Rahimi made the remarks late Sunday night after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Friday said the measures taken to aid the people of Pakistan were insufficient, urging all Muslims to help their brothers in Pakistan.

Ayatollah Khamenei described the flood disaster in Pakistan as the "most urgent" issue of the Muslim world.

The leader expressed deep sorrow over the catastrophic floods in Pakistan and the lingering humanitarian crisis it has brought to the country.

On Saturday, the head of Iran's Red Crescent Society (IRCS) announced that the society is ready to set up at least ten more relief camps to shelter people in the flood-stricken areas of Pakistan.

“Since the first days of flooding in Pakistan, IRCS has dispatched aid for the flood-stricken people of Pakistan in 13 aid packages and has set up three relief camps in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan Provinces,” Faqih said.

Faqih said the IRCS has sent almost 1,000 tons of aid in the form of food and medicine as well as medical workers and doctors to Pakistan.


Earlier on Sunday, Supervisor of Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation Hossein Anvari, declared the coming Thursday as the 'Solidarity Day' with the flood-stricken people of Pakistan.

Anvari said that on September 16 Iranians can extend their humanitarian aid, in cash or goods, to the Pakistani nation.

Iran was among the first countries to dispatch relief supplies to Pakistan and has announced its readiness to help reconstruct Pakistan's flood-ravaged regions.

The latest official figures show the flooding, which is the worst-ever natural disaster to hit Pakistan, has affected some 17 million people and killed over 1,760 others.

Relief agencies warn that aid is too slow to arrive for millions without clean water, food and homes in the flood-hit regions of Pakistan.

No room for Musharraf in politics, say critics

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top political parties on Saturday ridiculed former military ruler Pervez Musharraf's claim of a return to politics, saying there is no room for him in the country's political arena.
Musharraf said that he would return to politics, form a new political party and stand for parliament at the next general election in 2013.
His comments, given in an interview with the BBC in London, were greeted with scorn from political rivals.
“The former president is a coward man and he will not return to Pakistan,” a leader of Pakistan's largest Islamic party Jamat-i-Islami, Liaqat Baloch, told AFP.
“The entire country is engulfed in a serious crisis because of the culture that Musharraf introduced in Pakistan.
“Neither does he enjoy public support nor will he find courage to return to Pakistan,” he added.
The 67-year-old Musharraf said he was not scared of the threat of legal action against him and insisted that he had to try to lift Pakistan out of its “pathetic situation”.
“The brave former army commando preferred to run away instead of facing courts of law in Pakistan,” Siddiqul Farooque, spokesman for Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), told AFP.
Musharraf ousted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999. He was president from 2001 and has mostly lived in London since resigning in 2008.
“He (Musharraf) lives in fool's paradise if he thinks he will again become Pakistan's president,” Farooque said, referring to his current status as “hibernation”.
He said: “Musharraf must remember that whenever he gets out of this hibernation and comes back to Pakistan, he will have to face the courts.”
But Musharraf said possible legal cases against him were not putting him off a swift return. However, he admitted his popularity had waned but said it was still strong among the majority of Pakistanis who do not vote.
“Two hundred per cent I will participate in the next election. Standing for myself. Standing for a party that I'll create,” Musharraf said Friday in London, where he lives in exile.
“I do intend creating a new party because I think the time has come in Pakistan when we need to introduce a new political culture: a culture which can take Pakistan forward on a correct democratic path, not on an artificial, make-believe democratic path.
“I have fought wars, I have faced dangers and I'm a lucky man. I'll try my luck again and I'm not scared of that,” he said.
A former minister in his government welcomed the announcement.
“Musharraf's return to politics is the need of the hour and only he can safeguard Pakistan and its interests,” Dr Sher Afgan Niazi said, adding that the former president had the “vision and wisdom” to save the country.
“He (Musharraf) is an asset for this country, who did a great job by protecting vital national interests and strengthening economy and social sector during his tenure.”

Three killed in Karachi firing incidents

KARACHI: Unknown assailants gunned down three people and injured one in various incidents of firing in Karachi on Sunday night.
Police initially told DawnNews that incidents of firing occurred in different areas of the Ranchore Line neighbourhood, injuring four people.
The four were shifted to a nearby hospital where three of them — Kashif, Zubair and Prem — succumbed to their injuries. The condition of the fourth victim Asif was stated as critical. — DawnNews

Curfew imposed in Srinagar, FIR against Mirwaiz

Sunday, September 12, 2010
 SRINAGAR: In occupied Kashmir, following massive anti-India and pro-liberation demonstrations on the day of Eid at historic Lal Chowk in Srinagar and other parts of the valley, the authorities have imposed curfew in Srinagar, Islamabad, Bijbehara, Pulwama, Kakapora, Sopore and Baramulla and restrictions in all parts of the territory.

Gun-toting Indian paramilitary troopers and police personnel are out in strength enforcing a strict curfew. No one is allowed to move out of his home, residents of various areas of Srinagar told media men over phone.

Elsewhere in Kashmir valley restrictions have been imposed on the movement of people and at many places undeclared curfew has been clamped, reports said.

On Saturday, the day of Eid hundreds of thousands of people had converged at Eidgah and other places of worship including Hazratbal and TRC Ground in the city and offered prayers.

After Eid prayers, tens of thousands marched from Eidgah in Srinagar to historic Lal Chowk to demonstrate against Indian occupation. Pro-liberation and Pakistani flags were hoisted atop a Clock Tower situated in the centre of the sprawling square

On the other hand, an FIR has been lodged by authorities against APHC Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq alleging him of instigating trouble and arson in Lal Chowk. The FIR no. 83/2010 stands registered against Mirwaiz in Shergarhi Police Station, a police official told media men.

Demonstrations over Islamic centre held in New York

Competing demonstrations have been held in New York on the anniversary of 9/11 over plans for an Islamic cultural centre close to Ground Zero.

Hundreds of people attended both demonstrations which became heated but passed off without violent incident.
The radical Dutch politician Geert Wilders addressed one demonstration, calling for an end to the plans.
The demonstrations were held after ceremonies honouring those killed in the World Trade Center nine years ago.

New York authorities blocked off the street passing the site of the proposed Islamic cultural centre, a short walk away from Ground Zero.

Mounted police and dog units patrolled the streets, keeping the protests separated in two pens a distance away from the site of the former World Trade Center.
The question of building a mosque and cultural centre so close to the scene of the devastation of the 2001 attacks has inflamed passions across US society.
The competing protests attracted people from many different groups, from anti-war activists to Hell's Angels, former US Marines to Buddhists.
'Fellow Americans' Mr Wilders, a right-wing politician from the Netherlands who believes that Islam is comparable with Fascism, told the crowd that the planned cultural centre should not be allowed to go ahead.

Mr Wilders is a controversial figure both in the US and the Netherlands

"We must never give a free hand to those who want to subjugate us, draw this line so that New York will never become New Mecca," he said.
The rally was also addressed by the former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton and other Republican commentators.
But others said campaigners against the mosque were part of a hate campaign against Muslims.
"I'm really fearful of all of the hate that's going on in our country," Elizabeth Meehan, 51, told the Associated Press.
"People in one brand of Christianity are coming out against other faiths, and I find that so sad, Muslims are fellow Americans; they should have the right to worship in America just like anyone else."
But anti-mosque campaigners, some holding plaques that read "never forget", said the plans were an insult.
"This is hallowed ground. It's something like Gettysburg or Pearl Harbour. Why did they have to do it here? Be a little sensitive," said Theresa Angelo, 57.
'Not ever' 
At the earlier ceremony relatives read out the names of those who died when hijacked airliners hit the World Trade Center.

Some of the families said the argument between both sides was disrespectful of their families' loss.

But others said that "now was the time to speak out" against the planned Islamic centre.
Earlier, the pastor behind the threat to burn Korans in Florida said the event had been cancelled permanently.
"We will definitely not burn the Koran, no," the Reverend Terry Jones told NBC's Today show. "Not today, not ever."
Earlier, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed the mourners.
"No other public tragedy has cut our city so deeply, no other place is as filled with our compassion, our love and our solidarity," he said.
Speaking at a memorial event at the Pentagon, also hit by a hijacked plane on 9/11, President Obama paid tribute to those who died.
He said that while it was tempting to dwell on their final moments, the memorial events were taking place "to remember the fullness of their time on Earth".
Mr Obama also repeated his recent calls for unity, saying: "It was not a religion that attacked us that September day. It was al-Qaeda."
"We will not sacrifice the liberties we cherish or hunker down behind walls of suspicion and mistrust."
Prominent New York Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is at the head of a group who plan to turn an abandoned factory building into a community centre and prayer space.
They say the centre will include facilities for all religions and be a place for reconciliation between faiths.

Nation celebrating Eid today with simplicity

ISLAMABAD: In the aftermath of the unprecedented catastrophic floods, which killed more than 170 people and affected over 21 million people, the nation will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr today with simplicity, renewing pledge to forge unity in the entire Muslim Ummah and to strengthen the national cohesion and solidarity.

Hundreds of thousands of faithful will throng mosques and Eidgahs to offer Eid prayers across the country. In Lahore, the biggest Eid congregation will be held at the historic Badshahi Mosque where Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer will offer prayers.

Eid prayers will also be held at Data Darbar, Masjid Shuhada, Masjid Wazir Khan, Jamia Mosque Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Quran and Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lawrence Road.

Special prayers for the liberation of all occupied Muslim territories including held Jammu and Kashmir will be offered. The prayers for strengthening the national solidarity, integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan will also be offered.

Our life is worse than death. Eid is for the living, but we are neither alive nor dead, says a solemn 15-year-old Rukhsana, approaching this year’s Eid with sad defeat. “We have no clothes, no food, no shoes and no home. My brother is very young, he can’t fight the looters who snatch all the food from the aid trucks,” she says.

Abandoned by her father after her mother died, the teenage refugee will spend today’s Eid holiday with her grandmother and 10-year-old brother in a makeshift camp. While most of the Muslim world celebrated Eid on Friday, the festival falls on Saturday in Pakistan.

Bringing an end to Ramazan, it should be an occasion for family celebration and gift giving, but for Pakistan’s poor and hungry flood survivors, this year’s holiday offers more rain and little joy.

In Hyderabad, a city now teeming with more than one million people displaced by the floodwaters, Rukhsana mills gloomily around a camp lined with donated tarpaulin tents filling the grounds of a vegetable market.

“When we were at home, our grandmother would arrange something for us on Eid, but now we don’t even have a home,” she says woefully.

Eid is a time of lavish celebration for those who can afford it. Women don new dresses and cook special feasts for big family gatherings, while children are given eidi to buy sweets and toys. But in Sindh, weather forecasters predict more rain will come today, threatening to turn thousands of unhygienic relief camps into muddy bogs.

Already, humid conditions in Pakistan’s southern belt have scorched the skin of those managing a living without proper shelter.

Flood survivors say this year’s festival offers no respite from their grim reality, and recall instead golden memories of Eid celebrations back home. “We had our own houses, buffalos and crops. We would celebrate at home with joy and enthusiasm,” says 45-year-old farmer Haji Hussain.

“But now we have no money, no food and no clothes to celebrate and have fun,” says the father of eight, who migrated from Ghauspur. The buffalos he brought with the family were stolen, he says.

“Now I am penniless. My children are sad and desperate because I have nothing to buy them. We can’t be happy this Eid,” he says.

Mother-of-four Karima Bibi, 30, says she is also powerless to provide her children with a break from the misery of the floods.

“Eid is for those who have money and shelter and who have something to give to their children. We have nothing. We don’t even have shelter to save our children from the scorching heat,” she says.

“This year we will wear the same old clothes and will just give our children any food we are given,” she says.

Allah will burn this man here and hereafter

 Terry Jones who announce the Quran burning day

Allah is the best savior of the Quran,No one in the past obliterated and no one in the future can destroy

Governments, world leaders, and others were responding Friday to a Florida pastor's plans to burn copies of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, even amid confusion over whether it would go ahead. The Rev. Terry Jones, the head of a small church in Gainesville, called off the burning Thursday but later said he would "rethink" his position after a meeting with a local imam. Some of the statements in reaction received so far are as follows:
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya called Jones a "religious criminal" and a "retard that expresses a Western-retarded mentality" that targets the Quran, Islam, and Muslims. Speaking in Gaza at the start of the Eid holiday, Haniya said, "I call upon God the merciful, if they want to rip the Quran, for God to rip them apart and their state and make them an example for the believers."
Sporadic protests against the burning happened Friday in Afghanistan. The largest was in the northern province of Badakhshan where about 500 Afghans protested outside of a NATO base in the area, ISAF said. ISAF said two people were hurt in the protests, but the deputy governor of the province said thousands turned out, one protester was killed, and three were wounded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the burning of the Quran is wrong and undermines religious tolerance and peace. "The prime minister urges that such irresponsible actions not be taken," read a statement from his office.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the plans to burn the Qurans, but said it would not damage the Muslim holy book because it "is in the hearts and minds of every Muslim."
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said, "I continue to urge the government and the people of the United States to ensure the prevention of such an incomprehensible, irrational and immoral act. ... The value of the American nation, which emphasizes tolerance, freedom of religion and common sense, is being tested. Hence, once again, the government and the Americans must continue to take serious action to prevent and stop such uncivilized acts."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said, "While I will defend any American's First Amendment rights, our generals in the field tell us that the men and women defending those rights would be endangered as a result of this stunt. If this group insists on going forward, I would hope that members of the media will not reward them with what they crave most: news coverage."
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who said he has been in touch with the church, said, "I think common decency would dictate that this would not occur and that we would be respectful and are a respectful people of all religions." He said there was little he could do to stop the burning because of the First Amendment.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday he was "deeply disturbed" by reports about the plan. "Such actions cannot be condoned by any religion," he said. "They contradict the efforts of the United Nations, and many people around the world, to promote tolerance, intercultural understanding and mutual respect between cultures and religions. ... I sincerely hope that they will not take such unacceptable actions."
A spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan told CNN, "If in Florida they were to burn the Quran, we will target any Christians, even if they are innocent, because the Quran is our holy book and we do not want someone to burn our holy book."
A senior Iranian Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpayegani, condemned the plan to burn the Quran and called for the arrest of Jones, head of the Dove World Outreach Center, according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency. Should such an "inhumane incident take place in America, the U.S. government and President Obama will be held responsible," he said, according to the report.
Interpol, the international police organization, warned of "tragic consequences" that "may well claim the lives of many innocent people" if the burning goes ahead. Secretary General Ronald Noble said September 11 should be a day to fight terrorism, not a day to "engage in provocative acts that will give terrorists propaganda" to recruit others to their cause.
Sajjad Karim, a Muslim and member of the European Parliament for Britain, told the chamber Thursday that the Quran burning "is the act of one man and his followers alone. His actions should not be identified with the West or Christianity. Muslims globally must know that, through this Quran burning, this man will achieve nothing. He has been isolated in his country and his religion. It is only through a reaction that any perverse sense of achievement can be earned."
U.S. Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, urged Jones against the burning in a posting on his Twitter page Thursday. "Pastor Jones' threats to burn the Quran will put American service men/women in danger - for their sake please don't do it!"
Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Paris Grand Mosque and France's most important spokesman for the Muslim community, urged Muslims to respond "wisely" to the burning and "not to fall into the trap of provocation." He told French radio station RMC on Wednesday that Muslims should also not be stigmatized or targeted for the "terrorists, despicable people" who carried out the September 11 attacks.
The U.S. Embassy in London said Washington is "deeply concerned about all deliberate attempts to offend members of any religious or ethnic group" and condemned such acts as "unrepresentative of American values." While the embassy said it believes firmly in freedom of religion and freedom of expression, "we reaffirm our position that the deliberate destruction of any holy book is an abhorrent act."
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said everything possible should be done to ban the Quran burning. "If it does take place, it will inflict the most severe damage to inter-faith relations and human and cultural dialogue and will be used as a pretext by extremists for more killings and retaliatory killing," he said.
Bernard Valero, the spokesman for France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Thursday that France condemns "in the strongest terms the vicious and irresponsible statements of Pastor Terry Jones. This incitement to hatred is unacceptable and can only reinforce all forms of extremism. It is also an insult to the memory of the victims of September 11 and also to all the other victims of terrorist acts motivated by intolerance and the abuse of religion."
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed grave concern over the threats to burn copies of the Quran. According to spokesman Farhatullah Babar, Zardari said anyone who even thought of such a despicable act must be suffering from a diseased mind and a sickly soul. He said it will inflame sentiments among Muslims throughout the world and cause irreparable damage to interfaith harmony and world peace. Zardari called for doing all it takes to stop such a "senseless and outrageous act."
A hard-line Indonesian Muslim group, the Islamic Defenders Front, told CNN it will protest the planned burning and will issue a death sentence on Rev. Terry Jones if he carries out his plan. "This is not a problem between Muslims and Christians but rather between Terry Jones and mankind," said Sabri Lubis, a secretary general with the group.
The Vatican implored the church Wednesday not to burn the Quran, saying it would be an "outrageous and grave gesture."
The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, warned earlier this week that the plan "could cause significant problems" for American troops overseas.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group, plans to hold a news conference in Washington on Thursday to address the issue. The group's "Learn, Don't Burn" initiative includes the distribution of 200,000 Qurans and other activities planned for Friday and Saturday, the planned date of the burning.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has defended the right of the Rev. Terry Jones to go ahead with the plan, even though he condemns the idea as "distasteful." "The First Amendment protects everybody, and you can't say that we are going to apply the First Amendment to only those cases where we are in agreement," Bloomberg said this week, citing the section of the Constitution that promises freedom of speech.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which is dedicated to protecting U.S. troops from religious intolerance, has promised to buy one new Quran and donate it to the Afghan National Army for each one burned in Florida.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Quran burning would be a "disrespectful, disgraceful act."
Former Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin urged Jones on Wednesday to halt his plans, saying the burning "will feed the fire of caustic rhetoric and appear as nothing more than mean-spirited religious intolerance. Don't feed that fire."
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday issued a statement saying the U.S. government "in no way condones such acts of disrespect against the religion of Islam, and is deeply concerned about deliberate attempts to offend members of religious or ethnic groups." It said it condemned the "offensive initiative" by the Florida church.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman denounced the Quran burning as "contrary to the teachings of tolerant divine religions and totally incompatible with the logic of dialogue among civilizations, religions and cultures." He noted that a United Nations conference on religious tolerance two years ago called on people "to renounce hatred and intolerance and terrorism," and "to reflect on the Christian teachings and concepts of humanity that emphasizes the love and respect for the other."

Muhammad Ismail, a spokesman for the hard-line Indonesian Muslim group Hizb ut-Tahrir, said earlier this week, "The burning is not only an insult to the holy Quran, but an insult to Islam and Muslims around the world."
All Muslims have believe that Allah is the best savior of the Quran,no one in the past obliterated and no one in the future can destroy this holy book and due to this Quran burning day people of the world attracting towards  the Quran and embarrassing Islam.

Pakistan Strongly Condemns Planned Quran Burning

The Pakistani government has strongly condemned the plan of a small U.S. church to burn 200 copies of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, on September 11th to mark the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States.

"This is against the spirit of any religion," said Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters in Islamabad.

"The government and the people of Pakistan, including Pakistani Christians, are outraged at this planned, shameful act by a self-proclaimed pastor," Basit said.

He also urged the international community to oppose those, said Basit, who in the name of freedom and liberty, resort to bigotry and undermine the work of promoting interfaith harmony.

Pakistani Christians have launched protests across the country, insisting the small U.S. group does not represent the sentiments of the Christian community.  There also have been a scattering of small demonstrations by Muslims in Pakistan, condemning the plans to burn their holy book.

The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad also has condemned the planned event.

Embassy spokesman Rick Snelsire said there are concerns about violent reactions against U.S. citizens in Pakistan.

"Obviously it is a concern for us, concerning the safety of American citizens here in Pakistan," Snelsire. "It is something we track very carefully, and we will be closely monitoring the events as they proceed."

International foreign relations expert Ishtiaq Ahmad said he is disappointed that a small group outside the mainstream has been able to garner so much international attention.

"I think the rational attempt should be for the Muslim leadership and for the Muslim government, not to overreact, just to ignore because such 'crazies' are in abundance, not just in the Western world but also in the Muslim world," said Ahmad.

But he added it is harder to ignore these fringe elements because of the Internet and global media. And Ahmad said he believes the small group's planned actions actually are more inline with the goals of extremist groups, such as al-Qaida.

"Any organization, any entity, any person, which attempts to widen the gulf between the West and Islamic world is basically falling into al-Qaida's hands and attempting to actually serve al-Qaida's global jihadi cause," he said.

The Quran burning plan has faced opposition from various religious, political and military leaders, including Pope Benedict, U.S. President Barack Obama, and the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus. 

Shawwal moon not sighted; Eid on 9/11

KARACHI: The central moon sighting committee on Thursday announced that Shawwal moon was not sighted in any part of the country and Eidul Fitr would be celebrated on Saturday, 11th September, 2010.

Addressing a press conference, Chairman, Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman said no authentic evidence of moon sighting had been received from any part of the country.

Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee met for sighting of crescent (Moon) of Shawal/Eid-ul-Fitr-1431-Hijri on Thursday at Pakistan Meteorological Department, Karachi.

US President Obama condemns plans to burn the Koran

US President Barack Obama says plans by a small church to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of 9/11 are a "recruitment bonanza" for al-Qaeda. 

Mr Obama said that if it went ahead, the burning could endanger US military personnel serving in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The plan has drawn widespread international condemnation.
The pastor behind the threat says the burning would be a way to stand up to terrorism.

Terry Jones leads a congregation of 50 followers in the city of Gainesville, Florida.

In an interview with ABC television, Mr Obama said he hoped Mr Jones "understands that what he's proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as Americans, that this country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance".
"And as a very practical matter, I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women who are in uniform," the president said.

Terry Jones leads a congregation of 50 followers in the city of Gainesville, Florida.

In an interview with ABC television, Mr Obama said he hoped Mr Jones "understands that what he's proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as Americans, that this country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance".
"And as a very practical matter, I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women who are in uniform," the president said.

"Look, this is a recruitment bonanza for al-Qaeda. You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan... This could increase the recruitment of individuals who'd be willing to blow themselves up in American cities, or European cities," he said.

"I hope he listens to those better angels and understands that this is a destructive act that he's engaging in," the president said.
US officials say they cannot intervene as the church's actions would likely be protected by the US constitution's guarantee of freedom of speech.
Mr Jones said on Wednesday that he would not cancel the Koran burning, and that his plan to burn the Islamic holy book was intended to draw attention to his belief that "something's wrong."
"It is possibly time for us in a new way to actually stand up, confront terrorism," Mr Jones told reporters outside his church.
Earlier, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said in a statement that "anyone who even thought of such a despicable act must be suffering from a diseased mind and a sickly soul".
"It will inflame sentiments among Muslims throughout the world and cause irreparable damage to interfaith harmony and also to world peace," he said.
His comments were the latest in chorus of condemnation from Muslim countries.
Malaysia called it a heinous crime, while Indonesia said it would damage relations between Islam and the West.
The plan has also sparked condemnation from the Vatican, Nato and the top US Afghan commander.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the plan "disgraceful".
On Monday General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Afghanistan, warned troops' lives would be in danger if the church went ahead with its bonfire.
Muslims consider the Koran to be the word of God and insist it be treated with the utmost respect. Any intentional damage or show of disrespect to the holy book is deeply offensive to them.

Railways fares raised 5 to 15pc

LAHORE: Government of Pakistan approved to increase the fares of passenger and freight trains by 5 to 15 percent to steer the Railways clear of the present crisis situation, Geo News reported Thursday.

GM operations Railways Muhammed Ashfaque Khatak said the raise was effected to cut down on the financial straits faced by Pakistan Railways.

Khatak said Railways had no money to buy diesel to run the trains service, as also the recent flash floods across the country have caused billions of rupees worth of loss to the Railways.

He added the federal government was approached; however, the government, directing to generate own resources, approved enhancing the fares of passenger and freight trains.

GM Operations said the notification in this regard would be issued after Eidul Fitr, adding the fares of passenger trains have been raised by 5 to 15 percent and freight trains by 10 to 15 percent.