Pakistani Taliban claim attack on NATO supply line
Pakistani Taliban claim attack on NATO supply line
Peshawar: The Pakistani Taliban are claiming responsibility for an attack on NATO supply trucks that killed four people in the country's northwest.

Around 15 militants on Monday fired rockets at the trucks as they traveled in the Khyber tribal region on their way to Afghanistan. Because of such attacks, the US has for years been reducing its use of Pakistani land routes to get supplies to troops in Afghanistan.

On ... Read More

Ahmadis are once again persecuted even as the new government is formed
For some time now anti-Jamaat-e-Ahmadiya (Jaamat) activities have been escalating all over Pakistan and particularly in Lahore. The members of Jamaat have been mercilessly tortured and rebuked in public over fake and felonious accusations. They have been threatened physically and mentally tortured and now live in fear of their lives. They have even been harassed while offering funeral rites for their dead. In Lahore, the person leading these inhuman and illegal activities is Muhammad Hassan ... Read More

Supreme Court disposes of missing persons' case
Lahore, June 6, 2013: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has moved the Supreme Court of Pakistan to review an order disposing of a petition filed in 2007 for recovery of a large number of victims of enforced disappearance.

On May 18, the Supreme Court had disposed of through a short order HRCP's constitutional petition regarding enforced disappearance of citizens filed in 2007 and observed that the petitioner could pursue the matter before a commission ... Read More

The Council of Islamic Ideology intends to complete the elimination of the religious minorities
Nasir Saeed

The Council of Islamic Ideology in Pakistan held a meeting on May 29, headed by Maulana Sherani, and warned that if the blasphemy laws are amended, the country's minorities will be unsafe, but how much worse could the situation get?

Minorities have been suffering since these laws were introduced by General Zia Ul Haq in 1986. Why is the council only now expressing concern about this? As if it had not noticed all the ... Read More

Musharraf remanded to judicial custody
Pakistan former President Pervez Musharraf was today formally arrested and remanded to judicial custody for a fortnight over the 2006 killing of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti.

Musharraf, 69, was arrested by a team from the Crime Branch of Balochistan Police.

The team was sent from Quetta to Islamabad yesterday after an anti-terrorism court in Balochistan rejected Musharraf’s bail application and ordered his arrest.

Acting on a request from the Balochistan Police team, an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad ... Read More

Nawaz Sharif formally elected Pakistan's Prime Minister
By PTI | 5 Jun

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif was today formally elected Pakistan's Prime Minister by an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly, setting the stage for an unprecedented third term as premier.PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif was today formally elected Pakistan's Prime Minister by an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly, setting the stage for an unprecedented third term as premier.
ET SPECIAL:
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ISLAMABAD: After years in oblivion, Nawaz Sharif, known ... Read More

Pakistan Faces Struggle to Keep Its Lights On
By DECLAN WALSH and SALMAN MASOOD

LONDON — A week before he is to be sworn in as Pakistan’s prime minister for the third time, Nawaz Sharif has secured one form of power, yet now faces a fierce battle to find another.

Electricity shortages, bad for years, have reached crisis proportions. Lights go out for at least 10 hours a day in major cities, and up to 22 hours a day in rural areas. As the ... Read More

Stop factories from becoming slaughterhouses of workers
Karachi, May 24: The governments and International Brands are directly responsible for the gory incidents in Ali Enterprises Baldia Karachi and garment factories of Dhaka, Bangladesh, as their criminal negligence resulted in loss of lives of thousands of innocent workers. Strict steps should be taken to ensure proper safety of workers and stop turning the factories into slaughterhouses of workers.

This was said by labor leaders, addressing a large rally in front of Karachi Press Club ... Read More

Regional ties to ensure economic growth in slowdown: Pakistan
http://southasianmedia.net/index.html#StoryId_78199
... Read More

Pakistan Politician From Imran Khan’s Party Shot Dead in Karachi
By Khurrum Anis in Karachi at kkhan14@bloomberg.net; Anurag Joshi in Mumbai at ajoshi53@bloomberg.net

The vice president of former Pakistan cricketer Imran Khan’sTehreek-e-Insaf party was shot dead outside her home in Karachi yesterday.

Zara Shahid Hussain was killed by three men as she parked her car after arriving home yesterday evening, Nasir Aftab, a senior superintendent of police in Karachi in the southern Sindh province, said by phone today.

“The police are investigating whether this was a ... Read More

Anti women practices and policies in the general elections
Dr.Rakhshinda Perveen

It was indeed a pleasant surprise to see NA 44 FATA appearing as the "breaking news" on March 31, 2013, and the reason behind this first time privilege was none other Badam Zari, the 38 year old Bajour Agency's resident, home maker turned independent electoral candidate who wanted to work for the women of FATA with the conviction that "Men in Bajour generally respect women". Then followed a 70 year old but enthusiastic widow ... Read More

Pakistan to release 51 Indian fishermen
Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday announced that country's caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has decided to released 51 Indian fishermen on humanitarian grounds.

All the fishermen have served their sentences.

"The decision was taken at a high level meeting attended by Federal Minister for Law, Ahmer Bilal Sufi, Chief Minister Sindh Justice (R) Zahid Qurban Alvi and senior officials of the Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Law and Justice and PM's Secretariat," Dawn News reported.

Khoso expressed ... Read More

Amritsar village celebrates Nawaz Sharif's win
http://amankiasha.com/detail_news.asp?id=1094

... Read More

Imran Khan's party set to form government in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
Islamabad: Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf is set to form government in the militancy-hit Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province with the backing of the Jamaat-e-Islami while the PML-N and several smaller parties are expected to form a coalition in the restive Balochistan province.

The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf emerged the single largest party in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa by bagging 35 of the 99 directly elected seats - far short of a simple majority.

The Jamaat-e-Islami, which won seven seats, announced last night it would back ... Read More

Pakistan elections: 49 polling stations had more than 100 percent voting
Islamabad: Forty-nine polling stations in Pakistan achieved the impossible - the votes polled were more than the total number of voters.

Data gathered by Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) observers at polling stations have shown voter turnout greater than 100 percent.

Pakistan went to the polls on Saturday and unofficial election results show that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is way ahead of its rivals. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf stood second while the ruling Pakistan People's Party is a ... Read More

President of India urged to remit life sentences of Pak-prisoners who have completed 15 years
New Delhi, 9th May, 2013:- Prof. Bhim Singh, Sr. Executive Member of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) who is also Executive Chairman of State Legal Aid Committee has decided to submit a petition to the President of India seeking his intervention under Article 72 of the Constitution of India so that all foreign prisoners, mostly from Pakistan and POK, who have completed 15 years in custody or prison in any Indian jail. Article 72 has ... Read More

FORMER PAKISTANI PREMIER'S SON IS KIDNAPPED
Gunmen in Pakistan kidnapped the son of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

Ali Haider Gilani, who is running for a provincial legislative seat in Saturday's national election, was abducted Thursday in the city of Multan in southern Punjab.
... Read More

The case of Pashtun genocide in the country
Kahar Zalmay

Pakistan is an interesting country and there are certain exciting things that only happen here. For instance, in our land of pure every now and then , a revolution is on its way, khakis keep on believing that this country is their constituency and keep on capturing it, Mullahs always find the religion in danger and the top judiciary wastes no time in taking sue motto notice against holding two bottles of whisky. As ... Read More

Imran canvasses for support from hospital bed
PTI

Lahore, May 8:

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who was injured in a fall at an election meeting, has made a dramatic appeal to the people from his hospital bed to vote for his party in the May 11 polls and help build a “new Pakistan”.

“On May 11, remember it is written in the Quran that Allah says He does not change the condition of any people till they change their condition themselves. You have to ... Read More

Pakistan Chief Prosecutor in Bhutto Assassination Shot Dead
By Augustine Anthony in Rawalpindi

The Pakistani chief prosecutor investigating the assassination in 2007 of Benazir Bhutto was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the capital Islamabad early today as he drove to a hearing.

The car carrying Chaudhry Zulfiqar was attacked as he headed to an anti-terrorism court in the nearby city of Rawalpindi for proceedings related to the Bhutto case, according to police. “His guard said that someone from the rear fired on ... Read More

The military intends to back Al-Qaida candidates for the next parliament
There have been some developments during the past two weeks that reveal that in the coming elections elements of the Taliban and Al-Qaida had been offered seats in the parliament. Before these developments the security agencies with the help of right wing parties have also allowed 53 sectarian candidates to contest the elections without passing through the sword of the articles 62 and 63 of the constitution which debar any candidate known to be involved ... Read More

STATEMENT BY AAGHAZ-E-DOSTI OVER DEATH OF SARABJIT SINGH
We pray for Sarabjit's soul. It is an unfortunate reality. However, we condemn the revival of jingoistic sentiments. It is disturbing that a loss of life has become another opportunity to revive jingoism. Sarabjit's case had been there for two decades but the Indian Government had never took any major step for his release and now after his death, the Prime Minister declared him as "the brave son of the nation". The Indian Government had ... Read More

Pak-National Book Festival: Exchanges of the literary sort
http://tribune.com.pk/story/539072/national-book-festival-bookworms-central-exchanges-of-the-literary-sort/
... Read More

India’s exports to Pakistan rise to $1.64bn
http://southasianmedia.net/index.html#StoryId_78090
... Read More

India, Pakistan seek to untangle trade knots, SAMN, April 20, 2013
http://southasianmedia.net/index.html#StoryId_78078
... Read More

‘We got tremendous support in India,’ Aman Ki Asha, April 17, 2013
http://amankiasha.com/detail_news.asp?id=1082
... Read More

Musharraf moved from farmhouse to police headquarters
Omer Farooq Khan, TNN

Pak police reach Musharraf's house with court's arrest order

Ensure Pervez Musharraf does not leave Pakistan, SC tells govt

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf was shifted from his farmhouse in Islamabad to police headquarters in the capital city on Friday, hours after he surrendered himself to authorities and the judicial magistrate granted him a two-day transit remand.

The decision to transfer him to Islamabad's police headquarters was taken by higher police officials ... Read More

Peace campaigners to make their voices heard, Express Tribune, April 17, 2013
http://tribune.com.pk/story/536435/rising-intolerance-time-for-peace-campaigners-to-make-their-voices-heard/
... Read More

Pak girl gets fresh lease of life in Indian hospital
PTI

NEW DELHI: It's a rebirth for 16-year-old Pakistani girl Madiha Tariq Sheikh, who feels India is her "own country" where she underwent a successful liver transplant surgery.
... Read More

AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL POLITICAL PARTIES OF PAKISTAN
To,

The representatives of the Political Parties of Pakistan,

We would like to offer our respect to you for your continuous efforts towards building a people's government in Pakistan. In fact, in spite of various tide and ebbs in the long span of time and in various sectors, internal and external, Pakistan with its government always stood and proved itself a nation that is truly based on courage and desires of people and for the welfare of ... Read More

MQM leader, a candidate in Pakistan elections, shot dead
PTI

Islamabad: A Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader, who was a candidate for Pakistan's upcoming polls, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in southern Sindh province today, police said.

Two gunmen, who were riding a motorcycle, shot at Fakhrul Islam outside his home in Halanaka area of Hyderabad city this afternoon. Islam was hit by several bullets and died instantly, police officials said.

The gunmen escaped after the attack. No group claimed responsibility for the killing.

... Read More

South Asian corporate leaders for removal of non-tariff barriers, SAMN, April 8, 2013
http://southasianmedia.net/index.html#StoryId_78051

The corporate leaders of South Asian region have said that Pakistan and India should remove non-tariff barriers to increase bilateral trade which would enable their economies to flourish. Top marketing leaders and chief operating officers of several multinational companies from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka gathered at a local hotel for a two-day conference titled South Asia Strategic Leadership Summit. Addressing the broader theme of "Collaborating for Change", the event was organised by Nutshell ... Read More

An Open Letter to the media houses after receiving a threatening email from a journalist
It is not unusual for human rights defender to receive death threats from persons, organisations or governments that do not agree with the stance that has been taken. However, when the threats come from a journalist it reveals the devastating plunge in the right to opinion and expression that has taken place in the country concerned. Journalists of all people have a duty to examine both sides of a story in order to ensure fairness ... Read More

Pakistan pitches for continued dialogue with India, SAMN, April 6, 2013
http://southasianmedia.net/index.html#StoryId_78050

Pitching for continued dialogue with India, Pakistan says there are "very important" issues like Kashmir, Siachen and visa that need to be resolved. He said that there are also people-to-people issues like the visa issue that should also be settled. "As far as Pakistan is concerned, Pakistan wants that all issues with India are settled amicably….This can happen only when both the sides wish and there is a political will. The agenda of the ... Read More

ndia starts visa on arrival for Pakistani senior citizens, PTI, April 05, 2013
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/india-starts-visa-on-arrival-for-pakistani-senior-citizens/20130405.htm

Giving a new fillip to its relations with Pakistan, India has started visa on arrival facility for senior citizens of that country….The new visa agreement was signed last September to ease cross-border travel as part of a number of Confidence Building Measures. Some clauses of the relaxed visa regime like multiple-entry and reporting-free visas for businessmen and allowing them to travel to five cities instead of the earlier three were operationalised when Pakistan's Interior ... Read More

Democracy Is Still on a Leash in Islamabad
C. Christine Fair

Pakistan is on the verge of an historic moment: This spring, for the first time, an elected administration will hand off power to another one after serving out its term. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government, which came into power in 2008 following reasonably free and fair elections, holds a number of dubious distinctions -- its massive corruption, its refusal to expand Pakistan’s miniscule tax base by imposing industrial and agricultural taxes on ... Read More

Pakistan Supreme Court adjourns Pervez Musharraf treason hearing
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top court on Tuesday granted former dictator Pervez Musharraf a breathing space in his battle against treason allegations dating back to his time in power.

Lawyers are petitioning the Supreme Court to have the 69-year-old retired general put on trial for treason for subverting the constitution during his 1999-2008 rule.

Musharraf returned to Pakistan last month from four years of self-imposed exile to stand in the May 11 general election, which will mark the first ... Read More

Two Pakistani women make history, to contest polls for first time
PTI

Islamabad: Two women from Pakistan's restive northwest have made history by becoming the first tribal women to file nomination papers for the May 11 parliamentary polls.

Forty-year-old Badam Zari filed nomination papers for a National Assembly constituency in the restive Bajaur tribal region yesterday while Nusrat Begum plans to contest elections from Lower Dir, a tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

While an increasing number of women are taking part in politics in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, it is almost unheard ... Read More

New Ideological Battle in Pakistan: Traffic Circle’s Name
By SALMAN MASOOD

LAHORE, Pakistan — If ever a squabble over a street name could sum up a nation’s identity crisis, it is happening in Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital.

Late last year, a group of Lahoris made progress in getting local officials to rename a busy traffic circle for Bhagat Singh, a Sikh revolutionary who was hanged at the site by the British in 1931 after a brief but eventful insurrection against colonial rule. They see ... Read More

Pakistan Militants Kill 7, Abduct 4 at Power Station
PESHAWAR, Pakistan—Several dozen militants armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades attacked a power grid station in northwestern Pakistan before dawn Tuesday, killing seven people and taking four hostage, police said.

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Read more at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323296504578397742930690504.html

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... Read More

Indian army repatriates two minor Pakistani boys
http://amankiasha.com/detail_news.asp?id=1071

There was encouraging news on this past Sunday as the Indian army on Sunday handed over two Pakistani boys, who had crossed the Line of Control into India, to the Pakistan army as a goodwill gesture. The two boys, identified as Rehmatullah, 15, and Inayatullah, 12, of Kotli area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), had crossed over to the Indian side of the LoC, that divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan…."The ... Read More

Malala Yousafzai to fund Pak school project with Angelina Jolie
Malala Yousafzai to fund Pak school project with Angelina Jolie

London: A fund set up by Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' education, is to send 40 girls to school in her home region with the support of US actress Angelina Jolie.

Malala, 15, announced the fund's first project in a video message late Thursday to the Women in the World Conference in New York from Britain, where she ... Read More

Who is the best judge of a righteous person - the judiciary or the people?
Baseer Naveed

''

Pakistan will hold its general elections on May 11, only the second to be held in a civilian environment in 35 years of this new Pakistan. It is, however, the first time in the history of the country that the power would be handed over from one civilian government to another.

Under the supervision of an independent Election Commission (EC), another first in the history of Pakistan, there will be less chance of vote ... Read More

The thirst for honour cannot be quenched unless blood is spilt
Stewart Sloan

Although there is a law in Pakistan against honour killings known as the 'Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2004' these inhuman acts of revenge against innocent people continue to increase. The fact that the law has been amended to include honour killings shows the very real need for this inclusion, however, amending the law alone in insufficient and until and unless action is taken to enforce this law this abhorrent crime will continue.

Despite the fact ... Read More

Pervez Musharraf barred from leaving Pakistan; lawyer throws shoe at him in court
Karachi: It was a good Friday for former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. A Pakistani court today extended by 15 days the former military leader's protective bail in a series of cases, and a shoe hurled at him outside court missed its mark.

Mr Musharraf was restricted from leaving the country during the period that his bail was extended, reported the Associated Press.

Sixty nine-year-old Musharraf, who landed in Pakistan earlier this week ending four years of ... Read More

Cricket legend Imran Khan _ Pakistan’s election wildcard _ rallies 150,000 people in Lahore
By Associated Press

LAHORE, Pakistan — As Pakistan looks ahead to a national election later this spring, the biggest wildcard is shaping up to be cricket legend Imran Khan, who rallied at least 150,000 flag-waving supporters in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday.

After years of trying to gain a foothold in Pakistani politics, the shaggy-haired, ruggedly good-looking 60-year-old has finally elbowed his way into the big league. Casting himself as a populist anti-corruption crusader, he ... Read More

Suicide bomber kills 10 in Pakistan
Reuters

Peshawar: Ten people were killed in Pakistan on Friday when a suicide bomber attacked a paramilitary police convoy, security officials said.

The assault took place in the northwestern city of Peshawar, about 200 metres (yards) from the U.S. consulate but there was no indication the compound was the target.

Abdul Majeed Marwat, a commander for the Frontier Constabulary, said he was the target. Two members of the force and eight civilians were killed and 15 people ... Read More

Pakistan Army to deploy 50,000 troops to secure May 11 polls
PTI

Islamabad: Pakistan Army will deploy about 50,000 troops across the country to secure the general election process on May 11, which is facing a "massive terrorist threat" from the Taliban and other militant groups.

The Interior Ministry has warned of a "massive terrorist threat" during the elections as banned groups like Jandullah, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan were planning to carry out large-scale attacks in Balochistan province, especially in Quetta and Nushki.

The Taliban are reportedly planning suicide ... Read More

Killing of human rights defender Ms Perveen Rehman
On 13 March 2013, human rights defender Ms Perveen Rehman was shot and killed by armed motorcyclists, close to her offices. Perveen Rehman was a social and economic rights defender, working with communities in the slums of Karachi. She was director of the Orangi Pilot Project, one of Pakistan's most successful non-for-profit social programmes, which helps local communities escape from poverty. Perveen Rehman had recently been documenting the situation in villages close to Karachi, which ... Read More

Musharraf gets bail ahead of return to PakistanBy IANS - ISLAMABAD
Pakistan Friday granted protective bail to former president Pervez Musharraf who faces arrest in the country, just two days ahead of his expected return to Pakistan after nearly five years in self exile, a media report said.

Musharraf, 70, has been living in exile in Britain and the United Arab Emirates since he resigned as the president in August 2008. He had earlier announced that he will return to his country March 24.

An anti-terrorism court had ... Read More

The Supreme Court must ensure that Ahmadis should not be disfranchised
A Golden Opportunity to abolish self-contradictory Franchise System and Restore true Justice and Democracy in Pakistan

The world has strongly and repeatedly drawn the attention of Pakistan to its self-contradictory franchise system which denies the Ahmadi Muslims the fundamental right to vote.( Click here to read our previous statement on the issue )

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has judiciously taken a firm action to open a petition submitted in 2007 by Kanwar Idrees, a ... Read More

A letter on persecution of Christians in Pakistan
Fr. Anand Muttungal

Bhopal: Isai Maha Sangh(IMS) expressed anguish over the violent attack against Christians in Joseph Colony, Lahore, Pakistan. Isai Maha Sangh held prayer for suffering minority people in Pakistan.

Isai Maha Sangh wrote a letter to Pakistan President Shri. Asif Ali Zardari , UN Secretary General, Shri. Ban-Ki-moon and Indian Prime Minister Shri. Manmohan Singh. In the letter IMS highlighted the plight of Minorities in Pakistan. It is since long years the ... Read More

Atrocities on minorities in Pak condemned
New Delhi: Condemning atrocities on minorities in Pakistan, a BJP member on Monday demanded in the Rajya Sabha that India raise the issue at international level as it was violation of human rights.

"The day Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf was praying at Ajmer Sharif Dargah for world peace, Christian minorities were being subjected to atrocities in his own nation...Hindu minorities have been facing severe atrocities ...Why not take up the issue at international level," ... Read More

Pakistan leader to break ground on Iran pipeline
GABD: Pakistan's president traveled to Iran on Monday for a ceremony to mark the start of construction of a controversial pipeline to bring natural gas from Iran despite American opposition to the project.

The Iran-Pakistan pipeline is intended to help Pakistan overcome its mushrooming energy needs at a time when the country is facing increased blackouts and energy shortages.

But there are serious doubts about how Pakistan could finance the $1.5 billion needed to construct the pipeline ... Read More

Polio, Taliban, and media
Moahhamd Nafees

Resistance to polio vaccination has been going through a constant phase of evolution in Pakistan, and with every passing day, it goes one notch up from its previous level involving people from conservative camps to enlightened ones as well. About six months ago, Maulvi Ibrahim Chishti of Muzaffargarh’s rural Khan Pur Bagga Sher area declared polio drops as ‘poison, un-Islamic’ and a ‘western conspiracy’ to render the population impotent. A few days later, tribal ... Read More

Health agenda should be embedded in political parties election manifesto
Amir Murtaza

The 1946 Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO), preamble states that, "the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition". The WHO further states that the right to health means that governments must generate conditions in which everyone can be as healthy as possible. Such conditions range from ensuring availability of ... Read More

The killings of journalists continue unabated
Two senior journalists were killed during the short span of 48 hours. As is usual, enquiry committees have been formed by the authorities to investigate the killings and the motives behind the incidents. However, as committees have been formed in the past for the same reason which have not shown any results there is not much hope that the latest committees will show any progress.

On February 27, Mr. Malak Mumtaz Khan, a renowned journalist ... Read More

Power returns to Pakistan cities after grid collapse
PTI

Islamabad: Power was restored in cities across Pakistan on Monday after the national grid collapsed on Sunday night, plunging most of the country into darkness for several hours.

Authorities said they had restored power in several areas of the largest cities, including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, though many regions in all four provinces continued to be without electricity.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf had been monitoring the situation after the rare nationwide breakdown began at about 11.30 ... Read More

Pakistan arrests militant leader over Quetta bombings
Reuters

Multan , Pakistan: Police said they arrested the leader of a banned militant group on Friday in connection with sectarian attacks in the northwestern city of Quetta that have killed nearly 200 people this year.

Two bombings about month apart targeting the minority Shi'ite community in Quetta, claimed by the Sunni militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), sparked demonstrations across the country and the dismissal of the local government.

Police said they arrested LeJ leader, Malik

"LeJ has ... Read More

Pakistan’s Media Police
By HUMA YUSUF

ISLAMABAD — Maria Khan, the host of a Pakistani television talk show,raided a massage parlor in a private residence in Lahore last week and accused the women working there of being prostitutes. Accompanied by the police, Khan and her “Baat Say Baat” camera crew threatened the employeeswith arrest, rifled through their purses, and cross-examined them about their work. The women’s faces were caught on camera despite their repeated requests not to be filmed. ... Read More

Prominent human rights defenders are targets of assassination
Two prominent lawyers and a well known human rights defender have been assassinated in target killings on February 2, 2013. Mr. Malik Jarrar 47, a Supreme Court lawyer, was shot dead in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Paktoonkha province by unknown persons, riding a motorcycle. He was on his way to pick up his two sons from school. Mr. Jarrar was the former vice chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an NGO, ... Read More

Religious extremists attempt to create a bloodbath in Sindh
Though the police have exonerated all five persons falsely accused of committing blasphemy they have failed to take any actions for their protection. This is particularly important as no action whatsoever has been taken against their accusers who are members of the militant Ahle Sunnat Waljamat. Regrettably this is another example of the policy of appeasement of the government towards religious fundamentalists who want to mold society to their way of thinking. It is likely ... Read More

Violence against aid workers goes Unabated
Amir Murtaza

The protection of human rights defenders, community and health workers and NGOs staff have become a serious issue in Pakistan as incidents of violence against them has been reported in regular intervals. Unfortunately, the government officials have so far not devised any mechanism to provide protection to those who are trying to alleviate the sufferings of disadvantaged sections of the society.

On 31January 2013, four male community workers of HANDS were kidnapped from the ... Read More

Malala Yousufzai has successful skull surgery in UK
London: A Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating girls' education has undergone successful surgery at a British hospital to reconstruct her skull and help restore lost hearing.

A team of doctors carried out a five-hour operation on Saturday on 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai, who was shot in October and brought to Britain for treatment.

The procedures carried out were cranial reconstruction, aimed at mending parts of her skull with a titanium plate, and ... Read More

Country's war against Human Rights Watch
"A pack of lies" is Pakistan army's favorite defensive phrase whenever it is blamed for committing human rights abuses or covertly sponsoring Islamic extremist organizations. On December 13, 2012, the Pakistan army described an Amnesty International report, The Hands of Cruelty, as "a pack of lies" when the London-based international human rights watchdog exposed the involvement of security forces in widespread human rights violations in the country's tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.

On February 2nd, the Pakistan ... Read More

Suicide bomber kills 19 at Pakistan mosques
Peshawar: A suicide bomber targeted a Shiite Muslim mosque in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing 19 people and wounding dozens as worshippers poured out of weekly prayers, officials said.

The bomber detonated explosives packed into a motorcycle in a narrow lane containing both the Shiite and a Sunni Muslim mosque in the town of Hangu, long a flashpoint for sectarian violence against minority Shiites.

"It was a suicide attack which targeted Shiites but Sunni Muslims also fell ... Read More

Pakistani girl shot by Taliban to have skull reconstructed
Reuters

The shooting of Yousufzai, in the head at point blank range as she left school in the Swat valley, drew widespread international condemnation.

She has become an internationally recognised symbol of resistance to the Taliban's efforts to deny women education and other rights, and more than 250,000 people have signed online petitions calling for her to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her activism.

British doctors who treated Yousufzai say the bullet hit her ... Read More

Development challenges in Pakistan
Kumarian Press will release a new international development title next month that I feel you will find of interest entitled Development Challenges Confronting Pakistan.

In Pakistan, there has been limited substantive research conducted to identify the unique blend of structural impediments to development that prevail in the country today. Indeed, Pakistan’s prospects to promote viable, sustainable social development appear bleaker today than a decade ago. Development Challenges Confronting Pakistan seeks to rectify this void by bringing ... Read More

The AHRC condemns and protests against the calculated Shia extermination
On January 10th 2013, the New Year in Pakistan started with a gruesome bang of a continuing holocaust of sectarian cleansing in which Quetta witnessed 4 bomb blasts targeting Hazara Shias. The death toll of the day was 102 dead and hundreds injured. The day has been labeled as Black Thursday. Ali Dayan Hasan of Human Rights Watch stated “As Shia community members continue to be slaughtered in cold blood, the callousness and indifference of ... Read More

Pakistan Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Prime Minister
By DECLAN WALSH

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in a corruption case on Tuesday afternoon, dramatically raising the stakes in a tense standoff between the government and its opponents.

The court order came as an enigmatic preacher turned politician, Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri, addressed thousands of supporters outside Parliament and repeated calls for the government’s ouster. In earlier speeches, he said that a caretaker administration led ... Read More

India puts on hold visa on arrival for Pakistan senior citizens
By PTI - NEW DELHI

India today (Jan 15) put on hold the operationalisation of visa on arrival for senior citizens of Pakistan amid mounting tension on the Line of Control(LoC).

Government sources said the decision was taken after several agencies sought clarifications on facilities to be offered to the Pakistani citizens though the continued tension along the LoC following killing of two soldiers by Pakistani troops could be the apparent reason.

The visa on arrival facility for ... Read More

Indian Army releases pictures of Pakistan planted landmines on Indian soil
ANI

New Delhi: To prove that an infiltration had been undertaken by the Pakistan Army into Indian soil earlier this month, the Indian Army on Wedenesday released photographs of landmines allegedly planted by Pakistani troops.

In a statement, the army said that it had shared these photographs with Pakistan at the recently held brigadier-level flag meeting at Chakan-Da Bagh in the Poonch Sector, where the two sides discussed the repeated ceasefire violations. Pakistan has denied all charges ... Read More

Bomb kills 14 Pakistani soldiers in North Waziristan
Pakistan frequently protest publicly about U.S. drone strikes but has not taken any legal steps to end them.

On Saturday, Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), had circulated a leaflet calling for an end to the Taliban's infrequent attacks on Pakistani soldiers in North Waziristan.

Thousands of Pakistani soldiers are stationed in North Waziristan.

The ceasefire did not apply to the rest of the country, where there are often fierce clashes between the Taliban and ... Read More

Protests over Pakistan Shia attacks grow
Reuters

Protests against attacks on Shia Muslims spread across Pakistan on Sunday as the prime minister flew to the city of Quetta to meet mourners refusing to bury 96 victims of a sectarian bomb attack until they were promised protection from Sunni militants.

The protests were triggered by twin bombings on Thursday targeting Shia ethnic Hazaras in Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province. The attacks, claimed by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militant group, killed at least 96 people.

Sectarian killings have ... Read More

A Bloody Terror to Itself and the West
Tarek Fatah

An unprecedented protest is unfolding in the Balochistan city of Quetta in Pakistan. Thousands of people have staged a sit-in, and are using coffins to block a road to protest the slaughter of Shia Muslims by Sunni Muslim terrorists allied with the Taliban.

On Thursday night, January 10, twin bombings targeting Pakistan's tiniest ethnic minority, the Hazaras -- descendants of Central Asians and who are distinguished easily by their unique facial features -- killed over ... Read More

Premier McGuinty Expresses Grief Over Pakistan Bombing
January 11, 2013
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty released this statement following a tragic bombing in Quetta, Pakistan:
“On behalf of all Ontarians, I want to express our sympathies to the people of Pakistan following yesterday’s bombings in Quetta. In particular, we offer our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones and our hearts go out to those injured in these senseless acts.
More than 100,000 Ontarians trace their roots to Pakistan, and many still have ... Read More

Death toll in Pak blasts rises to 122
Islamabad: The death toll in a string of devastating terrorist attacks in two restive Pakistani provinces Friday rose to 122 as authorities made special arrangements to airlift critically injured persons to the southern port city of Karachi for treatment.

A total of 88 people were killed in explosions that targeted a snooker club in a Shia-dominated neighbourhood of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, last night.

Dozens of people were killed instantly and at least five injured ... Read More

Students of India and Pakistan do what govts are struggling with
They wear different colours, but go through the same rollercoaster of emotions during an intense game of cricket. They have different cuisines, but enjoy food with liberal amounts of spice.
They are separated by stringent visa regimes, but now some schoolchildren of India and Pakistan are beginning to realise they aren’t so different after all.
Under the Exchange for Change programme, over 3,500 children from 17 schools in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Delhi, Chandigarh and Mumbai poured their ... Read More

Outbreak of measles causes deaths of over 300 children during 2012
Amir Murtaza

Recently, the Pakistani press and electronic media have displayed detailed pictures of children who sadly died because of measles, a very infectious disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also substantiates the news reports and informed that 306 children died in the country in 2012 due to this infectious disease. A large number of these deaths were reported in December 2012 in Sindh, the second most populated province of Pakistan.

It is ... Read More

The Art of Blasphemy
By HUMA YUSUF

KARACHI, Pakistan — Administrators at the National College of Arts, Pakistan’s leading arts college based in Lahore, are waiting to find out whether they will be charged with blasphemy, a crime punishable by death. Last summer, the college’s contemporary arts journal reproduced homoerotic paintings by Muhammad Ali depicting clerics alongside seminude young boys.

The controversy is the latest example of Pakistan’s institutions crumbling in the face of extremism and a sign that artistic expression ... Read More

Indo-Pak friendship
Recently when people were rushing to enjoy their most favorite "Muqabla" of Indo-Pak Cricket match at Firoz Shah Kotla Stadium of New Delhi, some youths under the initiative of Aaghaz-e-Dosti (for indo Pak friendship) gathered outside the stadium with their face painted in colors of peace and love. They distributed pamphlets with messages of Peace and friendship to strengthen bond of India Pakistan relations.

Aaghaz-e-Dosti is an initiative for strengthening Indo-Pak relations and develop unwavering ... Read More

U.S. Drone Strike Kills a Top Pakistani Militant
By SALMAN MASOOD and ISMAIL KHAN
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — An American drone strike killed a top Pakistani militant commander in a northwestern tribal region, security officials said on Thursday. The death of the commander, Maulvi Nazir, was seen as a serious blow to Taliban fighters who attack United States and allied forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

The drone strike took place on Wednesday night and targeted Mr. Nazir’s vehicle in the Angoor Adda area in South Waziristan. ... Read More

PAKISTAN: A Dark Christmas in Balochistan
Tarek Fateh

As the joy of Christmas dawned worldwide from Manila in the east to Managua in the west, and places in between, the spirit celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace bypassed Pakistan. Most of the country was distracted by the frenzy of a cricket match against rival India, while its tiny Christian population was observing one of their darkest years ever.

But the condition of Pakistan's Christians on this, their "dark Christmas," paled when ... Read More

Pakistan expresses serious concern over India-Russia $2.9 bln defence agreement
ANI

Pakistan has expressed serious apprehensions over 2.9 billion dollars India-Russia defence arms agreement, which was signed this week.

Responding to queries during a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office Spokesman Moazzam Khan said that it (the India-Russia deal) is totally against efforts to prevent an arms race in the region.

The defence agreement was signed in New Delhi on Monday during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India.

Under the accords, India will buy 42 Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets ... Read More

Taliban capture at least 22 Pakistani government forces
DERA ISMAIL KHAN (Reuters) - The Pakistani Taliban have seized at least 22 men from a paramilitary force in attacks on three checkpoints in northern Pakistan, a regional official said on Thursday, but Taliban and other Pakistani sources put the number even higher.

At least 22 men were missing, two had been killed and one was injured after the overnight attacks, said Naveed Akbar, a regional official whose remit covers the paramilitary units.

Other Pakistani officials said ... Read More

Benazir Bhutto's son launches political career
ISLAMABAD: The 24-year-old only son of assassinated former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto is due to launch his political career on Thursday, the fifth anniversary of his mother's death.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is among hundreds of high-ranking Pakistani officials, including the current president, his father Asif Zardari, who gathered to commemorate Bhutto's killing in a gun and suicide attack during a 2007 political campaign rally.

"Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, following in the tradition of generations, will prove to ... Read More

Civil Society from PaK to attend Intra-Kashmir conference in Jammu
NISAR AHMED THOKAR
Smaller Default Larger

Islamabad, Dec 13: A high-level delegation comprising civil society representatives, intellectuals, jurists and traders from Pakistan administrative Kashmir on Friday left for Delhi to attend a two-day intra-Kashmir conference scheduled to be held in Jammu from December 14-16 2012.
About 50 participants, hailing from both sides of line of control LoC, with special experience in judiciary, business, academics, culture, media, development and social fields have been invited in the conference being hosted ... Read More

Five polio workers shot dead in Pakistan: police
Gunmen on motorbikes shot dead five female Pakistani polio vaccination workers on Tuesday, police said, highlighting resistance to the country's immunisation campaign. Four were killed in three different incidents in the sprawling port city and the fifth in the northwestern city of
Peshawar, on the second day of a nationwide three-day drive against the disease, which is endemic in Pakistan.

Sagheer Ahmed, the health minister for Sindh province, of which Karachi is capital, said he had ordered ... Read More

Petition to stop gender discrimination in Pakistan justice system
The gender discrimination in superior courts allows for only three females out of 103 judges

Please sign the online petition to eliminate gender discrimination from the superior courts of Pakistan send_small.gif

Mr. Iftekhar Choudry,
Chief Justice of Pakistan
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk

Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President of Pakistan
President's Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 51 9204801/9214171
Fax: +92 51 9207458
Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk

Mr. Raja Pervez Ashraf
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: ... Read More

'Centre clearing decks for Hurriyat delegation's visit to Pakistan'
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

After releasing passports and issuing travel documents to some separatist leaders, the Government of India seems to be clearing the decks for a Hurriyat delegation’s Pakistan visit from December 15.

Sources in the Hurriyat Conference faction led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq disclosed to The Hindu that the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi had given its green signal to a separatist delegation’s Pakistan visit, which was being scheduled between December 15th and 22nd. ... Read More

PAKISTAN: Complete tenure of PPP Government and country is more corrupt?
Aijaz Ali Khuwaja

Pakistan's first political party is PPP, which has governed country, first time, continuously for last five years. What nation got in continuous rule of a vibrant political party? Nothing. We have jumped in list of more corrupt and insecure nations of the world. Here in our country only those are safe who are murderous, plunders and more and more corrupt. General masses are only "queuing Up for everything" from Roti to CNG.

In ... Read More

Global ’Malala’ war chest for girls’ education launched
Paris: Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari today announced a USD 10-million donation for a global war chest to educate all girls by 2015 set up in the name of Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' education.

The "Malala Fund for Girls' Right to Education" aims at raising billions of dollars to ensure that all girls go to school by 2015 in line with United Nations Millennium goals.

Pakistan Education Minister Waqas ... Read More

Journalists threatened for reporting the rape case of a six years old Hindu girl
The two prominent journalists of the area, Mr. Arbab Bheel of Dharti TV and Mr. Mushtaq Qamber of Daily Sindh Express, have been threatened by the main accused, Mr. Muhammad Mangrio, the brother-in-law of former Town Nazim (chairman) of Tehsil and his nephew Mr. Mashooq Mangrio, who told them over the telephone and conveyed through their henchmen that if they come to the place, the Ghulam Nabi Village, for further reporting they would be killed. ... Read More

US drone strike kills al Qaeda commander in Pakistan
Covert CIA drone strikes have killed a series of senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders in Pakistan's tribal region over the past few years. The attacks are controversial because the secret nature of the program makes it difficult to determine how many civilians are being killed.

Pakistani officials often criticize such strikes as a violation of the country's sovereignty, which has helped make them extremely unpopular in the country. But senior Pakistani officials are known to ... Read More

100-year-old temple demolished in Pakistan
Pakistan, December 3, 2012: A century-old temple in Karachi was hurriedly demolished by a builder despite a Pakistani court hearing a petition seeking a stay on such a move, triggering protests by the minority Hindu community on Sunday.

Besides razing the pre-Partition Shri Rama Pir Mandir in Karachi’s Soldier Bazar, the builder demolished several houses near it on Saturday.

Nearly 40 people, a majority of them Hindus, became homeless as a result, The Express Tribune reported on ... Read More

International Day to End Impunity-- Impunity against media rises to unacceptable levels
Ehsan Ahmed Sehar

Eighty eight journalists have been killed in Pakistan during last decade out of which 36 were shot dead in target killing. In 2012, ten journalists including one TV channel driver were killed in three provinces, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of the country as impunity against Pakistani media rises to unacceptable levels. According to the figures compiled by the Rural Media Network Pakistan (RMNP) twenty six journalists have been killed in Balochistan province ... Read More

Intimidation of journalists continues with the attempted assassination of Hamid Mir
An explosive device was planted in the car of a renowned journalist. It is not known as to whether this was an attempt to assassinate him or merely intimidate him. A right wing journalist by his writings Mr. Hamid Mir, the anchorperson of Geo news channel, has accused some 'state actors' and some 'non state actors' of involvement in planting the bomb under his car. He has been under threat from the Taliban and ... Read More

Pakistan test fires nuclear-capable ballistic missile
Islamabad: Pakistan on Wednesday test fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a range of 1,300 kilometres (800 miles), the military said.

The military described the Hatf V Ghauri missile as a liquid fuel missile, which can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.

It was Pakistan's eighth missile test so far this year and comes two months after its last test of a Hatf-VII with a range of 700 kilometres.

Most Recent

Sridevi is extremely professional: Adil Hussain

Pakistan successfully test-fires ... Read More

A Statement from the Asian Human Rights Commission
PAKISTAN: The people live in terror not knowing whether they will survive to see another day

Daily life in Pakistan is today marred by terrorist attacks that range from bombings to shootings and execution-style killings. All these are taking place in an environment where the law enforcement agencies are helpless to intervene. Little in the way of investigation takes place and even when the identities of the perpetrators are known no arrests are made.

While the ... Read More

No phone network in Karachi from 1pm to midnight over security fears
A suicide bomber killed 23 people and wounded 62 others at a Shiite procession in Rawalpindi on Thursday, the deadliest bombing in Pakistan for five months.

Ashura falls this year on Sunday and has been a magnet for sectarian attacks with rights groups heavily criticising the government for failing to stop extremist violence.

"We have shut our service in Karachi and Quetta on the instructions of the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority from 1:00 pm (0800 GMT) to midnight," ... Read More

Pakistan allows mobile phone services with India
Authorities have agreed to allow mobile phone services between Pakistan and India though certain issues remain to be settled, a Pakistani parliamentary panel has been informed by officials.
The standing committee on commerce of the National Assembly or lower house of parliament was told by officials of the ministry of information technology on Thursday about the move to allow mobile phone services between the two countries.

The panel expressed displeasure at the lack of modern communication facilities ... Read More

Pakistan dismisses blasphemy case against Christian girl
Reuters, November 20, 2012

http://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-dismisses-blasphemy-case-against-christian-girl-073226594.html

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistani court dismissed on Tuesday a blasphemy case against a Christian girl which had drawn international condemnation and concern about the rights of religious minorities in the predominantly Muslim country. Rimsha Masih, believed to be no older than 14, was charged with burning pages of the Koran in August but was granted bail in September after a cleric was detained on suspicion of planting evidence to stir ... Read More

Bury the hatchet, Musharraf tells India, Pakistan
Underlining the need to “bury the hatchet,” the former Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, on Saturday said the Kashmir issue - the “root cause which spawns war” - had to be resolved.
He claimed that the Pakistan Army fully backed the peace initiative with India and stressed that all issues had to be dealt with at the same time rather than following a “step-by-step” process.

“We have to resolve this [Kashmir issue]. This is actually the root cause ... Read More

THE STREET OF THE TEENAGERS OF FOURTEEN
(Thanks to Shahla Haeri, the well known Iranian anthropologist and friend of
Pakistan, for sending this with the note: "My friend of many years, Nahid
Kabiri, is a multitalented poet, artist, dancer in Tehran. She has written the
following poem (in Persian, translated into English) for Malala and asked me to
send it to my Pakistani friends".)

by Nahid Kabiri

For Malala Yousefzai and all the heroines
like her living in her geographic region

Translated into English by Kambiz Parsai

In that grayish afternoon,
the ... Read More

Pakistan's minority Hindus feel under attack
By REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press

KARACHI, Pakistan—They came after dusk and chanted into the night sky "Kill the Hindus, kill the children of the Hindus," as they smashed religious icons, ripped golden bangles off women's arms and flashed pistols. It wasn't the first time that the Hindu temple on the outskirts of Pakistan's largest city was attacked, and residents here fear it will not be the last.

"People don't consider us as equal citizens. They beat us ... Read More

Pakistan frees 15 Indian fishers
IANS

Islamabad: Fifteen Indian fishermen were released by Pakistan on Sunday.

Superintendent of Karachi's Malir district jail Nazir Shah said the fishermen left for Wagah border on bus from where they would be handed over to the Indian security forces.

They were held for illegally entering Pakistan's territorial waters, Geo TV reported.
... Read More

Nitish Kumar gets warm welcome in Karachi
PTI

Mr Kumar was received at the airport by Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, and senior members of the provincial cabinet and other high-profile personalities from the business and trade community.

The Bihar chief minister, who is leading a high-level delegation will also visit the Mohenjodaro remains and the Sadho Belo Temple in interior Sindh during his week-long visit.

Most Recent

PM hosts dinner for Mulayam Singh Yadav, Farooq Abdullah
World names November 10 after Pakistan teen activist ... Read More

Pak cabinet ratifies five agreements with India
Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Oct 31: Pakistan's cabinet Wednesday ratified five recent agreements with India, including a landmark visa pact aimed at easing restrictions on several categories of travellers, including senior citizens and businessmen.

Three of the agreements ratified by the cabinet during a meeting chaired this afternoon by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf are aimed at boosting trade between the two countries.
The visa agreement was signed by then Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and ... Read More

United States bans Pakistan minister for bounty on filmmaker's head
IANS

Islamabad: The United States has banned a Pakistani minister from visiting the country over his announcement of a bounty on the head of the maker of an anti-Islam movie.

Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmad Bilour announced in September that he would give a $100,000 award to anyone who killed the maker of "Innocence of Muslims" which was produced in the US, reported Xinhua, citing Pakistani media.

The Pakistani government had disowned remarks by the minister but Bilour ... Read More

Pakistan puts Sukhbir Badal in clear and present danger
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and his 45-member delegation were left unprotected for a short while when their Pakistani police guards left their duty and went off to have dinner at a club here.

The incident occurred last night at the Royal Country Palm Club, where Pakistani businessmen had hosted a dinner for the Indian visitors.

Punjab Police chief Haji Habibur Rehman took serious note of the "security lapse" and ordered an inquiry into the ... Read More

Tariff set for power sale to Pakistan
New Delhi, Nov. 4: India has offered to sell 500 megawatt (MW) of electricity to power-deficient Pakistan at around Rs 7-8 per unit to be delivered at the Wagah-Attari border.

“India has proposed a tariff of Rs 7-8 for a unit of power, which is almost similar to the electricity tariff prevalent in that country. Further discussions on tariff and technicalities on wheeling out power will be held soon,” a senior power ministry official said.

On the ... Read More

Pakistan urges Indo-Pak visas on ID cards for Elders
The Punjab Assembly speaker said that Indian and Pakistani citizens who are over 60 years of age should be exempted from routine visa formalities and issued visas against their national identity cards.
Rana Muhammad Iqbal also urged the two governments to enhance mutual trade to strengthen Indo-Pak economy.

Speaking to a delegation of Sikhs from India, the speaker said the two neighbours should not become a “tool of external powers”, adding that they should work for the ... Read More

India’s entry could put Pakistan-Iran-Turkey train back on track
If a railways ministry proposal goes through, goods can be seamlessly sent from Calcutta all the way to Istanbul via cargo trains. The only entity standing in the way, quite literally, is Islamabad.
The ministry has proposed signing an agreement with India to grant it permission to use Pakistan’s rail services for transporting goods from Wahga to Iran, an official from the ministry told The Express Tribune.
The service could be provided using the Gul Cargo Train, ... Read More

Pakistan approves liberalised visa accord with India
Islamabad, Nov 1 (IANS)

Pakistan has approved a liberalised visa agreement with India that will relax curbs on issuing travel documents to traders, elderly people, tourists, pilgrims, members of the civil society and children, Xinhua reported.

The two countries had signed the agreement in September during the then Indian foreign minister S.M. Krishna's visit to Islamabad.

Pakistan Information Minister Qamar uz Zaman Kaira told a news conference Wednesday that at a cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister ... Read More

India to lower tariff on most items exported from Pakistan
The Indian government has agreed to reduce its Sensitive List, maintained under the South Asia Free Trade Agreement, to only 100 items from present list of 614 items by April 2013.

Official sources in commerce ministry told The Nation that India will further lower duty on 514 items being imported from Pakistan, excluding them from sensitive list, and protect just 100 products of its country, keeping high tariff regime on their import.

This was decided under the ... Read More

Pak infiltration through Nepal border increases alarmingly
TNN

BAHRAICH: Pakistan is sneaking an increasing number of infiltrators through the porous Indo-Nepal border using four little known gateways in the Terai region along the western border. This year, 107 men and 43 women infiltrated through the Nepal border till October, reliable sources told TOI. The 2012 count is the highest in the last five years.

Between 2007 and 2010,127 men and five families from Pakistan crossed the Indian border. The number rose in 2011 ... Read More

Pak leader moots common currency for India, Pakistan
Over 1,200 items on the negative list regime for trade with India will be withdrawn in December and the time has come for the two countries to think of introducing a common currency to boost trade, ruling Pakistan People's Party leader Jehangir Badr has said.

"Precisely 1,209 items on the negative list of trade with India will be withdrawn by December," Badr said while addressing a Pakistan-India Media Conference at the Lahore Press Club yesterday.

The time ... Read More

Five die in feud over goat
By IANS - ISLAMABAD

24th October

Five people, including four members of a family, were gunned down in a feud over a stolen goat in Pakistan's northwest, police said.

The exchange of firing took place between two groups in Dogdara area Wednesday, reported Online news agency.

Members of Sherbaz group proceeded to Haya Gul Gujar's residence to inquire into the theft of their goat. But they were fired upon following which a shootout took place.

During the firing, Gujar ... Read More

Pak Persecution Worsens: Two more churches vandalised in Karachi
The St Francis Church, which has already been attacked twice, was vandalised on Friday after people protesting against power outages pushed broke in

The St Francis Church, which has already been attacked twice, was vandalised on Friday after people protesting against power outages pushed broke in

Pakistan, October 20, 2012: Two churches have been vandalised within 10 days in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, taking the total number of churches attacked this year to six and ... Read More

Pak-India peace conference
A one-day Pak-India peace conference was held last week Friday at Lahore Press Club to promote friendly relations between the two countries.

A 40-member Indian journalists’ delegation arrived here in the City on Thursday to take part in the peace moot on the invitation of Lahore Press Club (LPC). President, LPC, Arshad Ansari and members of the governing body welcomed the visiting guests at Wahga border amid beat of drums and songs by folk singers.

President Chandigarh ... Read More

Karachi Church attacked and desecrated
Pakistan, October 16, 2012: On Friday afternoon (October 12th), after Muslim Jumma prayer a 600 strong mob attacked and damaged a church in the old city area of Karachi. Earlier the same villagers set fire to the belongings of Ryan Bryan a teenager now accused of blasphemy in the same town. On Saturday a large number of civil society activists and members of the Christian community held a demonstration, urging the authorities to protect them ... Read More

India-Pakistan border trade may see a boom
The Attari-Wagah international land border between India and Pakistan in Punjab has been witness to two wars and has troopers guarding it round the clock, but things could change for the better in 2013 as trade through the crossing is set to expand.

Pakistan has agreed to allow trading of up to 6,000 items from the current 137 via the land border route. This means that trade between both countries could go up by at least ... Read More

Shot Pakistani girl, Malala Yousufzai, can recover, say UK doctors
Birmingham, England: A Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban has every chance of making a "good recovery", British doctors said on Monday as 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai arrived at a hospital in central England for treatment of her severe wounds.

Yousufzai, 14, shot in the head and neck for advocating education for girls, was flown from Pakistan to receive specialist treatment at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital at a unit expert in dealing with complex ... Read More

Fast-track business: Fresh move for speedier India-Pakistan trade
Pakistani authorities have decided to enhance the existing capacity of resources and manpower to ensure fast-tracked trade between Pakistan and India.

Thereby, customs officials at the Wagah border are instructed to perform their duties round-the-clock in three shifts, starting from today, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The decision was taken at an inter-departmental meeting held at the Wagah border.

Joint Director of the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Colonel Amjad, Commanding Officer National Logistic Cell (NLC) Colonel Ishtiaq Wayen, ... Read More

Mentally challenged Christian girl Rimsha Masihi accused of blasphemy given assylum in Norway
Norway, 9th October, 2012 : Rimsha Masih, 14, arrived in the Scandinavian nation with support from the Norwegian government, said Farrukh H. Saif, executive director of the Pakistan-based Christian aid and advocacy group World Vision In Progress (WVIP).A mentally challenged Christian girl who was detained in Pakistan on charges of ‘blasphemy against Islam’ has fled to Norway with family members, a Christian official involved in the operation confirmed Monday, October 8.She is accompanied by her ... Read More

Faisalabad: Muslim-Christian march for peace and religious freedom
Pakistan, October 10, 2012: A Christian-Muslim march to demand an end to the violence against religious minorities, respect for human rights and an end to the personal attacks against journalists, women and innocent workers. It is an initiative promoted by civil society of Faisalabad (Punjab), under the motto “Non-violence for a peaceful coexistence.” Supporters of the march include Peace and Human Development (Phd Foundation), led by Christian leader Suneel Malik, and the Association ... Read More

Pakistan Erupts in Anger Over Taliban’s Shooting of Schoolgirl
Shakil Adil/Associated Press

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a party based in Karachi, prayed for the well being of Malala Yousafzai on Wednesday.
By DECLAN WALSH

A Taliban gunman singled out and shot the girl, Malala Yousafzai, on Tuesday, and a spokesman said it was in retaliation for her work in promoting girls’ education and children’s rights in the northwestern Swat Valley, near the Afghan border.

Ms. Yousafzai was removed from immediate danger after the operation in a military hospital ... Read More

Indian students find home in Lahore
Walking across Wagah border from India into Pakistan, the Indian students had expected to step into a foreign land. But they found mostly familiarity — familiar people, food, culture and history.

The four-member team from Vasant Valley School, New Delhi, was visiting Lahore to participate in the first International Sondhi Debating Challenge Cup. Held at the Lahore College of Arts and Sciences (LACAS), in mid-September, the event is named for the respected late Prof G.D. Sondhi, ... Read More

Attack on teenage girl exposed extremist mindset in Pakistan: General Kayani
PTI

General Kayani said the terrorists had underestimated the "resolve and resilience" of the people.

"It is time we further unite and stand up to fight the propagators of such barbaric mindset and their sympathisers," he said.

"We wish to bring home a simple message: We refuse to bow before terror. We will fight, regardless of the cost, we will prevail Insha Allah," General Kayani was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the military.

However, the Army ... Read More

Pakistan allows extra 200,000 tonnes of sugar exports to India
Traders from neighouring India are showing interest in the sugar as prices there are much higher than in Pakistan. Most sugar so far exported from the nation has gone to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and east African countries.

Pakistan will allow exports of 200,000 tonnes of sugar on top of the 300,000 tonnes already permitted, a producers’ body said, as it looks to trim surplus stocks and bolster domestic prices.

“There was a request to allow (extra) exports ... Read More

Training in civil journalism, social activism
Islamabad—The first-ever Youth TechCamp in Pakistan concluded Saturday after three days of hands-on, interactive training in civic journalism and social activism.

A signature series hosted by the U.S. Department of State to increase digital literacy, Youth TechCamp Pakistan provided 40 young Pakistanis with three days of training with top Pakistani technology experts who are experts in civic journalism and social activism. The young participants are alumni of the U.S.-sponsored Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) ... Read More

Blasphemy laws may be used to punish Muslims
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan's blasphemy laws may be used to punish Muslims suspected of ransacking a Hindu temple, an intriguing twist for a country where harsh laws governing religious insults are primarily used against supposed offenses to Islam, not minority faiths.

The blasphemy laws, sections of which carry the death penalty or life imprisonment, have drawn renewed international scrutiny this year after a young Christian girl in Islamabad was alleged to have desecrated the Muslim ... Read More

Pakistani authority's top post sees three changes in 24 hours!
The top post at Islamabad's Capital Development Authority (CDA) saw three changes within 24 hours.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf Monday ordered senior officer Javed Iqbal Awan to replace the incumbent Farkhand Iqbal, Dawn reported. A while later, he had second thoughts and chose Syed Tahir Shahbaz. Awan was reassigned to head the National Highway Authority.

Farkhand Iqbal promptly went to the Islamabad High Court to protest his removal. The Establishment Division, which processes postings ... Read More

Asif Zardari rakes up Kashmir canard at UN again
Pakistan once again resorted to its old tactics of raking up the Kashmir issue in the United Nations when its President Asif Ali Zardari sought a solution to the issue under UN resolution.

He said Kashmir remains a symbol of failure of the UN system and Pakistan's principled position on territorial disputes remains a bedrock of its foreign policy.

"Kashmir remains a symbol of failures, rather than strengths of the UN system," Zardari said in his 20-minute ... Read More

Pakistani Minister Offers Bounty Over Anti-Islam Video
Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines.

Twitter List: Reporters and Editors

Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, the federal railways minister, said at a news conference in the northwestern city of Peshawar that he would personally finance a bounty aimed at the maker of a crude, low-budget video that denigrates the Prophet Muhammad.

Mr. Bilour acknowledged that incitement to murder was illegal, but said he was “ready to be hanged in the name of the Prophet Muhammad.” And he ... Read More

Insults to Islam ignite violence in Pakistan, 15 killed
Islamabad: Muslim protests against insults to the Prophet Mohammad turned violent in Pakistan, where at least 15 people were killed on Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, but remained mostly peaceful in other Islamic countries.

In France, where the publication of cartoons denigrating the Prophet stoked anger over an anti-Islam video made in California, the authorities banned all protests over the issue.

"There will be strictly no exceptions. Demonstrations will be banned and broken up," ... Read More

Students protest against anti-Islam film in Pakistan
There have been dozens of protests around Pakistan over the past week and at least two people have been killed, but Thursday is the first time protests in the capital have turned violent.

Police fired tear gas and live rounds as the protesters, chanting "We are ready to die to safeguard the Prophet's honour," tried to break through a barrier of truck containers set up to block access to the diplomatic enclave.

"I was ordered by my ... Read More

Pakistan TV Airs Obama Ad Denouncing Anti-Islam Video
The U.S. State Department is airing a message on television channels in Pakistan with President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton disavowing an anti-Islamic film that triggered riots.

The U.S. embassy in Islamabad produced the ad from public comments by Obama and Clinton, and the State Department spent about $70,000 to buy commercial time to show it, department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters in Washington yesterday.

The ad is an attempt to defuse ... Read More

Hindus from Pakistan flee to India, citing religious persecution
Pakistani Hindu pilgrims arrive at the India-Pakistan border post in Wagah on Saturday

Pakistani Hindu pilgrims arrive at the India-Pakistan border post in Wagah on Saturday

Pakistan, August 15, 2012: Pakistan has 2.7 million Hindus in a majority-Muslim population of 180 million.They represent those who chose to stay after the sectarian blood bath that accompanied the 1947 partition of the subcontinent at the end of British rule.

The Pakistani Hindus’ allegations of persecution and expressed desire to stay ... Read More

Christian girl granted bail in Pakistan Islam defamation case
Islamabad: A Christian girl arrested in Pakistan for defaming Islam was granted bail on Friday, a judge said, days after police detained a Muslim cleric on suspicion of planting evidence to frame her.

It was not clear when the girl, Rimsha Masih, would be released.

Masih, whose arrest last month angered religious and secular groups worldwide, may be in danger if she is set free and stays in Pakistan.

In Muslim Pakistan, the mere allegation of causing offence ... Read More

SM Krishna calls on Pakistani Prime Minister
PTI

Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf told India's External Affairs Minister SM Krishna that his country is looking forward to a visit by his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.

Mr Krishna and Mr Pervez talked about ways to carry forward Indo-Pak relations, sources privy to the meeting said. Pakistan Foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar was also present during the 20-minute meeting.

Meanwhile, leaders from Pakistan's three main political parties called on Mr Krishna, who arrived in Islamabad ... Read More

Hate content against Hindus, Sikhs in Pak text books increases manifold
At a time when Pakistan is plagued by terrorism, its official academia has been unable to stop the inclusion of hate material targeting Hindus, Christians and Sikhs and fanning sectarian hatred in school curriculum.

This hate materials included in text books being used in Punjab and Sindh provinces mainly targets the country's religious minorities Hindus, Christians and Sikhs and

India and Westerners, says the NGO National Commission for Justice and Peace.

"The latest text books have more hate ... Read More

Still no bail for Pakistan 'blasphemy' girl
Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Monday adjourned by another four days possible bail for a Christian girl accused of blasphemy in a case that has sparked international criticism.

Judge Muhammad Azam Khan has repeatedly delayed bail proceedings for Rimsha Masih, who was arrested last month accused of burning papers containing verses from the Quran in breach of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, punishable by death.

Judge Khan on Monday again put back the hearing until September 7 following a ... Read More

Explosive-ridden vehicle rams into US govt vehicle in Pak, 3 killed
An explosives-laden car rammed a vehicle leaving the US Consulate in Peshawar city of northwest Pakistan today, killing at least three persons and injuring over a dozen others, including foreigners.

The incident occurred at a short distance from the US Consulate and an office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at Aabdara Road in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Police said the vehicle leaving the US Consulate was rammed by the explosives-laden car.

Three persons ... Read More

Indian, Pakistani MPs propose new CBMs
Parliamentarians from Pakistan and India wrapped up their fourth round of dialogue on Friday with appeals for several confidence building measures, specifically to ease the visa process between the two neighbours.

They proposed that citizens from both countries be able to obtain visas exempt from police reporting to avoid harassment during their stay. Delegates at the parliamentary dialogue also highlighted the importance of health-related travel and religious tourism between the countries, suggesting that it be treated ... Read More

Militants attack Pakistan army post, kill nine troops
AP

Islamabad: A Pakistani military official says Taliban militants attacked an army post near the Afghan border, killing nine soldiers.

The official says several other soldiers were wounded in the attack in the South Waziristan tribal area. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The group's spokesman, Ahsanullah Ahsan, claimed they killed 12 soldiers and beheaded some of them.

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'Chinese ... Read More

Normalization of Indo-Pak ties vital for peace: Gilani
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani Saturday said normalization of relations between India and Pakistan holds key to peace and prosperity of the millions of poverty stricken people of the two countries.

While commenting on the recently concluded successful visit of a Pakistani parliamentary delegation to India, Gilani said that such visits were of paramount importance to build bridges between the people on sustainable basis encompassing mutual respect and mutual interest.
He recalled the interview ... Read More

At Least 18 Killed in U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan
By DECLAN WALSH

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A volley of American drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal belt early Friday killed at least 18 people, security officials said, marking a sharp escalation of the controversial C.I.A.-led campaign that continues to roil relations with Pakistan.

Drones fired at least six missiles at three locations in the Shawal Valley, a thickly-forested mountainous area in North Waziristan tribal agency, two Pakistani security officials and a local Taliban commander said.

Read more ... Read More

Pak scientist A Q Khan launches political party
Pakistani nuclear scientist A Q Khan has floated a political forum 'Tehrik-e-Tahaffuz Pakistan' and said he plans to launch a countrywide youth awakening programme ahead of the upcoming general election.

Khan, in continuous feud with the country's establishment, said he plans to motivate the youth "regarding who to vote for and who not to vote for", The Express Tribune reported.

"I will consistently urge youth to elect honest persons in upcoming elections and stand for survival of ... Read More

Imran Khan: detention of Rimsha Masih “shameful”
Pakistan, August 24, 2012: It is rare for a case of anti-Christian persecution to attract such widespread and sympathetic media coverage and international condemnation. But the severe beating and subsequent arrest of an 11-year-old Christian girl with Down’s syndrome in Pakistan over a flimsy and false blasphemy accusation is so shocking as to outrage even the most disinterested of people.

Both the United States and France have spoken out, calling for the Pakistani authorities to take ... Read More

Pakistani girl accused of blasphemy traumatised: Activist
Reuters

Islamabad: A Pakistani Christian girl detained on accusations of defaming Islam was too frightened to speak in a prison where she is being held in solitary confinement for her safety, an activist who said he visited her said on Thursday.

Religious and secular groups worldwide have protested over the arrest last week of Rimsha Masih, accused by Muslim neighbours of burning Islamic religious texts.

The case has put another spotlight on Pakistan's anti-blasphemy law, which rights groups ... Read More

Christian Girl’s Blasphemy Arrest Incites a Furor in Pakistan
B.K. Bangash/Associated Press

People gathered at the house of a Christian girl in the suburbs of Islamabad, Pakistan, after she was arrested and accused of burning a religious textbook.

By DECLAN WALSH and SALMAN MASOOD

The police jailed the girl, Rimsha Masih, and her mother on Friday after hundreds of Muslim protesters surrounded the police station here where they were being held, demanding that Ms. Masih face charges under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. A local cleric had said ... Read More

An artist's bid to bridge the India-Pakistan gap
ATTARI: Amid reports of unrest among Pakistani Hindu's, a truck artist from Pakistan, Haider Ali is committed to bridge gap between people of India and Pakistan by exhibiting their shared culture, communal harmonies , human heroes , heritage buildings in a colorful pattern of paintings on trucks both in India and Pakistan.

Having roots in India , Haider Ali is all committed to promote Indo Pak friendship through his creative art of truck painting which, according ... Read More

Pak PM urges nation to make Pakistan a ‘hub of peace’
ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 (APP): Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has urged the nation to work towards making Pakistan a hub of peace by refraining from anti-social activities, particularly extremism and sectarianism. The Prime Minister, in his message on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, said, “Eid-ul-Fitr is a day of peace, tranquility and harmony. Let us resolve to dedicate ourselves to spend our energies and resources for the welfare of humanity in accordance with Islamic teachings.” Prime ... Read More

India, Pak armies exchange sweets in Poonch
Jammu, Aug 14: Pakistan and Indian Army on Tuesday exchanged sweets on the Line of Control (LoC) at Chakkan-da-Bagh area of Poonch district on the eve of Pakistan’s Independence, amid tension on border following repeated cease fire.

Though there was tension on the border due to repeated cease fire violation on IB and LoC, yet Army officers of the two neighbouring countries met each other, around 10 AM, at LoC in Chakkan-da-Bagh on the occasion of ... Read More

Ramzan brings taste of India’s finest sweets to Pakistan
REZAUL H LASKAR

Islamabad, Aug 12: Every year during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, the Indian High Commission in Pakistan mounts an operation with military-like precision to spread goodwill and give Pakistanis a taste of some of India’s finest sweets.
A small group of staff members of the High Commission travels from Islamabad to Delhi in a van to bring back hundreds of boxes packed with kaju katlis, sohan halwa and barfis and cans of rasgollas, ... Read More

Pakistan, India plan averting high seas military confrontation
Pakistan and India are discussing the establishment of a mechanism to create direct contact between the navies of the two countries to avert military confrontation on high seas.

The mechanism could involve a communication system like hotline between senior officers of the two navies.

"These are issues we are discussing and certainly with respect to Pakistan, it forms part of the discussion between the two foreign ministries which is the protocol to prevent incidents at sea," Navy ... Read More

Govt committed to better relations between Pakistan, India: President Zardari
ISLAMABAD, Aug 13 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari said the government is committed to better relations between Pakistan and India and he hopes that search by the two countries for peaceful resolution to all disputes through sustained and productive dialogue will bear fruit. In a message on the occasion of a SAFMA seminars on August 13, he said, “I wish to felicitate SAFMA and its Secretary General Imtiaz Alam for organizing seminars simultaneously in ... Read More

Pakistan, India plan averting high seas military confrontation
Pakistan and India are discussing the establishment of a mechanism to create direct contact between the navies of the two countries to avert military confrontation on high seas.

The mechanism could involve a communication system like hotline between senior officers of the two navies.

"These are issues we are discussing and certainly with respect to Pakistan, it forms part of the discussion between the two foreign ministries which is the protocol to prevent incidents at sea," Navy ... Read More

Can a sex symbol and cricket legend run Pakistan?
by Steve Coll

PROFILES about Imran Khan. Khan, who once ruled the sport of cricket from Karachi to Lord’s, is in contention to rule the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Khan makes for an unusual politician—a former tabloid celebrity aspiring to negotiate with the Taliban. He is rated in opinion polls as his country’s most popular politician. He leads the somewhat amorphous party Tehreek-e-Insaf, or the Movement for Justice, which he founded in 1996. It promises a ... Read More

Indian team in Pakistan for power export talks
An Indian power ministry delegation is in Islamabad to negotiate the export of 500 megawatts across the Wagah border and work out the modalities for transmission of electricity to bridge demand and supply gap on either side.

This month, both countries have already had official-level talks on Indian export of petro products and liquefied natural gas to energy-starved Pakistan.

If the two sides work out an agreement on the modalities of transfer, it could be signed during ... Read More

Pakistan business panel wants easier visa regime with India
The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) welcomed the Indian government’s decision to lift a ban on direct investments from Pakistan and called for liberalisation of the visa regime to make this move more meaningful and result-oriented.

In a statement issued on Thursday, LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh urged the Indian authorities to grant multiple visas to businessmen so that they can travel freely.

The LCCI president said that the Indian decision has made it clear ... Read More

Pak allows 2 banks to open branches in India
Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Aug 03: Following India's move to allow investments from the neighbouring country, Pakistan's central bank has allowed two banks to open branches in India as part of efforts to normalise economic and trade relations between the two countries.
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Yasin Anwar told the media that the National Bank of Pakistan and the United Bank Ltd had been given the "green signal" to operate in India.
Anwar's remarks came in ... Read More

Pak SC issues show-cause notice to PM for contempt of court Source :
Islamabad: The Pakistan Supreme Court has issued a show-cause notice to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf over his failure to implement its directive of writing to Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

"We hereby issue a notice to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf...to show cause why he may not be proceeded against for committing contempt," The Dawn quoted the court, as saying in its short order.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Pakistan Peoples ... Read More

Afghan peace negotiator to discuss Pakistan role tomorrow
Top Afghan peace negotiator Salahuddin Rabbani is due here on Wednesday for a two-day visit to discuss Pakistan’s possible role in the reconciliation efforts.

Cautious optimism prevails here ahead of Mr Rabbani’s trip, seen by diplomatic observers as extremely important. While everyone agrees that the visit may help the reconciliation effort, they are not very hopeful about something major coming out of it.

“The visit would mostly be about rebuilding confidence,” a diplomatic observer said and predicted ... Read More

Traders urge India, Pakistan to restore Sindh-Rajasthan rail link
India-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCCI) President S M Munir has urged the governments of Pakistan and India to restore the old Sindh Rajasthan rail route for cargo service and also open up all trade routes that exist in 1965.

Emphasising the need for improving railway connectivity between India and Pakistan, he said the railway connectivity between the two countries for cargo movement was highly irregular and suffered from shortage of wagons and lake of ... Read More

India to send wheat to Kabul via Pakistan
India is all set to send another 1.5 lakh tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan through Karachi port.

India is all set to send another 1.5 lakh tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan through Karachi port even as it finalises escalated financial approvals to restart the work at the Salma hydroelectric and irrigation dam project - built over Hari river at Chisti Sharif in the country's Herat province.

With the external affairs ministry setting up the new Development Projects ... Read More

President invites Indian PM Manmohan Singh to visit Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, July 27 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday formally invited Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to visit Pakistan saying it would provide an opportunity to the two leaderships to take stock of bilateral relations. Spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the invitation has been extended by a letter sent on Friday to the Indian Prime Minister through the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. The President in his letter also suggested to ... Read More

Pakistan, India agree to boost cross-LoC trade
Pakistan and India agree in principle to expand trade volume between the traders on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) to strengthen the already existing trade and social bonds between the two countries.

The decision was taken in a meeting of Pakistan-India joint working group held to discuss cross-LoC Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) in Islamabad.

An official statement released by the foreign office without giving much details of the meeting said, “The meeting of Indo-Pak ... Read More

PM Ashraf, President Karzai discuss bilateral affairs
KABUL, July 19 (APP): Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai Thursday discussed security, economic and political affairs, in a bid to further strengthen their bilateral ties. The two leaders met here at the Presidential Palace and were supported by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Advisor on Interior Rehman Malik and Minister of State for Commerce Abbas Ahmed Afridi. The Afghan President was joined by his Security Adviser Spanta, Foreign Minister Dr ... Read More

Krishna to undertake 3-day visit to Pakistan
The dates for the visit were earlier suggested by the Foreign Office.

The Indian envoy and Jilani also discussed bilateral issues, including preparations for Krishna's visit.

Krishna will review the dialogue process, which resumed last year after a gap of over two years in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, during a meeting with Khar on September 8, the sources said.

Following the review, Krishna and Khar are expected to prepare the framework for the third round of ... Read More

'Pakistan must learn democracy from India'
Islamabad: A Pakistani newspaper Tuesday lauded India for the smooth conduct of presidential election, saying Pakistan should learn to hold similar events without "innuendo and suspicions".

An editorial in the News International said Pakistan needs to learn some lessons in politics and governance from its larger neighbour.

"The Indian presidential election has proceeded as smoothly as most such events in that country, with its advantages of a well-entrenched democratic system which follows the dictates of ... Read More

After Gilani, Ashraf defies Pak SC order to reopen case against Zardari
A day before the expiry of a deadline set by Pakistan's Supreme Court for reviving graft charges against President Asif Ali Zardari, the government on Tuesday informed the court that the federal cabinet has made no decision to approach Swiss authorities to reopen the cases.

The government conveyed its position to the court through a reply submitted by Attorney General Irfan Qadir.

A five-judge bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa will resume hearing ... Read More

Two Pak journalists move SC for media accountability commission
ISLAMABAD: Two eminent and respected journalists, Hamid Mir and Absar Alam, have knocked at the doors of the Supreme Court demanding constitution of a National Media Commission to hold the journalists and media-owners accountable and to formulate a code of conduct.

They have also demanded of the apex court that the proposed commission may also look into the secret fund established by the government to buy/malign journalists. The petition also talks of assets declaration by ... Read More

Social media can remove distrust between India and Pakistan
Journalists from India and Pakistan have agreed that the distrust and apprehensions marring the bilateral relations can be ameliorated through the use of social media and greater interaction between the people.

Their feedback came on the final day of an 'Social Media Conference' organised here jointly with the US consulates in Lahore and Karachi.

Speaking at the conference, US Consel General William Martin said social media sites like Twitter and Facebook were already playing a big role ... Read More

Dalai Lama preaches harmony to heal wounds
Nasrun Mir

Srinagar, July 14: In an apparent reference to Kashmir conflict, Buddhist spiritual leader, Dalai Lama Saturday said Kashmir’s wounds would heal when people will give up anger since rage and violence only lead to destruction and complication of issues.
Lama was interacting with the exiled Tibetan Muslim community at Tibetan Public School, Hawal in Srinagar’s downtown area.
The Buddhist spiritual leader, who is in Kashmir for a weeklong stay, visited Srinagar after a ... Read More

Boy leaves for India for heart surgery under Aman Ki Asha initiative
LAHORE: Four-year-old Muhammad Ali will leave for India for heart surgery under the Aman Ki Asha Heart to Heart initiative along with his parents on Monday (today).

Muhammad Ali has a hole in his heart and his arteries are also damaged. Since his birth, Muhammad Ali's parents have been doing all in their capacity and even more for the treatment of their son but financial issues remained the biggest hurdles.

"I knew treatment was available in India ... Read More

Terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed 'makes move into Pak politics'
Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who has a 10 million dollar US bounty on his head, has made his informal entry in the political arena by moving the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the Pakistan's corruption-riddled and profligate ruling elite through his first ever ''political-focused'' petition.

Sources claimed that JuD leadership has made up its mind to get involved in political-oriented issues step-by-step and the DPC forum was one part of the well-devised strategic ... Read More

Indo-Pak "Social Media Mela"
Coming up: the first Pakistan-India Social Media Mela 2012. Organised by Peaceniche, the event promises to be truly "a festival of ideas and action", bringing together some of the finest minds in social media. The two-day extravaganza features dialogue, thought leadership, and engagement with entrepreneurs, journalists, activists, and creative professionals from Pakistan, India and beyond.

The event promises to be a "heady mix of compelling ideas, panels, debates, workshops, and presentations... everything but a boring ... Read More

Pak: Christians condemn the killing of Muslim man for blasphemy in Punjab
Pakistan, July 16, 2012: Some 3,000 people, mostly madrassa students, set fire to Ghulam Abbas for ripping some pages of the Qur’an. The victim was mentally disabled. The silence of the authorities and police is upsetting, Christian activist says.

Pakistani Christians have condemned the silence of Punjab’s provincial government over the death of Ghulam Abbas, a disabled Muslim man who was burnt alive by a mob of 3,000 people for blasphemy. “It is upsetting that police ... Read More

India, Pakistan bond over qawwali
The two countries have agreed to work together to put the shared legacy of Qawwali tradition listed with the heritage list of UNESCO.

India and Pakistan might not agree on many things, but the Qawwali tradition doesn’t seem to be one of them. The two countries have agreed to work together to put the shared legacy of Qawwali tradition listed with the heritage list of UNESCO. This was decided at the foreign secretary level meetings between ... Read More

Pak willing to resolve bilateral disputes with India: Hina Rabbani Khar
Pakistan today said it is willing to go by the agreement that it had in the past with India to resolve some of the disputes like Sir Creek and Siachen.

"If you look at may be some of the disputes that we have. We have Sir Creek, we have Siachen... Pakistan has already made it clear that we are willing to go by the agreement that we had in the past," said Foreign Minister Hina ... Read More