Security forces raid hotels in North Waziristan, kill 6 suspected militants

MIRANSHAH: At least six suspected militants were killed and 12 others were wounded Thursday when armed forces raided two hotels in North Waziristan, officials said.The raids were conducted in Mirali area a
day after a suicide attack on a military checkpoint which killed at least five soldiers and wounded 34 others.Ansarul Mujahideen, a little-known militant group linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.Security forces raided two hotels in the area close to the site of the suicide bombing and intense gun battles left six suspected militants dead and 12 others wounded a local security official told AFP.Troops cordoned off the area and were carrying out a search operation to hunt down militants involved in the truck suicide bombing, he added.Local intelligence officials confirmed the raids and casualties.

Car-bomber rams NWA post; 5 soldiers dead

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN AGENCY (AGENCIES)- At least five soldiers were killed and 34 others injured when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a military checkpoint in North Waziristan
Agency on Wednesday.
Locals said the attack took place at Khajori checkpoint near a mosque, about three kilometres east of Miranshah and an entry point of Mir Ali.
“The checkpoint has been completely destroyed and 34 injured security personnel have also been shifted to CMH Bannu,” a source said. He added that security personnel were still removing bodies from the checkpoint.
Another security official confirmed the toll, adding that out of the 34 injured, 28 were soldiers and six from the Frontier Corps.
“Four security officials embraced shahadat (martyrdom) and 25 were wounded when a suicide bomber hit his explosive-laden car into the mosque of Tejori checkpoint, some three kilometers east of Miranshah,” local sources told The Nation.
Ansarul Mujaheedin, a faction of TTP claimed responsibility for the attack and termed it a revenge of Hakeemullah Mehsud, the slain commander of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
“It is revenge for the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud by a US drone,” Abu Baseer, a purported spokesman of the group told a foreign news agency by telephone.
“We will continue such attacks in future as drones continue to kill our people,” he said.
A senior security official told AFP that “a truck laden with explosives was rammed into the checkpoint when security officials were offering evening prayers”.
As a result, “five soldiers embraced shahadat (martyrdom)”, the official said.
“The checkpoint has been completely destroyed and 34 injured security personnel have also been recovered,” he said, revising an earlier toll of 4 people dead and 25 injured.
“Security personnel are still removing bodies from the checkpoint,” he added.
The army imposed a curfew in the area after the attack, said intelligence sources. Another source said at least six government troops were killed.
Taliban attacks have been on the rise in Pakistan since Sharif came to power in a May election. The insurgents elected a new leader, Mullah Fazlullah, last month after its previous chief was killed in a US drone strike.

Pakistani security forces say they killed 23 militants in tribal area

Pakistani security forces killed 23 militants late Wednesday in a firefight in a thinly governed tribal area in the northwest of the country, military officials said.Militants tried to ambush a convoy of security forces in North
Waziristan as it returned from rescuing soldiers wounded by a suicide bombing earlier Wednesday, the military officials said.Three members of the security forces were wounded in the fighting, they said, and a search operation was under way in the area.North Waziristan is rife with militants and is the area where the United States conducts its most intensive campaign of controversial drone strikes against the Pakistani Taliban and al Qaeda operatives.It wasn't immediately clear which group the militants killed Wednesday were from.

Blast near Karachi imambargah kills bomber, injures two others

KARACHI: An explosion outside an Imambargah on Khalid bin Waleed Road left a woman dead and two others injured on Wednesday.The explosion occurred after a guard fired at two women as they attempted to
enter the Imambargah carrying locally made explosives.A gatekeeper, identified as Muhammad Khan, and one of the women were injured. The other woman died on the spot.The injured have been taken to Jinnah hospital for treatment.Police have taken the alleged bomber’s husband and the injured woman – whose condition is stable – into custody and security officials are gathering information from witnesses at the scene.
Ambulances have reached the location and the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) has also been called to investigate the incident.Attacks on Imambargahs and the Shia community have increased in the recent past.On December 17, an explosion outside an Imambargah in Gracy Lines had killed three people including a policeman and injured 16 others.A young suicide bomber had tried to cross the police picket to enter the Imambargah, where a Majlis was ongoing, according to police.Shia professionals have also been killed in many incidents of targeted attacks across the country.

Pakistan: Tribunal rejects appeal of doctor who tracked bin Laden

A Pakistani tribunal rejected the appeal of Shakeel Afridi, the doctor arrested for helping the US track down al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, against his sentence.The three-member Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) Tribunal, which includes Shah Waliullah, Akbar Khan and Pir Fida, has remanded the case to Commissioner, Frontier Crime Regulations.In its judgment, the tribunal directed the Commissioner, FCR to review his verdict in the case and remove ambiguities.Afridi had petitioned the FATA Tribunal in October seeking fresh trial with regard to the charges levelledagainst him, lifting of the ban on his bail and conducting the trial at the Central Prison in Peshawar.The doctor, who was arrested immediately after the May 2, 2011 operation by US commandos that killed then al-Qaeda leader bin Laden, was convicted for treason over alleged ties to banned militant group Lashkar-e-Islam.On August 29, a judicial official had overturned the 33-year jail sentence of Afridi, who was sentenced in May, 2012 on charges of colluding with Lashkar-e-Islam.FCR Commissioner Sahibzada Mohammad Anees had ruled that a judge in the tribal belt had exceeded his authority when he handed down the sentence last year.He had ordered a fresh trial and had said it would be heard by the Political Agent.However, the doctor filed a seven-page revision petition in which he submitted that there was ambiguity in the order of FCR commissioner.He approached the FATA Tribunal, an appellate court in FCR, to clear the ambiguity so that the political agent is directed to not only conduct fresh and fair trial in his case, but also remove the ban on his bail during the trial.The petitioner had requested the tribunal to direct the political agent to make fresh order of reference and refer the case to a new jirga with the consent of the accused.

Ashes 2013-14: England face battle to save series in Perth

The impressive Ben Stokes will resume on 72 and Matt Prior seven, but their task on a badly cracked pitch would appear futile after the failure once again of too many senior players.While Cook received a peach of a
delivery from Ryan Harris to be bowled first ball and Ian Bell played well for his 60, Kevin Pietersen was caught on the boundary trying to hit Nathan Lyon into the stands.
On a day that began with an all-out Australian assault on their dispirited bowlers and bottomed out with a golden duck for captain Alastair Cook, England closed on 251-5, still a mammoth 253 short of their nominal target of 504. Cook's wicket continued his miserable series, the weight of this failing team appearing heavy on his shoulders, while Pietersen is averaging 27 from his six underwhelming innings.Once again Australia were superior in every department, and if they seal the series to win back the Ashes for the first time in seven years as now seems inevitable, it will be entirely merited.
bruising to his right foot when being pinned lbw by Mitchell Johnson in the first innings, meaning after the not-out batsmen, only Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann and James Anderson realistically remain in Australia's way.Michael Clarke's confident, aggressive side hit new heights on Monday morning as they dismantled England's much-decorated attack in a brutal hour of sustained hitting.Shane Watson made a century off only 106 balls, with 11 fours and five sixes, as he smashed Swann out of the attack.In the first 13 balls he faced from the off-spinner he cracked 37 runs as he moved from his overnight 29 to his fourth Test century in a blistering 40 balls.England dropped one catch and let another fall between two hesitant fielders as they fell apart even more completely than they had during Sunday's hapless display.
 When Bresnan did take a fine catch on the boundary he tumbled over the ropes, although he could not be blamed for either that or the farcical way in which Watson eventually fell for 106.The number three top-edged an ugly pull only for Bell to spill the regulation catch, and when Bresnan picked up the loose ball to hurl down the stumps with Watson open-mouthed and leaden-footed mid-pitch, it was almost as much in anger as aim.Steve Smith was caught at mid-wicket by substitute fielder Jonny Bairstow off Stokes for 15, but it only heralded the next cavalry charge as George Bailey launched into Anderson to the roaring delight of the Gabba crowd.In one over he hit an extraordinary 28 runs, including three straight sixes and two fours, to equal the world record for the most runs scored off a Test over and humiliate England still further.In all 134 runs were added in 17 overs as Australia declared on 369-6. It was the first time in Test history that a team has been set a fourth innings target of 500-plus in three consecutive matches, and England began in the worst possible fashion.Harris produced a ball that swung in and then moved away to clip the off bail as Cook's 100th Test brought his first ever first-ball dismissal.Michael Carberry and Joe Root survived the first hour after lunch before the opener was trapped lbw for 31 by a full inswinging ball from Shane Watson, while Root failed with a review after being brilliantly caught behind by Brad Haddin for 19 off Mitchell Johnson.Pietersen and Bell then took the score to 121 before Pietersen, as so many times in this series, walked straight into the trap set by Clarke and his bowler.It was left to Stokes in only his second Test to provide the sole silver lining after Bell perished for a well-made 60 attempting to upper-cut Peter Siddle over Haddin.His 50 came up off 69 balls with nine fours as he showed exactly the application and discipline that has too often been missing from his far more experienced team-mates.But to expect him to salvage something from the wreckage of this England performance is both unrealistic and unfair, and at some stage on Tuesday, Australia will almost certainly once again be in possession of the famous old urn.

Bomb disposal officer among three killed in Pakistan blast

Peshawar — A roadside bomb on Monday killed a senior bomb disposal officer along with two other policemen in Pakistan's troubled northwest, police said.
Abdul Haq, 43, who had defused more than 60 bombs in his career, was headed to the suburb of Badhaber
in the city of Peshawar after being called out to deal with a device.He was on his way to defuse a bomb when his vehicle was hit by another bomb. Abdul Haq and a police driver were killed on spot Najeebur Rehman, a senior police official, told AFP, adding that a police constable wounded in the attack later died in hospital. TV channels later showed other bomb disposal officers defusing the device.
Shafqat Malik, bomb disposal chief for the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, praised Haq as one of his best and most professional operatives.We are losing our best officers. More than 10 officers of BDS (bomb disposal squad) have lost their lives while serving their motherland," Malik said.
Haq was made bomb disposal chief for Peshawar after his predecessor Hukam Khan was killed while defusing two bombs in the same area in September 2012.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Al-Qaeda-linked militants have led a bloody campaign against the Pakistani state in recent years.They have carried out hundreds of attacks on security forces and government targets, mainly in the northwest.

New Pakistan Army chief visits troops on LoC

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's new army chief Gen Raheel Sharif today visited troops deployed at forward locations along the Line of Control (LoC), which has witnessed tensions and fierce exchanges of fire in the recent past.This was his first visit to the region since taking over late last month, and part of a series of trips to army bases around the country.Sharif was briefed by the local formation commander on the prevailing security situation along the LoC. Rawalpindi Corps Com.

New Pakistan Army chief visits troops on LoC

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PM expresses concern over continuing US drone strikes

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Monday expressed deep concern over the continuing drone strikes by the United States in the country.
Talking to US Secretary Defence Chuck Hagel who called on him here, the Prime Minister stressed that
drone strikes were counter-productive to the government’s efforts to combat terrorism and extremism on an enduring basis. The US Defence Secretary held in-depth exchange on the whole range of issues of mutual interest between the two countries. “The two leaders agreed to work together to strengthen Pakistan-US relations and advance the shared interest of a stable, secure and prosperous Pakistan and the region,” a Foreign Office press release said.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stressed the importance Pakistan attached to a peaceful, stable and united Afghanistan and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the Afghan peace and reconciliation process.
Secretary Hagel acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts to support an inclusive reconciliation process in Afghanistan.
The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of Pakistan-US strategic partnership for peace and stability in the region.
They noted the substantial progress made in the bilateral relationship in recent months and acknowledged that the recent high-level exchanges including the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington, meetings of the Working Groups on energy, defence and security, non-proliferation and disarmament had greatly helped in building trust and strengthening the relationship.
The two leaders also reviewed the current state of bilateral defence and security cooperation and explored ways of further expanding cooperation in this important area of the relationship.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of establishing a long-term and broad-based defence cooperation with the United States on the basis of mutual interest.
The two leaders also discussed the situation in Afghanistan.
Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Defence, Sartaj Aziz,
Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Foreign Secretary and Lt.  Gen. Asif Yasin Malik, Secretary Defence also attended the meeting.

Fifteen illegal occupants arrested in PU hostel raid

LAHORE: Fifteen illegal occupants were arrested by the Lahore police during an operation conducted in Punjab University with help of the university administration in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, DawnNews
reported.According to a Punjab University spokesperson, the Lahore police, along with the university administration, raided Hostels No 15 and 18 and arrested 15 illegal occupants.The spokesman added that four illegal occupants were arrested from Islami Jamiat Tulaba’s (IJT) nazim Azeem Khushi's room in Hostel No 18.Earlier in December, 21 IJT illegal occupants were arrested during a police clampdown on a hostel of the university.Following the raid, IJT activists resorted to violent protest, causing massive traffic jams for several hours on Lahore’s major roads as well as damaging and burning of public transport.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel talks drones with Pakistan PM amid tensions

 U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, right, meets with Afghan military leaders in Kandahar on Sunday.
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel discussed the use of U.S. drones against militants in remote areas of Pakistan on Monday during the first visit by a Pentagon chief to the South Asian ally in almost four years.
The United States has a complicated relationship with Pakistan and ties have been further soured by a dispute over unmanned military aircraft the United States uses to target militants in Pakistan's tribal areas on the Afghan border.
Islamabad says drone strikes kill too many civilians and violate its sovereignty. Protests by anti-drone activists prompted the United States to suspend ground shipments of NATO cargo leaving Afghanistan via Pakistan last week.
During his visit, Hagel met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other senior officials including the newly appointed army chief, Raheel Sharif. Both sides were tight-lipped on the details of the talks. The prime minister ... conveyed Pakistan's deep concern over continuing U.S. drone strikes, stressing that drone strikes were counter-productive to our efforts to combat terrorism and extremism on an enduring basis the foreign ministry said in a statement.
A senior U.S. defense official said Hagel hoped to work with Pakistan to deepen the security partnership and reassure it of continued U.S. assistance in building its military capacity.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States believed peace and stability in the region would be enhanced by improved Afghan-Pakistan relations, "because of the unique nature of its porous border and the presence of a variety of militant groups in the AfPak border region.
Pakistan is one of the largest recipients of U.S. foreign assistance and has received more than $16 billion in security aid since 2002, a defense official said. The Obama administration has sought $305 million in military aid for 2014 and $858 million in a range of civilian assistance for Pakistan.
Before his arrival in Pakistan, Hagel visited troops in Afghanistan and met senior Afghan officials. He said a NATO meeting in February could serve as a new deadline for approval of a security pact between Kabul and Washington -- an accord Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been reluctant to sign.
Hagel is the first defense minister to visit Pakistan since the U.S. raid in the city of Abbottabad that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011. Pakistan was embarrassed and angered by the surprise raid.
At the same time, Pakistan has served as a supply route for equipment flowing into Afghanistan to support the international coalition that is fighting Taliban militants.The routes, known as the Pakistani Ground Lines of Communication (GLOC), are important for withdrawing U.S. and coalition equipment as they draw down foreign forces in Afghanistan and hand over security control to Afghan forces. Prior to the talks, the defense official said Hagel would express appreciation that ... the government of Pakistan has made it a priority to keep the GLOCs open.He praised operations by Pakistani forces in a dangerous region this year to break up militants who posed a threat to the Torkham-Peshawar road that serves as part of the route between Afghanistan and the Pakistani port city of Karachi. That's an example of the kind of effort that the Pakistan government as a whole has taken to ensure that the GLOCs stay open the official said.

Few heirs apparent to Mandela's symbol of freedom

The passing of Nelson Mandela leaves a waning number of global figures representing freedom and resilience against oppression — and a changing world that makes it harder for anyone to approach Mandela's iconic
power.There are a few whose trials have made them symbols of freedom, including the former political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar the Dalai Lama and, more recently, Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl turned women's rights activist.But Mandela, the black revolutionary who emerged from 27 years in prison to embrace his white oppressors and lead a new South Africa, may be one of the last of a breed for all sorts of reasons — including the circumstances of his heroism, his extraordinary success and the onset of an age when heroes' foibles are often exposed.He lived and worked in a context and historical period where his extraordinary individual qualities could help make change in his country and ripple throughout the world," said Daniel Calengaret, executive vice president of the Freedom House, a watchdog group working to expand freedom around the world.It's hard to think of someone who was both an iconic dissident figure and was actually central to building a new system Calengaret said.Mandela is often mentioned in the same breath as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. who also changed nations through nonviolence.Yet Gandhi and King were killed before their dreams were realized.Suu Kyi, the Myanmar pro-democracy leader, was imprisoned by the military regime for 15 years before she was released and won a parliamentary seat. Yet she battles in a political arena lacking the stark racism of South African apartheid, which deprived the black majority of equal rights.She stands for the end of a dictatorship, not the end of a racial system," said Dores Cruz, a University of Denver anthropology professor.Cruz said that the dismantling of communism by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is comparable to Mandela ending apartheid. But Gorbachev did not suffer personal persecution to do it.She noted that Mandela's image was carefully constructed for political purposes in pre-Internet South Africa, then burnished over the years by international media, musicians and Hollywood.
The impact that has had on the historical imagination, you probably won't find that in anybody," Cruz said. No one has the same iconic image or same historical status.The Dalai Lama, a Buddhist figure seeking the nonviolent restoration of Tibet's independence from China, has lived in exile for more than 60 years. And there is an ethnic or racial aspect to the Tibetan struggle, as China seeks to wipe out its traditional culture and replace it with that of the Han Chinese.Like Mandela, the Dalai Lama represents the decades-long suffering of his people. And he articulates a peaceful possibility in response to violence and aggression," said William Edelglass, a Marlboro College philosophy professor.Like Mandela, he inspires us to the better angels of our nature Edelglass said. "He reminds us of how we really want to be.But at age 78, with China firmly in control, the Dalai Lama is unlikely to see a free Tibet. And his Buddhist religion sets him apart from Mandela, who enjoyed a type of secular sainthood that transcended religious divides.Malala, the 16-year-old Pakistani girl, achieved global prominence last year when the Taliban tried to kill her for advocating the equality and education of women. After Mandela's death, she called him my leader.
In the past, other politicians suffered to reform oppressive regimes — Lech Walesa in Poland or Vaclav Havel in Czechoslovakia. But the peak of their careers came at the moment when the old regime crumbled, Calingaret observed.In a sense Mandela's greatest achievements were as president he said.He was on top, he could do anything he wanted, and he chose to push for reconciliation and inclusiveness.Mandela's rise might have been complicated had it happened during the Internet age. Mandela had his share of flaws including infidelity and a past embrace of violence, but they were overlooked. The volume and speed of the information traveling around the world today makes it impossible for a leader to climb without his or her every weakness being magnified.One of the things about Mandela that makes him unique, all those years in prison, he couldn't be really doing bad things during that time. And he lived prior to universal access said Edelglass.He sees the potential for another Mandela in the fight for democracy in China, but we would know everything about that person, everything they had ever done wrong.I wouldn't want to say there are no more (figures like Mandela) coming.I hope there are more coming Edelglass said.But it's a much more complicated world.Roger Levine who grew up in South Africa and now teaches courses on it as a history professor at the Sewanee: The University of the South, said Mandela became such a potent symbol because he experienced all the tribulations of South Africa itself. But the world no longer builds up politicians as the very embodiments of their nations' struggles, he said.Mandela was a product of a Cold War world: good vs. evil, us vs. them, black vs. white.Now Levine sai it's a whole lot harder to say who is the us and who is the them.No one is going to suggest that there aren't instances around the world where we have conflict between good and evil," Levine said. "But there are fewer opportunities to say you're on the right side, because it's a little bit less obvious what the right side of something might be.

Hajj scam verdict: SC orders FIA to review overcharges

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to start an enquiry against those involved in creating hindrance in the Hajj corruption case investigation, Express News reported.A three-member bench announced the verdict of the scam case today.The apex court stated that excess money was charged from Hajjis during the 2010 arrangements and asked FIA to review the costing surplus and find out whether the pilgrims were reimbursed or not.The court further added that the pilgrims should be given Rs5,000
each if they have not been repaid as yet.While announcing the verdict, the bench said that the scam became a national disgrace and ordered that the Hajjis should be provided with better arrangements in the future.
Background
Former Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi, former director-general Hajj affairs Rao Shakeel and former additional secretary to ministry of religious affairs Raja Aftabul Islam were accused of indulging in widespread corruption during the course of renting residential buildings for Pakistani pilgrims in Saudi Arabia at exorbitant rates and inflicting a loss of a billion rupees to the national exchequer.
Most of the buildings rented by the Hajj administrators were five kilometres away from the Haram Sharif while according to law the accommodation for Hajjis should not be more than two kilometres away.

World leaders mourn death of Nelson Mandela

ISLAMABAD: World leaders mourned the death of anti-apartheid icon and South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela who died Thursday at his home in Houghton, a suburb of Johannesburg.Madiba
as Mandela was affectionately called by his clan name by South Africans, passed away on Thursday evening.The 95-year-old's death was announced late by South African President Jacob Zuma in a television address to the nation.World leaders in unison paid tribute, including President Obama who said Mandela embodied the promise of change for the better BBC reported.
Obama said Mandela achieved more than what could be expected of any man.We have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth. He no longer belongs to us he belongs to the ages Obama said.Obama, the first black president of the US, said he was one of the millions who drew inspiration from Mandela's life.Obama has ordered flags at half-mast on all US public buildings until sunset on Dec 9 in honour of Mandela.US First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted from the First Lady of the United States account We will forever draw strength and inspiration from Nelson Mandela's extraordinary example of moral courage kindness, and humility.British Prime Minister David Cameron said a great light has gone out in the world.Former British prime minister Tony Blair recalled on BBC World Service when Mandela visited Downing Street.He would talk to the people on the door, to the people making the tea.He had an incredible way about him. It wasn't just what he did, it was the way that he did it.Ela Gandhi, the granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, told BBC: It is difficult for me to speak right now because I am so overcome with grief and emptiness. For me (Mandela) was really a wonderful hero and idol that I really felt that humanity should emulate, should follow.
Former England football captain David Beckham, who met Nelson Mandela in 2003, posted on Facebook: My heart goes out to the people in South Africa and Mandela's family.We have lost a true gentleman and a courageous human being. It was truly an honour to have known a man who had genuine love for so many people.

PTI leads protests against drone strikes outside Parliament

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan vowed to continue with demonstrations against drone strikes on Thursday as he led his party among other parliamentarians for a
protest outside the Parliament in Islamabad.We will continue our protest against drone strikes and…we will not allow Nato supplies to pass through the (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) province,” Imran Khan told the gathering.More than 100 national and provincial legislators participated in the protest against US drone strikes on suspected militants in the country’s tribal belt.Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak led the protest and Sheikh Rasheed of Awami Muslim League was also present at the demonstration, reported Radio Pakistan.Members of parliament from the Jamaat-e-Islami party also took part in the rally, shouting slogans against the United States and the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.Khan accused Sharif’s government of double standards on the issue and called for the blocking of supply routes through Pakistan for Nato troops in Afghanistan.Our rulers have double standards, they say one thing to the Americans and the complete opposite to the nation he said.These missile strikes violate international laws.We do not want a war with America but we are protesting against the cruel policies of America.Activists in northwest Pakistan some armed with clubs, have been forcibly searching trucks since late November to try to halt Nato supplies following Khan’s earlier calls to block routes. In response, the US military has suspended shipments of equipment out of Afghanistan through the Torkham border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Torkham is a key transit point used by the Americans and NATO to withdraw military hardware from Afghanistan, as part of a troop pullout set to end next year.
US officials said trucks have been told to wait for now in holding areas in Afghanistan, with Washington expecting the route to resume operating soon. Islamabad signed a deal with the US in July last year allowing Nato convoys to transit Pakistan until the end of 2015.But a spokesperson for Pakistan’s interior ministry said they were unable to intervene in the issue.

PM Sharif, COAS Raheel discuss missing persons’ issue

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Amy Staff (COAS) and the Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif called on the Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif for a key meeting ahead of the important hearing of missing persons case in the Supreme Court here on Tuesday (today), Geo News reported.
Sources said the meeting discussed threadbare the missing persons case in which the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has given a deadline to produce the 33 remaining missing persons by 11.00
A.M. today.
It may be recalled that the Chief Justice of Pakistan on Monday had also directed the defence minister to register an FIR of the two persons who went missing and later died in agency’s custody.
The defence minister gave a briefing pertaining to the case and its subsequent developments for the finalization of the report that he would be presenting before the apex court today.

Heavy contingent of police posted outside Punjab University

LAHORE: Heavy contingents of policemen have been deployed at the Punjab University new campus as the Islami Jamiat Tulaba (IJT) miscreants arrested yesterday will be presented in the
court today (Tuesday) here, Geo News reported.
Following yesterday’s violence arson and blocking of traffics on roads in the city, the police went into action and registered cases against 100 IJT hoodlums including Punjab University IJT Nazim, while the security outside the Punjab University was further beefed up.
Police said that eight cases have been registered in Muslim Town police station for violence, rampage, torching of buses and blocking traffics causing great inconvenience to the commuters.
On the other hand a heavy contingent of police has been posted outside the Punjab University campus to meet any eventuality today when the arrested IJT activists will be presented before the court.

Prime Minister Youth Loan Scheme Detail By State Bank

Prime Minister Youth Loan Scheme Detail By State Bank of Pakistan

Pakistan State Bank has issued the details of Prime Minister youth Loan Scheme as  PM Micro Interest Free Loans Scheme and  Prime Minister Small Business Loan Scheme.

Loan mian nawaz sharif Scheme

Pakistan offers huge incentives to foreign investors: PM

 

 

BANGKOK, Nov 18 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has said that his government is committed to accelerated digitization of the country to enable socioeconomic development‚ to create a
knowledge-based economy and promoting economic growth. In his key-note address at the Connect Asia Pacific Summit 2013‚ which began in Bangkok on Monday morning‚ he said the Pakistani government accords the highest priority to development of information communication technology for the provision of quality services‚ education‚ employment‚ generation and women empowerment. The Prime Minister said the government encourages investment in the next generation of mobile services‚ establishment of technology parks and local manufacturing of ICT equipment. He said we invite foreign companies to be our partners in harnessing the rich potential of our country that is open for business and keen on working with international investors. Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan Telecom infrastructure now comprises over 125 million mobile connections‚ about three million fixed lines‚ three million WLL subscribers‚ 19.8 million Internet users‚ 15.7 million mobile Internet users and 2.8 million broadband subscribers. Earlier‚ addressing the summit‚ the Prime Minister of Thailand‚ Yingluck Shinawatra said the summit is being held to achieve a common goal to develop better and wider links between nations and peoples. She said the ICT has progressed by expanding to cover other utilities‚ appliances in household and databases around the world and we need to ensure that people of all nations have greater access to it. APP / Quddous
http://www.pmo.gov.pk/

Category:
 Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif
INTERNATIONAL
Date:

2013-11-18 12:05:41

Pakistani Beautiful Girls With Glases 2013

 Definition: The label "Mean Girls" is a tween expression used to describe girls who exhibit anti-social behavior
known as Relational Aggression. The term was popularized by the movie Mean Girls, starring Lindsay Lohan. Mean girl behavior includes gossip, verbal put downs of others, bullying, backstabbing, and using others to get ahead. Girls who are friendly one minute, and mean the next may be referred to as frenemies.
Mean girls can be found at school, on the bus, and at extra-curricular activities. They are particularly good at turning friend against friend, and they target girls who they are jealous of, or who stick out from the crowd. Mean girls thrive on drama, and often resort to cyberbullying to torment their victims.