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| May 31, 2008 | Saturday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 25, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
 Bye-elections: Sharif brothers candidature case referred to CEC LAHORE, May 31 (APP) An Election Tribunal of Lahore High Court Saturday referred the cases regarding the candidature of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and party president Shahbaz Sharif to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), as both the member judges of the tribunal gave separate judgments in this regard. Justice Mohammad Akram Qureshi in his judgement Saturday said that the acceptance of nomination papers of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif by the concerned Returning Officers was incorrect, and declared that both PML-N leaders were disqualified to contest the polls due to conviction in different cases mentioned in the appeals. However, Justice Hafiz Tariq Nasim, the other member of the appellate tribunal, wrote in his judgment that acceptance of the nomination papers by the ROs was correct as the convictions of both candidates were set aside by the then President of Pakistan in 2000. He also declared both PML-N leaders qualified to contest the polls. As both the honourable judges disagreed in their decision and gave opposing judgments, the tribunal referred the case to the CEC to decide. (Posted @ 18:18 PST)  Pakistan's GDP growth to stay between 5.5%-6.0% range in FY08: SBP Report Karachi, May 31 (PPI): Pakistan's real Gross Domestic Product growth is likely to remain in the range of 5.5% to 6.0% in 2007-08 fiscal year, says State Bank's Third Quarterly Report for fiscal year 2007-08 released Saturday. The report said inherent resilience of economy suggests that a policy focus on regaining macroeconomic stability through further reforms, and corrective measures could quickly reinvigorate the growth momentum of economy. It pointed out that Real GDP growth in FY08 is expected to drop below 6 percent level for first time in five years, annual inflation is poised to return to double digits, fiscal deficit is forecast to rise substantially, and annual current account deficit, as a percentage of GDP, is projected to be at an all-time high. Over last six months, expansionary fiscal policy has overshadowed and substantially weakened the impact of sustained monetary tightening by State Bank. This impact of heavy government borrowings has been particularly evident in FY08, with borrowings rising to a record Rs 551.0 billion by 10th May, 2008 (compared to only Rs 45.7 billion in corresponding period of FY07), almost doubling total outstanding stock of borrowings to Rs 940.6 billion. “This trend cannot be sustained without risking a substantial further acceleration in inflation,” it warned. SBP advised that government has to urgently address growth of fiscal deficit as well as to diversify its financing away from central bank. The new government has indicated an intention to broaden the tax base, rein-in expenditure growth in support of macroeconomic stability, diversification of the financing of deficit and reduced dependence on central bank borrowings. “For the economy to retain its high growth momentum, it is important that these goals are achieved,” the report said. The removal of excessive fiscal stimulus, increase in administered energy prices, recent exchange rate adjustments and continued tight monetary stance are expected to help correct substantial increase in the country's trade deficit. “This correction is overdue,” it added. (Posted @ 17:00 PST)  Clocks to move forward by one hour tonight ISLAMABAD, May 31 (PPI): Clocks across Pakistan would be moved forward by one hour at midnight of May 31-June 1 in order to get maximum benefit from daylight in the wake of power crisis. The energy conservation package approved by the Federal Cabinet on May 14 also envisages that during the next three months (June-August), all shopping plazas will close business after 9 p.m. and switch over their weekly holidays from Sunday to Friday, while industries will similarly stagger their weekly offs; WAPDA will not supply power to billboards using lights besides management of street lights. Under Cabinet's directive the use of air conditioners will be stopped from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Prime Minister House, Secretariat and other government offices, while one million energy saver bulbs will be purchased to promote culture of installing such bulbs across the country. The government has already set up a task force to control line losses. (Posted @ 17:15 PST) Iftikhar Chaudhry on way to Peshawar Peshawar, May 31 (AP) - Chanting “Go Musharraf, go,” lawyers Saturday escorted ousted Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry from his home in Islamabad to the northwestern city of Peshawar for a rally by lawyers. On his way to Peshawar, Chaudhry addressed lawyers in the garrison town of Attock. “Some forces want to divide you, but I ask you to remain united as your struggle is for the rule of law and justice,” he said. Lawyers led protests against Musharraf's efforts to tame the judiciary last year and have vowed to hold a massive street demonstration in Islamabad next month unless Chaudhry returns to his post. Former prime minister and chief of his faction of Pakistan Muslim League has pledged to join them. Athar Minallah, a lawyer close to Chaudhry, also criticized Bush's intervention. The U.S. government should “strengthen the democratic forces in this country rather than lending its support to a man who is the most hated person today in Pakistan,” Minallah said. (Posted @ 20:06 PST) Parliament to sort out all issues: PM Gilani LAHORE, May 31 (APP): Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Saturday said that the parliament is supreme and will sort out all matters including the issue concerning President Pervez Musharraf. At a press briefing on arrival at the old airport, he said the PPP government would not go on a solo flight and take all its coalition partners along while deciding about major issues. He also dispelled the impression about differences between the PPP and PML-N over the issue of the President, adding that all matters would be settled by taking all the stakeholders into confidence. The Parliament is the supreme forum and whenever the coalition have two-thirds majority, it will sort out the issue of the President, he said. He reminded that “It was Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto's political sagacity that President Pervez Musharraf doffed his army uniform.” About the Kalabagh dam project Gilani said that the PPP's stance had always been that it should have consensus of all the four provinces. He said the government was focusing on construction of small dams to cater to the energy and water needs of the country. To a question about Balochistan, Gilani said: “There is sense of deprivation in Balochistan and we will settle all issues of the province through dialogue.” He said PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari would soon call an All Parties Conference on Balochistan. The government had already stopped Army operation in Balochistan and the situation was improving gradually, he added. (Posted @ 20:18 PST) Nawaz’s PML-N sharply criticizes Bush for backing embattled Musharraf ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 31 (AP) - Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif PML-N, a key party in Pakistan's ruling coalition, criticized U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday for lending support to beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf. Party spokesman Sadiqul Farooq said that Bush's call could harm Pakistan-U.S. relations. “He should have advised Musharraf to step down. This would have earned a lot of respect for President Bush and the United States of America in the hearts and minds of the people of Pakistan,” he told The Associated Press. “Our party has not taken President Bush's call as a friendly and pro-democratic step,” he said. Athar Minallah, a lawyer close to deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, also criticized Bush's intervention. The U.S. government should “strengthen the democratic forces in this country rather than lending its support to a man who is the most hated person today in Pakistan,” Minallah said. (Posted @ 20:00 PST) ABC News interviews Dr. A. Q. Khan New York, May 31 (PPI): Pakistan's nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan retracting his confession made in 2004 told ABC News that government and President Pervez Musharraf forced him to be a “scapegoat” for the “national interest.” “I don't stand by that,” he told the U.S. television network in a 35-minute phone interview with Brian Ross from his home in Islamabad. “People were asking a lot of questions, so I said, 'OK. Let me give an answer,'” Dr. Khan told ABC News early Friday. He said he was told by President Musharraf that it would get the United States “off our backs” and that he was promised he would be quickly pardoned. “Those people who were supposed to know knew it,” Dr. Khan said about his activities. A Pakistan Embassy spokesman in Washington, D.C., said the government hasn't changed its views on Dr. Khan despite claims he makes in the interview. “The government of Pakistan has adequately investigated allegations of nuclear proliferation and considers AQK affair closed,” said a statement from the embassy to ABC News. A U.S. official said American investigators were also unconvinced of Dr. Khan's latest claims. “We have not changed our assessment that A.Q. Khan was a very major and dangerous proliferator. He sold sensitive nuclear equipment and know-how to some genuinely bad actors,” the official said. Dr. Khan admitted in ABC News interview that he had twice travelled to North Korea but denied ever going to Iran or Libya. He said North Korean nuclear weapons program was “well-advanced” before he arrived, as part of an officially sanctioned trip by his government. As to Iran, he said he believed it would be a “long time” before that country would be able to test a nuclear weapon. (Posted @ 16:50 PST) Pakistan and U.S. ties to remain close: General Tariq Majeed SINGAPORE, May 31 (Reuters): Defence ties between Pakistan the United States will remain strong through the next administration, General Tariq Majeed, chairman of Pakistan's joint chiefs of staff committee, said Saturday. Majeed told Reuters on the sidelines of a security conference that the common goal of fighting terrorism will be the basis of the relationship between the two countries. “We have common objectives, shared goals and common commitments, therefore I find no reason why we should not be close - even with a change of U.S. administration,” General Majeed said. “We have had good relations all along and we hope that the similar kind of relations will continue in the future,” he told Reuters. (Posted @ 13:55 PST) Sudan President’s stop-over in Lahore Lahore, May 31 (PPI):- President of Sudan Omar Hassan Ahmad El-Bashir Saturday said his country attaches great importance to boost trade, investment and business relations with Pakistan. President El-Bashir who made two hours stopover in Lahore Saturday morning while on way back home from Tokyo was addressing members of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry FPCCI, Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry and SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry. He said his country looks forward to enhance bilateral trade and strengthen ties on sound footing with Pakistan. Earlier, the Sudanese President was welcomed at the airport by Punjab Minister for Excise & Taxation Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, senior officials and Sudan's Ambassador in Pakistan Daffa All Elhaj Ali. (Posted @ 17:50 PST) Shutter down strike in Quetta QUETTA, Pakistan, May 31 (APP) Shutter down strike was observed on the appeal of Balochistan Traders Union and some political parties in the provincial capital on Saturday against the killing of six youths on Friday. Meanwhile, a large number of people attended the funeral of the deceased. Meanwhile, a high level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Khan Raisani Saturday decided redeployment of the Frontier Constabulary at sensitive points and increased patrolling of ATF and other law enforcing agencies in Quetta. The meeting also decided imposition of section 144 and ban on pillion riding. It is to be mentioned that check-posts of the Frontier Constabulary were removed in view of improving law and order situation in Quetta and Gwadar. A spokesman said that police have arrested more than 40 suspects in connection with Friday’s target killing. (Posted @ 18:44 PST) Impeachment proceedings sans required strength can prove 'political tsunami:' Raza Rabbani ISLAMABAD, May 31 (APP) Leader of the House in Senate Raza Rabbani has said that impeachment of the president without the required strength can prove 'political tsunami' for the coalition government. Reiterating PPP's stance for restoration of judiciary he said in a TV interview that judiciary of November 2 would be restored without any change. He also said a new policy has been devised to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the entire region. (Posted @ 18:26 PST) CJP Dogar inaugurates Khairpur District Courts Complex SUKKUR, Pakistan, May 31 (APP) The Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr. Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar Saturday inaugurated the District Court Complex at Khairpur and also laid foundation stone of District Court Bar room and District Court Bar Library under the Access to Justice program. Speaking on the occasion he said computers and laptops have been provided to the courts of Sindh, Rs 100 million have been spent on 11 new buildings of courts in Sindh and many other projects for the provision of residential facilities for Judicial Officers have been completed. He said the salaries of Judicial Staff have been increased and the same will be made more attractive in coming days. He announced that the courts buildings at Mirwah, Gambat and Kotdiji will be constructed, while courts complexes are being constructed at Sukkur, Ghotki, Tharparkar, Sanghar, Jacobabad, Hyderabad, Thata Badin, Shikarpur, Mirpurkhas, Dadu and Kotdiji. (Posted @ 18:22 PST) NWFP Governor optimistic about ongoing peace efforts PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 31 (APP): NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani Saturday said the ongoing efforts to ensure peace and normalcy especially in certain parts of the country, though delicate and complicated, but “manageable and will be overcome”. Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the new Campus of Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology; a private concern, at Landi Akhun Muhammad in Peshawar, he said the encouraging aspect is that after overcoming each new challenge, we have emerged stronger and this time too we would achieve success. “Ours is an ideological state and though there may be weaknesses in our way of working and system of governance yet its foundations are very strong and efforts are underway to remove the deficiencies”, he said. (Posted @ 19:02 PST) PM Gilani grants varsity status to two institutes ISLAMABAD, May 31 (APP): Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday approved to grant the status of universities to Institute of Engineering and Technology Training, Multan, and Institute of Engineering and Fertilizer Research, Faisalabad. He also allowed the National Fertilizer Corporation to finance Rs. 2 billion from its own resources for the upgradation of the two institutes. He also gave approval to the allocation of one billion rupees through Higher Education Commission for faculty development, improvement of labs and acquisition of additional land for the Institute of Engineering and Technology, Multan. (Posted @ 20:08 PST) Blast kills three in Pakistan's northwest PESHAWAR, May 31 (Reuters) - An explosion near a roadside bazaar in the Mohmand tribal region of northwest Pakistan killed at least three people on Saturday, a witness said. A local government official said the blast occurred as a car approached from the direction of Bajaur, a neighbouring tribal area where a suspected U.S. drone aircraft attack killed 18 people including foreign militants earlier this month. Both Bajaur and Mohmand border Afghanistan. (Posted @ 19:54 PST) Three children drown near Hawksbay KARACHI, May 31 (APP) Three children drowned and one was fished out from the sea in Karachi’s Hawksbay beach area. Edhi sources said one body has been retrieved, while search was underway for another missing child. Details of the circumstances in which the children were drowned are lacking. (Posted @ 18:50 PST) Pakistan Red Crescent Society sends 3,000 family tents for China quake victims ISLAMABAD, May 31 (APP) Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on Saturday handed over a second consignment of 3,000 all weather family tents to Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Luo Zhaohui for the Chinese earthquake victims. The Society had earlier gifted 500 tents and a donation of US $50,000 for the relied of the earthquake victims. (Posted @ 17:56 PST) Five killed, 21 injured in Pakistan road accident CHAKWAL, Pakistan, May 31 (Agencies)- Five persons were killed and 21 others injured seriously when a coach proceeding from Dhurnal to Rawalpindi fell into a ditch near Talagang in northern Punjab province on Saturday. The injured have been shifted to hospitals in Rawalpindi. (First Posted @ 17:30 PST Updated @ 17:48 PST) Three killed in roadside blast in Iraq BAQUBA, Iraq, May 31 (AFP) - Three people, including a child, were killed and seven wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Baquba on Saturday, the US military said. (Posted @ 23:16 PST) Dr. A.Q. Khan national hero: CM Sindh JEDDAH, May 31 (PPI): Chief Minister of Sindh Province Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan is the national hero and his dignity and honour would soon be restored. Speaking at a dinner hosted by PPP leader Dilshad Jani in Jeddah, he also said that cancellation of the Kalabagh Dam project is in national interest and construction of small dams in its place would be helpful in taking out the country from the crisis of electricity and water.He urged all political forces to forget the bitterness of the past and go ahead so that the basic problems of the people are resolved. He said that the five-point package of Benazir Bhutto would be implemented after the budget under which more than 1,000,000 houses would be built for the homeless people in all provinces. (Posted @ 20:28 PST) Over 100 rebels killed: Afghan government KABUL, May 31 (AFP) - Afghan authorities said Saturday they have killed more than 100 Taliban-linked militants in an operation to retake a remote district from the rebels in southwestern Afghanistan. The rebels were killed during two days of operations by Afghan security forces and their international allies in Bakwa, a remote district in southwestern province of Farah, the interior ministry said adding that the district was recaptured from the rebels on Friday. (Posted @ 19:48 PST) Former Pakistani investment banker gets 10 years in prison NEW YORK, May 31 (APP): A former investment banker of Pakistani origin was sentenced to 10 years in prison Saturday for stealing inside information and providing it to an alleged accomplice in Pakistan who made trades that netted $7.8 million. Hafiz Mohammad Zubair Naseem, 37, was convicted of 29 counts in February following a three-week trial in U.S. District Court in Lower Manhattan. He fed information he stole from JPMorgan Chase and Credit Suisse Group to Ajaz Rahim, a jury determined. His lawyers sought leniency based Naseem's family situation, saying his incarceration would devastate his young daughter, who has cerebral palsy. They also argued that he did not make any money from the scheme - a point that prosecutors contested. “It's going on too much and people have to realize that if they do get caught, they're going to pay,” Judge Patterson said as he sentenced Naseem. (Posted @ 19:18 PST) India reopens air base in Laddakh after 43 years NEW DELHI, May 31 (APP): Indian Air Force Saturday re-opened an old air base Dawaltbaigh Oldi air strip in Ladakh region, north of Leh in occupied Kashmir close to the Chinese border after 43 years. The air base was built in 1962 during the Indo-China war and was closed in 1965. “It is part of our efforts to improve air maintenance of far-flung posts in the region bordering China and Pakistan,” media reports quoting IAF sources said. An Indian AN-32 transporter plane carrying Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Western Air Command) P K Barbora landed at the air base in the morning after flying from Chandigarh. The airfield is over 16,200 ft from sea level, overlooking the strategic Karakoram Pass, some 8km south of the Chinese border. (Posted @ 18:56 PST) Skydivers jump free of crashing plane in Spain MADRID, May 31 (APP/AFP) Nine skydivers jumped free of their plane before it crashed to earth in Spain, near an airfield in the Lillo area, Friday afternoon killing the pilot and another of their companions, authorities said Saturday. Four of the surviving parachutists were hurt in the fall, two of them seriously, a spokeswoman told AFP. She said the cause of the accident was not yet known. Spanish media reports citing rescuers said the parachute-jumpers, filming an advertisement, broke free after the plane lost a wing and went into free-fall. The parachutist who died was Brazilian and the pilot Spanish. The other skydivers were of various nationalities. (Posted @ 18:20 PST) One soldier dead, six wounded in Afghan suicide blast JALALABAD, Afghanistan, May 31 (Reuters) A suicide car bomber killed one foreign soldier and wounded six other people, including three civilians, in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar Saturday, the provincial governor said. The suicide car bomber rammed his car into a moving military convoy in the city of Jalalabad before detonating explosives, Gol Agha Shirzai, governor of Nangarhar province, said. One coalition soldier was killed and three wounded, he said. Three civilians were also wounded in the attack. (First Posted @ 14:40 PST, Updated @ 14:50 PST) Palestinian killed in Gaza house blast GAZA CITY, May 31 (AFP): A Palestinian was killed and another 16 were wounded Saturday in an early morning explosion at a house owned by a Hamas member in Gaza City, medics and witnesses said. Dr. Muawiya Hassanein, the head of Gaza emergency services, confirmed the incident. Witnesses said the house belonged to Nadir Abu Shaaban, a Hamas member. The cause of the explosion was not yet known. (Posted @ 13:50 PST) Sri Lanka rebels reject devolution plan, kill 31 troops COLOMBO, May 31 (AFP): Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels condemned government moves to devolve more power to the north and east as they reported killing 31 troops in fresh fighting, pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website said Saturday. The head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's (LTTE) political wing, B. Nadesan, said the plan under which the government recently held local elections in former rebel-held areas contained “no basis for a settlement.” ”Recognition of Tamil sovereignty and right to self-determination are key issues in creating a climate for a negotiated settlement,” he told Tamilnet.com in interview. He also accused Colombo of blocking peacebroker Norway from meeting LTTE leaders by refusing to provide access to rebel-held areas. Separately, the Tigers said they repelled an army advance into rebel-held areas of Vavuniya and Mannar Friday, killing 31 troops and wounding at least 52 in several clashes. The army “pulled back after sustaining casualties,” the rebels said. (Posted @ 12:45 PST) Four dead, 65 injured as plane crash-lands in Honduras TEGUCIGALPA, May 31 (AFP): Four people were killed and 65 injured Friday when a jet owned by Central America's TACA airlines overshot the runway and slid onto a road at Tegucigalpa's airport, the Honduran presidency said. The plane, carrying 140 people including crew, “slid off the runway at at Toncontin International Airport, with a toll of four dead and 65 injured,” an official statement said. The plane was an Airbus A-320 flying a Los Angeles-San Salvador-Tegucigalpa route, officials said. (Posted @ 09:40 PST) Ghana runs out of jet fuel after pipeline leak: official ACCRA, May 31 (AFP): Airlines flying into Ghana's only international airport are being told to fill up their planes elsewhere, after the West African nation run out of aviation fuel, officials said Friday. Supplies of aviation turbine kerosene ran out on Thursday, after the Tema Oil Refinery said it had stopped pumping the product because of a serious pipeline leak. The director of operations at Ghana's aviation ministry said airlines flying into Accra have been asked to make alternative arrangements until the problem is solved. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
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