CM Sindh Murad to meet PM Nawaz today

KARACHI: Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah on Friday left the provincial metropolis to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad, in order to discuss important governance matters.

According to sources, CM Sindh Shah will reach Islamabad today to meet the premier around 11 AM.

The CM will discuss matters related to the security situation in Sindh, working relationship with the federal government, and Rangers’ policing powers in the province.

Later on, the chief minister might talk to media representatives at the CM House after the Friday prayers, sources further said .

This will be the first meeting between Murad Ali Shah and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, since the incumbent CM took oath last week. The federal government and Sindh government have been at odds over the issue of extending the stay of Rangers in Karachi with special powers. 

On Monday, Murad Ali Shah had written a letter to the Interior Ministry in which he approved Rangers' stay in Sindh with policing powers. 

 

 

 

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CM Sindh Murad to meet PM Nawaz today

KARACHI: Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah on Friday left the provincial metropolis to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad, in order to discuss important governance matters.

According to sources, CM Sindh Shah will reach Islamabad today to meet the premier around 11 AM.

The CM will discuss matters related to the security situation in Sindh, working relationship with the federal government, and Rangers? policing powers in the province.

Later on, the chief minister might talk to media representatives at the CM House after the Friday prayers, sources further said .

This will be the first meeting between Murad Ali Shah and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, since the incumbent CM took oath last week. The federal government and Sindh government have been at odds over the issue of extending the stay of Rangers in Karachi with special powers. 

On Monday, Murad Ali Shah had written a letter to the Interior Ministry in which he approved Rangers' stay in Sindh with policing powers. 

 

 

 

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Murders in interior Sindh down by 40pc, kidnappings by 77pc: Rangers

KARACHI: Due to continuous efforts since September 2013 made by the paramilitary force in collaboration with the local police, the crime ratio in interior Sindh has decreased significantly, with a 40 percent drop recorded in murders, 53 percent in dacoities, 77 percent decrease in kidnapping for ransom and 27 percent in armed robberies.

These statistics were released by the Sindh Rangers as part of a report of its operations in interior Sindh conducted with the assistance of the Sindh Police.

A Rangers spokesman said the force had conducted multiple raids in interior Sindh under Article-147 since September 5, 2013. As per the data released by Rangers on July 21, the paramilitary force has  arrested 533 suspects in multiple targeted and intelligence based operations in interior Sindh.

Of the 533 suspects held, 478 were handed over to local police for further legal proceedings, while 55 were handed over to different law enforcing departments.

- Originally appeared in The News

 

 

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Enough money available to build a new Sindh: CM

In pursuance of his mission to fix a broken Sindh and boost the morale of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said the development of the province is his dream and this is the right time to fulfil this dream, warning the top bureaucrats to pull their socks up or be ready to be held accountable. 

?Two hundred billion rupees is a pretty good amount, enough to make Sindh a developed, neat, clean and green province; therefore, every member of the cabinet, bureaucracy and civil society has to work in accordance with the injunctions of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah to work, work and work,? he said while chairing a meeting at the New Sindh Secretariat.

The meeting focused on education, health, local government and works and services, and reviewed fund releases, said a statement. Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Education Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, Chief Secretary Siddique Memon, Principal Secretary Alamuddin Bullo attended.

Shah, who recently replaced octogenarian Syed Qaim Ali Shah as the new chief executive of Sindh, said that enough funds were available to implement the entire Rs200 Annual Development Programme. However, he stressed that only the construction of quality roads, schools and hospitals was not the objective, as keeping them functional was equally important.

He directed all the departments to submit PC-I so that the necessary staff could be made available for the schemes; otherwise, the construction of buildings was not a big deal.

In his briefing to the chief minister, Additional Chief Secretary Development Mohammad Waseem said he had received PC-I of the development schemes being launched under the Rs 10 billion Karachi package. As per the directives of the CM, the technical committee will meet today to approve them.

Education Secretary Syed Mumtaz Shah said 351 schemes in six different sectors had been launched against an allocation of Rs13billion, and of the 351 schemes, 140 were ongoing and 211 were new.

Replying to a question, he said 33 schemes worth Rs1,682.262 million would be completed this year.

He added that 63 schemes of Rs2.42 billion would be completed during the next financial year, for which 50 percent of releases had been assured.

The education secretary further said that Rs 4.16 billion development funds had been released so far, ?which is unprecedented in history?.

Talking about the six sectors, he said that there were 94 schemes of elementary education of Rs1.3 billion, nine schemes of teachers education of Rs221 million, four schemes of Sindh Education Foundation worth Rs 446.2 million, 118 schemes of secondary education worth Rs 4.8 billion, 75 schemes of colleges of Rs4.5 billion, and 51 schemes of different categories worth Rs1.5 billion.

The chief minister directed the education department to be vigilant about the progress of uplift works; otherwise, they would be held responsible.

Works and Services Secretary Aijz Memon told the meeting that there were 613 schemes -- 602 of highways and 11 of buildings -- being executed by his department at a cost of Rs 9billion.

He said that during 2014-15, 607 kilometres of roads were constructed at a cost of Rs9.9 billion.

At this, CM Shah directed the ACS (Development) to carry out inspections of each and every road and then submit a report.

He said the works department during 2015-16, constructed 363 kilometres of roads, improved and repaired 555 kilometres and constructed 13 bridges.

The chief minister directed the Works & Service Department to activate all its engineers  to ensure quality work and timely completion of the schemes.

In his briefing, Health Secretary Ahmed Bux Narejo said that their development portfolio stood at Rs14 billion for 146 schemes -- 89 ongoing and 57 new.

The department has Rs7.6 billion capital and Rs6.35 billion revenue components.

Chief Minister Shah directed Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro to monitor the purchase of equipment.

?You are a doctor and know better than me the importance of good equipment.?

Shah said:  ?I follow the teachings of Quaid-e- Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah to work, work and work. And this is the time I will urge all to not seek leave and to strengthen his hands to serve Sindh and deliver to the people of Sindh. This may be deemed as a ban on leave but leave would be granted if necessary.?

- originally appeared in The News

 

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Enough money available to build a new Sindh: CM

In pursuance of his mission to fix a broken Sindh and boost the morale of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said the development of the province is his dream and this is the right time to fulfil this dream, warning the top bureaucrats to pull their socks up or be ready to be held accountable. 

“Two hundred billion rupees is a pretty good amount, enough to make Sindh a developed, neat, clean and green province; therefore, every member of the cabinet, bureaucracy and civil society has to work in accordance with the injunctions of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah to work, work and work,” he said while chairing a meeting at the New Sindh Secretariat.

The meeting focused on education, health, local government and works and services, and reviewed fund releases, said a statement. Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Education Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, Chief Secretary Siddique Memon, Principal Secretary Alamuddin Bullo attended.

Shah, who recently replaced octogenarian Syed Qaim Ali Shah as the new chief executive of Sindh, said that enough funds were available to implement the entire Rs200 Annual Development Programme. However, he stressed that only the construction of quality roads, schools and hospitals was not the objective, as keeping them functional was equally important.

He directed all the departments to submit PC-I so that the necessary staff could be made available for the schemes; otherwise, the construction of buildings was not a big deal.

In his briefing to the chief minister, Additional Chief Secretary Development Mohammad Waseem said he had received PC-I of the development schemes being launched under the Rs 10 billion Karachi package. As per the directives of the CM, the technical committee will meet today to approve them.

Education Secretary Syed Mumtaz Shah said 351 schemes in six different sectors had been launched against an allocation of Rs13billion, and of the 351 schemes, 140 were ongoing and 211 were new.

Replying to a question, he said 33 schemes worth Rs1,682.262 million would be completed this year.

He added that 63 schemes of Rs2.42 billion would be completed during the next financial year, for which 50 percent of releases had been assured.

The education secretary further said that Rs 4.16 billion development funds had been released so far, “which is unprecedented in history”.

Talking about the six sectors, he said that there were 94 schemes of elementary education of Rs1.3 billion, nine schemes of teachers education of Rs221 million, four schemes of Sindh Education Foundation worth Rs 446.2 million, 118 schemes of secondary education worth Rs 4.8 billion, 75 schemes of colleges of Rs4.5 billion, and 51 schemes of different categories worth Rs1.5 billion.

The chief minister directed the education department to be vigilant about the progress of uplift works; otherwise, they would be held responsible.

Works and Services Secretary Aijz Memon told the meeting that there were 613 schemes -- 602 of highways and 11 of buildings -- being executed by his department at a cost of Rs 9billion.

He said that during 2014-15, 607 kilometres of roads were constructed at a cost of Rs9.9 billion.

At this, CM Shah directed the ACS (Development) to carry out inspections of each and every road and then submit a report.

He said the works department during 2015-16, constructed 363 kilometres of roads, improved and repaired 555 kilometres and constructed 13 bridges.

The chief minister directed the Works & Service Department to activate all its engineers  to ensure quality work and timely completion of the schemes.

In his briefing, Health Secretary Ahmed Bux Narejo said that their development portfolio stood at Rs14 billion for 146 schemes -- 89 ongoing and 57 new.

The department has Rs7.6 billion capital and Rs6.35 billion revenue components.

Chief Minister Shah directed Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro to monitor the purchase of equipment.

“You are a doctor and know better than me the importance of good equipment.”

Shah said:  “I follow the teachings of Quaid-e- Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah to work, work and work. And this is the time I will urge all to not seek leave and to strengthen his hands to serve Sindh and deliver to the people of Sindh. This may be deemed as a ban on leave but leave would be granted if necessary.”

- originally appeared in The News

 

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Pakistan listed among most profitable markets in the world

Pakistan has been named as one of the markets which give maximum profits on investment, a report in the Wall Street Journal said.

According to international financial institutions, in the last five months since March 2016 investors have invested over $66 billion in 30 emerging markets in the world. Of this investment half of it has been done in Asian markets, the report states.

Pakistan is one of those markets where investors have put their faith in, the report said.  In the last five months vast investments have been made in the country. During this time the net worth of Pakistan Stock Exchange has increased by 20 percent in US dollars.

Similarly in Indonesia sale of government bonds has increased by 40 percent. This the highest point reached in the last 15 months.

According to the report in India, Indonesia and five other stock markets foreign investors have brought in over $50 billion.

 

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Amid party turmoil, drop in polls, Trump targets Clinton

WASHINGTON: Supporters of Republican Donald Trump urged him to get back on message on Thursday after a week of dropping opinion poll numbers and a war of words with ranking Republicans over his US presidential campaign.

In response to the criticism, Trump pledged to focus more on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who emerged from last week's Democratic National Convention with a lead in the polls and who has been consistently attacking him as temperamentally unfit for the presidency.

Trump's rough patch has contributed to a dip in support in some battleground states. A WBUR/MassINC poll in New Hampshire showed Clinton leading Trump, 47 percent to 32 percent.

Other polls showed Trump down 11 percentage points to Clinton in Pennsylvania and 6 percentage points in Florida, two states that are important to his chances of winning the election.

At a rally in Portland, Maine, on Thursday, Trump kept his attention on trying to undermine Clinton's candidacy. He said the fact that she has moved past a scandal over her use of a private email server as President Barack Obama's secretary of state was "probably the greatest accomplishment that she has ever had in politics."

Since formally accepting the Republican nomination two weeks ago, Trump has exasperated many supporters by getting bogged down in a public spat with the parents of an American soldier killed in Iraq and some fellow Republicans.

Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross said he still backed Trump, but urged him to stop engaging in exchanges that benefit the Democrats and make the real estate mogul's behavior the issue in the campaign.

"This election is Donald's to lose and so far the Democrats have been clever about baiting him and he generally has bitten," Ross said in an email to Reuters late on Wednesday.

US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, who has endorsed Trump but has not received a reciprocal endorsement from the New York businessman in his re-election bid, told WTAQ radio host Jerry Bader in Green Bay, Wisconsin, that Trump has "had a pretty strange run since the convention."

"You would think we ought to be focusing on Hillary Clinton, on all of her deficiencies. She is such a weak candidate that one would think we'd be on offense against Hillary Clinton, and it is distressing that that's not what we're talking about these days," he said.

Michael Caputo, a former Trump adviser who still supports him, said Trump still has time to right the ship.

"Staying on message is absolutely key," Caputo told Reuters. "After 30 years of speaking his mind, Mr. Trump has to understand that the general election for president of the United States is all about staying on message."

Actor and director Clint Eastwood, a prominent celebrity supporter of the Republican Party who appeared at its 2012 US presidential nominating convention, offered an alternative view, saying Trump says some "dumb things" but that Americans should get over it.

"He's onto something because secretly everybody's getting tired of political correctness, kissing up," the acclaimed actor and director told Esquire magazine. "That's the kiss-ass generation we're in right now."

At the same time, Trump's lukewarm support for the NATO alliance drew criticism from 37 national security experts from both Democratic and Republican administrations.

"We find Trump?s comments to be reckless, dangerous, and extremely unwise," they wrote in a statement.

Obama, at a Pentagon news conference, dismissed Trump's statements that the election could be "rigged" against him.

"Of course, the elections will not be rigged," he said.

Trump's troubles are emboldening Democrats to think big.

Speaking with reporters after a Clinton campaign event in Las Vegas, U.S. Senator Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, said he believed traditionally Republican-leaning states such as Arizona and Georgia are going to be competitive this election, and he expects Clinton to campaign there.

In Portland, some people at Trump's rally said the candidate should stop getting distracted.

"I don't like how he gets off track," said Bill Devine, 65, of Bath, Maine. "He needs to stay focused on his campaign."

Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort told CBS's "This Morning" that the campaign is comfortable where it stands now and said the news media have built a false narrative in which Democrats are controlling the race to the Nov. 8 election.

Manafort said that Trump?s dropping poll numbers ?were expected? and that he expected the numbers to even out soon.

?The framework of this election favors Donald Trump. If we run the campaign that we plan on running, we think we?re going to win," he said.

Concern about Trump has spilled into at least one congressional race.

US Representative Mike Coffman, a Colorado Republican, has released a campaign ad in his own re-election bid promising to ?stand up? to Trump if Trump is elected.

?People ask me, ?What do you think about Trump?? Honestly, I don?t care for him much. And I certainly don?t trust Hillary," Coffman said in the ad.

US Representative Charlie Dent, a Pennsylvania Republican, told MSNBC he could not endorse Trump because of "all these unforced errors" that Trump was making.

"It just seems that he's, at times, hell-bent on losing a very winnable election to a very seriously flawed candidate: Hillary Clinton," Dent said.

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Pakistan going after militant groups 'selectively': U.S.

WASHINGTON: The United States (U.S.) on Thursday said that Pakistan has gone after militant groups 'selectively' and urged Islamabad to eliminate all groups, even those that might not threaten Pakistan itself but threaten its neighbors.

"Pakistan has taken and is taking steps to counter terrorist violence, and certainly focusing on those groups that threaten its stability. They?ve restored government control to parts of Pakistan that were used as terrorist safe havens for years," said U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner during the daily media briefing.

He said that these steps have contributed to security interests in the region and they?ve come at a cost of Pakistani lives lost.

"But at the same time, they must target all militant groups including those that target Pakistan?s neighbors, and they must also close all safe havens," said the spokesman.

"They?re going after groups, but selectively," he continued further, adding that we need to see them go after even those groups that might not threaten Pakistan itself but threaten its neighbors.

Speaking with regard to proposed joint efforts against terrorism in the region, the spokesman said that the U.S. encourages a regional dialogue between Pakistan and India regarding counterterrorism efforts.

"We advocate for closer cooperation between India and Pakistan to deal with terrorist threats in both their countries," Toner said.

Terrorism is obviously a reality in both countries, and in order to effectively confront it, they need to work together, he added.

Asked about a quadrilateral counterterrorism alliance formed by China in association with Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan, he said: "We don?t view it as counterproductive that China pursues closer ties ? certainly in the security and counterterrorism fields ? with Central Asian countries."

Acknowledging that there are a lot of problems to be addressed, the spokesperson said that we certainly don?t view any effort to more closely coordinate among those countries ? all of whom are affected by terrorism in the region.

"We, in fact, view it as a positive," he added.

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Obama vows to crush IS, concerned about Russia in Syria

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Thursday vowed to continue hammering Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria, but acknowledged that pressure on the militants was prompting them to lash out beyond their self-proclaimed caliphate.

Speaking after meeting security and military officials in the Pentagon, Obama also blasted President Vladimir Putin´s policy in Syria, saying he doubted the Russian leader could be trusted to cooperate on helping end the country´s bloody civil war.

Obama pledged the IS group would "inevitably" be crushed and said the US-led coalition would continue to aggressively target the militants "across every front."

But "the decline of ISIL in Syria and Iraq appears to be causing it to shift to tactics that we´ve seen before -- an even greater emphasis on encouraging high-profile terrorist attacks, including in the United States," Obama warned, using an acronym for the IS group.

Even as coalition planes target the IS group in Iraq and Syria, the Russians have simultaneously been bombing in Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad.

While Moscow has sometimes struck IS targets, many of its strikes have been against anti-Assad rebels.

Multiple rounds of international negotiations to end the war, which erupted in 2011 after the Assad regime unleashed a brutal crackdown against a pro-democracy revolt, have so far failed.

Obama said the United States was prepared to work with Russia to try to reduce the violence in Syria and boost the fight against the IS group and Al-Qaeda.

"But Russia has failed to take the necessary steps. Given the deteriorating situation, it is time for Russia to show it is serious about pursuing these objectives," Obama said, warning he was not confident he could trust Putin.

"We go into this without any blinders on," Obama said.

"We´re going to test and see if we can get something that sticks. And if not, then Russia will have shown itself very clearly to be an irresponsible actor around the world stage that is supporting a murderous regime."

Obama´s visit to the Pentagon, possibly the last of his eight-year presidency, came as the US-led effort to defeat the IS group enters its third year.

The militants swept across vast parts of northern Syria and Iraq in 2014, leaving a trail of human butchery and horrific destruction in their wake.

Since then, the coalition has conducted daily plane and drone strikes -- more than 14,000 so far -- and worked with local forces on the ground to gradually reclaim the seized territory.

Despite the massive effort, the militants still hold Mosul -- Iraq´s second-largest city -- and the Syrian city of Raqa.

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Police nab suspect in murder of indebted friend

KARACHI: Police on Thursday rounded up a suspect involved in the murder of Ali Farhan, who was killed by his own friends in Karachi a few days ago.

The suspect, Faizan, was arrested from Korangi area, said SSP Korangi Noman Siddiqui. He is alleged of murdering Ali Farhan by subjecting him to brutal torture along with five other accomplices.

The other suspects in the case still remain at large.

On July 28, Faizan and other accomplices had entered into the house of their friend, Ali Farhan, in Malir Alfalah Society, according to police. The victim was indebted to his friends after having lost their money he had invested in the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

Faizan and other friends had tortured Farhan the entire night and fled the scene, taking valuables from the house along with them, said the victim’s family. They had also slashed the victim with a sharp object wounding him seriously.

Farhan was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The victim used to work in the stock exchange and had got married a year ago.

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Turkey issues warrant for preacher Gulen over coup

ANKARA: Turkey issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, accusing him of ordering the coup attempt aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

An Istanbul court issued the warrant, the first after the failed putsch for the reclusive cleric in Pennsylvania, the Anadolu news agency said.

In the warrant, Gulen stands accused of "ordering the July 15 coup", Anadolu reported.

Gulen strongly denies any involvement and the movement he leads insists it is a charitable network promoting tolerant Islam.

Turkey previously issued an arrest warrant for Gulen in December 2014 on charges of setting up and directing an "armed terrorist organisation" as well as using intimidation to deprive a person of their freedom.

Ankara has frequently called on the United States to extradite Gulen, sending two sets of documents to Washington since the coup as evidence of his involvement in the putsch attempt.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said American officials were reviewing the documents to determine whether they constituted a formal extradition request.

A rogue faction within the military tried to wrest control of the country on July 15, launching attacks on parliament and the president´s palace.

At least 272 people including 34 coup plotters were killed and nearly 2,200 injured after people took to the streets and squares against the putschists.

Since then thousands have been purged from their roles in the judiciary, police, military and education system, accused of being members of the coup movement while more than 25,000 people have been detained.

Western allies including the EU have expressed concern over the purges, fearing a witch hunt and the possibility innocent people will be caught up in the government crackdown.

Gulen nephew arrested

Turkish media including CNN-Turk broadcaster reported that Gulen´s nephew, Muhammet Sait Gulen, was also arrested on Thursday in Ankara.

Gulen´s relative was detained on July 23 in Erzurum, eastern Turkey where his 75-year-old uncle is said to have developed his deep convictions, close to his birthplace of Korucuk.

He had been detained in connection with the coup and over the leak of questions from 2010 civil service exams. CNN-Turk reported that he had admitted the exam leak.

He also denied being a member of the "Fethullah Terrorist Organisation", the name Ankara gives to the movement it claims is running a parallel state.

The cleric and members of the movement deny these accusations.

Meanwhile, two members of Turkey´s top constitutional court were dismissed from the profession after they were arrested over alleged involvement in the coup attempt, Anadolu reported.

´Tip of iceberg´

Earlier in the day, Erdogan said in a speech live from the presidential palace that businesses linked to Gulen would also come under scrutiny and would be cut off.

"At the moment, those captured are just the tip of the iceberg, others continue working. There is no doubt a pillar of this organisation is the business world. Perhaps that is where they are the strongest.

"We will cut off all their business links, all the revenues of Gulen-linked businesses," Erdogan added in a speech to the heads of chambers of commerce in Ankara.

Erdogan said the Gulen "virus" spread everywhere and vowed to cleanse the state from the movement.

"Each school, each house, each cramming school and each company of this structure is a hotbed of terror," he said.

"Those men are murderers... those men are hypocrites... those men are insidious... those men are thieves."

More than 13,000 people have been remanded in custody while nearly 75,000 passports have been cancelled since the coup bid.

Over 60,000 people within military, judiciary, civil service and education have been dismissed, detained or are currently under investigation for suspected links to the Gulen movement.

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Law enforcers arrest key suspect in 2008 Mumbai attack: sources

ISLAMABAD: A suspect was arrested by Law Enforcement Agencies, allegedly involved in the Mumbai attacks of 2008 in which at least 164 were killed and 308 others were wounded, sources said on Thursday.

Suspect Sufiyan Zafar, wanted in connection to the case, had allegedly provided funds to prime suspect Hammad Amin Sadiq.

According to the sources, an anti-terrorism court granted eight-day physical remand of the suspect.

Sources further said that a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team, headed by Director Mazhar Kakakhel, was interrogating the suspect.

 

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At least 700 stray dogs poisoned in Karachi

KARACHI: Officials have poisoned hundreds of dogs in Karachi in the latest effort to curb a population of strays that attack thousands of people each year in the teeming southern mega-city of some 20 million.

Bodies of dead dogs littered areas of the city where municipal workers gathered them for disposal.

"At least 700 dogs have been killed only in two areas of Karachi's south in the last couple of days," said Sattar Javed, a spokesman for the municipal authority.

Officials estimated the citywide operation that started this week had culled thousands of strays but did not have a full accounting for all six city districts.

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The periodic culling of dogs using poison tablets hidden in chicken meat has drawn criticism from animal rights activists in Pakistan, but another city official, Mohammad Zahid, said it was necessary because packs of strays posed a threat to residents.

Last year, Karachi's Jinnah Hospital treated 6,500 people bitten by dogs and this year so far it has seen 3,700 cases, said Dr Seemin Jamali, head of the emergency room.

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Taliban take hostages after Pakistani helicopter crashes in Afghanistan: reports

PULI ALAM/ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, officials said, with Afghan media and officials reporting that all seven people on board were taken hostage by the Taliban.

Officials at the Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad confirmed the crash-landing, adding that the helicopter was bought by the Punjab government from Uzbekistan and was being taken there for overhauling.

The insurgents have not so far commented on the incident in Azra district in the restive province of Logar.

"An Mi-17 transport helicopter belonging to the Punjab government was scheduled to fly to Russia for repair. We think the same chopper crash-landed in Logar," Akhtar Munir, a spokesman for the Pakistani embassy in Kabul, spokesman told news agency AFP.

"We don't know anything about the fate of those on-board or why it crash-landed."

The local district governor Hamidullah Hamid said seven people on board had been taken hostage by Taliban insurgents.

"They have been taken to an unknown location," he said.

The helicopter caught fire after it crashed, said Logar governor's spokesman Salim Saleh.

Further details about the people on board the aircraft were unavailable.

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Taliban take hostages after Pakistani helicopter crashes in Afghanistan: reports

PULI ALAM/ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, officials said, with Afghan media and officials reporting that all seven people on board were taken hostage by the Taliban.

Officials at the Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad confirmed the crash-landing, adding that the helicopter was bought by the Punjab government from Uzbekistan and was being taken there for overhauling.

The insurgents have not so far commented on the incident in Azra district in the restive province of Logar.

"An Mi-17 transport helicopter belonging to the Punjab government was scheduled to fly to Russia for repair. We think the same chopper crash-landed in Logar," Akhtar Munir, a spokesman for the Pakistani embassy in Kabul, spokesman told news agency AFP.

"We don't know anything about the fate of those on-board or why it crash-landed."

The local district governor Hamidullah Hamid said seven people on board had been taken hostage by Taliban insurgents.

"They have been taken to an unknown location," he said.

The helicopter caught fire after it crashed, said Logar governor's spokesman Salim Saleh.

Further details about the people on board the aircraft were unavailable.

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Sohail says followed Anderson example to generate extra swing

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan's Sohail Khan said watching videos of England great James Anderson had helped him end five years of Test exile with a maiden five-wicket haul at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old right arm paceman justified his recall by taking five for 96 as England were dismissed for 297 on the first day of the third Test.

It was also a reward for Pakistan's decision to drop Wahab Riaz from what had been a previously all left-arm pace attack following England's 330-run win in the second Test at Old Trafford that saw the hosts square the four-match series at 1-1.

Sohail, whose previous two Tests yielded an expensive return of one for 245, removed a quartet of top-order batsmen under grey skies following Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to field first.

Anderson, England's all-time leading Test bowler with 458 wickets, is a master performer in such conditions.

Sohail said studying Anderson, who provided him with his fifth wicket Wednesday when he had England's last man lbw, had taught him the value of reducing his speed in order to generate more swing.

"When I came here after I was named in the squad I watched James Anderson's videos, he bowls at 80 mph but gets eight to ten wickets every match," Sohail told reporters after stumps while speaking alongside Pakistan bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed.

"I watched him and noticed that he (Anderson) doesn't try to bowl very fast.

"Mushy also told me that if you don't bowl (too) fast and give the ball air, it will swing."

Sohail made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2009.

'Won't let go'

He then had to wait two years for his next Test, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

"I had played two Tests before and I was bowling inswing mostly," he said. "I tried to ball fast, I can still bowl fast, but then I met various coaches and they told me to bowl as per the conditions.

"I couldn't bowl well in my first Test in Karachi and some catches were also dropped off my bowling. I got my next chance in 2011 and there too I didn't do well.

"Now I have got another chance which I will not let go," added Sohail of his third Test in a third different continent.

"You expect to do well every day but cricket is such a game that it can take you on a high one day and then you go down on a bad day.

"But if you work hard, and bowl a good line and length, then success comes and every day is a good day."

England were indebted to left-handers Gary Ballance (70) and Moeen Ali (63) for taking them to what could yet be a competitive total.

"We just battled hard," said Ballance.

"There was a little bit of swing?It wasn't massive, but it just happened all day.

"So overall we're pretty happy with that, and if the conditions are the same tomorrow (Thursday), our bowlers will be very happy."

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Sohail says followed Anderson example to generate extra swing

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan's Sohail Khan said watching videos of England great James Anderson had helped him end five years of Test exile with a maiden five-wicket haul at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old right arm paceman justified his recall by taking five for 96 as England were dismissed for 297 on the first day of the third Test.

It was also a reward for Pakistan's decision to drop Wahab Riaz from what had been a previously all left-arm pace attack following England's 330-run win in the second Test at Old Trafford that saw the hosts square the four-match series at 1-1.

Sohail, whose previous two Tests yielded an expensive return of one for 245, removed a quartet of top-order batsmen under grey skies following Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to field first.

Anderson, England's all-time leading Test bowler with 458 wickets, is a master performer in such conditions.

Sohail said studying Anderson, who provided him with his fifth wicket Wednesday when he had England's last man lbw, had taught him the value of reducing his speed in order to generate more swing.

"When I came here after I was named in the squad I watched James Anderson's videos, he bowls at 80 mph but gets eight to ten wickets every match," Sohail told reporters after stumps while speaking alongside Pakistan bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed.

"I watched him and noticed that he (Anderson) doesn't try to bowl very fast.

"Mushy also told me that if you don't bowl (too) fast and give the ball air, it will swing."

Sohail made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2009.

'Won't let go'

He then had to wait two years for his next Test, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

"I had played two Tests before and I was bowling inswing mostly," he said. "I tried to ball fast, I can still bowl fast, but then I met various coaches and they told me to bowl as per the conditions.

"I couldn't bowl well in my first Test in Karachi and some catches were also dropped off my bowling. I got my next chance in 2011 and there too I didn't do well.

"Now I have got another chance which I will not let go," added Sohail of his third Test in a third different continent.

"You expect to do well every day but cricket is such a game that it can take you on a high one day and then you go down on a bad day.

"But if you work hard, and bowl a good line and length, then success comes and every day is a good day."

England were indebted to left-handers Gary Ballance (70) and Moeen Ali (63) for taking them to what could yet be a competitive total.

"We just battled hard," said Ballance.

"There was a little bit of swing…It wasn't massive, but it just happened all day.

"So overall we're pretty happy with that, and if the conditions are the same tomorrow (Thursday), our bowlers will be very happy."

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Military training helps Pakistani shooters reach Rio

ISLAMABAD: Two members of the small Pakistani contingent participating at the Rio Olympics have the country's military to thank for much of their training.

Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, a 29-year-old Navy Marine, and Minhal Sohail, a 21-year-old university student, will both compete in shooting events at the Games.

Bashir will participate in the 25-metre rapid fire pistol event for men, while Sohail will compete in the women's 10-metre air rifle event.

Both sharpshooters trained with the Pakistan Navy, and Sohail is the daughter of a naval officer.

Sohail got her start in shooting at a Navy summer camp in her hometown of Karachi and has since participated in numerous Asian championships.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in Olympics," she said.

Bashir said he only started competitive marksmanship in 2010 when he joined the Navy team.

"Pakistan Navy is making a great effort to promote shooting in Pakistan. Navy was the first to introduce electronic targets, and since then, we have made great improvement," Bashir told news agency Reuters as he practised before leaving for Rio.

The military training is necessary because Pakistan's government and private sports structure has weakened.

Pakistan's sporting decline has left the vast South Asian nation that once prided itself on producing the world's top hockey and squash players facing up to an Olympics for which none of its athletes have qualified.

The seven participants representing the country at the Rio Games have all been given wildcard entries and stand 'no chance' of winning medals, according to Arif Hasan, the Pakistan Olympic Association president.

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Military training helps Pakistani shooters reach Rio

ISLAMABAD: Two members of the small Pakistani contingent participating at the Rio Olympics have the country's military to thank for much of their training.

Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, a 29-year-old Navy Marine, and Minhal Sohail, a 21-year-old university student, will both compete in shooting events at the Games.

Bashir will participate in the 25-metre rapid fire pistol event for men, while Sohail will compete in the women's 10-metre air rifle event.

Both sharpshooters trained with the Pakistan Navy, and Sohail is the daughter of a naval officer.

Sohail got her start in shooting at a Navy summer camp in her hometown of Karachi and has since participated in numerous Asian championships.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in Olympics," she said.

Bashir said he only started competitive marksmanship in 2010 when he joined the Navy team.

"Pakistan Navy is making a great effort to promote shooting in Pakistan. Navy was the first to introduce electronic targets, and since then, we have made great improvement," Bashir told news agency Reuters as he practised before leaving for Rio.

The military training is necessary because Pakistan's government and private sports structure has weakened.

Pakistan's sporting decline has left the vast South Asian nation that once prided itself on producing the world's top hockey and squash players facing up to an Olympics for which none of its athletes have qualified.

The seven participants representing the country at the Rio Games have all been given wildcard entries and stand 'no chance' of winning medals, according to Arif Hasan, the Pakistan Olympic Association president.

Read More

'Peepli Live' co-director jailed for seven years over rape

NEW DELHI: An Indian court on Thursday sentenced a Bollywood director to seven years in jail for raping an American research scholar last year, the victim's lawyer said.

Mahmood Farooqui, best known for co-directing the popular 2010 satire "Peepli Live" on farmer suicides, was convicted on Saturday after a fast-track court in New Delhi found him guilty of the March 2015 attack.

The victim, then aged 35, had travelled to India to seek Farooqui's assistance with her research when the assault took place at his home in an upscale area of the capital.

"The court sentenced him to seven years (of imprisonment), which is the minimum jail term for this offence," the victim's lawyer, Vrinda Grover, told news agency AFP.

Grover, who had argued for the maximum term of life imprisonment, said the court had also imposed a 50,000 rupee ($747) fine.

Farooqui, who pleaded not guilty, was taken into custody at the weekend.

The woman returned to the US shortly after the incident but came back to report the matter to police.

"Peepli Live", which explores the divide between urban and rural India, was produced by Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan.

Farooqui co-directed it with his wife, Anusha Rizwi.

India introduced tough laws against sex offenders in the wake of the fatal gang-rape of a Delhi student in the capital in December 2012 that sparked mass street protests. But high levels of sexual violence against women continue.

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'Peepli Live' co-director jailed for seven years over rape

NEW DELHI: An Indian court on Thursday sentenced a Bollywood director to seven years in jail for raping an American research scholar last year, the victim's lawyer said.

Mahmood Farooqui, best known for co-directing the popular 2010 satire "Peepli Live" on farmer suicides, was convicted on Saturday after a fast-track court in New Delhi found him guilty of the March 2015 attack.

The victim, then aged 35, had travelled to India to seek Farooqui's assistance with her research when the assault took place at his home in an upscale area of the capital.

"The court sentenced him to seven years (of imprisonment), which is the minimum jail term for this offence," the victim's lawyer, Vrinda Grover, told news agency AFP.

Grover, who had argued for the maximum term of life imprisonment, said the court had also imposed a 50,000 rupee ($747) fine.

Farooqui, who pleaded not guilty, was taken into custody at the weekend.

The woman returned to the US shortly after the incident but came back to report the matter to police.

"Peepli Live", which explores the divide between urban and rural India, was produced by Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan.

Farooqui co-directed it with his wife, Anusha Rizwi.

India introduced tough laws against sex offenders in the wake of the fatal gang-rape of a Delhi student in the capital in December 2012 that sparked mass street protests. But high levels of sexual violence against women continue.

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US designates Jamaat-ur-Ahrar a 'terrorist group'

ISLAMABAD: The United States has added the Pakistani militant group Jamaat-ur-Ahrar to its list of global terrorists, triggering sanctions against a faction that has staged multiple attacks on civilians, religious minorities and soldiers.

Jamaat-ur-Ahrar has claimed responsibility for at least five major attacks in Pakistan since December, including the Easter Sunday bombing in a public park that killed 70 people in the city of Lahore.

The group is a splinter faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that has also declared loyalty to the leadership of Daesh (Islamic State) in the Middle East.

It also claimed responsibility for the killing of two Pakistani employees of the US Consulate in the northwestern city of Peshawar in March.

The designation by Washington means anyone who supports Jamaat-ur-Ahrar could have their assets frozen by the US government.

Pakistan welcomed the decision.

"Pakistan has long pleaded to take concrete action against the TTP and their like who operate in Afghanistan, and they have planned and launched a number of attacks in Pakistan while operating from there," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria told a briefing.

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IMF clears final payment in Pakistan's 3-year $6.4bn programme

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund cleared payment to Pakistan of a final $102 million tranche in a $6.4 billion three-year programme on Thursday, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the country was ready to move forward without further IMF support.

Officials from Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and officials concluded their twelfth and final review in Dubai, with mission chief Harald Finger expressing satisfaction at the progress made by the country´s economy.

The tranche will be released pending approval from the IMF's executive board, but that step is largely a formality.

"Growth is expected to reach 5 percent in FY 2016/17, supported by buoyant construction activity, strengthened private sector credit growth, and an investment upturn related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)," said Finger, according to a statement released by the IMF.

Involving projects valued at $46 billion, CPEC envisages the construction of infrastructure such as power plants, roads and a port across Pakistan, linking southwestern China to the Arabian Sea.

"In the course of the IMF-supported programme, Pakistan's economy has made significant progress toward strengthening macroeconomic and financial stability and resilience, and laying foundations for higher, more sustainable, and inclusive growth," Finger said.

He identified declining exports and delays in power distribution company reform, however, as worthy of concern.

Privatisation of those and other public sector enterprises had been a key part of the programme, but there has been little progress.

Pakistan's delegation in Dubai was led by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who welcomed the conclusion of the programme, which has supported the country's economic stabilisation agenda.

"Successful completion of the last review is indicative of government's strong commitment in implementing difficult structural reforms in the areas of taxation, energy, monetary/financial sectors and public sector enterprises," he said in a statement on Thursday.

In April, Masood Ahmed, the IMF's director for the Middle East and Central Asia, told Reuters that Pakistan was ready to go it alone once this package concluded.

"They have completed to a large measure the stabilisation agenda that this programme was supporting," he said.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif echoed that sentiment, saying Pakistan was able to stand on its own feet economically.

"It is now my desire?that we say goodbye to the IMF," he said, addressing a group of his party's lawmakers in the capital Islamabad shortly after the announcement of the programme's conclusion.

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Early blow for Pakistan after Sohail magic limits England to 297

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan lost Mohammad Hafeez in the very first over of their innings on Thursday, after Sohail Khan?s five-wicket haul on the previous day restricted England to 297.

Hafeez fell to swing bowler James Anderson at duck, as he cut the slightly short delivery and was caught at point by Gary Ballance on the fourth ball of the over.

Opener Sami Aslam, in for Shan Masood, and Azhar Ali steadied the ship, taking Pakistan to 53 for 1 as of 21 overs. Sami and Azhar are not out at 20 and 26, respectively.

Sohail marked his return to Test cricket after a five-year absence with a maiden five-wicket haul as Pakistan dismissed England for 297 on the first day of the third Test at Edgbaston.

After Sohail sparked a top-order collapse, England were indebted to left-handers Gary Ballance (70) and Moeen Ali (63) for taking them to what could yet prove a challenging total.

Sohail, a 32-year-old right-arm quick, removed a quartet of top-order batsman on his way to figures of five for 96 in 23 overs.

Sohail's return was all the more impressive as his previous two Tests -- against Sri Lanka at Karachi in 2009 and against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2011 -- had yielded a combined haul of one for 245.

A stress fracture of the back after last year?s World Cup provided a further check on his progress.

He was recalled in place of Wahab Riaz as Pakistan broke up the all left-arm pace attack they had deployed for the first two Tests of this four-match contest following England´s 330-run series-leveling win at Old Trafford.

Sohail took the new ball after Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss on a gloomy morning, with some moisture in the pitch after overnight rain.

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Four degrees and a book later, Lahore man forced to drive rickshaw to survive

LAHORE: Call it a cruel twist of fate or the irony of our existing system, Samanabad resident Muhammad Saleem had to resort to driving a rickshaw to feed his young family after failing to get a job that matched his skills.

What makes this situation so bizarre is the fact that Saleem has four academic degrees to his name. He holds M.A. degrees in English and Pakistan Studies and an M.Ed. and B.Ed. That’s not all; he has also written a book on English tenses for children. Unfortunately, all this was still not enough to secure him a job.

Talking to Geo News, Saleem said he tried everything he could, approached different companies, sent his CV to different places, but no one called him. In the end, he had no choice but to drive a rickshaw to support his wife and children.

Even with so many degrees under his belt, his thirst for knowledge was not quenched. Saleem enrolled for an LL.B but could not complete the program because of financial pressures. He also could not fulfill his dream of pursuing an M.Phil because the needs of his family required him to find a way to start earning.

Despite the circumstances, Saleem’s family is proud of his work. “I am proud of him, I am proud that he is educated and I want my children to be educated as well. We are happy,” his wife said.

Saleem’s children are studying and learning vocational skills at the same time. Saleem has high hopes for their future and is determined to see them as highly educated adults one day.

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PM chairs parliamentary party meeting as opposition threatens protest

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif presided a parliamentary party meeting on Thursday ahead of a protest that the opposition has planned to launch this month.

Addressing the session, the prime minister said that the public can differentiate between “those who do politics of progress and those who do politics of anarchy”.

“Our government is determined to ensure a bright present and future,” he added.

“In 2011 some people tried their best to do politics,” he said taking a jibe at the opposition. “But in 2013 the public became politically aware and elected us into power.”

“Our victory in Azad Kashmir elections was record breaking,” he said, talking about their landslide win in the elections held last month.

 “In the elections in Gilgit Baltistan and local bodies elections the public put their trust in us,” he said.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has threatened to launch an anti-government protest from August 7. The Pakistan People's Party is also expected to stage a protest this month.

"It is with immense happiness that I am announcing that we will bid farewell to the IMF program this year," he said.

Nawaz praised the efforts of Paksitan army, police and the nation in bringing down terrorism and militancy in the country. He also expressed his happiness at the improved law and order circumstances of Karachi and said that investors were now coming back to the city.  

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Facebook to let emerging market companies sell through their pages

Facebook Inc is to let small businesses in emerging markets sell to customers for free through their Facebook pages, the social media company said on Wednesday, marking a new effort to build up potential advertisers in its fastest-growing regions.

The move is Facebook's latest foray onto online commerce in emerging markets. The company launched a service last year allowing some merchants to sell items through paid ads on Facebook's app. The latest service will instead be free, and users can view products through merchants' own Facebook pages.

By making sellers more reliant on Facebook, the company hopes that more businesses in emerging markets will eventually decide to become paying advertisers.

"If a business is seeing value from their page, there is a higher opportunity that they could be an advertiser," said Benji Shomair, product marketing director of Facebook Pages, in an interview.

Facebook, whose stock hit its all-time high last week after reporting sharp growth in ad sales, has about 3 million active advertisers. But there are more than 60 million businesses worldwide using its service that can set up pages for free in an attempt to reach more customers out of Facebook's 1.7 billion global monthly users.

Southeast Asia is Facebook's fastest-growing region for users, but it still makes far more money off users in the United States and Canada. The company made average revenue of $13.74 per North American user in the second quarter, compared with an average of $1.74 per user in the Asia-Pacific region.

The hugely popular Facebook app and website has largely saturated Western markets and is turning to emerging markets for growth, both in users and advertising dollars.

It has launched Free Basics, a free, pared-down version of the internet, in more than 30 countries that have populations without reliable internet connections, and it is building internet-beaming drones to connect people who have never had access to the internet.

Both initiatives are central to Facebook's global strategy of seeking to reach a large group of potential users who otherwise would not be able to create Facebook accounts.

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Four degrees and a book later, Lahore man forced to drive rickshaw to survive

LAHORE: Call it a cruel twist of fate or the irony of our existing system, Samanabad resident Muhammad Saleem had to resort to driving a rickshaw to feed his young family after failing to get a job that matched his skills.

What makes this situation so bizarre is the fact that Saleem has four academic degrees to his name. He holds M.A. degrees in English and Pakistan Studies and an M.Ed. and B.Ed. That?s not all; he has also written a book on English tenses for children. Unfortunately, all this was still not enough to secure him a job.

Talking to Geo News, Saleem said he tried everything he could, approached different companies, sent his CV to different places, but no one called him. In the end, he had no choice but to drive a rickshaw to support his wife and children.

Even with so many degrees under his belt, his thirst for knowledge was not quenched. Saleem enrolled for an LL.B but could not complete the program because of financial pressures. He also could not fulfill his dream of pursuing an M.Phil because the needs of his family required him to find a way to start earning.

Despite the circumstances, Saleem?s family is proud of his work. ?I am proud of him, I am proud that he is educated and I want my children to be educated as well. We are happy,? his wife said.

Saleem?s children are studying and learning vocational skills at the same time. Saleem has high hopes for their future and is determined to see them as highly educated adults one day.

Read More

PM chairs parliamentary party meeting as opposition threatens protest

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif presided a parliamentary party meeting on Thursday ahead of a protest that the opposition has planned to launch this month.

Addressing the session, the prime minister said that the public can differentiate between ?those who do politics of progress and those who do politics of anarchy?.

?Our government is determined to ensure a bright present and future,? he added.

?In 2011 some people tried their best to do politics,? he said taking a jibe at the opposition. ?But in 2013 the public became politically aware and elected us into power.?

?Our victory in Azad Kashmir elections was record breaking,? he said, talking about their landslide win in the elections held last month.

 ?In the elections in Gilgit Baltistan and local bodies elections the public put their trust in us,? he said.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has threatened to launch an anti-government protest from August 7. The Pakistan People's Party is also expected to stage a protest this month.

"It is with immense happiness that I am announcing that we will bid farewell to the IMF program this year," he said.

Nawaz praised the efforts of Paksitan army, police and the nation in bringing down terrorism and militancy in the country. He also expressed his happiness at the improved law and order circumstances of Karachi and said that investors were now coming back to the city.  

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Fury at top of Republican Party over Trump snub of House speaker

WASHINGTON/JACKSONVILLE, FLA.: Donald Trump's White House campaign was in turmoil on Wednesday after he angered senior Republican Party leaders by criticizing a dead soldier's family and refusing to back the re-election campaign of House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan.

On Tuesday, Trump denied support to both Ryan and Senator John McCain in their coming primary contests, hitting back at critics in the Republican leadership who have taken him to task for his insistent public dispute with the parents of the soldier, a Muslim US Army captain killed in the Iraq war.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was furious over the failure to endorse Ryan, who is the most senior elected Republican, and over Trump's feud with the Khan family, two Republican sources said.

"He feels like a fool," a Republican source familiar with the situation said of Priebus.

The RNC did not respond to a request for comment about Priebus.

Another Republican source said Trump's family members, who have played an influential role in his campaign, were aware that an intervention was needed to get Trump back on track. One idea being floated was to have a senior adviser travel with Trump to help him stay on message.

More than any other major figure in the Republican establishment, Priebus worked to bring Trump into the party's fold despite the New York businessman's status as an outsider. Trump, who had never previously run for public office, beat 16 rivals to become the Republican presidential nominee for the Nov. 8 election.

Ahead of last month's Republican Party Convention, the RNC chairman sought to rally the fractured party behind Trump. Priebus feels burned by Trump's string of self-inflicted wounds and his refusal to observe basic decorum by giving Ryan his support.

But in what appeared to be an effort to soothe ruffled feelings, Trump's vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, said on Wednesday he endorsed Ryan as "a strong conservative leader" and was doing so with Trump's blessing.

The Indiana governor told Fox News that it takes time to build relationships in politics and that was exactly what Trump and Ryan were doing.

Trump has had a running dispute with the parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan since they took the stage at last week's Democratic National Convention. Khizr Khan, with his wife, Ghazala, standing by his side, cited the sacrifice of their son, who was killed by a car bomb in 2004, and criticized Trump's proposal to combat terrorism by temporarily banning Muslims from entering the United States.

Many Republican leaders, including Ryan and McCain, have criticized Trump's subsequent attacks on the parents. Even longtime ally Chris Christie, the Republican New Jersey governor, said it was inappropriate to attack the Khans.

Trump's feud with the Khans was the final straw for Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, a former Air Force pilot and Iraq war veteran. Kinzinger, who had held off supporting Trump, told CNN on Wednesday: "I just don?t see how I get to Donald Trump anymore."

Trump, who made his comments about Ryan and McCain in an interview with The Washington Post, shrugged off the backlash.

"There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!" he wrote on Twitter early on Wednesday, referring to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

Campaign manager Paul Manafort told Fox News the campaign was moving in a positive direction, with Trump himself in control. "The campaign is in very good shape. We are organized. We are moving forward," Manafort said.

In Daytona, Florida, Trump said the news media's coverage of him was dishonest.

"We're doing quite well despite the fact that we get a totally false narrative," he told supporters at a rally.

At another campaign event in Florida, in Jacksonville, Trump pointed out a group of families, known as Gold Star families, who have lost loved ones in war, calling them "incredible people." He didn't mention the spat with the Khans.

 

Recent turmoil

Trump's always unruly campaign has been mired in disorder in recent days. On Monday, Trump fired Ed Brookover, a senior adviser hired as a liaison between the campaign and the RNC.

Ryan, who is favored to win next week in his race against primary challenger Paul Nehlen, appeared to be trying to ignore the snub from Trump. An aide to the speaker said he would not have time to meet Trump later this week, when Trump is expected to be campaigning in Wisconsin, Ryan's home state.

The aide did not indicate whether anyone had requested a get-together of Trump and Ryan, but when asked whether they might meet to patch things up, the aide told Reuters, "The speaker has a full schedule ? can?t back out of previous commitments in the (congressional) district.?

A Republican congressional aide said there was deep frustration on Capitol Hill that Trump keeps engaging in "petty spats." The aide said congressional offices that support Trump got two sets of talking points on Monday from the campaign about the Khan situation but have not heard anything from the campaign about Trump's Ryan comments.

The dissent over the Trump campaign also took other turns.

Late on Tuesday, Meg Whitman, a prominent Republican fundraiser and chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE.N), endorsed Clinton's White House bid, calling Trump an "authoritarian character" and a threat to democracy.

In better news for Trump, his campaign and the RNC jointly raised $80 million for his White House bid in July, the campaign said on Wednesday. That was less than the $90 million Clinton raised along with the national Democratic Party the same month, but it was a substantial bump from past months.

A former reality TV star, Trump has won support particularly from white blue-collar workers who feel neglected by the political establishment. Along with his proposed ban on Muslims, his plans have included building a wall along the Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants and renegotiating trade agreements.

Opinion polls have shown Clinton benefiting from a boost after her party's convention last week. The RealClearPolitics average of recent national polls put her 4.5 percentage points ahead of Trump, at 46.5 percent to 42 percent.

The Detroit Economic Club, where candidates usually appear to give major economic addresses, said Trump would speak at the club on Monday.

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Deepika's upcoming movie makes her highest paid Bollywood actress

Deepika Padukone has become the highest paid actress in Bollywood after she charged a whopping Rs 12 crore for her upcoming movie.

The amount makes her the first female actress to break the Rs10 crore mark. In an industry where female actresses have often complained of not being paid as much as their male colleagues, Deepika has become a beacon of hope.

Deepika will be starring in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati.

The actress in her first Hollywood debut is starring next to Vin Diesel in XXX: The Return of Xander Cage.

She has grown as an actress over the years. According to reports in the media she got Rs1 crore for Ram-Leela, for Bajirao Mastani which came two years later Rs 7 crore and this time its Rs 12.62 crore for her upcoming movie.

In 2015 after Tanu Wed Manu Returns Kangana Ranaut said she received over Rs11 crore for her movie, but the claim could not be verified.

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Boy, girl committed suicide over love marriage in Sargodha

SARGODHA: A girl and boy, whose bodies were found from a car in Sargodga, had allegedly committed suicide over love marriage, said the investigation officer on Thursday.

According to the initial investigation report, both of them died due to poison intake.

The investigation officer revealed that the couple wanted to get married.

Police said that the boy was a student of Lahore University and the girl was a student of the Sargodha University.

The 23-year-old girl left her house saying that she is meeting a female friend. When it started to get late, her family started a search for her.

However, after a while news of their death surfaced.

Police said they had recovered the bodies from a car parked in the garage at the boy?s residence.

Police added that it is further investigating the matter and the dead bodies have been returned to the families after post mortem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read More

Deepika's upcoming movie makes her highest paid Bollywood actress

Deepika Padukone has become the highest paid actress in Bollywood after she charged a whopping Rs 12 crore for her upcoming movie.

The amount makes her the first female actress to break the Rs10 crore mark. In an industry where female actresses have often complained of not being paid as much as their male colleagues, Deepika has become a beacon of hope.

Deepika will be starring in Sanjay Leela Bhansali?s Padmavati.

The actress in her first Hollywood debut is starring next to Vin Diesel in XXX: The Return of Xander Cage.

She has grown as an actress over the years. According to reports in the media she got Rs1 crore for Ram-Leela, for Bajirao Mastani which came two years later Rs 7 crore and this time its Rs 12.62 crore for her upcoming movie.

In 2015 after Tanu Wed Manu Returns Kangana Ranaut said she received over Rs11 crore for her movie, but the claim could not be verified.

Read More

Woman killed, five injured in central London knife attack

LONDON: One woman was killed and five others injured by a man with suspected mental health issues who went on the rampage with a knife in central London, an attack police said could be linked to terrorism.

Armed police were called at 10:33 p.m. (2133 GMT) after a man with a knife started to attack people in London's Russell Square, an elegant park near the site of a 2005 suicide bombing.

"Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry," London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told reporters.

"But of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive and consequently terrorism as a motivation remains but one line of inquiry for us to explore," said Rowley, who is Britain's most senior anti-terrorism officer.

Police, who arrived within five minutes of being called, used a Taser electric shock gun while arresting the 19-year-old suspect. The investigation is being handled by the homicide command with support from the counter-terrorism officers, Rowley said.

The woman was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later. The other injured people - one woman and four men - are being treated, Rowley said.

A Reuters reporter at the scene said the southern part of the square, which sits at the heart of London's university area and is close to landmarks such as the British Museum, was cordoned off by police.

A forensic tent had been erected on the pavement, the scene of the attack, the Reuters reporter said.

Britain says its terrorist attack threat level remains at "severe", the second-highest level, meaning a strike is "highly likely". London police had already promised to deploy more armed officers after a spate of deadly attacks in France, Germany and Belgium.

Attacks across Europe have heightened tensions between some communities, raised questions about the European Union's border policies and bolstered support for anti-EU far-right groups.

Police chiefs and security bosses have repeatedly warned that Daesh (Islamic State) fighters want to carry out attacks against Britain, a close ally of the United States.

"Severe threat"

London's Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, called for vigilance.

"The safety of all Londoners is my number one priority and my heart goes out to the victims of the incident in Russell Square and their loved ones," he said.

"I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant. Please report anything suspicious to the police?. We all have a vital role to play as eyes and ears for our police and security services and in helping to ensure London is protected."

Just hours before the Russell Square attack, London's police chief said that he would deploy an additional 600 armed officers across the capital to protect against any attacks.

Flanked by heavily armed officers in full body armor, Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said on Wednesday that it would be foolish to ignore the recent spate of attacks in France, Germany and Belgium.

London counter-terrorism police chiefs have previously warned that Daesh was seeking to radicalize vulnerable people with mental health issues to carry out attacks. In some operations, police commanders have taken advice from specialist psychologists.

London was hit by coordinated suicide bombings on July 7, 2005, when four extremists targeted three underground trains and one bus, killing 52 people.

One of the bombs was detonated on an underground train traveling between Kings Cross and Russell Square while another bomb was detonated on a bus in Tavistock Square, a short distance from Russell Square.

Since then, dozens of plots have been foiled and there have been smaller-scale attacks, such as the killing of an off-duty soldier on a street in south London by two extremists in May 2013.

A man who attacked passengers at a London underground train station in December was jailed for life earlier this month. The judge said the attacker was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the offence but that he may have been motivated by events in Syria.

"Londoners will wake up and in the morning they will notice an increased police presence on the streets, including armed officers," Assistant Commissioner Rowley said.

"This is there to provide reassurance and safety. We ask the public to remain calm, vigilant and alert," he said.

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PM?s disqualification case: ECP asks parties to present tangible proof by 17th

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Wednesday began hearing the four references filed by many political parties, seeking disqualification of the prime minister and the forum asked them to come up on August 17 with documentary evidence.

The forum witnessed an interesting situation when PPP’s senior leader and lawyer Latif Khosa could not read from the documentary evidence that he had submitted to the Election Commission along with an application for disqualification of the premier. He was asked how could the forum give its judgment on the basis of such evidence that could not be read.   

In the packed hall of the Election Commission Secretariat here, the Chief Election Commissioner, Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza, chaired the five-member bench, also consisting of four of the Election Commission members. The PPP, PTI, PAT and AML have filed separate references to get Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif disqualified for allegedly hiding facts in his nomination papers and income tax returns.

Giving arguments in support of his reference, Khosa contended that the prime minister had lied about his assets while submitting the nomination papers and he be charged for hiding his assets. Nawaz Sharif’s children made offshore companies, which had been mentioned also in the Panama Papers. “Hence the prime minister is no more sadiq and ameen,” he charged.

On this, Sardar Raza asked him was his application for the disqualification of the prime minister or against his sons, Khosa replied that it was against the prime minister, whose sons’ statements had been appearing in the media that they relied on their father for expenditure and business.

PTI’s lawyer, while giving arguments before the bench, said that the prime minister of Iceland had tendered his resignation after knowing about his name in the Panama Papers. To this, the bench asked him, was the name of Pakistan’s prime minister also mentioned in the PanamaLeaks, his reply was in the negative.

On his turn, PAT lawyer urged the bench for disqualification of the prime minister for his name was in the case as one of the accused, filed with reference to Model Town killings. The bench contended that he should approach the relevant forum, as without any decision in the case from the court of law, no judgement could be given in this matter. 

Talking to media outside the Election Commission, PTI’s Information Secretary Naeemul Haq, who was present during the proceedings, urged for holding hearing daily in the references.

PML-N’s Daniyal Aziz told media persons that all the four parties had conceded before the Election Commission that the name of prime minister was not mentioned in the Panama Papers. He noted that the four parties had filed references without having evidence to substantiate their contention against the prime minister.

- Originally appeared in The News

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Pakistani-origin man jailed in Norway for joining ISIS

An Oslo court on Wednesday sentenced a Pakistani-origin man to six years in prison for joining the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Hasan Ahmed, 46, a Norwegian citizen of Pakistani origin, was found guilty of vowing allegiance to ISIS and taking part in ISIS training programmes, AFP reported.

Ahmed?s son Ishaq was also sentenced to eight years in prison by a Norway court last year for joining the jihadist group.

Along with Ahmed, the court also convicted Chechen-origin Adam Idrisovich Magomadov, 23, of belonging to ISIS. Magomadov was handed a sentence of seven and a half years.

Meanwhile, a Pakistani-Italian man named Aftab Farooq has been deported from Italy for allegedly plotting to join ISIS in Syria, the Italian Interior Ministry said.

According to media reports, Farooq, 26, was captain of the Italian youth cricket team and had captained the Italian Under-19 cricket team back in 2009.

Farooq had reportedly been living in a town near Milan with his family for 13 years.

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PM calls mutual cooperation among SAARC countries key to success

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressed the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) interior ministers meeting on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion he said that the South Asian region is blessed with resources. He stressed that the region should work together to combat the problems it faces. ?Mutual cooperation is important for regional progress,? he added.

He added that SAARC had made significant progress despite challenges.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar in his address said that Pakistan wants to see SAARC as a successful organization. ?SAARC will have to play its role to solve problems of the region. We will have to adopt a common strategy to combat crimes,? he said.

Nisar added that all countries in SAARC will make efforts to counter drugs and maintain peace in the region.

He added that the region faced crimes like human trafficking and money laundering.

The meeting of Saarc interior ministers kicked off in Islamabad on Wednesday with regional affairs, terrorism, prevention of drugs and human trafficking on its agenda.

The meeting is being attended by interior ministers of all SAARC states except Bangladesh. Dhaka, however, is being represented by senior diplomats and officials.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh is also attending the conference. He, however, will not hold a one-on-one meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

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Chaudhry Nisar stresses need to jointly tackle problems of SAARC region

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar addressed the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Interior Minister Conference on Thursday.

Speaking at the conference Nisar said that Pakistan wants to see SAARC as a successful organization. “SAARC will have to play its role to solve problems of the region. We will have to adopt a common strategy to combat crimes,” he said.

Nisar added that the all countries in SAARC will make efforts to counter drugs and maintain peace in the region.

He added that the region faced crimes like human trafficking and money laundering.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived at the conference venue.

The meeting of SAARC interior ministers kicked off in Islamabad on Wednesday with regional affairs, terrorism, prevention of drugs and human trafficking on its agenda.

The meeting is being attended by interior ministers of all SAARC states except Bangladesh. Dhaka, however, is being represented by senior diplomats and officials.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh is also attending the conference. He, however, will not hold a one-on-one meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

 

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Chaudhry Nisar stresses need to jointly tackle problems of SAARC region

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar addressed the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Interior Minister Conference on Thursday.

Speaking at the conference Nisar said that Pakistan wants to see SAARC as a successful organization. ?SAARC will have to play its role to solve problems of the region. We will have to adopt a common strategy to combat crimes,? he said.

Nisar added that the all countries in SAARC will make efforts to counter drugs and maintain peace in the region.

He added that the region faced crimes like human trafficking and money laundering.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived at the conference venue.

The meeting of SAARC interior ministers kicked off in Islamabad on Wednesday with regional affairs, terrorism, prevention of drugs and human trafficking on its agenda.

The meeting is being attended by interior ministers of all SAARC states except Bangladesh. Dhaka, however, is being represented by senior diplomats and officials.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh is also attending the conference. He, however, will not hold a one-on-one meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

 

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