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Showing posts from September, 2018

Party members join EU in rejecting May’s Brexit plan

While Prime Minister Theresa May is doggedly defending her Brexit plan, delegates at her party´s annual conference have joined the EU in writing it off — and suggest her own time in office is limited. Conservative party members queued for two hours on Sunday to see leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg denounce May´s “Chequers plan” for close economic ties with the EU, one of half a dozen events he is addressing in Birmingham. Across town, several Tory Eurosceptic MPs joined former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage in demanding a clean break with the EU, at a rally attended by around 500 people waving British flags. Similar crowds are expected at a conference event on Tuesday with former minister Boris Johnson, a rival for May´s job who has condemned her plan as “deranged”. “The prime minister is completely out of touch with the majority of party members,” Michael Wilkins, 53, told AFP at the rally, seated near a giant poster saying “Save Brexit”. Many eurosceptic Tori

FM Qureshi to meet NSA Bolton on visit to White House

In addition to his planned meeting with United States (US) Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will also hold a meeting with the country's National Security Adviser (NSA) John Bolton at the White House, Dawn reported on Monday. Qureshi had arrived in Washington DC on Sunday for talks on bilateral relations with US officials following his trip to New York for the United Nation's General Assembly session. He is expected to meet both, Bolton and Pompeo, on Tuesday. His first stop is expected to be the White House where he will meet Bolton for talks on untangling Pakistan’s ruffled relations with the US. He will then proceed to the US State Department for his second meeting with the secretary of state. On Monday, Qureshi will meet Pakistani diplomats and experts to prepare for the crucial talks that are to be held on Tuesday. Pompeo and Qureshi first met in Islamabad early in September when the US government approached the new Pakistani g

FBR extends date for filing tax returns

  ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has announced extension in deadline for filing income tax returns till November 30, 2018. According to reports, the process of filing income tax returns was at snail’s pace owing to the incentives given to non-filers in the mini budget announced by the government couple of weeks ago. It is reported that around 0.34 million people submitted income tax returns till September 30, prompting the FBR to extended the deadline. Under the PTI’s mini budget presented on Sep 18, non-filers can now buy property but on a higher (registration) rate, Similarly, Withholding tax on banking transactions for non-filers will be maintained. Finance Minister Asad Umar said that the government is removing the petroleum levy imposed by the previous government while increasing the duty on expensive smartphones and luxury cars. He also announced ending the tax rebate for ministers including the prime minister and governors of all four provinces. He said th

Flagship reference: Without notifying, Nawaz and his lawyer skip hearing

ISLAMABAD: Ousted premier Nawaz Sharif and his legal counsel Khawaja Haris skipped the hearing on Monday without notifying accountability court judge Arshad Malik who is supervising the hearing of Flagship reference against the Sharif family. On the onset of hearing, the assistant lawyer of Nawaz’s counsel informed the accountability court that Khawaj Haris could not appear as he was unwell. While on the absence of Nawaz Sharif, accountability court judge remarked “it does not happen this way that the accused appears before the court when he wishes.” The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor said that neither an exemption plea was submitted by the accused, hence non-bailable arrest warrants should be issued on Nawaz’s absence. Resented with the situation, judge Arshad Malik granted two intervals to the assistant of defense counsel to find the whereabouts of former premier. After considerable delay, the accountability judge was apprised that Nawaz was under anxiety due to

Fire erupts in multi-storey building in Karachi

KARACHI: A fire erupted on the fourth floor of a multi-storey building, Techno City, located at I.I. Cahndrigarh road in Karachi early Monday morning.  According to fire officials, a snorkel and half a dozen fire tenders are taking part in the fire fighting operation to douse flames in the building at one of the busiest streets of the city. Fire tenders of Pakistan Navy are also helping the fire fighters to extinguish the fire, the Pak Navy’s spokesperson said in a statement. The cause of the fire is yet not known. An official said the fire department’s command and control received a call about a fire at around 5:30 am. The post Fire erupts in multi-storey building in Karachi appeared first on ARYNEWS . from ARYNEWS https://ift.tt/2zH7OzC

Minister seeks strict action against ‘systematic spread’ of fake news

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has called for strict action against fake news ‘systematically’ being circulated on the social media. The minister took to twitter to express his resentment on widespread fake news regarding different government events. He said: “A series of Fake notifications and news is systematically spread on social media, it started from a media dinner picture and now there is a series of such rubbish. Without effecting freedom on SM we need to take strict action against fake news.” Before the July 25 elections, World’s popular messaging app WhatsApp had taken a full-page newspaper ad in a local English daily apprising users ways to spot spread of false and fake news in Pakistan. Must read:   Armed with smartphones, youngsters make life difficult for politicians The ad, published in the Pakistani English daily reads at the start, “Together we can fight false information” and includes 10 tips on how to spot fake messages. The tips inform readers

UN secretary-general exposes Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir

NEW YORK: On the floor of world’s body, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres brought to light the brutalities of Modi-led Indian government in occupied Kashmir. Guterres voiced grave concerns over the escalated worsening situation in India held Kashmir (IHK) and urged the Indian government to proceed to negotiation table for the resolution of decades old conflict. UN Secretary-General made these remarks ahead of his visit to New Dehli. As per Indian media, Guterres is due to reach India today (Monday) on a three-day long visit. On the international forum, the head of world’s body proposed conducting positive talks and a peaceful settlement on differences between arch-rivals – Pakistan and India. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in his speech at the 73rd session of United Nations General Assembly effectively presented Pakistan’s viewpoint on Kashmir issue saying, “The unresolved Jammu and Kashmir dispute hinders the realization of the goal of durab

FM Qureshi to meet US NSA on visit to White House

In addition to his planned meeting with United States (US) Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will also hold a meeting with the country's National Security Adviser John Bolton at the White House, Dawn reported on Monday. Qureshi had arrived in Washington DC on Sunday for talks on bilateral relations with US officials following his trip to New York for the United Nation's General Assembly session. He is expected to meet both, Bolton and Pompeo, on Tuesday. His first stop is expected to be the White House where he will meet Bolton for talks on untangling Pakistan’s ruffled relations with the US. He will then proceed to the US State Department for his second meeting with the secretary of state. On Monday, Qureshi will meet Pakistani diplomats and experts to prepare for the crucial talks that are to be held on Tuesday. Pompeo and Qureshi first met in Islamabad early in September when the US government approached the new Pakistani governm

Qureshi sees change in world leaders’ perception about Kashmir issue

NEW YORK: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that he sees a palpable and distinct change in the perception of international diplomats about the festering Kashmir dispute. He was talking to reporters here at the end of his six-day visit to the United Nations during which he attended the 73rd session of its General Assembly as the new representative of Pakistan. Mr Qureshi said the damning UN Human Rights Council’s report on the state of human rights in India-held Kashmir — which is ignored by India because it details the occupying forces’ atrocities in the valley — had opened the eyes of international diplomats to the humanitarian tragedy in Jammu and Kashmir. Foreign minister will visit White House tomorrow for talks on bilateral relations The main thrust of the UN council’s report dealt directly with the severe repression employed by Indian forces against a majority Muslim population in held Kashmir. “The continuing human tragedy in held Kashmir definitely struck a

Pakistan approves first Islamic reinsurance service

KARACHI: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has granted approval to the country’s sole reinsurer to offer sharia-compliant reinsurance, part of efforts to boost the fledgling Islamic insurance (takaful) sector. The SECP said it had authorised Pakistan Reinsurance Co to open a takaful window, which would help boost new business opportunities for the state-owned firm. The move would enable local takaful companies to obtain retakaful cover within Pakistan, avoiding outflow of premiums to reinsurance markets overseas, the SECP said. Takaful is seen as an important bellwether of consumer appetite for Islamic financial products. It is based on the concept of mutuality, where a takaful company oversees a pool of funds contributed by policyholders from which claims are paid. Pakistan introduced new takaful rules in 2012 which allowed the use of takaful windows, a practice that allows insurers to offer sharia-compliant and conventional products side by side, provided

Court reserves verdict on plea for selling Ishaq Dar’s assets

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court here on Monday reserved its verdict on a plea of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking its permission to auction the seized assets of former finance minister Ishaq Dar. Judge Muhammad Bashir reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from the defence and prosecution sides and is likely to pronounce the verdict later today. The NAB had moved the application before the ATC judge, requesting him to allow it to auction the PML-N leader’s assets over his inability to appear in court to face trial in a case filed against him for allegedly accumulating assets beyond his known sources of income. A NAB prosecutor contended that the accused is obliged by law to contact within six months of the seizure of his assets. If no objection is raised by the accused within the given time, then the property is sold, he added. He said Dar has not yet raised any objection to the assets having been seized. Earlier this month, the British government turned

Premature to predict actual volume of investment coming from Saudi Arabia: minister

ISLAMABAD: While terming the meeting with Saudi officials very productive, Finance Minister Asad Umar said it was premature to forecast the actual volume of investment coming from the Saudi Arabia. Mr. Umar, while speaking to a private TV channel, said the government was exploring all other opportunities to strengthen the national economy. He said that the situation of uncertainty in national economy would be cleared by mid of October as the economic reforms were on the top of the government’s priorities. Read:   Finance minister rebuffs claim of $10bn deal with Saudi Arabia He said recently a team of IMF had visited Pakistan but it had nothing to do with any bailout package. He said the government also wanted to enhance exports, promote investments and industrial development in the country for producing exportable surplus and fetching the foreign exchange reserves. The finance minister said the forex reserves were under pressures as every month about US$ 2 billion were spent to

President Alvi files acquittal plea in parliament attack case

ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi moved on Monday an application in an anti-terrorism court seeking acquittal in the PTV and Parliament attack case.   The President through his counsel filed the application under section 265-K of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), requesting the ATC Judge to exonerate him from all charges levelled against him in the case for want of evidence. His lawyer contended that a politically motivated case was registered against him during the 2014 sit-in in Islamabad as no evidence has come on record to corroborate charges against him. The anti-terrorism court on Sep 27 granted President Arif Alvi constitutional immunity in the case. The president was given the immunity under Article-248 of the Constitution. “An accused person facing trial namely Dr Arif Alvi has already been elected and has taken oath of the office of President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Keeping in view the above fact in light of Article 248 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of

Opposition has no right to claim PAC membership: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry says that opposition has no right to claim chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Speaking to media, he said the decision to that effect would be taken with consultation in the party after the arrival of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was currently on an official visit to the United States in connection with the United Nations General Assembly session. He said after the by-elections in October, the position of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would further strengthen in the assemblies. Talking to media persons to provide details of a party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on the by-elections, he said the PTI would participate in the by-polls with full preparations and would emerge victorious from all the constituencies. “The meeting was in fact an introductory interaction of the by-election candidates with the prime minister,” he added. The minister said the by-elections

Rashid inaugurates Lahore-Faisalabad non-stop train

LAHORE: Minster for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad on Monday inaugurated a non-stop train on the route of Lahore to Faisalabad at the Lahore Railway Station. Speaking to media on the occasion, the minister said the government would run 10 new trains within a target of 100 days. He said a detailed briefing on the Pakistan Railways would soon be given to Prime Minister Imran Khan wherein important decisions would be made. The new train 119/Up-120/Down Faisalabad non-stop consists of air-conditioned and economy coaches. It will leave Lahore at 8am and reach Faisalabad at 10am. In the afternoon, the train will leave Faisalabad at 2:30pm and reach Lahore at 4:30pm. The economy class will cost a ticket of Rs190, while AC standard Rs400 rupees and AC Parlour class Rs500. The railways minister had earlier announced to run three new trains on immediate basis in order to improve the railways department. The three new trains include Lahore-Faisalabad train, Mohenjo Daro Express and Rohri Ex

FIA, police told to locate espionage gadgets in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Chair­man of the Senate Standing Com­mittee on Interior Rehman Malik has taken notice of reports that there are several espionage gadgets installed in the Diplomatic Enclave and Constitution Avenue. Mr Malik has directed the Ministry of Interior to submit a report within the next 10 days over the warning issued by the National Telecom and Information Technology Security Board. The former interior minister has also asked the Federal Investigation Agency and Islamabad police to locate where these gadgets have been installed. Reportedly, the government has issued an advisory to federal ministers and other officers around the area about these gadgets that are capable of intercepting cellular communications. Ministries were warned not to share classified information using cell phones and instead, use landline communication. Allegations of spying on top officials and departments in the country are not new, as it has often been claimed in the past that their communications may

Banks feel the heat of Naya Pakistan

On Sept 19, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $9.03 billion, not enough to cover even two months of imports, from $9.79bn at the end of the last fiscal year. The decline of $753 million or 7.7 per cent in reserves in less than three months comes on the heels of less-than-desired growth in exports and remittances amid large import bills and a big current account deficit. In July-August, combined earnings via exports of goods and services and remittances totalled $8.921bn, according to the balance of payments (BoP) statement. Against this, imports of goods and services consumed $11.579bn. So a huge gap of $2.66bn existed even if we count on both exports and remittances to finance our total imports. The current account deficit stood at $2.72bn. The overall BoP witnessed a gap of $430m. The rupee has lost 2.26pc of its value against the dollar in the interbank market in less than three months of this fiscal year (up to Sept 27). Deep cuts in development funding will slow down

Wary of debt trap, govt rethinks Silk Road projects

ISLAMABAD: After lengthy delays, an $8.2 billion revamp of a colonial-era rail line snaking from the Arabian Sea to the foothills of the Hindu Kush has become a test of Pakistan’s ability to rethink the signature Chinese ‘Silk Road’ projects due to debt concerns. The rail project linking Karachi to Peshawar is China’s biggest Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project in Pakistan, but Islamabad has balked at the cost and financing terms. Take a look: CPEC projects — status, cost and benefits Resistance has stiffened under the new government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has voiced alarm about rising debt levels and says the country must wean itself off foreign loans. Chinese envoy says Beijing will only proceed with projects that Islamabad wants “We are seeing how to develop a model so the government of Pakistan wouldn’t have all the risk,” Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Khusro Bakhtyar said at a recent press briefing. The cooling of enthusiasm for China’s inve

Saudi team arrives in Pakistan, may sign four MoUs

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are expected to sign four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) for oil and mineral sector investment and trade cooperation that would ultimately extend the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from Gwadar to Africa through Oman and Riyadh. The MoUs are planned to be signed on the conclusion of a four-day visit of Saudi delegation that arrived here on Sunday, sources said. The move will enable Islamabad to secure supply of petroleum products and crude oil on deferred payments and Riyadh will be looking into setting up of an oil refinery at Gwadar, invest in a copper and gold project in Balochistan’s Reko Diq and LNG-based power projects in Punjab. Led by the Minister for Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, the visiting delegation would also have members from the Saudi national oil firm, Aramco, the sources said. Besides authorities of various ministries, state-run Pakistan State Oil (PSO) would be the only Pakistani firm to be part of a direct d

Indian army fires at AJK premier’s copter near LoC

ISLAMABAD: The Indian army opened fire at the helicopter of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider from a post when he was travelling to a village near the volatile Line of Control (LoC) on Sunday. The prime minister was travelling with two ministers and his personal staff officer in the helicopter that narrowly escaped the attack near Abbaspur village. The incident took place in broad daylight when PM Haider was going to visit one of his cabinet members to condole the death of his brother. Raja Farooq Haider and two ministers escape unhurt Only a day ago, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi while addressing the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York had highlighted the longstanding issue of Kashmir and held India responsible for terrorist attacks inside Pakistan. Talking to Dawn , PM Haider said the incident took place at around 12:10pm. “I had gone to Forward Kahuta to condole the death of one of my ministers’ brother and me

PML-N may quit all committees if denied PAC chairmanship

ISLAMABAD: The main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is “seriously considering” the option of taking an extreme step of withdrawing from all parliamentary committees, if the government does not offer chairmanship of the all-powerful Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of parliament to the opposition, Dawn has learnt. Sources in the PML-N said the party leaders during recent meetings had discussed various options to record its protest over the government’s possible move to devoid the opposition of its right on the PAC chairmanship and even the option of withdrawing from all the committees also came under discussion. “Yes, we can go to the extent of withdrawing from all the committees and this is being discussed within the party,” said a senior party member. Shahbaz Sharif convenes parliamentary party’s meeting today However, he said, they had not so far taken a final decision in this regard as they were still waiting for an official and formal reply from the ruling Paki

40 kids die in September at Mithi hospital

MITHI: Two more kids have passed away because of viral diseases and malnutrition on Sunday, mounting the number of children’s death to 40 in last month, at a public hospital in Mithi. Civil Hospital Mithi sources told that 40 minors conked out in September only, while the number of total such deaths in the following year so far has reached 360.  The sources said the district hospital was also facing dearth of medicines. Water level too has dropped in drought-hit Tharparkar. People have complaint of lack of health facilities in the district. While, Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar had recently constituted a committee to investigate reasons of deaths of the children. Read More: Infant dies of malnutrition in Mithi, pushes monthly death toll to 24 In April, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah assigned Child Foundation the task to assess pediatric facilities at Mithi hospital. “I am worried about the children of Thar who still need special attention,” he said while holdi

Israel frees French-Palestinian after 13 months without trial

JERUSALEM: Israel on Sunday released a French-Palestinian lawyer held without charge for the past 13 months over unspecified allegations, his lawyer said. Salah Hamouri, 33, was freed at Jerusalem police headquarters after being brought from his cell in a prison in southern Israel’s Negev desert. Attorney Mahmud Hassan told AFP that Hamouri was forbidden to take part in demonstrations, protests or celebrations of his release for a period of 30 days and required to post a bond of 3,000 shekels ($825, 710 euros). He was arrested at his home in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on August 23, 2017 and subsequently interned under what Israel calls administrative detention, which allows detention without trial for renewable six-month periods. Read More: Palestinians ask UN court to revoke US Jerusalem embassy move Neither suspects nor their lawyers are informed of the reasons for arrests and Israel’s Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency had no immediate comment when asked by AFP for the

White House adviser Conway: ‘I’m a victim of sexual assault’

WASHINGTON: Kellyanne Conway, an adviser to President Donald Trump, said on Sunday that she was the victim of sexual assault and that women who survive such experiences should be heard. “I feel very empathetic, frankly, for victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment and rape,” Conway told CNN while defending the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual assault by one woman and sexual misconduct by two other women. “I’m a victim of sexual assault,” Conway said. Conway and White House officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. Read More: Kevin Spacey sued by masseur over alleged sexual assault The court nomination has been upended by the allegations, and President Donald Trump was forced to order the FBI to look into them after several moderate Republicans, whose votes could be crucial for Kavanaugh’s confirmation, called for a probe. One Kavanaugh accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, detailed her allegation in te

Sindh Assembly passes Rs8 trillion budget for nine months

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Sunday passed over eight trillion rupees budget for nine months of current fiscal year 2018-19. To conclude the budget session, leader of the house, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who has also the portfolio of finance minister, said that institutions needed to be reformed for development of the country. The chief minister informed the house that 15 billion rupees have been allocated for education sector. He said Thar coal will start producing energy at the end of this year. Read More: Sherry Rehman disappointed over ‘non-serious’ mini budget The opposition presented the 113 cut motions to curtail the expenditure from the budget but all cut motions were rejected with majority votes of treasury benches. The house has now been prorogued. Murad Ali Shah announced to bring reforms into the police department and termed it ‘Amal Reforms’ in the memory of the minor girl who was mistakenly shot in a police shootout. Declaring to start a war agai

Pakistan Navy participates in multinational naval exercise ‘Mavi Balina’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Saif with an embarked Z9EC Helicopter is participating in multinational naval exercise Mavi Balina 2018 which is being held in the Eastern Mediterranean Turkey. The exercise is aimed at practicing anti-submarine defense. Naval and air forces from Turkey, NATO, the United States, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Algeria, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan, Romania and Saudi Arabia are participating in the exercise Mavi Balina (Blue Whale), an international anti-submarine warfare exercise led by Turkish Naval Forces. Read More: British Royal Navy Ship HMS ARGYLL arrives in Karachi This exercise has evolved into a common forum for both Western and Eastern nations, to share, discuss and propose solutions for collaborative maritime security, which is one of the critical contemporary maritime challenges. Blue Whale is held biennially as invitation only basis and considered as the largest anti-submarine warfare exercise in the Mediterranean. It is hosted and administered by

Police seek help from intelligence agencies in lady constable rape case

ISLAMABAD: Police have sought help from intelligence agencies for probe into rape case of a lady police constable in Islamabad, ARY News reported. Unidentified armed persons made the police constable knock out by placing a rag on her mouth on Saturday night. They physically abused and then dumped her at highway. She was rushed to labour room of a polyclinic at 1:30am, said police sources. They said according to the initial report, two persons raped the lady. Her official gun was found from near her where she was lying unconscious, they added. Launching investigation, police have obtained CCTV footages from private banks and other buildings along the service road. The hospital officials have refused to give test and treatment report saying that they could not present any information in absence of senior doctors. Police said the criminals abused her on gunpoint. They said probe was underway, while they had also sought help from intelligence agencies. Read More: School teacher accu

Seven-year-old girl succumbs to injuries sustained from stray bullet in Karachi

A seven-year-old girl who had sustained bullet wounds on the premises of a private school in Karachi's Saeedabad area on Saturday passed away during treatment today, according to police officials. The girl was playing in the school's playground with other children when a bullet fired from an unknown direction pierced her shoulder, said Saeedabad SHO Arz Mohammed. She was initially taken to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi but was later on shifted to National Institute of Child-Health Care, where she succumbed to her injuries during treatment on Sunday, added the officer. The body was handed over to the girl's relatives after fulfilling legal formalities. SHO Mohammed said that the police have registered a murder case against unknown suspects on the complaint of the victim’s father. The police officer further said that an investigation is under way to determine where the bullet was fired from. from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/2y2g6QP via IFTTT

Musharraf 'growing weaker rapidly' from unspecified illness: Dr Amjad

Former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf is "growing weaker rapidly" due to an unspecified illness and so cannot return to Pakistan to face the treason case against him just yet, according to All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) leader Dr Muhammad Amjad. On March 31, 2014, the former dictator was indicted for suspending the Constitution on Nov 3, 2007. He, however, left the country in March 2016, for Dubai to "seek medical treatment" and hasn't returned since. Musharraf has since been declared a proclaimed offender, with a special court now considering ways to extradite him. Dr Amjad, a former chairman of the political party Musharraf had formed, linked the former president's absence with a new ailment, which he said requires him to go to London for treatment every quarter. "Pervez Musharraf had a fracture in his spine, for which he got treated in the USA," Dr Amjad told the media in a presser following a meeting of the APML central executi

China to lift restrictions where second African swine fever outbreak found

BEIJING: China is set to lift restrictions on an area in central Henan province, where the country’s second African swine fever outbreak occurred last month, the agriculture ministry said on Sunday. The local government in Zhengzhou plans to officially lift the blockade on Oct. 1, but it must take measures to prevent recurrence of the highly contagious disease, the ministry said in a statement. On Saturday, the ministry said it had removed restrictions in Shenyang, Liaoning province, where the first such outbreak was reported. The world’s top pork producer has seen a steady stream of outbreaks since the first case was reported in early August. Authorities have banned the transport of live hogs and pig products from regions bordering provinces where African swine fever has been reported, shut live markets and banned the use of feed derived from pig blood in an attempt to contain the disease. Read More: Aamir Khan turns ‘pale’ after swine flu recovery The post China to lift restri

Saudi Arabian delegation led by finance minister arrives in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: A high-level Saudi Arabian delegation on Sunday arrived in Pakistan to hold bilateral trade talks between the two countries. The delegation is being led by Saudi Arabian Finance Minister Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan. It will hold meetings with different high-level officials during its stay. It will also hold talks on promotion of bilateral ties and economic and trade cooperation. Though this could not be confirmed but Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had earlier said the delegation will include the Saudi Arabian investment head, minister for petroleum and minister for energy. Read More: Saudi Arabia to invest for upliftment of basic infrastructure in Pakistan: Fawad The visit has been in line with the previous announcement by the  government pertaining to Islamabad’s invitation to Riyadh for making investments in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as well as other infrastructure projects countrywide. The delegation is expected to sign five important

Helicopter was within our boundary, says PM Azad Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: In a reaction to attempted attack by Indian forces on his helicopter, Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir Raja Farooq Haider on Sunday said they were within the boundary, while India staged this drama. “It is clearly evident that India is perturbed. I along with the ministers in the helicopter were within our limit,” he said while exclusively talking to ARY News.  Indian troops fired shots at helicopter of the PM from a border post, while he was travelling on a white civilian helicopter to Tarori near LoC to condole the death of brother of Chaudhry Abdul Aziz. The helicopter landed safely on the ground without any damage. Read More: Indian troops fire shots at AJK PM’s helicopter The incident reflects the state of affairs of panic-stricken Indian army and media who termed it a Pakistan Army helicopter. Farooq Haider said Kashmiri would become a front line against India (if war was waged), however they did not want war obsession in the region. He said it was a priv