Tag: Not

BEIRUT - Outgoing Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri's movement asked Hezbollah-backed prime minister designate Najib Mikati on Thursday not to cut Lebanon's links to a UN-backed tribunal probing the killing of Hariri's father.
The tribunal is the heart of a dispute between Hariri and Shi'ite movement Hezbollah which says it will accuse some of its members in the 2005 killing. Hariri's bloc in parliament did not say whether the movement will join Mikati's government.

Mark Wahlberg is adamant he doesn't feel bitter about missing out on a Best Actor Oscar nod for his role in 'The Fighter' - insisting he's "so excited" to see his co-star Christian Bale nominated.
The Hollywood actor stars as real life boxing legend 'Irish' Micky Ward in the new picture, while Bale appears alongside him as Ward's half-brother Dicky Ecklund. The film garnered a number of nominations when the Academy Awards shortlist was announced on Tuesday, including a Best

KARACHI - The 3G technology has received a detested response from all five cellular companies operating in Pakistan as they have refused to opt for this technology, saying it has affordability issues. Sources informed Pakistan Today that cellular companies refused to go for 3G technology in a meeting with the Minister of Information Technology Sardar Asif Ahmed.
Cellular companies claimed that 3G is not conducive to the Pakistani environment as it is extremely expensive. Sources

KARACHI - The Sindh government on Tuesday decided that it would not give up its constitutional right to collect GST on all services related to the province. The decision was taken at a meeting presided by Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah at the Chief Minister's House.
Sindh Chief Secretary Ghulam Ali Shah Pasha, Additional Chief Secretary (Planning and Development) Ishaq Lashari, Finance Secretary Muhammad Siddique Memon, Sindh Revenue Board Chairman Nazar Hussain Maher,

LAHORE - Although Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif doubled salaries of policemen, burdening the provincial exchequer to a great extent, in order to eliminate corruption from the police department, but the decision made no difference, as policemen leave no opportunity for looting the general public, Pakistan Today has learnt.
A large number of people have to face rude behaviour of policemen on a daily basis. From registration of cases to acquittal, at every step policemen

ISLAMABAD - The government is reluctant to send a formal reference to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) to have the top religious body's opinion on the blasphemy law in the light of Islamic injunctions, as seeking an opinion would make it mandatory for the government to legislate in accordance with the recommendations.
A source in the CII told Pakistan Today that the CII had the mandate to examine any of the prevailing laws in the country to determine whether they were in

LAHORE - Pakistan People's party (PPP) does not feel threatened by the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and Mutahhida Qaumi Movement nexus in Punjab because it has the public's unflinching support.
The leaders of PPP expressed these views while recording reaction over the newly-established alliance of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) and Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
They, however, said every political party has the right to establish liaison with like-minded parties and the

BAHAWALPUR - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz group's leader Mian Nawaz Sharif has said his party does not want to pursue politics of confrontation adding no compromise on the rights of people will be made.
Mian Nawaz Sharif said this while talking to members of national and provincial assemblies from PML-N and its workers on Saturday. ealization of national agenda was top priority, he underlined. Sources told PML-N workers demanded of Mian Nawaz Sharif to dissociate PPP from Punjab

LAHORE
Former cricketer Rameez Raja said though Pakistan may not go into the World Cup as one of the favourites but the other teams cannot afford to write them off.
"Pakistan has a fairly settled and a very good one-day side. They know the art of playing one-day cricket. They have struggled in Test cricket because some of the players simply don't have the temperament to graft out long innings but the 50-overs cricket format suits them," he said.
"I don't think Pakistan

LAHORE - Punjab University (PU) administration on Friday suspended its Estate Officer (EO) Muhammad Shokat and Assistant Security Officer Muhammad Shokat on allowing Islami Jamiat Taliba (IJT) to hold programs inside the varsity.
IJT activists also protested against the PU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Mujahid Kamran after the Friday prayer, chanted slogans against the VC on disturbing their functions and claimed they were 'innocent' while VC was 'revengeful'.
According to PU

KARACHI - The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has announced holding a large public gathering at the Lal Qila Ground in Azizabad on January 30 to be attended by people from all ethnic and cultural entities. On the occasion, party chief Altaf Hussain would address everyone by telephone from London.
Members of MQM's Coordination Committee Yousuf Shahwani, Ashfaq Mangi and Gulfaraz Khan Khattak on Thursday said in a press conference held at the Khursheed Begum Memorial Hall that the

ISLAMABAD - The government continues to sit on the resignations of the JUI-F and the MQM ministers despite the fact that they had stepped down a month ago, expecting that its two estranged allies might rejoin the federal cabinet.
The resignations seem to have gone lost somewhere on the road between the Presidency and the Prime Minister's House. The PM House says that the resignations have been sent to the Presidency while the presidential spokesman denies receiving them.