Tag: Pakistans

ISLAMABAD - An official source has disclosed that the government is left with a meager 24,000 tonnes of urea, while local urea manufacturers are left with zero stocks as a result of the 45 days feedstock gas curtailment. In addition, urea imports from Saudi Arabia are also in doldrums.
This alarming situation came from the Fertiliser Price Review Committee (FPRC) on Tuesday and has severely threatened the country's food security. Restoration of gas to the fertilser industry is

ISLAMABAD - The nation paid more price for its support to the US-led war on terror in 2010 than ever, with around 1,544 Pakistanis getting killed and 3,571 being injured in 467 bomb blasts across the country.
The figures are much higher than 1,018 killings in 80 suicide attacks in 2009, 917 in 59 suicide attacks in 2008 and 787 deaths in 58 suicide attacks in the year 2007.
According to the data available with Pakistan Today, November 5 attack at Darra Adamkhel remained the

ISLAMABAD - With every passing year, Pakistan's economy keeps going further down in the dumps, the security situation keeps getting worse and the country keeps getting more politically isolated in comparison to the previous year.
A country dubbed "strategically and geopolitically vital" in the corridors of power keeps proving itself to be a tragedy for its own citizens. No prominent leader, apart from Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, visited Pakistan in 2010. Barrack Obama, the

ISLAMABAD - The Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman Saleem Mindiviwalla has said that Pakistan's investment policies are amicable and better than neighbouring countries including India. "Our policies are liberal and perfect but the issue is their implementation. We register companies on fast track basis", Saleem Mindiviwalla said in an interview.
He stated that the primary purpose of the BOI was to raise investment related matters, not dealt conventionally, in the board. He added

LAHORE
The top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan has said that there will be more coordinated military operations on either side of the border with Pakistan and praised the country for its "impressive" counterinsurgency efforts, according to the Washinton Post.
Gen David Petraeus, who took over command of coalition troops in Afghanistan in July, said there had already been coordinated operations on both sides of the border, with Pakistani forces on one side and NATO and

KARACHI - Every morning Ruth Pfau stands short and frail before a tall crucifix in Karachi's St Patrick's Cathedral. She bows her head, shuts her eyes, places her right hand on her heart and prays. It is the beginning of another long day for the 81-year-old nun known locally as Pakistan's Mother Teresa, who has spent half a century caring for some of the country's poorest and most ostracised people.
Sister Pfau, who needs a stick to walk, admits some disquiet over security, but

ISLAMABAD - Bangladesh High Commissioner Suhrab Hossain called on Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at the PM House, and extended request for cooperation in counsel's matters in Afghanistan as Bangladesh did not have a diplomatic mission there.
Prime Minister Gilani assured the envoy that every possible assistance would be extended to Bangladesh through Pakistan's ambassador in Kabul. Pakistan considers Bangladesh more a brother than a friend given the commonalities of religion,

LAHORE: Former captain and bowling great Wasim Akram has expressed disappointment that Pakistan cricketers are again likely to be left out of the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League. "From what we are hearing Pakistani players will again not be in the IPL and this is so disappointing because frankly speaking I personally feel without our players the IPL loses much of its charm and competitive edge," Wasim was quoted by PTI as saying. Wasim pointed out that if top players like

KARACHI: Pakistan and China will revise the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the mid of next month. The news is in addition to the billions of dollars agreements signed between the two countries during the recent visit of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to Islamabad. The FTA, which was signed in November 2006, would be revised with required changes in January 2011, sources told Pakistan Today on Monday.
Islamabad, according to source, has stressed the Chinese delegation to bring

LAHORE: Pakistan's isolation in international cricket is likely to continue as India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have refused to support the country's bid to secure hosting rights of the 2012 Asia Cup at a meeting of the Asian Cricket Council in Dhaka.
According to sources, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and Sultan Rana, who represented Pakistan at the ACC executive council meeting, had offered to host the 2012 event at a neutral venue and suggested Dubai. "But they met with stiff

LAHORE - China has always proved to be a trusted and sincere friend of Pakistan and Pak-China friendship is higher than mountains and deeper than oceans, Punjab CM's special assistant and Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Zeb Jaffar said on Sunday.
She said that Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's visit to Pakistan would further cement bilateral relations and China had provided remarkable assistance to Pakistan in several areas including defence, economy and social sectors

ISLAMABAD - Iran has asked Pakistan to help the country in its investigation of the Chabahar bombing that was claimed by the Jandullah outfit.
Iranian Ambassador Mashallah Shakri called on Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday in Islamabad and handed him a letter from the Iranian government in which the country requested Pakistan to help into the investigation of Chabahar incident.
The interior minister assured the ambassador that Pakistan would provide full support in

ISLAMABAD: Italy has agreed to waive Pakistan's total bilateral debt by swapping half of it for expenditure incurred on Afghan refugees, while the remaining amount of debts of $26.52 million and 58.74 million euros will be swapped for the jointly-agreed social and developmental projects under Debt for Development Swap Agreement in 2006. According to a press released issued by the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday, the debt swap agreement between the two governments was reached on the

WASHINGTON: The news of Richard Holbrooke's sudden death engulfed diplomatic circles in Washington with an ineffable sorrow. His condition was reported critical but stabilising a day earlier, as his doctors hoped for a slow recovery after a lengthy surgery to repair a tear in his aorta. But the 69-year-old special representative for US and Afghanistan could not survive.
Holbrooke, whose forceful style earned him nicknames such as "The Bulldozer" and "Raging Bull," was admitted

LAHORE: Former prime minister and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has said that Pakistan would have been one of the "Asian Tigers" had his government not been toppled by Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf.
"My government was busy in building infrastructure and roads and launching other mega projects with the help of good governance," Nawaz said in an interview with a US-based TV channel, MHz Networks.
He said his government had been working through various channels to establish good

LAHORE: Pakistani racing driver Adnan Sarwar finished 4th at the Sodi World Series Masters Cup final race at the Dubai Autodrome. This remains the best finish for a Pakistani driver in an international race.
Qualifying and starting from 5th place, Adnan fell back to 8th after an incident in turn one but then climbed back up the grid, overtaking four drivers to finish only 0.2 seconds behind third place finisher Fabian Lunz of South Africa and ahead of drivers from Germany,

GUJRANWALA: Provincial Minister for Food Abdul Ghafoor has said that the menace of sectarianism is over in the province due to sincere efforts of religious clerics and now it is time to eradicate the scams designed against sovereignty of the country.
He stated this while addressing a meeting held at circuit house to review security measures in Gujranwala division. The meeting was attended by religious clerics, MNAs, MPAs, DCOs and DPOs of all six districts of the division.