Tag: Says

LAHORE: Pakistan former captain Javed Miandad has turned down a request from the national team's one-day captain Shahid Afridi to accompany the team to New Zealand.
Miandad, who has been appointed as batting consultant by the Pakistan Cricket Board, is working with the players in the national camp in Lahore but has declined to accompany the players to New Zealand. "Shahid Afridi had a talk with me and he asked me to reconsider my decision not to go to New Zealand.
He said

LAHORE: The self-proclaimed "Royals of Lahore" would face the people's wrath in the upcoming local government (LG) elections for making anti-masses decisions, Federal Law Minister Senator Dr Babar Awan said on Sunday.
He made these remarks while addressing Pakistan People's Party (PPP) workers at Muslim Town. Party leaders and workers were present in large numbers on the occasion and chanted slogans in the party's favour. Awan said that he had failed to understand why the

ALGIERS: The African Union does not favour sanctions for now over a disputed presidential election in Ivory Coast and will instead stick to quiet diplomacy, the Union's top security official said on Sunday.
A row over who won an election on November 28 has left Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, in a state of paralysis with the president and his rival running parallel administrations, and many people fear an outbreak of violence. Asked in an interview with Reuters if

LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Saturday parliament would decide the fate of the Reformed General Sales Tax, adding that sometimes unpopular decisions need to be taken for the country's progress.
Talking to reporters at the 19th convocation of the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Gilani said the restoration of student unions was a provincial matter, adding that the Punjab government should resolve the issue of privatization of educational

SHEIKHUPURA: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said his party would not accept the reformed general sales tax (RGST) at any cost.
"The tax will increase inflation and aggravate the suffering of the consumers," he said while addressing party workers on Saturday. He was in town to condole with PML-N leader Arif Khan Sandhila over the death of his mother.
The PML-N leader said his party would oppose the imposition of unnecessary taxes and

ISLAMABAD: Blasphemy laws have been misused, especially against the minorities, Federal Minister Minorities Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti said while talking to reporters after a consultation meeting with representatives of religious minorities on Saturday.
The laws should be repealed after discussions among the Ulema from all school of thoughts, representatives of civil societies and scholars, he said.
Earlier, the meeting arranged by All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA),

LAHORE: The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) would not allow privatisation of educational institutions, Federal Law Minister Senator Dr Babar Awan said on Saturday. He made these remarks while talking to journalists after meeting members of teacher's Joint Action Committee (JAC).
Awan said that the board of governors (BoG) was a corrupt body and the law did not allow its establishment. He said that baton-charging had become the Punjab Police's custom and condemned police torture of

LAHORE: The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) considered former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf as former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's killer and he would soon be brought to justice in accordance with the UN report on Benazir's assassination, PPP Secretary General Senator Jahangir Badar said on Saturday.
He made these remarks while talking to journalists at Benazir's pictorial exhibition at the Alhamra Art Gallery. Badar said that the PPP-led federal government would bring

ROME: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi took aim on Saturday at what he called a campaign of lies and slander against him, and said he would survive Tuesday's vote of confidence in parliament.
"For several months Italian public life has been paralysed by an irresponsible political crisis," Berlusconi said in a message to his supporters who plan demonstrations in his favour in several Italian cities on Saturday.
"This crisis stems from lies and slander directed at the

ABDIJAN: Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo must concede the presidency and accept his rival Alassane Ouattara as head of state before talks can begin on settling their power struggle, Ouattara's camp said on Saturday.
Gbagbo has floated the idea of talks to end a row over who won an election on November 28, which was meant to reunify the world's top cocoa producer but has instead left it paralysed with parallel administrations and many fearing further violence.
Both

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs will not have any objection if the parliament allows the private sector to manage Haj arrangements, Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi told the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Religious Affairs on Friday.
The standing committee, headed by Maulana Muhammad Qasim, had summoned Kazmi to probe the Haj scam.
"Parliament is sovereign and can allow private sector to run Haj affairs completely or partially or for limited purposes

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday warned Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Waseem Ahmed for adopting a lenient approach while probing into alleged corruption and mishandling of Haj affairs, calling his conduct "disappointing".
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry expressed surprise over the DG's decision to entrust the investigations to a grade 16 officer. "This is a high profile case involving prestige of the country, but an FIA inspector has been

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry in his maiden speech on Thursday said that there must be a death sentence for all corrupt people whether government officials or others in order to make society corruption-free.
He made these remarks while addressing a ceremony in connection with the International Anti-Corruption Day at the Alhamra Arts Council organised by the National Accountability Bureau. "The roots of corruption are very deep in our

NEW DELHI: Pakistan's chances at the cricket World Cup will depend on the verdict reached against bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer in the match-fixing inquiry, former captain Imran Khan said on Thursday.
"We must wait for the verdict on Aamer and Asif," Pakistan's World Cup-winning skipper responded when asked by reporters how his nation will fare in the showpiece event next year.
"They are the best opening bowling pair in the world. We need to know about their

BEIJING: China will not yield to outside pressure on jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, striking a combative tone the day before the award is due to be formally bestowed.
Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu denounced what she said were "double standards" applied to China's legal system, and criticised the US House of Representatives for calling on China to release Liu and his wife, Liu Xia, who is under house arrest.
China

QUETTA: There will be no drone strikes in Balochistan, Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani said after the inaugural session of the fifth course under Balochistan Institute of Technical Education (BITE) on Wednesday.
Balochistan Assembly Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani, Federal and Provincial ministers and Commander Southern Command Lieutenant General Javed Zia were also present at the occasion.
Raisani rejected reports aired by American media and said the Taliban in

MELBOURNE: England played the "perfect" game in Adelaide to take a 1-0 lead over Australia in the Ashes series but there was little danger of complacency as the team had achieved nothing so far, coach Andy Flower said on Wednesday.
"You don't often get the perfect game like that where you bowl the opposition out on a good deck on the first day and get a big lead," Flower told reporters at the team's hotel a day after England's innings and 71-run victory in the second test.