Tag: Told

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Economic Affairs and Statistics Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh Friday apprised the National Assembly that the total foreign loans outstanding against Pakistan at present were $57,967 million.
The loan includes both taken from different countries and financial institutions, he said in a written reply to a question asked by PML-N MNA Khalida Mansoor.
He said that publically guaranteed outstanding debt was $45,579, while bank borrowing was $275, private-sector

ISLAMABAD - Following Dr Babar Awan's resignation as federal law minister, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry asked the government on Thursday to fill the vacant ministerial slot to ensure that the Law Ministry was represented at the Judicial Commission (JC)'s meeting on Saturday. The CJP, who is also chairman of the JC, ordered that Awan's resignation be brought to the notice of principal secretaries of the president and prime minister, as well as the cabinet

ISLAMABAD - As many as 15,682 WAPDA employees of BPS (1-21) and Chairman WAPDA have been allowed free of cost electricity, Minister for Water and Power informed National Assembly in a written reply.
It was said in response to a question that 2,922, employees of BPS1, 412 of BPS 2, 450 of BPS 3, 190 of BPS 4, 863 of BPS 5, 3174 of BPS 6, 1327 of BPS 7, 387 of BPS 8, 551 of BPS 9, 22 of BPS 10, 772 of BPS 11, 485 of BPS 12, 66 of BPS 13, 997 of BPS 14, 372 of BPS 15, 814 of BPS 16,

ISLAMABAD - The government on Wednesday admitted that there was no short cut to improve the performance of the Pakistan Railways and any improvement could only be achieved once a heavy investment was made for purchasing new locomotives. Railways Parliamentary Secretary Nauman Islam Shaikh said while replying to a question of PML-N MNA Nisar Tanveer during the NA question-hour session that since 1973, Pakistan last purchased locomotives in 2002. "Since then, no investment has been made

LAHORE - The Punjab Irrigation Department has chalked out a new strategy to address water shortages, with the department telling the Punjab Chief Minister's Secretariat that it had decided to cut water outflow from Mangla by 10,000 cusec to stop the reservoir hitting the dead level. Sources said in response to the Chief Minister's notice on Indus River System Authority (IRSA) decision to reduce Punjab's water share by 45 percent, the provincial irrigation department had written to the

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Thursday spelt out serious concerns over the current state of the relationship between the two major allies in the US-led anti-terrorism campaign with the presence of a large network of CIA operatives on Pakistani soil at the top of complaints' list.
Pakistani authorities also warned that a delay in action on the part of Washington to address Islamabad's concerns could jeopardise the cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism. The

ISLAMABAD - Almost on the verge of a financial collapse, WAPDA has to recover Rs 210 billion from defaulters, with an estimated Rs 83 billion outstanding against various government departments and Rs 127 billion yet to be cleared by the private sector.
In a written reply, the Ministry of Water and Power told Senate on Thursday that WAPDA had to recover Rs 18,127 million from Punjab, Rs 15,247 million from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA, Rs 36,669 million from Sindh and Rs 13,478

RAWALPINDI - British authorities have not yet given any response to former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf's arrest warrants that the Pakistani High Commission handed over to the British government, the FIA said on Saturday.
FIA prosecutors Chaudhry Azhar and Chaudhry Zulfiqar said this while appearing in Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) hearing the Benazir Bhutto murder case. During the in-camera hearing at Adiyala Jail, ATC Special Judge Rana Nisar Ahmed took serious notice of

LAHORE - The Punjab government has given a 24-hour ultimatum to young doctors to call off their strike or face action under the Compulsory Service Act, a cabinet meeting decided late on Friday.
Terming the services of doctors attached to the Health Department "essential", the government decided further that police be deployed at hospitals to ensure their smooth operation. "It has been decided to ensure that those who want to work should keep working and no one should be allowed

LAHORE - Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had told Senators John McCain, Joseph Lieberman and Lindsey Graham that the Pakistan government would take action against individuals implicated in the Mumbai attacks as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had urged, India's The Hindu newspaper reported, quoting a confidential cable released by WikiLeaks.
On December 6, the prime minister, joined by then Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, had said the government had already begun the

ISLAMABAD - The Senate was informed on Wednesday that various government departments owed Rs 83,522.47 million to WAPDA and its total recoverable amount across the country was Rs 210,784.64 million.
This was stated in written reply to a question. No supplementary question was raised in the House as the question-answer session was deferred because no minister or anyone who could speak on behalf of the government was present in the House.
Giving the province-wise breakup, the

HONG KONG - The world's highest hotel opened its doors in Hong Kong on Tuesday, housed in the city's tallest skyscraper and offering unrivalled panoramic views of the world famous Victoria Harbour.
Towering some 490 metres (1,600 feet) above the bustling, chaotic streets of the Southern Chinese city, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel is making a grand comeback after temporarily closing in 2008.
Visitors peered out of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the 118th floor of the International

ISLAMABAD - An anti-terrorism court was told on Saturday that Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, the police commando charged with killing of former governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer, insisted for being deputed as one of his bodyguards, The hearing was held in the Adiala Jail Rawalpindi during which the court recorded the statements of three witnesses. The moharrar, the officials assigning duties, of Elite Force Punjab Umer Farooq told the court that he deputed Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri on the

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Friday told the US that it was taking decisive measures for eliminating terrorism. The assurance was given during a meeting between the US Congressional delegation and Interior Minister Rehman Malik at the Ministry of Interior.
They discussed bilateral issues in detail whereas Malik said Pakistan was taking critical measures for elimination of terrorism and it had given great sacrifices to root out militancy from the country. The US Congressmen appreciated

LAHORE - The Lahore High Court (LHC) was informed on Friday that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has given approval for creating 198 new posts in the Punjab Health Department for regularisation of assistant professors and senior medical officers who were working on contract basis. Justice Umer Ata Bandial was hearing the petition of assistant professors and senior medical officers seeking their regularisation in the health department, which was filed through their counsel Dr

ISLAMABAD - US Senator John Kerry told President Asif Zardari in 2010 that the US might consider civilian nuclear assistance to Pakistan if Islamabad was able to enter into a security arrangement with India and also strengthens its democratic institutions, according to a memo released by WikiLeaks.
Senator Kerry told this to President Zardari in a meeting held on February 16, 2010, said the diplomatic memo sent to Washington by the then ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson on

ISLAMABAD - Apart from telling them that Afghan police were fighting alongside terrorists in Pakistan, Interior Minister Rehman Malik also told the Americans in September 2009 that Osama Bin Laden could be in Iran, Saudi Arabia or Yemen.
This was revealed by a WikiLeaks' released diplomatic cable sent by the then US ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson on September, 10, 2009 to Washington. Rehman Malik complained about the involvement of Afghanistan, India and Iran in