The suicide bombers who stormed the Justice Ministry and a prison department building in the Afghan capital last month were trained in Pakistan’s lawless border region, according to Afghan intelligence officials.
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KARACHI: Bulls grew further strength at Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE), pushing the KSE-100 Index up by 175 points to 6,441.Stock market opened upbeat today and remained in the green zone throughout the session.Trade volume remained strong at 270 million shares.NIB Bank drew maximum activity which gained paisas 31 to close at Rs5.85.Market analysts foresee resistance ahead at the level of 6,500.
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LONDON: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani Thursday had a telephonic conversation with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain.The Prime Minister felicitated Altaf Hussain on the 25th founding day of MQM.Altaf Hussain lauded the role of Prime Minister in connection with restoration of judiciary and ending the political crisis in the country.
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INDIAN WELLS, California: Roger Federer and Andy Murray edged closer to a semi-final clash at the Indian Wells hardcourt tennis tournament Wednesday, each booking his quarter-final berth.World No.2 Federer, playing his first tournament since falling in a five-set thriller to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final, got past Chilean Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.Fourth-seeded Murray had an easier than expected time, reaching the quarters as fourth-round opponent Tommy Robredo retired with an injured right wrist as Murray led 6-2, 3-0.Despite the difficulties, Federer stretched his record over Gonzalez to 12-1, and lined up a quarter-final clash that promised another test of his ground game against Spain’’s Fernando Verdasco.Verdasco, who powered to the semi-finals of the Australian Open where he was felled by Nadal, defeated unseeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.Like Federer, Murray arrived in California after some time off, having withdrawn after reaching the quarter-finals in Dubai two weeks ago and then skipping the Davis Cup because of a virus.Murray had lost to Robredo in their last two encounters and got off to a slow start, dropping his serve to trail 1-2.Murray next faces Croatian veteran Ivan Ljubicic, who defeated Russian Igor Andreev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in a match lasting more than three hours.Nadal was the star attraction of the night session, taking on Argentina’’s David Nalbandian in a fourth-round clash.Nadal has not won a set from Nalbandian in two prior career meetings, both in 2007.Defending champion Novak Djokovic, seeded third, made it into the quarters with a hard-fought 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (8/6) victory over Switzerland’’s Stanislas Wawrinka.In other fourth-round matches, sixth-seeded Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro took on US wildcard John Isner and seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick took on Spain’’s David Ferrer.Women’’s quarter-final matches were also on Wednesday’’s slate, with top-seeded Russian Dinara Safina taking on eighth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.Fourth-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva booked a semi-final berth with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over ninth-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki.
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March 19 (Bloomberg) — Pakistan ’s three stock exchanges will seek a review of a decision by a regulator to impose penalties for last year’s trading curbs.
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Pakistan News
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was briefed Thursday on further information provided by India to assist an investigation into who carried out the deadly Mumbai attacks, an official said.
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Pakistan’s government on Thursday appealed court rulings against opposition leaders that triggered a political crisis, but the two sides continued to squabble over control of the country’s most powerful province.
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ISLAMABAD: The investigation report on attack on Sri Lankan cricket team has been prepared and sent to Interior Ministry.According to report, the incident occurred due to incapability of security officials. The senior police officers of the VVIP neglected their duties and none of the 12 militants could not be arrested. However, their five main supporting companions were arrested.The families of the security officials along with the bus driver who were martyred in the attack will be awarded Rs 500,000 each and the officials who were wounded will be given promotion.This has also been mentioned in the report that possibility of any foreign hand in the attack cannot be ruled out.
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KARACHI: Pakistan expects to get $700 million in foreign inflows this month and that will further support its economy which had entered a “safe territory”, Advisor to PM on Finance Shaukat Tareen said on Thursday.”Pakistan is expected to receive $500 million from the World Bank and about $200 million from Asian Development Bank this month,” Tareen told a foreign news agency.In addition, Pakistan is also expected to get $840 million from the International Monetary Fund when its board meets later this month.That would be the second tranche of the IMF’’s $7.6 billion 23-month emergency loan programme which was agreed in November to avert a balance of payment crisis. A first tranche of $3.1 billion was released that month.Tareen said the Pakistani economy had entered “safe territory” as inflation was declining and the current account balance in February recorded a surplus. Analysts attributed the surprise current account surplus of $146 million in February to lower global commodity prices. The current account was last in surplus in June 2007.Tareen said the currency was stabilising, inflation declining and the Karachi interbank rate had fallen by almost 320 basis points this year, allowing the government to focus on a nine-point agenda of priorities.The budget for the 2009/2010 fiscal year is due to be announced in June. He said Pakistan “may float a bond but it was still too early to say” and that it was monitoring credit default swaps.Five-year credit default swaps have fallen to about 2600 basis points from 3000 basis points in January but analysts said the spread are still at elevated levels. Tarin said the United States was trying its best to help Pakistan, an important ally seen as vital to U.S. efforts to stabilise Afghanistan and defeat al Qaeda.
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March 19 (Bloomberg) — Pakistan’s government urged the Obama administration to reconsider a plan to expand strikes by drones in the tribal regions to include targets in the southwestern province of Baluchistan.
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