WASHINGTON: US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke is leaving Washington for Pakistan today.
Geo News correspondent in Washington, Sami Abraham reported that US State Department told journalists that Richard Holbrooke is leaving from Adrew Airbase for Pakistan.
More: continued here
ISLAMABAD: Shab-e-Mairaj-un-Nabi (SAW) will be observed across Pakistan on Monday night with great respect and religious fervour.
Special gatherings regarding Shab-e-Mairaj will be held in mosques and houses where prayers will be arranged, Geo News reported.
This day celebrates the Prophet Muhammad’’s Isra and Mi”raj. Isra is the name for his night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, and Mi”raj is the term for his ascension to heaven, where he met with other prophets and spoke with Allah.
It is celebrated on the 27th day of the month of Rajab in the Islamic calendar. In this journey, the instruction for the five daily prayers (salah in Arabic, namaz in Persian and Turkish) that Muslims perform was given.
Celebrations on this day tend to focus on children and youth, who pay a visit to the mosque to hear the story of Isra and Mi”raj. The story usually focuses on how the Prophet Muhammad’’s heart was purified by two archangels and filled with knowledge and faith in preparation to enter the seven levels of heaven. After prayer, food and treats are served.
More: continued here
LAHORE: Railway Traffic Yard Association has ended the strike after getting assurance that their demands will be fulfilled.
The Association started the strike earlier today to protest what they said non-issuance of operation allowance.
During strike many trains were stopped across the country.
Four trains were stopped from moving near Shaidrah in Lahore, leaving the passengers to perspire and brave the heated weather.
Earlier, talking to newsmen during the protest, President of the Association Munir Chattha said his association has decided to bring the wheels of trans to a halt.
The traffic yard staff stopped their working, not letting any train move from any station.
He said 17 categories of Railway staff are engaged in protest including cabin men and gate men.
However, later they ended the strike after they received assurance from the concerned Railway authorities that their demands will be fulfilled.
More: continued here
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan Monday issued notice to the Federation ordering to appear before the larger bench on Tuesday for hearing the constitutional petition regarding appointments of the PCO judges after November 3, 2007.
Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice (CJ), Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in his remarks said that the court decisions, which were made from Molvi Tameezuddin to Tikka Iqbal case, were based on errors and regretful.
SC 14-member larger bench was hearing the case of two judges of Sindh High Court (SHC) Justice Abdul Rasheed Kalhoro and Justice Zafar Sherwani.
CJ Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry during the hearing in his remarks said that Tikka Iqbal and Molvi Tameezuddin type of decisions came due to the judiciary?s own fault. He further said that one elected prime minister was hanged in 1979 and then one more dictator came and he threw out the elected prime minister.
CJ said that it was now the responsibility of judiciary to get the constitution and the law strictly adhered to, as no one should have any doubt that our democratic institutions could not work.
CJ said, ?The issue is not merely the dismissal of few judges?the judiciary will have to adopt a categorical stance for the rule of constitution and law.?
During hearing of judges? appointment case before the same bench, Sindh High Court Bar president Rashid A. Rizvi, while arguing said that the court decision in Tikka Iqbal case was a legal blunder and this case had no legal standing also.
Later, the case was adjourned till Tuesday for further hearing.
More: continued here
PESHAWAR/MINGORA: Repatriation of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their respective areas further intensified on the seventh day of the driv
More: continued here
LAHORE: Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR0 Suhail Ahmed has said that General Sales Tax (GST) will be converted into Value Added Tax (VAT) by July 1, 2010 with a view to bring more sectors in the tax net.
He said this while talking to reporters on the occasion of his visit to Directorate of Income Tax in Lahore on Monday.
Chairman FBR said the implementation of VAT will result in the additional revenue of Rs400 billion.
He said the tax collection target for the current financial year is Rs380 billion and expressed confidence that it will be achieved despite economic crisis being faced by the country.
More: continued here
KARACHI: Bears returned to Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) on Monday pulling away 53 points from the benchmark KSE-100 Index which closed at 7,710.
The Index began its journey in the positive zone but later selling in energy and banking stocks turned the numbers into red. However, the Index sustained the level of above 77,00 points at the end of the session.
The market turnover stood at 140 million shares today.
World Call emerged as today?s volume leader which gained paisas 37 to close at Rs3.61.
KSE-30 Index slashed 61 points to finish the day at 8,286.
More: continued here
ISLAMABAD: It was a close call for Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gialani, his entourage and the crew of the Sharam-el-Shaikh bound special flight wh
More: continued here
COLOMBO: Khurram Manzoor and Mohammad Yousuf narrowly missed scoring centuries as they led Pakistan’’s recovery on the opening day of the final cricket Test against Sri Lanka here on Monday.
Pakistan, sent in to bat in overcast conditions by Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara, collapsed to 34-2 within the first hour as left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara grabbed two wickets in four balls.
Manzoor (93) and Yousuf (90) lifted the beleaguered tourists with a 167-run partnership for the third wicket as Pakistan moved to 289-7 by stumps at the Sinhalese sports club here.
Manzoor, a 23-year-old from Karachi, fell short of his maiden Test century in only his fifth match, while the seasoned Yousuf missed his 25th ton after the pair had stayed together for more than a session.
Shoaib Malik (45) and Misbah-ul Haq (27) put on 75 for the fifth wicket to carry the total to 285-4 before the second new ball taken shortly before stumps claimed three wickets for two runs.
Thushara trapped Malik leg-before for his third wicket of the day, before Nuwan Kulasekera had Misbah caught behind and bowled Umar Gul to open up the Pakistan tail.
When stumps were drawn, Kamran Akmal and Danish Kaneria were at the crease on one run apiece.
Pakistan are hoping to deny Sri Lanka a clean sweep of the series after losing the first Test in Galle on the fourth morning and the second at the P. Sara Oval here in three days.
Openers Fawad Alam and Manzoor had put on 34 within the first hour when Thushara struck twice in his third over.
Left-handed Alam, who hit a brilliant 168 on debut in the previous Test, made 16 when he edged Thushara to wicket-keeper Tillakaratne Dilshan.
Three balls later, Pakistan captain Younus Khan chopped a delivery wide of the off-stump on to his stumps after making two.
Yousuf hit the best shot of the day when he stepped out and lofted left-arm spinner Rangana Herath over the long-on fence for six.
Mansoor, who went to lunch on 42, reached his half-century in the first over after the break by smashing Thushara to the point boundary off successive deliveries.
Yousuf, a century-maker in the first Test in Galle, surpassed his 29th half-century soon after.
It was left to the retiring Chaminda Vaas to break the stand after tea when he had Manzoor edging a catch to Mahela Jayawardene in the slips with a delivery that moved away from the batsman after pitching.
Vaas, 35, who was ignored for the first two matches, replaced spinner Ajantha Mendis in the team a day after saying he will retire from Test cricket once the series has ended.
Pakistan also made one change, bringing in seasoned leg-spinner Danish Kaneria in place of seamer Abdur Rauf.
More: continued here
Pakistan News
The expanding US drone war against Al-Qaeda may be disrupting the terror network’s operations but the lethal bombing raids carry risks for Washington and its ally Pakistan.
More: continued here