ISLAMABAD: Dal Khalsa, a Sikh political party in occupied Kashmir, has said that it will fully support the right to self-determination for Kashmiri pe

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ISLAMABAD: A high level meeting presided over jointly by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani here at the Presidency on Wednesday endorsed changes in the Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) as well as political reforms in the tribal areas.

The meeting urged the President to make the announcement any time he deemed fit. The meeting had been convened specially to consider the report of the Cabinet Committee on the Frontier Crime Regulation proposing amendments in the 100 years old law applicable exclusively in the tribal areas.

The meeting was attended by Hameedullah Jan Afridi, Minister for Environment, Senator Rehman Malik, Interior Minister, Najmuddin Khan, Minister for SAFRON, Noor ul Haq Qadri, Minister for Zakat and Ushr, Governor NWFP Owais Ghani, Afzal Sindhu, Minister of State, Salman Faruqui, Secretary General, Abdul Raziq, Minister of State for KANA, Senator Sardar Ali Khan, Spokesperson Farhatullah Babar and Munir Khan Orakzai, MNA, besides senior federal and provincial officials.

Spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the meeting appreciated the work done by the Cabinet Committee set up by the Prime Minister last year to propose suitable changes in the regulation governing the federally administered tribal areas.

In finalizing its report the Cabinet Committee had also considered previous reports that were drawn up in consultation with a cross section of tribal representatives, he said.

It was pointed out in the briefing that in three different workshops held last year under the auspices of Shaheed Bhutto Foundation hundreds of tribesmen from all walks of life representing all eight agencies had called for suitable changes in the FCR besides political reforms in tribal agencies.

It was also pointed out that on November 29, 2004 the Senate had adopted a unanimous resolution seeking amendments in FCR. Subsequently in August 2005 the Senate also endorsed the report of its Human RightS Committee on amendments in the FCR, Farhatullah Babar said.

The meeting in the Presidency today expressed the view that FCR in its present form was an anachronistic law that needed to be amended in the light of the wishes of the people of tribal areas to protect their basic rights while at the same time not to disturb local customs and traditions.

Earlier Arbab Shehzad, Additional Secretary gave presentation on the report of the Cabinet Committee on FCR set up by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in April last year.

Farhatullah Babar said that under the Constitution the President is empowered to make regulations for FATA. Article 247(5) of the Constitution lays down ?Notwithstanding anything contained in the Constitution, the President may, with respect to any matter, make regulations for the peace and good government of a Federally Administered Tribal Area or any part therefore?.

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ISLAMABAD: Dal Khalsa, a Sikh political party in occupied Kashmir, has said that it will fully support the right to self-determination for Kashmiri pe

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Pakistan, accused by some powers of blocking progress in the world’s top disarmament forum, insisted Wednesday that it wants an end to nuclear weaponry and is playing an active role to bring this about.

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ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari approved to amend Frontier Crime Regulations, Geo News reported Wednesday.

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PESHAWAR/WANA: Fourteen people, all of them militants, were killed and seven others injured in another attack by a CIA-operated spy plane at Kaniguram

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A local government official in northwestern Pakistan says two boys have died in a land mine blast in the country’s tribal region.

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Pakistan News

COLOMBO: Sdhahid Afridi captaining Pakistan for the first time in any international match, won the toss and decided to bat first against Sri Lanka here at the Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday.

Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Malik are back in the Pakistan side.

The tour is almost done and Sri Lanka and Pakistan sign off with a Twenty20 game in Colombo tonight.

The two teams last met in this format in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 when Pakistan emerged victorious.

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QUETA: At least a man was killed and four others were injured in an explosion in Quetta area of Sariab Road, Geo News quoted Edhi sources as saying Wednesday.

The exchange of fire is still in progress after the blast.

According to police sources, the blast was remote-controlled and explosives were rigged to a motorcycle parked near FC Check post.

The inured have been shifted to hospital and the blast area has been taken in the security cordon.

The number of fatalities may increase, the police sources said.

Edhi sources said their ambulances are not being allowed entry into the blast site.

Some unidentified miscreants first hurled hand grenade onto the vehicle of security personnel.

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DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Two intelligence officials and a militant commander say clashes between rival militant groups in northwestern Pakistan have killed about 70 fighters.

The officials say the clashes broke out on Wednesday in Jandola between fighters loyal to Pakistan’’s Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud, and those of Turkistan Bitani, a militant commander allied with the government. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Bitani said that a total of about 60 to 70 fighters had died, and that the clashes broke out when his group was attacked by Mehsud’’s group.

There was no way to independently confirm the death toll, as the fighting was taking place in a remote area that is off-limits to journalists.

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