LONDON: England captain Andrew Strauss called on his batsmen to be ?smarter? during the remainder of their One-day Internationals against Australia af

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KARACHI: Wasim Bari on Monday took over as the new chief operating officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and then declared that he would do his

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Karachi

Paying tribute to the contribution of Dr Adibul Hassan Rizvi, the founder of Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Sup

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Pakistan News

PESHAWAR: Six extremists were killed in the shelling by gunship helicopters in various areas of Orakzai Agency.

According to the sources, gunship helicopters pounded extremists? hideouts in Atmankhel, Satorikhel and Firozkhel areas of Orakzai Agency.

In the shelling, six extremists were killed and three of their major hideouts destroyed, sources said.

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MIRANSHAH: Three persons were killed and several others injured when a U.S. drone fired missiles into North Waziristan region on Tuesday, the second such strike in as many days.

Five militants, all believed to be Uzbeks, were killed in Monday’’s strike in the same region.

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ISLAMABAD: America’’s plans for a major expansion of its diplomatic presence in Pakistan, including the possible takeover of a bombed luxury hotel near the Taliban heartland, have heightened tensions and bred rumors in a population rife with anti-U.S. sentiment.

Among the tales being floated that 1,000 US Marines will land in the capital, that Americans will set up a Guantanamo-style prison and that the infamous security contractor once called Blackwater will come in and wreak havoc.

The frenzy, much of it whipped up by the media and Islamist political parties, shows the difficulties for the US as it seeks to increase its engagement in a country where a flourishing militant movement is threatening the war effort in neighboring Afghanistan.

The US says it needs to expand mainly to disburse billions of dollars more in aid to Pakistan, an impoverished nation of 175 million people.

Pakistanis tend to view US motives with suspicion, pointing to a history of American support for the country’’s past military rulers and involvement in its internal affairs, which they say has stunted the economy and democratic aspirations.

Others believe the US is out to end Pakistan’’s nuclear weapons program, a source of domestic pride.

In recent weeks, several newspapers have published unconfirmed reports that 1,000 U.S. Marines will be posted at the US Embassy in Islamabad ? which would be a significant jump from the nine there now. US officials say at most the number may reach 20. Marine security guards are routine at US missions abroad.

The head of the Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami, which has demonstrated against the expansion, recently claimed that the US also plans to build a Guantanamo-like prison, according to a newspaper report. The US denies the claim.

Rumors aside, the embassy does plan to reconstruct the buildings on its 38-acre (15-hectare) compound and acquire an additional 18 acres (7 hectares), much of which will be used for apartments, embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said.

About 1,450 employees work for the embassy: 1,000 Pakistanis, 250 Americans posted to the site and another 200 Americans on short-term assignments. The plan is to add around 400 people, including about 200 more posted U.S. staffers, Snelsire said.

The major reason for the growth is a proposal in Congress to triple nonmilitary aid to Pakistan, he said.

The legislation would provide $1.5 billion a year over five years in humanitarian and economic aid. The goal is to improve education and other areas, thereby lessening the allure of extremism.

“There are Congressional demands for oversight of where that money is spent,” Snelsire said, explaining the need for more personnel.

There are more modest expansion plans for consulates, including the one in Peshawar, the main city in the militant-riddled northwest. The State Department is searching for a new site for that consulate, long believed to be a key hub for American spies.

One possible location is the city’’s top hotel, the Pearl Continental, two senior US officials confirmed in June, soon after the hotel was bombed. Taking such prime property, though, could provoke resentment.

Snelsire would not discuss which sites were under review.

He said the expansion would happen over five to seven years and stressed that many of the current facilities are old, decrepit or small.

The United States has tried to stem the bad publicity by writing letters to newspapers and holding briefings for the Pakistani media, but rumors persist.

“There is a lot of, frankly, just misinformation out there, and it keeps getting published just over and over by a few journalists,” Snelsire said.

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Pakistan News

Islamabad: The Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal will award souvenirs and certificates of merit to the special persons in a ceremony arranged here Tuesday. The awa

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ISLAMABAD: Former Test wicket-keeper Wasim Bari was Monday appointed Chief Operating Officer of Pakistan Cricket Board with immediate effect, it was officially learnt.

The Governing Board of PCB made this appointment ?through a resolution by circulation?, said a PCB Spokesman.Wasim Bari had been given acting charge of this post after the removal of another former Test cricketer Salim Altaf as COO of PCB.

Wasim Bari has said that he has accepted the position as challenge and that he will take everyone along.

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ISLAMABAD: There is no need to hold referendum for renaming the NWFP as Pakhtunkhaw as two speakers of provincial assemblies have announced their ruli

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Islamabad: The Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal will award souvenirs and certificates of merit to the special persons in a ceremony arranged here Tuesday. The awa

More: continued here