Rawalpindi: Sher Baz Khan, a Pakistani who has been living in China since 1987, has appealed to the government to help him in getting his 17-year-old

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LONDON: Sean Morris, who took over as the chief executive of the Rajasthan Royals franchise on Monday, has said he does not expect many more England p

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Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) — Five Americans arrested in Pakistan are suspected of being the same men who disappeared from their homes in the U.S. last month, including one who left behind a “farewell” video message depicting Muslim conflict, a U.S. Islamic group said.

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QUETTA: At least three persons died of suffocation here on Wednesday. According to police sources, three laborers working on poultry form, on felling coldness last evening, turned on gas heater in a room and shortly fell asleep but however, three died of suffocation due to gas leakage, Geo news reported.

According to police sources, they were identified as Shahid, Zahid and Shafiq whose dead bodies have been shifted to Civil Hospital on the information of poultry form owner.

The dead bodies have been handed to their heirs following medical examination, hospital sources said.

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Pakistan News

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’’s president may face “challenges” but the United States does not believe civilian rule is threatened in the nuclear-armed country, the commander of U.S. forces in the region said on Wednesday.

“There clearly are challenges, potential challenges, to President Zardari, but again I don”t see the prospect or the desire for anyone to change civilian rule,” said General David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command.

“I actually don”t think the current challenges imperil civilian rule,” he said.

The stability of President Asif Ali Zardari’’s government, which has launched an offensive against extremists in the border region of South Waziristan, could prove critical to U.S. efforts to roll back the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.

But with doubts growing over Zardari’’s political future, the Obama administration is focussing on developing relationships with “institutions” rather than individuals, said Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew, speaking at the same hearing with Petraeus.

“The difficulties of maintaining a stable, civilian government in Pakistan are not new,” Lew told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“We have been working with the current government to try and help build the institutions and not just the people so that there is the ability to rely on ongoing relationships regardless of the leadership,” he added.

Zardari, the widow of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, took over from the military government of President Pervez Musharraf who came to power in a coup in 1999.

But there are strong doubts that Zardari will survive politically and there have been relentless attacks against Pakistan, with al Qaeda-linked militants penetrating security outside key buildings.

The United States has sought closer ties with Pakistan by a proposed tripling of civilian aid to the nuclear-armed country and seeking greater military cooperation to fight extremists.

Petraeus said he had been to Pakistan four or five times in recent months and that the U.S. military was closely coordinating its actions with Islamabad.

“That is why we are working very hard to coordinate … so that they know what our operational campaign is and can anticipate and be there with a catcher’’s mitt or an anvil, or whatever it may be, to greet these individuals,” he added.

“The most salient question, however, is whether improvements on the ground in Afghanistan will mean much if Taliban and al Qaeda sanctuaries in Pakistan remain or if instability within Pakistan intensifies,” said Senator Dick Lugar, the committee’’s ranking Republican.

Petraeus praised their efforts in Waziristan and the Swat regions, but he said Washington had to be realistic.

“You can only stick so many short sticks into so many hornets nests at one time,” Petraeus said. “There are limits on their (the Pakistanis”) capacity.”

Speaking to reporters afterward, Petraeus said U.S. troops could not cross over into Pakistan to follow insurgents. “No … you”re talking about a sovereign country,” he said.

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Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) — Five Americans arrested in Pakistan are suspected of being the same men who left behind a “farewell” video message in the U.S. calling for young Muslims to defend Islam against aggression.

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Karachi

Public and goods transporters will observe a complete wheel-jam strike on Thursday (today) against the recent price hike of petroleum

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Five missing Muslim men from Northern Virginia have been arrested in Pakistan and are being held by Pakistani authorities, the FBI and a Muslim group said Wednesday.

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Pakistan News

Karachi

The Karachi Water Sewerage Board (KWSB) is making efforts to enhance the recovery capacity of the utility between Rs500 to Rs600 mil

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LAHORE: The ray of hope has been pined once again for the inclusion of Pakistani players in Indian Premier League (IPL?s) third edition as the Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ejaz Butt said the issue of Pakistani players? participation in IPL 2010 edition will be settled within two to three days to come, Geo news reported.

In an interview with newsman, he said I am fully bent upon making possible the inclusion of Pakistan players in IPL third edition. ?PCB has not surrendered yet and the issue will soon be resolved.?

Pakistan players will surely be performing in IPL, he hoped.

It is pertinent to mention that due to visa problems it seems hard for Pakistan players to partake in IPL third edition.

Meanwhile, Indian High Commission in Islamabad, in a statement said Pakistani players have not been denied Indian visas and their visa applications are in process.

According to sources, Sohail Tanveer applied for Indian visa in Pakistan while, Umer Gul, Kamran Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq applied in Indian High Commission from New Zealand.

Pakistani players will hand Indian visas within a few days to come, Chairman PCB said.

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