ST LUCIA: Pakistan?s win over Bangladesh in the World Twenty20 had a statistical highlight for their wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.

Kamran now hold

More: continued here

LAHORE: As the government continues to block the media industry?s outstanding bills amounting to over Rs 900 million in an era otherwise characterised

More: continued here

LAHORE: Hijratullah, who is allegedly involved in Manawan Police Academy attack, has rejected the allegations, saying he has nothing to do with the terror act.

?I am a poor garbage collector and a resident of Nawabpura,? he recorded his statement in a special anti-terrorist court in Lahore Monday.

Hijratullah said he has no role in the Manawan attack.

?I earn my livelihood through collecting garbage and at the time of attack I was present in Manawan, from where police picked me up.?

The accused also denied having any link with Baitullah Mehsud or any other terror network.

According to sources, statements of all people, including Hijratullah, have been recorded in Manawan attack case.

More: continued here

Karachi

Freedom of press is essential for media to foster dialogue, challenge violations of Human Rights and the rule of law and expose corrup

More: continued here

The body of an aged man, bearing marks of strangling, was found from within the Peerabad police limits on late Sunday night.

Rahim Khan, the P

More: continued here

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani called on Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani here at Prime Minister House on Tuesday.

They discussed the overall security situation in the country.

More: continued here

PROVIDENCE, Guyana: Mahela Jayawardene hit a brilliant hundred to guide Sri Lanka to set Zimbabwe a difficult target of 174 runs in the World Twenty20 Group ?B? match here at the Providence Stadium on Monday.

Jayawardene became the fourth batsman in T20 international cricket, third in the World T20 and second in the current tournament to make a century.

The former captain, opening the Sri Lankan innings, scored exact 100 runs from 64 balls with four sixes and ten fours.

Jayawardene’’s hundred came just a day after India batsman Suresh Raina scored 101 in a World Twenty20 group match against South Africa in Saint Lucia.

After captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and decided to bat first, Sri Lankan batsmen made 173 for seven in the allotted 20 overs.

However, only two Sri Lankan batsmen besides Jayawardene got into double figures. Thissara Perera made 23) and Chamara Kapugedera scored 13 as extras were 14.

Sri Lanka, who needed to win to qualify for the second round Super Eights after losing the tournament opener to New Zealand by two wickets, suffered a huge blow before play began when star off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a groin injury.

Suraj Randiv came in for Muralitharan and Thissara Perera, a medium-pace all-rounder replaced Chanaka Welegedara.

This was the first match of this World Twenty20 proper for Zimbabwe, who defeated both reigning champions Pakistan and Australia in warm-up fixtures.

Teams
Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (captain, wk), Dinesh Chandimal, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Sanath Jayasuriya, Thissara Perera, Suraj Randiv, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis

Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor, Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Craig Ervine, Elton Chigumbura, Charles Coventry, Greg Lamb, Graeme Cremer, Prosper Utseya (captain), Ray Price, Christopher Mpofu.

More: continued here

LAHORE: Despite clear instructions by the Punjab?s Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, farmers are finding it difficult to sell their wheat, as they are not being provided with bardana.

The affected farmers have accused the officials of Revenue Department of demanding bribe for supply of jute bags.

According to reports, farmers are facing problems in Okara, Dibalpur, Sahiwal, Pakpatan and other cities of South Punjab over non-availability of bardana.

More: continued here

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tuesday vowed full cooperation on US enquiries into a Pakistani-American held over an attempted bombing in New York, throwing the spotlight back onto international terror plots in the country.

US officials said Faisal Shahzad, a naturalised US citizen born in Pakistan, was arrested for allegedly driving a car bomb into Times Square that narrowly failed to explode on Saturday night.

News reports said Shahzad, 30, lived in Connecticut and returned recently from a five-month trip to Pakistan, including Peshawar, a known transit point for Al-Qaeda and Taliban recruits near the Afghan border.

US police arrested Shahzad as he was trying to flee to Dubai on Emirates flight EK202, with reports that Pakistan was his likely final destination.

Attorney General Eric Holder said additional evidence had been gathered and investigators were seeking information on “overseas” terrorist groups.

In Islamabad, the Pakistani government, which is dependent on US assistance as it battles Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants blamed for bombings that have killed thousands, was quick to pledge assistance.

“Pakistan and the US have ongoing, robust cooperation on counter-terrorism. If required, we will extend the fullest cooperation to the US,” foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told a foreign news agency.

One official confirmed there had been “initial discussion” on Shahzad at talks between US ambassador to Islamabad Anne Patterson and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi but declined to reveal further details.

Pakistan’’s Taliban, the country’’s premier national security threat which experts see as increasingly close to Al-Qaeda, has been the only group to claim responsibility for the attempted bombing.

Its leader, Hakimullah Mehsud — threatened to attack US cities with suicide bombers, seemingly back from the dead in videos that emerged two days after the attempted bombing.

“The time is very near when our fedayeen will attack the American states in the major cities,” said Mehsud, in the video released by monitoring groups.

It was his first apparent appearance since US officials believed he was likely killed in a US drone strike in northwestern Pakistan on January 14.

More: continued here
Pakistan News

PROVIDENCE, Guyana: Zimbabwe were bowled out for 84 in 15.1 overs against New Zealand in their Group B match in the World Twenty20 here at the Providence Stadium on Tuesday.

After New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and put Zimbabwe into bat, Zimbabwean openers Tatenda Taibu (21) and Hamilton Masakadza (20) provided a good start but as soon both were out others could not resist the attack from the Kiwi bowlers.

The only other batsman getting into double figure was Greg Lamb, who remained nou out on 14 while the number of extras were 11.

Scott Styris and Nathan McCullum captured three wickets for five and 16, respectively while Vettori claimed two for 10.

The Black Caps retained the same side that beat Sri Lanka by two wickets in the tournament’’s opening match on Friday.

Zimbabwe made two changes to the team that suffered a 14-run loss on the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-affected match against Sri Lanka here Monday.

Andy Blignaut replaced Brendan Taylor at the top of the order and leg-spinner Timycen Maruma came in for seamer Christopher Mpofu.

Teams
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Gareth Hopkins (wk), Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori (captain), Nathan McCullum, Shane Bond, Tim Southee

Zimbabwe: Andy Blignaut, Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Craig Ervine, Elton Chigumbura, Charles Coventry, Greg Lamb, Graeme Cremer, Prosper Utseya (captain), Ray Price, Timycen Maruma.

More: continued here