ISLAMABAD: Remittances sent home by overseas Pakistanis continued to show a rising trend as an amount of $7,306.65 million was received in first ten months (July-April) of the current fiscal year 2009-10, showing an increase of $951.07 million or 14.96 percent over the same period of the last fiscal year.

The amount of $7,306.65 million includes $1.02 million received through encashment and profit earned on Foreign Exchange Bearer Certificates (FEBCs) and Foreign Currency Bearer Certificates (FCBCs), said a statement issued by State Bank of Pakistan Tuesday.

The SBP said that in April this year, an amount of $755.77 million was sent home by overseas Pakistanis, up 8.35 percent or $58.25 million, when compared with $697.52 million received in the same month last year.

It may be mentioned here that International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, in its quarterly Financing Facility for Remittances newsletter has reported Pakistan as a top nation, which has shown the highest growth in the world in remittances despite recent global financial crisis.

According to the newsletter, Pakistan is followed by Bangladesh, Mauritius, Swaziland, Guinea-Bissau and Philippines, which have also shown strong growth in remittances.

The inflow of remittances in the July-April, 2010 period from UAE, Saudi Arabia, USA, GCC countries (including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman), UK and EU countries amounted to $1,663.22 million, $1,525.90 million, $1,461.80 million, $1,033.00 million, $734.59 million and $210.22 million respectively as compared to $1,366.79 million, $1,264.07 million, $1,435.65 million, $996.02 million, $467.98 million and $196.53 million respectively in the July-April, 2009 period.

Remittances received from Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan and other countries during the first ten months of the current fiscal year amounted to $ 676.86 million as against $ 628.09 million in the same period last year.

The monthly average remittances for the July-April 2010 period comes out to $730.67 million as compared to $ 635.56 million during the same corresponding period of the last fiscal year, registering an increase of 14.96 percent.

During last month i.e. April 2010, remittances from Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, GCC countries (including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman), UK and EU countries amounted to $183.13 million, $165.98 million, $144.09 million, $100.17 million, $73.62 million and $20.65 million respectively as compared to $150.49 million, $156.64 million, $144.18 million, $102.83 million, $61.55 million and $20.86 million in April 2009.

Remittances received from Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan and other countries during April 2010 amounted to $68.11 million compared with $60.97 million in the same month last year.

It may be pointed out that the State Bank, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis had undertaken a joint initiative called `Pakistan Remittance Initiative (PRI)” with a view to facilitating the flow of remittances through formal channels.

This initiative has started to materialize and remittances through formal channels are showing considerable growth.

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MUMBAI: The US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer on Tuesday said Pakistan has to do more to fight terror.

Acknowledging Pakistan’’s contribution to fight against terror, he, however, said Islamabad needs to do a lot more to combat the menace.

“Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’’s comments underscore that while Pakistan has done a lot (to fight terror), they need to do more,” he said.

On the scheduled meeting of foreign ministers of India and Pakistan in mid-July, he said “it is important that India and Pakistan talk.”

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NOWSHERA: A close aide to the Swat Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah was arrested by law-enforcement agencies and the security forces in a joint action

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ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday sought a report from Governor Gilgit Baltistan over the relief and rehabilitation measures for the landslide affectees of the Hunza valley and steps for draining the lake.

A massive landslide in Hunza District on January 4 led to blockade of the Hunza River and creation of an artificial lake where water level is constantly rising. The Frontier Works Organisation is creating a spillway to drain the lake.

President Zardari who had been in touch with the local authorities and had directed immediate relief and rehabilitation measures on January 4 and March 8, enquired about the progress made so far and emergency measures in case the artificial dam bursts.

The President asked the Gilgit Baltistan administration to provide an immediate update and progress on the latest situation as the water in the lake continues to rise and poses a threat to the people downstream.

He said the authorities must be prepared in advance to meet any eventuality and ensure that there was no loss of life.

He assured that the federal government would do all to provide shelter, food and medical help for the displaced people through the National Disaster Management Authority.

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Pakistan News

TEHRAN: Pakistan?s ambassador to Tehran M B Abbasi escaped unhurt a knife attack, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit confirmed Tuesday.

The foreign office spokesman said Abbasi is safe.

He said there is also no truth about the deaths of two guards in the attack.

Earlier, Arab TV claimed that the vehicle of Pakistani ambassador came under gun attack, killing two of his guards.

A foreign news agency adds: Pakistan’’s ambassador to Tehran was injured and taken to hospital on Tuesday when his car was attacked by an Afghan, Iran’’s foreign ministry spokesman told state-run television.

“The Pakistan ambassador’’s car has been attacked by an Afghan. The ambassador has been injured and he is in hospital. The Afghan has been arrested,” the spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying.

He did not give any further details in his comments made on state-run Arabic language Al-Alam television.

But Tehran police chief said the ambassador, Mohammad Bakhsh Abbasi, was injured in a confrontation.

“The ambassador went to a gym several times a week without his bodyguards. This afternoon while he was on his way he had a clash with a 21-year-old Afghan, he was injured on the head and fell,” police chief Hossein Sajedi-Nia told ISNA news agency.

“Policemen appeared on the scene after phone calls by people and arrested that person,” he said. “The ambassador is well now and the detained man is being interrogated.”

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Islamabad

If properly performed, autopsies can be of tremendous teaching value, not only for pathologists but also for the treating and managin

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LAHORE

THE Labour Party Pakistan (LPP) has alleged that the PPP and the PML-N are using all tactics to rig polls in PP-63, Faisalabad.

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Pakistan News

MIRANSHAH: US drone aircraft killed at least 24 suspected militants in two attacks on Tuesday in North Waziristan, security officials said.

In the first of Tuesday’’s two drone attacks, more than 12 missiles were fired in Dattakhel village, about 30 km (20 miles) west of Miranshah, North Waziristan.

“Three missiles hit a vehicle and three militants sitting in it were killed,” said an intelligence agency official in the region, who declined to be identified.

The drones then fired a barrage of missiles at a nearby militant compound, killing at least 11 more, according to a second security official.

There was no word on the identity of any of the militants killed but the attack was in an area where members of an Afghan Taliban faction led by a commander known as Gul Bahadur operate.

The second attack was on a militant camp on the border with Afghanistan, some distance from the first strike. Two missiles killed at least 10 militants, intelligence officials and residents said. Taliban officials were not available for comment.

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Karachi

The Karachi Bar Association (KBA) has issued a call to strike and boycott court proceedings on May 12 (Wednesday), the day when Chief

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Karachi

The former Chairman Department of International Relations, University of Karachi (KU) and renowned analyst on European Diplomacy, Prof.

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