RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani along with Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, United States flew over flood affected areas of Southern Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan Thursday.

They stopped over at Multan, where they were briefed about the progress of relief operation conducted by Pakistan Army.

COAS thanked United States for the support given to Pakistan to cope up with the natural calamity.

Kayani appreciated the sustained efforts being made to provide rescue and relief support to the affected people and directed the formations to also focus on the rehabilitation.

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KARACHI: The killers of MQM MPA Raza Haider have been identified by two witnesses in a local court here, Geo News reported Thursday.

CID police produced Mohammed Waseem alias Barodi, Abdullah alias Taimoor and Iklaq in court of Judicial Magistrate Central and West for identification parade.

The two witnesses identified the alleged men who have been accused of sectarian killings as well as their involvement in the murder of the MPA Raza Haider, along with the killings of Dr Junaid Haidri and Khadim Hussain, among others.

A police party led by SSP Operations Mohammed Fayaz Khan and SSP Chaudhry Aslam arrested Mohammed Waseem alias Barodi, and Abdullah alias Taimoor, during an encounter in Orangi Town.

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LAHORE: Son-in-law and daughter of Lahore High Court Justice Munir Ahmed have been injured in a firing incident in Gulberg area of Lahore, Geo News reported Thursday.

Both the injured have been shifted to the nearby hospital.

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WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund will give Pakistan $450 million in emergency flood aid and disburse funds during September, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said on Thursday.

Severe flooding in Pakistan has destroyed cropland and livestock and displaced millions of people, causing damage the government has estimated at $43 billion, or almost one quarter of the South Asian nation’’s 2009 GDP.

“The IMF … will be the first agency likely to disperse very rapidly money which is absolutely needed,” he told reporters after a week of discussions with Pakistani officials.

“The most important thing is to keep the Pakistani economy on track.”

Talks with a delegation led by Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on the terms of an $11 billion IMF loan program left him satisfied with the country’’s commitment to reforms, the IMF chief said.

Under the 2008 IMF loan program, Islamabad pledged to implement tax and energy sector reforms and give full autonomy to the State Bank of Pakistan.

“What is important is what was decided by the government to do to improve the economic situation, especially in the tax sector but in other fields also,” said Strauss-Kahn.

“What I heard from the authorities that they really want to move on with the program,” he said.

Shaikh said Islamabad remained committed to loan terms, including fiscal authority and tax reforms.

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WASHINGTON: The World Bank on Thursday raised flood aid to Pakistan to one billion dollars while the IMF approved 450 million dollars in emergency financing to help the nation cope with its worst-ever humanitarian disaster.

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army is devotedly working in rescue and relief operations in flood affected areas across the country.

Pakistan Army soldiers during last 24 hours rescued and shifted 3,200 marooned people to the Relief Camps in Sukkur, Shahdadkot, Qamber and Shikarpur besides providing cooked food to 29,500 people, treating over 4000 people through 21 static and mobile medical units in Sindh, said a press release issued here.

Army Aviation air dropped 6,000 kilograms dry rations, 46,000 water bottles, 25 tons of dry rations and 764 family packets (35 kgs each) have been distributed among the marooned people in Sindh.

Veterinary treatment has been provided to 24,000 cattles.

Army has provided 1700 tents to various Army Relief Camps in Sindh to accommodate the stranded people.

Army Field Hospitals and mobile medical teams have provided medical treatment and medicines to more than 35,000 affected people of Balochistan.

Army and FC Balochistan have distributed 45 tons of rations in relief camps of Dera Murad Jamali, Quetta, Jhal Magsi and Dhadarnital, while 35 Relief camps have been established in collaboration with Civil Administration where the affected people were provided food, shelter and medical treatment.

Army is also providing cooked food to over 20,000 affected people of Dera Murad Jamali.

Army has dropped dry ration packs through helicopters in areas of Osta Mohammad and Gandakha.

Army has dispatched three C-130 carrying tents, dry ration packs and relief goods to Quetta besides establishing a relief base at Gandakha to streamline relief activities in Balochistan.

In Southern Punjab, Army is managing Relief Camps, where more than 10,000 family packs of ration are being distributed daily.

Pakistan Army Medical Corps alongwith 14 Turkish, Australian Medical Camps are providing medical treatments to the patients.

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Pakistan News

KARACHI: The trade activities remained almost flat on Thursday at Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) as the benchmark KSE-100 Index posted a slight gain of 28 points to finish at 9,762.

Opening with green numbers, the KSE-100 Index remained in the positive zone throughout the session as investors took cautious positions in energy and cement sectors.

The trade volume remained thin at 40 million shares with HUBCO topping the list of volume leaders at Rs36.80, up by paisas 18.

Meanwhile, KSE-30 Index slipped 5 points to close at 9,636.

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ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court (SC) expressed dissatisfaction over police performance in connection with Sialkot Tragedy, Geo News reported Thursday.

Advocate General Punjab Khawja Haris told the apex court that names of all the accused have been put on Exit Control List. He also said it seemed that certain police officials are giving cover to the influential absconding accused.

A three-member SC bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry heard a suo motu case regarding two brothers? tortured death in Sialkot.

The CJ said if the accused are in the country they should have been arrested by now.

New Sialkot DPO Bilal Siddique told the court he wanted those police officers for the investigations who were not posted in the city before.

Siddique said former DPO has been nabbed and the absconding SHO will soon be taken into custody.

Later on, the hearing was adjourned till September 6.

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ISLAMABAD: Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar Thursday said President Asif Ali Zardari has convened two important meetings in connection with the rehabilitation and putting a curb on targeted killings in Karachi.

He said this while talking to media men after attending the funeral prayers on federal minister Abdul Razzaq Thaheem.

Farhatullah Babar said the President has issued directives to Sindh Home Minister Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza in regard to maintenance of law and order besides putting a check on targeted killings in Karachi.

In order for rehabilitation of the victims, Babar said, settlements like Benazirabad will be established.

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MUZAFFARBAD: Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief Nawaz Sharif Thursday said no efforts will be spared for the service and rehabilitation of the flood-stricken people.

Addressing the flood affectees in Baseera area of Muzaffargarh, Nawaz Sharif paid tributes to the people hit by the unprecedented floods for their resilience and courage.

?There can be no compensation for loss of life but those who suffered monetary losses will be given at least Rs100,000 each,? he promised.

Later, talking to media, the PML-N Chief said rehabilitation of the flood victims is a colossal task and will take time, as even the assessment of the losses remains to be carried out.

Referring to the yesterday?s deadly bombings in Lahore, he said problems of Pakistan are being compounded. Some elements want to see Pakistan unstable, he added.

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