ISLAMABAD: Government has ratcheted up prices of petrol and high speed diesel by Rs1.50 and Rs1.40 a litre respectively with effect from April 1.
Govt hikes prices of petrol, diesel
ISLAMABAD: Government has ratcheted up prices of petrol and high speed diesel by Rs1.50 and Rs1.40 a litre respectively with effect from April 1.
Five dead in Lakki Marwat explosion
LAKKI MARWAT: At least five people were killed and several others injured in an explosion in Kot Kashmir area on Thursday.
Bilawal orders probe into release of funds for SZAB’s death anniversary
KARACHI: Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has taken strong notice of media reports that Sindh government has released Rs 2.5 million funds for the death anniversary of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and asked the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah for urgent inquiry into the matter.
Pathankot attack: Pakistan probe team meets NIA officials
NEW DELHI: A five-member Pakistan’s Joint Investigation Team (JIT), probing the Pathankot Airbase Attack, visited Indian National Investigation Agency headquarters in New Delhi and held meeting with the officials on Wednesday.
Oil prices fall as concerns rise over rally petering out
TOKYO: Oil prices fell on Tuesday as concerns mount that a rally since January is fizzling out, while analysts forecast another rise to record levels for US crude stockpiles.
Waqar Younis apologises over team’s debacle in WT20
LAHORE: Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis has apologized to the nation for team’s poor performance in the World Cup Twenty20 in India.
Suicide blast kills 50, injures over 100 in Lahore park
LAHORE: A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a park in a densely populated area of the metropolis, killing at least 50 people and injuring many others, police and rescue official said on Sunday.
US drone strikes in Yemen kill 8 militants
ADEN : Drone attacks killed eight men suspected of belonging to al Qaeda in southern Yemen on Saturday night, local residents said, as a US campaign against the militant group goes on amid a wider civil war in the country.
Najib takes Afghanistan to 123-7 against West Indies
NAGPUR: Afghanistan set 124-run target for West Indies in the 30th match of the World Twenty20 here at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on Sunday.
New Zealand crush Bangladesh, top Group 2 in WT20
KOLKATA: Bangladesh were bundled out for 70, their lowest total in Twenty20 Internationals, as New Zealand recorded their fourth consecutive victory in Group Two of the World Twenty20 here at Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Rehman urges UN chief to thrash out strategy against Daesh
Islamabad: Former interior minister Rehman Malik has written a letter to United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to thrash out a strategy against Daesh.
Brussels Airport to remain closed till Tuesday
BRUSSELS: Brussels Airport said on Saturday it would not reopen for passenger flights before Tuesday after suicide bombers blew themselves up in the departure hall.
Belgian police arrest six in bombing probe
BRUSSELS: Belgian police arrested six people in their probe of Tuesday's Daesh suicide bombings in Brussels, while authorities in France said they thwarted a militant plot there "that was at an advanced stage."
The federal prosecutor's office in Belgium said on Thursday that the arrests came during police searches in the Brussels neighbourhoods of Schaerbeek in the north and Jette in the west, as well as in the centre of the Belgian capital.
The arrests came days after suicide bombers hit the Brussels airport and a metro train, killing at least 31 people and wounding some 270 in the worst such attack in Belgian history.
Australia's Watson to quit international cricket after WT20
NEW DELHI: Australian all-rounder Shane Watson will bow out of international cricket after the World Twenty20 in India, cutting the team's last link to their golden era in the early 2000s.
The 34-year-old blond quit tests last year after losing his battle against a spate of injuries that plagued his career, and has not featured in a one-day international since September.
"One morning I woke up in Dharamsala, waking up to the beautiful view and I don´t know what it was exactly but I knew now was the right time," Watson told reporters in Mohali where Australia take on Pakistan in their next Super 10 match on Friday.
RAW agent captured from Balochistan: provincial minister
QUETTA: Security agencies have captured an agent of India's top spy agency from Balochistan, a provincial minister said on Thursday, in the latest evidence of Islamabad's claim that neighbouring country is actively trying to destabilize Pakistan.
In a media statement here today, Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti said that the captured agent is an active Indian serviceman who was active in Balochistan with an aim to destabilise Pakistan.
According to sources, the man was arrested by a Pakistan’s intelligence agency in Balochistan three days ago and he was later shifted to Islamabad for investigation.
The arrested agent of RAW had contacts with separatist groups operating in Balochistan, the sources said, adding that he is a commander in the Indian Navy.
Bugti congratulated the country's intelligence forces on the high-level capture.
He declined to give further details about the identity of the captured Indian agent or where in Balochistan he was arrested from. "What is important is that he is a serving RAW agent and he has been captured from Balcohistan.”
“We have always maintained that India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has been involved (in creating unrest) in Balochistan,” said the provincial minister.
He said that the apprehended agent is being further investigated.
Europe recovers from Brussels-driven losses
LONDON: European stock markets bounced back on Wednesday from the concerns over security that have dominated the past 24 hours, helped by a handful of more positive signals on the health of the world’s major economies.
Some Asian markets fell earlier in subdued trading as investors pulled back on positions ahead of the long Easter weekend, opting for caution following the suspected Daesh (Islamic State) suicide bomb attacks in Brussels.
New Zealand to bat first in crucial WT20 clash against Pakistan
MOHALI: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bat first against Pakistan here on Tuesday in a crucial World Twenty20 ties that will pave way for the winner to improve its chances to qualify for the semis.
COAS visits NWA, expresses satisfaction over op, TDPs rehabilitation
RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif visited Tuesday North Waziristan Agency (NWA) and expressed his complete satisfaction over progress of concluding phase of operation in Shawal after spent the day with troops and tribesmen.
According to a statement by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the COAS was briefed in detail by the formation commander about progress of ongoing operation Zarb-e-Azb, return of TDPs and development/resettlement works initiated by Army in the area.
Blasts rock Brussels airport, metro; at least 34 killed
BRUSSELS: At least 34 people were killed and dozens injured in twin attacks on Brussels airport and a rush-hour metro train in the Belgian capital on Tuesday, triggering security alerts across western Europe and bringing some cross-border transport to a halt.
Belgian public broadcaster VRT raised the death toll the attacks in Brussels to 34, with 20 people killed in the blast on a metro train and 14 in explosions at the airport
Rangers obtain 90-day remand of MQM deputy convener Shahid Pasha
KARACHI: Rangers arrested Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Deputy Convener Shahid Pasha in a pre-dawn raid at his residence on Monday and obtained a 90-day remand of the MQM leader.
The news of Pasha's arrest had first been reported by members of the MQM, who claimed that paramilitary forces had arrested Pasha from Billy’s Paradise, his apartment building in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, at 3:00 a.m in the morning.
A statement issued fromt he party's Nine-Zero headquarters said Rangers personnel carried out a complete search of Pasha's house during the raid. Rangers personnel did not state why he was arrested and where he was being taken, claimed the MQM statement.
But later in the day, Rangers presented the accused in an anti-terrorism court where the Rangers law officer asked the administrative judge for a 90-day remand of the MQM leader.
Afridi told me he will retire after WT20: Shahryar
LAHORE: Expressing disappointment over team’s dismal performance against India, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shahryar Khan on Monday said T20 captain Shahid Afridi will retire after the conclusion of ongoing World T20 in India.
“Afridi told me himself that he will retire after this World Cup [World T20]… I didn’t force him for this decision,” said the PCB chief while speaking at a press conference here.
“If he [Afridi] changes his mind and wants to continue playing as a player then we’ll take that decision (of playing him or not),” he added.
Shahryar Khan said the decision of keeping Shahid Afridi as the captain till World T20 was taken 9, 10 months ago.
“When Afridi fails to perform then people criticize him and when he wins matches for Pakistan then they go silent,” said the PCB chairman in defence of the flamboyant T20 skipper.
Commenting over the team’s prospects in the ongoing tournament, Khan said the next two matches were really important and good performances in these encounters will cement Pakistan’s place in the semi-finals.
“Team is passionate despite losing to India,” said Shahryar Khan.
Speaking about bilateral cricketing ties between Pakistan and India, the PCB chief said more and more cricket between the two countries was the call of the hour.
“We couldn’t held a bilateral series because the Indian government did not approve it,” he said, adding that the International Cricket Council (ICC) team has given a ‘good report on security situation’ in India.
Expressing his annoyance, Shahryar Khan said Umar Akmal should not have asked the legendary cricketer, Imran Khan to recommend change in his batting position.
Interestingly Shahryar Khan had publicly expressed his disappointment yesterday with the team after it lost a much hyped match with India.
“Pakistan ranks seventh in the T20 format. So the country should not pin much hope on the team,” he said speaking to a British news agency.
He said that in the match against India the team failed to grasp wickets.
Criticizing the decision to include Mohammad Sami in the squad he said, “If three fast bowlers could not help the team win, a fourth would not make things better. There should have been a spinner in the team.”
In a statement which surprised many, he openly criticized team captain Shahid Afridi. “His future is evident. After the World Twenty20 ends, we will begin looking for another captain.”
About Coach Waqar Younis he said, “His contract ends in June. We will rethink our decision over him.”
WT20: India defeat Pakistan by six wickets
KOLKATA: Pakistan made 118 for five in 18 overs against Indiain the World Twenty20 Super Ten Group Two match that has been deemed more important for fans than the WT20 Final. Unfortunately, Pakistan were unable to defend the target and break the jinx against India which remains undefeated by the green shirts in ICC fixtures.
Sent into bat by India captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni, Pakistan openers Ahmed Shehzad and Sharjeel Khan made a cautious start but as soon they began to speed up the score they lost their wickets.
Pakistan reached 50 in the tenth over after losing both the openers. Sharjeel for 17 and Shehzad for 25.
Shafqat Amanat Ali apologizes over national anthem gaffe
KARACHI: Popular Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat Ali apologized to the nation on Sunday after a botched job of singing the national anthem in India disappointed fans back home and sparked criticism on social media.
The singer was representing Pakistan on Saturday to sing the national anthem at the opening ceremony of the Pakistan-India match at Kolkata's Eden Gardens alongside Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, who sang the national anthem for India.
But many fans said they were let down when Shafqat sounded like he had forgotten the lyrics to the Pakistani anthem.
"I admit that there were a few audio and technical glitches that may have sounded like lyrical errors and I will surely apologise for not being able to win your praises this time," said Shafqat in a message from his official Twitter account.
"But (I) assure you that I had by no means 'forgotten' our beloved Qaumi Tarana (national anthem)…If I had, neither of the people who walked up to me that day would have said that they 'loved' the performance," he said, expressing disappointment at his fans for thinking he could ‘forgot’ the lines to the national anthem.
“I will still apologise though, as I do not believe that 'apologising' change me as an artiste or a person, but I will say that I am deeply hurt by the little faith my fellow Pakistanis have in me after all these years of living and breathing the spirit of my country into my music,” he said.
“Nonetheless, let us still keep our faith in our #MenInGreen...They are our only team!”
Shafqat is an acclaimed singer, trained in Eastern classical music and hailing from a family of legendary classical singers.
WT20: New Zealand set Australia 143 to win in Dharamsala
DHARAMSALA: New Zealand failed to make the most of a strong start and posted a competitive 142-8 against Australia in their World Twenty20 Super 10 stage match in Dharamsala on Friday.
After Kane Williamson (24) won the toss and opted to bat, Martin Guptill (39) and the Kiwi skipper added 61 runs in seven overs to lay the foundation for a big total in the Group Two match.
Australia, who used seven bowlers, bowled and fielded with a lot of discipline, however, to restrict New Zealand to a sub-150 total with Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner claiming two wickets each.
Usman Khawaja and Shane Watson will open the innings for Australia who left former captain Aaron Finch out of the team.
Statistical highlights of Pakistan’s massive win over Tigers
Pakistan off to a victorious start in ICC World T20 with a 55 runs win over Bangladesh at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Bangladeshis were outshined in all departments of the game, statistically and operationally, with Pakistan achieving some milestones in the match as well.
Here’s the statistical highlight of Pakistan vs Bangladesh game in ICC World T20, played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata:
- Pakistan innings included 22 fours and 8 sixes, a tally of 30 boundaries, which is most by Pakistan in a T20i game. Previous was 28 (22x4s, 6x6s).
- 201-5 is Pakistan's 2nd highest total in T20Is. Pakistan's highest 203-5 was scored in 2008, against Bangladesh in Karachi's National Stadium.
- 201-5 is also Pakistan’s highest total in a World T20 match, previous was 191-6 vs Australia in 2010’s edition.
- Muhammad Hafeez, during his innings of 64, completed 1600 T20I runs, he’s 2nd Pakistani and overall only 5th player to complete 1600 T20I runs.
- Muhammad Hafeez is now 2nd leading run scorer for Pakistan, with 1609 runs, he’s only two runs behind Pakistan’s leading scorer Umar Akmal.
- Ahmed Shahzad & M Hafeez added 95 runs for 2nd wicket today, the duo of Shahzad & Hafeez is now Pakistan’s most successful batting partners with 741 runs in 21 partnerships.
Musharraf to undertake foreign trip soon: Kasuri
KARACHI: The foreign visit for former present General (retd) Pervez Musharraf will be finalized in the next day or two, the former military ruler’s close aide Ahmed Raza Kasuri said Wednesday.
Kasuri said that Musharraf will either leave for Dubai or London in his first trip abroad in years.
Kasuri, who is also part of Pervez Musharraf’s legal team, said in his opinion that the latter will undertake a foreign trip as soon as possible following the Supreme Court’s orders today to maintain an earlier decision of the Sindh High court to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
He said Musharraf will take a normal flight to travel abroad.
Ahmed Raza Kasuri said both Dubai and London are the destinations where Pervez Musharraf can get the medical treatment he requires.
Spin gamble pays off, New Zealand spank hosts India in WT20
NAGPUR: Kane Williamson´s gamble to compromise on speed and pick three specialist spinners paid off as New Zealand humbled hosts India by 47 runs in a spin-dominated Super 10 contest of the World Twenty20 on Tuesday.
Opting to bat first, New Zealand posted 126-7 in the Group Two contest on a prodigiously turning track at Nagpur´s VCA Stadium, seemingly a below-par total against the host nation who are famed for their proficiency against spin bowling.
Religious parties denounce ‘un-Islamic’ women protection law
LAHORE: An all-parties conference convened by Pakistan’s oldest Islamic political party and attended by powerful religious groups asked the government on Tuesday to retract an "un-Islamic" law that gives unprecedented protection to female victims of violence.
The Women´s Protection Act, passed by Pakistan´s largest province of Punjab last month, gives legal protection to women from domestic, psychological and sexual violence.
It also calls for the creation of a toll-free abuse reporting hot line, women´s shelters and district-level panels to investigate reports of abuse and mandates the use of GPS bracelets to keep track of offenders.
Domestic abuse, economic discrimination and acid attacks made Pakistan the world´s third most dangerous country in the world for women, a 2011 Thomson Reuters Foundation expert poll showed.
But since the law´s passage, many conservative clerics and religious leaders have denounced it as being in conflict with holy Quran and the constitution.
On Tuesday, representatives of more than 35 religious parties and groups came together for a conference called by the Jamaat-e-Islami party and condemned the women´s protection law as un-Islamic.
"The controversial law to protect women was promulgated to accomplish the West´s agenda to destroy the family system in Pakistan," read the joint declaration issued at the end of the concrescence.
"This act ... is redundant and would add to the miseries of women."
Failure not an option, says Kamal
Speaking to media in Karachi, Kamal said he has invited people to join his party from across the country and women were also becoming part of it.
The former mayor said, “I do not mind what Dr Farooq Sattar says, I only pray Allah Al-mighty to guide him.”
To a question, Kamal said they had not yet decided the name of their party.
3.2 magnitude quake hits Battagram
PESHAWAR: A low intensity earthquake hit Battagram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and adjacent areas on Friday, said National Seismological Monitoring Centre.
According to the monitoring centre , the quake measuring 3.2 on Richter Scale struck at a depth of 10 kilometer with its epicenter lying nine kilometer north of Battagram.
New posters of Mustafa Kamal sprout in Karachi
KARACHI: New posters of Mustafa Kamal sprang up in different areas of the city overnight, hours after the former mayor announced to hold a rally in Bagh-e-Jinnah on Wednesday.
Posters inscribed with slogans “Ray of Hope Mustafa Kamal” and “Salute to Mustafa Kamal” were put up on the walls in different areas of the city by unknown men.
Talking to media persons on Wednesday, Mustafa Kamal said that he will hold his first public meeting very soon at Bagh-e-Jinnah of Mazar-e-Quaid.
Kamal, in an obvious reference to MQM leaders, said he would try to not use the kind of language that ‘they’ do. “I can only pray that the Almighty show them the right path,” he added.
He said efforts are afoot by his yet-to-be-named party to constitute separate forums for students, women and lawyers. The former mayor said work is also being performed at the grass roots level to mobilise people.
In a fiery tell-all press conference upon his return to Karachi on Thursday last week, Kamal announced a new party in a direct challenge to the MQM in urban towns and cities of the Sindh province.
Kamal accused Altaf Hussain of insulting party workers several times in public meetings, especially once in May 2013 when he changed the party set up overnight.
He recalled that during his time in the MQM, the party’s Rabita Committee would continuously be degraded and insulted by Altaf Hussain within weeks and months, but recently the situation had worsened so much that the Rabita Committee would now be insulted every few minutes.
Blast kills soldiers, two employees of US consulate in Peshawar: Kerry
WASHINGTON: Two local employees of the US consulate in Peshawar and some soldiers have been killed by an explosive device while on drug-eradication mission, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday.
"Just this morning, I woke to the news that we had lost two local employees in Peshawar who worked with our consulate there who were going out on a effort to eradicate narcotics fields," Kerry told an event in Washington on countering violent extremism.
"An IED exploded and several were lost; a few of the soldiers who were there to guard them also," Kerry said.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said the incident occurred on Tuesday when the two Pakistani employees were traveling in a Pakistani government Anti-Narcotics Force convoy in Ambar tehsil, in the Mohmand Agency of Pakistan´s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
"The US government strongly condemns the attack," Kirby said, adding that the United States was offering its assistance to Pakistan in investigating the incident and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Rangers nab two Taliban operatives in Karachi
KARACHI: Pakistan Rangers Sindh on Monday conducted a targeted raid in the city's Korangi area resulting in the arrest of alleged Taliban operatives.
According to the Rangers PRO, the paramilitary force arrested two Taliban operatives and seized arms and ammunition from their possession.