RPP returns advance on SC orders

Updated at:,  Friday, November 18, 2011  ISLAMABAD: A report stating the details of the advance given to the Reshma Rental Power Company has been submitted in the Supreme Court, Geo News reported. The report, submitted by the PEPCO director, stated that the amount of advance has been returned by the company without mark-up. The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday directed the Reshma Rental Power Company to return till Friday with mark-up (Rs 4.5 billion in total) which it took as mobilisation advance two-and-a-half years ago while failing to deliver on the agreement. A two-member bench of the apex court, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain heard a suo moto case along with two identical petitions filed by Federal Housing Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat and PML-N MNA Khawaja Muhammad Asif against the alleged corruption in Rental Power Projects (RPPs). The court directed the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to produce details of reference tariff and generation tariff of RPPs by today. The court said since the amount was paid in US dollars, it should be paid back in the same currency, with mark-up. The court said legal action would be taken against the company’s executives if it failed to pay back the money within the stipulated time. The court noted that the government had paid this amount to the company about two-and-a-half years ago by getting a loan from a bank on 16 percent mark-up.

Ban on rallies lifted for two days in Karachi

Updated at:Saturday, October 29, 2011  KARACHI: The Sindh government has lifted the ban on public rallies and processions in the metropolis for two days, Geo News reported. According to a Home Department notification, the ban will now be effective from October 31. The change comes as the MQM has announced to take out a rally against the PML-N on Sunday. The rally has been called in protest to the use of unparliamentarily language against President Asif Ali Zardari during Shahbaz Sharif’s speech. Religious rites, funerals processions and those who have taken special permission from the Home Department are exempted from this ban. The Home Department had imposed ban on rallies and processions on September 28.

Self-immolated Raja Rind’s funeral coincides with his son’s birth

Updated Wednesday, October 26, 2011  NAUSEHRO FEROZE: The funeral prayer of Raja Rind Wednesday, who severely struck by persisting unemployment and poverty in utter frustration had self-immolated Tuesday in Islamabad, coincided with the birth of his son throwing the family in a queer situation of sorrow mixed with joy. A pal of sorrow and grief had overcast his house when Raja Rind’s self-immolated body had arrived at his house here, while today when preparation for funeral was underway and the funeral prayer was being offered at his native village Haji Sain Dad, a happy coincidence occurred with the birth of a son to his wife Najma at the local hospital. The nature has its own way taking away a life and giving birth to a new life in tandem that sent the citizens of Kandiaro area here into a queer life-time feeling of a milieu of sorrow and joy. His family told that Raja Rind had gone to Islamabad in search of a job for himself to support his two sons, wife and old dependent father and mother, but in utter frustration torched himself to death in front of the Parliament House.

 Begum Nusrat Bhutto passes away

 Updated at:Sunday, October 23, 2011
 DUBAI: Former chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and first lady, Begum Nusrat Bhutto, died at the age of 82 after protracted illness in Dubai on Sunday.

Begum Nusrat Bhutto was born in Isfahan, Iran on 23 March, 1929. She married to founder of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1951. After the death of her husband in 1979, she remained the chairperson of the PPP from 1979 to 1983.

She was allowed to leave Pakistan by the military government of Ziaul Haq in 1982 for London after she was diagnosed with cancer.

She was elected Member of National Assembly (MNA) from Larkana in 1988 and 1993.
Nusrat Bhutto had two sons Mir Murtaza Bhutto and Shahnawaz Bhutto and two daughters Benazir Bhutto and Sanam Bhutto.

The body of Begum Nusrat Bhutto will be brought to Sukkur from Dubai on a chartered flight on Sunday night.

She will be buried in Garhi Khuda Buksh in Larkana beside the grave of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The Pakistan People’s Party has announced 40-day mourning on the death of its leader.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani announced 10-day national mourning and public holiday on Monday and cancelled all his engagements.

The Federal Cabinet will also not hold its meeting on Tuesday.

Clinton arrives today to mend fences

Updated at:Thursday, October 20, 2011
 ISLAMABAD: United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due in Islamabad today (Thursday) to mend the broken fences with Pakistani leadership, Geo News reported.
Secretary Clinton and her entourage after finishing diplomatic business in Kabul will land in Pakistan to call on civil and military top brass.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, and Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani are on her meeting list.

US media are touting her visit as “a list-ditch effort” to stop US-Pakistan partner-ship form running aground.

Analysts say she is going to zero in on the Haqqani network stressing Pakistan to deal a decisive blow to it.

Mark Grossman Special Representative for Afghanistan-Pakistan, CIA Director David Petraeus, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen Martin Dempsey, and Under-Secretary of Defence for Policy Michele Flournoy will also sit next to her in Islamabad parleys.

Regular troops deployed at Afghan border’

Updated at:Wednesday, October 19, 2011  ISLAMABAD: Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Athar Abbas said on Tuesday that regular Army and FC troops have been sent to border areas with Afghanistan to stop militant attacks. Talking to the state-run radio, he said Pakistan will not allow militants to carry out attacks on its checkposts and border villages and kill civilians. The military spokesman said the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan was informed about these cross-border attacks and hideouts of the militants were also pinpointed but no action has so far been taken against them. He said apparently it seems that there is no presence of the Afghan army or Isaf in the vast area from where militants are operating against Pakistan. He said about 100 personnel of the police, levies and paramilitary forces have so far been martyred in militant attacks from across the border during the last four months. Athar said about 37 security personnel were martyred in the Chitral attack, which was the first such attack, and is a matter of great concern for Pakistan. To a question, he said there is a report that the militants had launched an attack in Bajaur, but no casualty was reported there. He said Dir is the area most affected by militant attacks and the terrorist group which fled from Swat is involved in these attacks so that they can come back to Swat via Dir. “We have strengthened all border checkposts and increased their number in Dir,” he said. He said militants have safe havens in Kunar, Nooristan and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan and there are no security forces in most of these areas. “It seems the militants are being supported locally and operating freely,” he added. He said Pakistan cannot launch operations across the border in Afghanistan. He said Pakistan took up the issue with the Afghan army personnel and Isaf, but no effective operation was seen in that area.

Shahid Afridi withdraws retirement decision

Updated at:Tuesday, October 18, 2011
 KARACHI: Former Pakistan cricket team captain Shahid Afridi has canceled his decision of retiring from international cricket and said that he is available to play for the country, Geo News reported Tuesday.

According to sources, Afridi said that the situation has improved after the appointment of new Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief.

He added that he is now ready to play under any captain and is available to play for the country.