Posts Tagged ‘Murree’

Guard, five accomplices loot Rs15m from bank

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RAWALPINDI – A security guard of Dubai Islamic Bank, Murree Road Branch, along with his five accomplices armed with sophisticated weapons looted Rs 15 million from the bank here on Thursday.
The dacoits after committing the crime managed to escape from the scene whereas the police registered a case and…

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Red-tape impeding progress

MURREE: President Mohammad Ayub Khan today urged men in services to gear themselves up to the pace required for industrial and commercial development of the country and avoid delays and red-tape that were proving very frustrating to the people and were impeding the progress of Pakistan. Addressing the closing session of the National Economic Council [...]

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Clinton-Nawaz meeting cancelled

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The meeting between US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Mian Ex Prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharifcancelled.
Mian Nawaz Sharif, who was in Murree, had earlier set off to Islamabad; however, he could not arrive in the federal cabinet on time. The meeting was scheduled at 11:00am.<br…

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Well-kept colonial heritage

A SPLENDOURED SPACE by M. Athar Tahir Chowdhry; pp 126 (Coffee table size) Price not listed; Published by Lawrence College, Ghora Gali, Murree, Pakistan. The well-known poet, short story writer and compiler of some important books related to art and culture, Athar Tahir is an old student of Ghora Gali College which has celebrated its [...]

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Grand op launched in Abbottabad

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ABBOTTABAD – In a joint search operation launched across Abbottabad district including posh areas of the city, Galiyat as well as some parts of Murree in Punjab, security forces have rounded up over 40 suspects including three foreigners having links with Osama bin Laden, TheNation learnt on Thursday.
Official sources…

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Pakistan, India meet for second day of trade talks

Pakistani Secretary Commerce Zafar Mehmood (L) and his Indian counterpart Rahul Khullar arrive for talks in Islamabad on April 27, 2011. — Photo by AFP

ISLAMABAD: During the first round of Thursday’s trade talks between Commerce Secretary Zafar Mahmood and his Indian counterpart Rahul Khullar, Pakistan refused to grant India the status of most favoured nation, DawnNews reported.

The commerce secretaries were meeting for a second day of trade talks in Murree.

The talks aim at boosting business between the two countries.

The two sides agreed to revive all those committees/working groups constituted before the Mumbai attacks so as to resume work on measures for facilitation and promotion of trade.

The potential of bilateral trade is estimated to go up to $6.5 billion from the current $2 billion.

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Via DAWN.com

Heatwave likely to subside from tomorrow

ISLAMABAD, April 27: The current hot weather condition which has gripped the plain areas of the country, including Rawalpindi and Islamabad, is likely to subside from Friday.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department on Wednesday said a weak westerly weather system was likely to enter Balochistan late Thursday, leading to isolated rains and dust thundershowers in the north-east of Balochistan on Thursday night and Friday and in upper Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir on Thursday to Saturday.

The Met Office said the day temperatures in plain areas were six to eight degrees above the normal values of maximum temperatures. The increasing trend in temperature is likely to continue till Thursday.

Gusty winds are expected in plain areas, especially in the wheat growing areas from Thursday, and the Met office advised the farmers to take precautionary measures accordingly.

The maximum temperature of 46C was recorded in Bahawalpur and Larkana on Wednesday.

Other cities with maximum temperatures were: Islamabad, 36 degrees Celsius, Lahore, 39C; Quetta, 33C; Muzaffrabad, 38C; Multan, 44C; Karachi, 35C; Peshawar, 37C; Gilgit, 36C; Murree, 25C; Faisalabad, 41C; Nawabshah, D.G. Khan, Rahimyar Khan, 45C, Bhakkar, Multan, Bahawalpur, Khanpur, Rohri, Sukkur and Sibi, 44C; Sahiwal, Jacobabad, D.I. Khan, Jhang and Okara 43C, and Lahore, Faisalabad, Mianwali and Hyderabad, 42C.

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Via DAWN.com

NEWS IN BRIEF

House looted

SWABI, April 4: Unidentified dacoits broke into the house of a man employed overseas early on Monday and took away cash and ornaments. The incident occurred at Sugandi village of Maini union council.

The house owner Obaidur Rehman said one of the robbers took the inmates at gunpoint in a separate room while others searched the house and decamped with Rs100,000 cash, 2,500 Saudi Riyals, 30 tola gold ornaments and two mobile sets. He said no male member was present at the house at time of robbery. — Correspondent

Kidnapped tribesmen

PARACHINAR, April 4: Kurram Agency political agent Musadaq Shah on Monday assured elders of Turi and Bangash tribes that the kidnapped tribesmen would be recovered within next few days.

A jirga comprising relatives of the forty missing persons and elders of Turi and Bangash tribes met here with the political agent. The PA hinted at progress in the recovery efforts of the kidnapped persons. He also lauded the cooperation of tribal elders in handling this sensitive issue.

Elders of Turi tribe said they had always respected and abided by the peace agreements. But, they said, the rivals had attacked the convoy of passengers in Baggun killing several people and kidnapping 40 others. They said the kidnapped people were still in the custody of the militants. The urged the government to take solid measures to recover the kidnapped people including children.—Correspondent

Dir blast condemned

PESHAWAR, April 4: Governor Barrister Masood Kausar on Monday condemned the bomb blast in Lower Dir and expressed deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives. He described it a cowardly act of terrorism.

In a condolence message, the governor while expressing sympathies with members of the bereaved families, said elements involved would be brought to justice.

He appealed to the people to maintain unity and cooperate with the law-enforcement agencies.

He said such attacks had further strengthened the resolve of the people and the government against such elements.

He also prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls and courage to the bereaved families to bear the irreparable loss with patience. The governor also wished early recovery of the injured.—Bureau Report

Snowfall in Abbottabad

ABBOTTABAD, April 4: Thanidyani, Nathiagali, Ayubia and other hilly areas of Abbottabad received snowfall on Sunday night, while Abbottabad-Murree road was closed for traffic from Kala Bagh onward due to slippery conditions.

Four to six inches of snow was recorded in plains while hilly areas received at least one foot snow.

Locals said the snowfall continued to lash the area for the last two days with intervals, which they added, was an exception in the month of April. The snowfall dipped the temperature below freezing point in Galyat.—Correspondent

Murder case resolved

PESHAWAR, April 4: Police have resolved the mystery about death of a youth, Rasheed of Hayatabad phase-III, and arrested his two brother in-laws in the case.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday Cantonment Circle SP Shafiullah Khan said Rasheed had disappeared on Nov 11 last year and police had registered a kidnapping case on complaint of his relative Said Waris on Dec 28.

Using data from the victim’s cell phone the police arrested a woman Naureen of Pabbi, also the victim’s relative, whose disclosure led to arrest of Sajid and Haider, sons of Abdul Ghani and Usman, son of Abdul Lateef. The arrested men confessed kidnapping Rashed and later killing him by hitting his head with a wooden pot as he used to quarrel with his wife (sister of the accused).—Bureau Report

Four workers injured

PESHAWAR, April 4: Four labourers working in an under-construction building at Hayatabad Industrial Estate sustained injuries after falling from the shuttering on Monday. The injured were identified as Asad (20), Ubaid Ullah (25), Ayub (22) and Amber (22).

An official of the Rescue 1122 said they had been shifted to Khyber Teaching Hospital where their condition was out of danger. — Bureau Report

Tackling crime

KOHAT, April 4: The Kohat DPO Mubarik Zeb has asked officials to devise an affective strategy for tackling crimes and terrorism.He was addressing the monthly review meeting on law and order on Monday. Meanwhile, the bomb disposal squad defused a mortar found in the sewer pipe of the Women and Children Hospital on Monday. The mortar weighed 75mm.

Meanwhile, a policeman and his friend received burn injuries in an explosion caused by gas leak in his house in Jungle Khel. The house was also partially damaged. The constable Tanveer and his friend were taken to KDA hospital.

A mentally sick Mohammad Zahoor was drowned after falling into a well in Jabbi area. He was pulled out by volunteers. — Correspondent

E-filing of goods declaration

PESHAWAR, April 4: Frontier Customs Agents Group and All Torkham Customs Clearing Agents Association have expressed conditional consent to the order of Collectorate Customs Peshawar regarding e-filing of goods declaration at Torkham with uninterrupted power supply, DSL and other basic facilities.

These views were expressed by Customs Clearing and Forwarding Group delegation led by Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, which called on Collector Customs Peshawar Younas Khan on Monday. Chairman Frontier Customs Agents Group Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi apprised the collector customs that customs clearing and forwarding agents were ready for e-filing of every sort of shipment if these facilities were provided to them at Torkham. The delegation said due to non-availability of these facilities it was almost impossible for them to e-file goods declaration.

Younas Khan said government would soon construct a well-equipped customs port at Torkham to facilitate the clearing agents.—APP

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Murree Road carpeting from next week

RAWALPINDI, March 26: The carpeting of the Murree Road will commence from next week and the project will be completed with an estimated cost of Rs9 million, sources said here on Saturday.

RDA Engineering Director Chaudhry Mohammad Asghar said that work on different roads in the city was in progress.
He said that right now construction of Rashid Minhas Road was initiated with the cost of more than Rs8 million and the construction of 1.7 kilometer long 5th road was underway.

He said that the solar street lights would be installed on these roads. —Online

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Fire lorries watering Nawaz farms, alleges Elahi

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LAHORE – Senior PML-Q leader and former chief minister Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi on Tuesday alleged that the PML-N chief [Nawaz Sharif] was enjoying the cold weather of Murree when the inferno was destroying the Shah Alam Market [on Monday].
In a press statement, Pervaiz demanded the provincial government to…

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Council sticks to its guns

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ISLAMABAD – The leadership of the Sunni Ittethad Council has refused to accept the demand of the district administration, police authorities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi to refrain from initiating long march from Bari Imam or coming on the Murree Road for that purpose.
Authorities of the district administration and police…

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Haqqani’s two sons mediating in Kurram

ISLAMABAD: The three-year fragile and ineffective efforts for peace between warring sectarian tribes in Kurram Agency have received an unexpected boost in the shape of the controversial Haqqani network which is now trying to play peace broker.

This has been confirmed by more than one source from among the key players involved in the peace process.

The entry of the Haqqanis in the Kurram peace talks, which date back to 2007, has surprised many. After all, the network is usually mentioned in terms of its war theatre in Afghanistan and its base in North Waziristan. The US has been pressurising the government for months to dislodge the Haqqanis from North Waziristan.

Khalil and Ibrahim, sons of the network’s founder Jalaluddin Haqqani, have reportedly been meeting tribal elders from the Kurram in Peshawar and Islamabad to end the hostilities between the local tribes and bring peace to the area which has witnessed some of the worst clashes in its history over the past three years.

The last round of talks was held in Islamabad on Oct 10. “They first turned up at a meeting held in Peshawar in the first week of September,” a tribal elder told Dawn.

This account is corroborated by another elder who adds that the two brothers were also present at the second meeting in the provincial capital on Sept 16 and then at a subsequent one in Islamabad.

It is expected that elders and mediators will put their heads together in the next few days yet again to ensure sustainable peace in the area.

Although the ongoing spate of violence dates back to 2007 and the peace efforts to 2008, the Haqqanis have been in contact with the rival tribes since early last year.

In the early phase, Haqqani’s senior ‘commanders’ negotiated with all the groups in Kurram on his behalf. But the talks remained inconclusive.

Now he has nominated his two younger sons which shows how important the region has become for the group.

However, the people of the violence-wracked Kurram are apprehensive of the aims of the mediators.

Not only are they wary of those involved in fighting in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but also because they think that the involvement of the Haqqanis may not be possible without the tacit approval of the military which is reported to enjoy links with this group of Afghan militants.

Such suspicions gain credence against the backdrop of reports that members of the Haqqani clan visited Peshawar and Islamabad for the talks.

Some reports suggest that the Haqqanis have sought full authority and ‘machlaka’ (bond) from rival factions before unveiling a new peace agreement. The proposed deal will be binding on all parties.

However some groups are reluctant to give full authority and machlaka to the ‘mediators’.

Instead, they are stressing that the Murree/Islamabad agreement signed by all tribes be implemented.The government had brokered the agreement in Murree that was signed on Oct 16, 2008.

Under the agreement, the rival tribes deposited Rs20 million to the local authorities as guarantee that they would refrain from fighting in the future.

But the five-point agreement which covers all major issues could not be implemented.

Tribesmen blame a lack of interest on the part of the state organs for this.

According to some reports, the tribesmen have sought the release of the people kidnapped during an attack on a convoy on the Thall-Parachinar road in July.

The Haqqanis’ interest is not linked to the welfare of the residents of Kurram but to the tribal agency’s strategic position. The most important among all the agencies in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Kurram borders Afghanistan’s Khost province in the south, Paktia in the southwest and Nangarhar in the north, while Kabul is 90 kilometres west of Parachinar.

In fact, during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, all the major groups of ‘Mujahideen’ had bases in the area.

The Haqqani group is active in Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Ghazni and Wardak, which is close to Kabul. And especially as Waziristan has become vulnerable for the network in the wake of frequent US drone attacks, the Haqqanis are desperate to find safe locations outside the agency. Kurram would prove ideal for them and this is why they are trying to reconcile with the tribes in its lower and upper parts.

They are not the first to find Kurram’s proximity to Afghanistan attractive. In fact, Taliban first came there in 2006 when they moved to Orakzai Agency and some parts of Kurram from Waziristan after signing peace deals with the government.

Baitullah Mehsud, the late chief of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan had deputed Hakimullah Mehsud to oversee Kurram, Khyber and Orakzai.

Another reason the Taliban shifted activities to Orakzai and Kurram was that North and South Waziristan were being closely watched by the International Security Assistance Force for Afghanistan and they were facing difficulties crossing the border from there.

However, the militant groups’ move to Kurram was opposed locally. The residents of the upper parts of Kurram opposed the movement of armed men through the agency. Eventually the agency plunged into bloody clashes in April 2007, leaving over 3,000 people dead, according to unofficial estimates, while hundreds of families were displaced.

Property worth millions of rupees was destroyed in clashes and the people suffered immensely because of prolonged closure of the Thall-Parachinar road.

Unfortunately, scrappy media coverage of the clashes gave them a sectarian colour and the involvement of the Taliban was ignored, although the government did acknowledge on some occasions the involvement of a third party.

For a number of reasons, the Taliban since then have not been able to enforce their writ in Kurram. And this is why they have been forced to negotiate peace, a process which the Haqqanis have joined. Meanwhile, the residents of Kurram remain sceptical about the new initiative.

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Via DAWN.com

Opposition consulted on NAB Chairman: Gilani

MURREE: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Saturday that on the instructions of the President, he held consultations twice with the Leader of the Opposition for the appointment of Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Talking to media men, after attending the Founder’s Day at Lawrence College, Ghora Gali, the prime minister said President Asif Ali zardari first suggested the name of Justice (R) Mukhtar Junejo which was rejected by the Leader of Opposition. Then the President forwarded name of Justice (R) Deedar Hussain Shah which was also disapproved by Ch. Nisar Ali Khan.

He said he sent the note of dissent of opposition leader to the President after rejection of the names.

Gilani said President Zardari used his constitutional and discretionary power when he appointed the NAB Chairman.

The Prime Minister denied that the Army Chief raised the issue of changes in the cabinet during a meeting with the President and him.

Changes in the cabinet will be made if there is a need for them, he added.

Gilani said he had to still receive the list from the Establishment Division of people who benefited from the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

Already two “casualties” of NRO-affected people have occurred, he said adding when the list will be received it will be put before the cabinet and presented to the Supreme Court.

He said the National Assembly unanimously approved the bill for reinstatement of sacked employees. – APP

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Open man holes on Murree road poses death threats

The open man hole on Murree road near Mareer chowk is causing inconvenience for people of the area and had caused several incidents. According to details, there is a big man hole without covering on Murree road near Mareer chowk, Rawalpindi that have become cause of many road accidents but…

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Beggars network in twin cities posing security threats

The large number of beggars in different areas of twin cities is posing security threats while the residents have demanded of Commissioner Rawalpindi to take strict action against the beggars.
As per details, the beggars are roaming freely in, bazaars, streets, hotels, courts, airports, hospitals, Murree road, Marir chowk,…

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Installation of video cameras in Pindi underway

The process of installation of Video Cameras at important and busy points of Rawalpindi is underway aimed to ensure effective implementation on Traffic Laws and to control traffic violations. A Video Camera has been installed at busiest point of Cantt area, Mehrabad and Cameras on Murree Road would be installed…

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Murree gas project dropped, apex court told

ISLAMABAD – After the Court’s intervention, the Government of Punjab has dropped multimillion rupees gas supply project in Murree, Additional Advocate General Punjab, Khadim Hussain, Tuesday informed the Supreme Court.
According to details, the total cost of the gas supply project was Rs 696.878 million, and out of the total…

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