Zulfiqar Mirza quits PPP position, portfolio

KARACHI: Sindh’s Senior Minister and PPP’s Senior Vice President Dr Zulfiqar Mirza announced on Sunday to quit party position and membership of Sindh Assembly, TrendPK reported.

He claimed that peace could be restored in Karachi within 15 days. “The bloodshed in the city will not end with my departure,” he added.

Zulfiqar Mirza said that he has so many Urdu speaking relatives. “I had not said that all Urdu speaking people were or are bad but I say that those who want to disintegrate Pakistan and specially Sindh are my enemies.”

Mirza said that Rehman Malik is the biggest enemy of Pakistan. “Rehman Malik is the biggest enemy of mine.”

Mirza said that Wali Khan Babar, a Karachi-based journalist, was killed by MQM. “Liaquat, a target killer, killed Wali Khan Babar,” he said.

“The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has not 100 percent mandate in Karachi and Hyderabad.”

“I am not a qualified actor. Rehman Malik is the vice chancellor of ‘liar’ university,” he added.

Mirza said that the Khidmat-e Khalq Foundation’s ambulances are used to transfer weapons and, he added, bodies are thrown through these vehicles.

“The chief of CPLC has affiliation with this organization. I don’t want to see him as the head of CPLC.”

“Altaf Hussain wrote a letter to UK’s premier Tony Blair in 2001, requesting him to eliminate ISI before it can create more Osama bin Laden,” he said.

He said that ISI and army have saved the country.

“I was forced to send to Nine Zero (MQM’s headquarter) once.”

Mirza said that Ishtiaq is a notorious target killer. He belongs to the MQM.

He said that during his time as a Sindh’s home minister he appointed about ten thousand policemen throughout the province. “I did not appoint anyone on the recommendations of the MQM,” he added.
“Altaf Hussain is a killer and the MQM is a terrorist organization,” he said.

“I have dedicated my life for the people of Karachi. I invite business community and traders to support me,” he said.

“It was attempted to defame me through facebook and other means.”

He said that Interior Minister Rehman Malik did not inform the party leadership rightly. “He is the aide of target killers.”

Replying to a question, he said that he will appear before the Supreme Court. “If am called by the court, I’ll say the truth on the Karachi situation,” he added.

Mirza said that MQM’s Nasreen Jalil wrote letters against him to 22 foreign ambassadors.

“I am not leaving PPP and my relation with President Asif Ali Zardari will be intact,” he replied.

Mirza said that he and Pir Mazharul Haq held a meeting with MQM’s Chief Altaf Hussain in London. “Altaf informed me that America wanted to disintegrate Pakistan and his party (MQM) will continue to support this cause and will kill Pakhtoon people,” he said. TrendPK

German, French envoys summoned to Foreign Office over anti-Pakistan remarks

Ambassadors of Germany and France were called in the Foreign Office and a strong protest was lodged with them over the statements made against Pakistan by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and frence President Sarkozy.

According to Foreign Office spokesperson, Today, the Foreign Office conveyed the Government and the people of Pakistan’s disappointment separately to the Ambassador of France and the German Charge d’ Affaires (CdA) in Islamabad at the reported remarks by President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel relating to Pakistan following their meeting with the Indian Prime Minister in New Delhi and Berlin, respectively.

It was underlined that Pakistan enjoyed excellent relations with both France and Germany and that bilateral cooperation in all areas had lately been on the increase. Pakistan is, therefore, surprised and disappointed at the reported remarks made by the two leaders, he added.

The German CdA said that the Chancellor’s remarks had been misquoted. He assured that her remarks were not Pakistan specific, the statement added.

In a joint press conference with visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday, the German chancellor while talking about the terrorist attacks against India said Berlin would take up the terror issue with Islamabad. We want to do whatever we can to make it clear to Pakistan that terror cannot be a means to solve the political problems. We will make it clear to Pakistan that terror is unacceptable, said Merkel.

WikiLeaks cables claim sacking German minister’s assistant

The WikiLeaks revelations have claimed their first political scalp in Europe with the sacking of the German foreign minister’s chief of staff, who acted as a spy for the Americans, keeping the US embassy in Berlin posted last year on the confidential negotiations to form Angela Merkel’s new government.

Amid a mood of increasing anger in the German political class at the disparaging observations on the chancellor’s cabinet from US officials, a liberal MP today demanded the withdrawal of the American ambassador in Berlin, Philip Murphy. Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister and leader of the liberal Free Democrats, the junior partner in the Merkel coalition, is described unflatteringly in the US cables from Berlin as inexperienced,

KP public varsities close against VC kidnapping

Staff Report

PESHAWAR: Public universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are closed today (Monday) against the kidnapping of the Vice Chancellor of Islamia College University, Dr Ajmal.

Teachers, students and staff of the public universities are also supporting the call.

A protest is also being staged in Peshawar against the kidnapping of Dr Ajmal.

It was decided last day during the meeting of the teachers association of the universities that all the varsities would be closed in the Khyber-Pakhtonkhwa till the recovery of Dr Ajmal. Trend Pk

Greece suspends foreign airmail service after attacks

Greece has suspended international airmail for 48 hours after more than a dozen suspicious packages were sent to targets in Greece and across Europe. Police are looking for five men suspected of being part of an extreme left-wing group.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for improved security for air cargo after one of the packages was sent to her office in Berlin. Italian police are investigating after a package ignited at Bologna airport.
The pilot of a private courier plane was told to divert to Bologna after it emerged that the package was addressed to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. At least 11 similar packages have been found in Athens, mostly addressed to embassies although one was meant for French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Greek police suspended the airmail service to give them time to screen mail and parcels before they were sent abroad. Controlled explosions were carried out on two parcel bombs at Athens airport’s cargo terminal on Tuesday evening. The parcels were addressed to international police organisation Europol in the Netherlands and the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
Prime Minister George Papandreou said the authorities were determined to protect Greek citizens, adding that democracy will not allow itself to be terrorised.
Italian police have stepped up security at Rome’s main airports, Ciampino and Fiumicino. Secret services are reported to be investigating a possible link between extreme leftist Greek and Italian groups.

Austerity cuts will change Britain forever: press

LONDON: Britain’s harsh austerity cuts are a watershed that will change the country forever and mark the start of a dramatic retreat by the state from its citizens’ lives, newspapers said Thursday.

Commentators were also in no doubt the 83-billion-pound (130-billion-dollar, 95-billion-euro) cuts package, unveiled Wednesday, was a huge bet with the Financial Times calling it “Britain’s biggest economic gamble in a generation.”

George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, announced the deep spending cuts which slashed budgets by around a fifth and will likely lead to the loss of half a million public sector jobs.

They are designed to tackle a record 154.7-billion-pound deficit.

Some observers bemoaned the risk to the economy that Osborne was taking and the deep cuts faced by the welfare system, while others

Cleric Dr. Farooq shot dead in Mardan

Staff Report

MARDAN: Unidentified gunmen shot dead renowned cleric and the Vice Chancellor of Swat Islamic University, Dr. Mohammad Farooq Khan, SAMAA reported Saturday.

Gunmen attacked Dr. Farooq when he was in his clinic situated on Swabi road in Defence Colony. Dr. Farooq, and his aid died on the spot.

Bodies have been taken to Mardan Civil Hospital.

Dr. Farooq wrote several books and was chief of a welfare organization in the area. SAMAA

Cleric Dr. Farooq shot dead in Mardan

Staff Report

MARDAN: Unidentified gunmen shot dead renowned cleric and the Vice Chancellor of Swat Islamic University, Dr. Mohammad Farooq Khan, SAMAA reported Saturday.

Gunmen attacked Dr. Farooq when he was in his clinic situated on Swabi road in Defence Colony. Dr. Farooq, and his aid died on the spot.

Bodies have been taken to Mardan Civil Hospital.

Dr. Farooq wrote several books and was chief of a welfare organization in the area. SAMAA

Swat Universitys VC Dr Farooq mowed down in Mardan

First ever Vice Chancellor of Swat Islamic University Dr Farooq Khan has been gunned down in Mardan on Saturday.
Police said that Dr Farooq was coming out of his clinic located at Muqam Mandi when some unknown gunmen opened fire at him killing him on the spot.
Dr. Muhammad Farooq Khan is a recognized writer, columnist, and intellectual throughout the country. He is also known as a religious scholar and competent TV compare. He was born at a village, in the district of Swabi. He obtained his elementary education at his hometown. Then he joined Cadet College, Hasanabdal, and later on the Cadet College, Kohat. After having acquired the degree in medicine, he decided to specialize in psychiatry. He established his private practice in Mardan. Some of his works include Pakistan and the Twenty First Century (Urdu), The Struggle for Islamic Revolution, and What is Islam. God has bestowed upon him the quality of presenting his propositions in simple language and clarity of style.

Swat Universitys VC Dr Farooq mowed down in Mardan

First ever Vice Chancellor of Swat Islamic University Dr Farooq Khan has been gunned down in Mardan on Saturday.
Police said that Dr Farooq was coming out of his clinic located at Muqam Mandi when some unknown gunmen opened fire at him killing him on the spot.
Dr. Muhammad Farooq Khan is a recognized writer, columnist, and intellectual throughout the country. He is also known as a religious scholar and competent TV compare. He was born at a village, in the district of Swabi. He obtained his elementary education at his hometown. Then he joined Cadet College, Hasanabdal, and later on the Cadet College, Kohat. After having acquired the degree in medicine, he decided to specialize in psychiatry. He established his private practice in Mardan. Some of his works include Pakistan and the Twenty First Century (Urdu), The Struggle for Islamic Revolution, and What is Islam. God has bestowed upon him the quality of presenting his propositions in simple language and clarity of style.

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