Lahore: 13 killed in Urdu Bazaar suicide blast
At least 13 persons have been killed and 52 injured as a suicide bomber blew himself up at Urdu Bazaar Lahore on Tuesday evening at a time when a large number of people were gathered at Karbala Gamay Shah and Data Darbaar to observe Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain (R.A) and Urs of Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh (R.A).
According to details, police stopped a suspected person for checking but he threw his bag due to which the blast was occurred at Urdu Bazaar chowk. Head of the suicide bomber has been found.
According to our correspondent, 3 policemen are also among the dead. Rescue teams immediately reached the spot and started relief activities. The injured were shifted to Meo Hospital Lahore where emergency was imposed after the blast. Situation of most of the injured is stated to be critical. Cars and motorcycles were also damaged in the blast. Panic and fear prevailed among the people gathered at Data Darbaar. Police cordoned off the area and asked the people to clear the area to avoid any other untoward incident.
CCPO Lahore Aslam Tareen while talking to trendpk.com has confirmed that it was a suicide blast and the blast was occurred during checking of a suspected bomber.
FIA, PSM meet for safe passage to scam’s accused
ISLAMABAD: A grand strategy has been devised to give safe passage to the highly influential businessman, and a close friend of the president, involved in the multi-billion rupee Pakistan Steel Mill scam, by withdrawing all FIA registered cases against the small PSM traders and the Abbas Group companies.
According to informed sources, FIA had deliberately roped in small and medium sized dealers who had nothing to do with the scam but were still targeted both to mislead the supreme court into believing that the ordered action was being taken while actually the plan appeared to be to get relief for Abbas group companies, allegedly owned by Riaz Lalji, by clubbing their case with the other dealers.
At a meeting on Thursday between different steel industrialists, FIA and Pakistan Steel Mill (PSM) it was decided in principle to tell the Supreme Court at next hearing that PSM has no claim whatsoever against ‘any’ trader and thus wrongly registered cases will be taken back, The News has reliably learnt.
PSM’s acting Chief Executive Officer and its Principal Executive Officer Finance Imtiaz AK Lodhi while talking to The News confirmed that in today’s meeting with FIA chief Zafarullah, he had conveyed to him that PSM has no claims of recovery whatsoever against any dealer and thus FIA should take the wrongly registered cases back.
“We have agreed to convey this to the apex court in next hearing of the case,” Lodhi said adding: “We have offered the FIA to work together to resolve some misunderstandings as to what is meant by the term ‘business loss’ to PSM which the FIA calls a fraud or corruption.”
On the other hand when DG-FIA Zafarullah Khan was approached he said that he was still in meeting with people with regard to Pakistan Steel Mill issue. When asked to confirm the PSM CEO’s statement that both PSM and FIA are going to submit in the Supreme Court a joint statement that there are no claims of recovery against any dealer and so wrongly registered cases will be taken back, he said he couldn’t reply as this correspondent has misquoted him in a previous story.
When asked at what point he was misquoted he said that in Geo TV’s programme ‘Kehnay May Kya Harj Hai’, this scribe had alleged that he (DG) was loudly laughing while giving interview on PSM corruption case. When it was pointed out that he had been laughing, the DG replied that he will simply not speak on today’s developments.
Top steel industrialists in their interactions with The News have alleged that registration of so many cases against almost each and every steel trader and consumer was basically meant to create a situation of large-scale hue and cry and then finally announce that because of this situation, all the cases are being taken back.
The News has reported these interviews alleging Riaz Lalji as the mastermind of this strategy by FIA which, instead of acting upon Supreme Court’s instructions to investigate the real beneficiaries of more than Rs22 billion loss to the PSM, had registered FIR against 40 different steel traders and announced registration of similar FIRs against rest of the traders of the industry.
Following these FIRs, arrest of industrialists and a campaign to harass them was also launched by FIA’s Karachi office and head office at Islamabad.
As the result of the whole well-written scripted drama executed by FIA, hue and cry was started and harassed industrialists started threatening the government to come on roads. Many steel traders were scheduled to meet DG FIA on Friday at the interior ministers’ camp office in Karachi but one day before the highly important decision was taken to step-wise withdraw FIRs apparently to give a complete safe passage to the alleged owner of the Abbas Steel Group, Mr. Riaz Lalji.
When PSM’s acting CEO Lodhi was asked that if the whole fiasco of selling of billets, steel billets and other steel products to some selected traders was simply a business loss then would he say that decision of sacking of Moeen Aftab by the Prime Minister was wrong? To this he replied, “No, there ‘could be’ some elements of corruption or mismanagement. When the prices of the products were too low the then management should have gone to suppliers and got the rates adjusted”. He gave an impression as if billions of rupees loss was merely administrative mistake of the then management.
When asked whether it was simply a coincident that the whole consignments of tens of thousands of tons of billets, steel billets and other steels products were given to Abbas Steel and all other traders were ignored, he at this point admitted, “Yes, there could some mal-practice, but you know it has to be proved. FIA will have to prove it.”
After saying this Lodhi again make a very confusing statement, adding, “But at the same time you know it is our policy statement that all what happened was basically a business loss and we don’t have any claims whatsoever against any trader.”
When Lodhi was asked that whether he was sure that Riaz Lalji was not the owner of these four companies of Abbas Steel Group, which are beneficiaries of this whole scam, Lodhi said that he couldn’t say anything in this regard.
david morgan whips
June 9, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Morning everyone. So here I was, sat wondering what I might write by way of a preamble for this, the second installment of the world’s most underwhelming cricket series, when this email landed in my inbox…
“Thank you so very much for contributing to our cricket project in response to Andy Bull’s guardian.co.uk article. We have now raised over £2,200 which is enough to fund a cricket pitch for a school in Afghanistan. We will build away! It is a really exciting project and one which brings real hope and joy to children who are often living very difficult lives in areas of poor security. Nearly half of Afghanistan’s population is under the age of 18 and cricket is proving to be a great way to keep these young occupied. There is even a slogan…put down your guns, pick up your bats!
“Afghan Connection has been working in Afghanistan since 2001. We have funded many health projects, concentrating on medical training and vaccination work. We have built 32 schools and a teacher training centre and now the cricket has proved to be a project which is gathering great momentum with the rise of cricket in Afghanistan. I could hardly have believed just 2 years ago, when I was handing out cricket balls to the Afghan Cricket Team on a dusty Kabul field, that they would be playing in the Twenty 20 World Cup 2010. This is hope for Afghanistan. The story of the Afghan Cricket Team shows that dreams can come true and the Afghan children love cricket and want to be like the heroes of the National Team.”
If you are one of the many guardian readers who has donated money to Afghan Connection, thank you so much. At the risk of sounding far too sincere, I think you can be extremely proud of what you have helped achieve. Dabs tear away from eye.
As for the rest of you, the slovenly ones, well you haven’t heard the last on this from me yet. So if you want to spare yourself the guilt and self-loathing that will accompany a summer of nagging from your correspondent, you can donate here.
lupus
June 2, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Lady Gaga “Borderline Positive” for Lupus(CBS) A subdued Lady Gaga confirmed for CNN’s Larry King Tuesday night that Lupus runs in her family, and she’s tested “borderline positive” for it.
During the rare television interview, the usually boisterous, provocative and outrageous singer – one of the world’s most popular and considered by many to be the leading lady of pop — addressed Internet rumors that she has the autoimmune disease.
Photos: Lady Gaga’s Style
She told King, “Lupus is in my family and it is genetic. My mother told me the other day that my fans were quite worried about me because I did talk about how I was tested for Lupus.
“And ah, the truth is, I don’t show any signs, ah, any symptoms of Lupus. But I have tested borderline positive for the disease. So, as of right now, I do not have it, but I have to take good care of myself.”
It’s believed Lupus is hereditary and is what killed Gaga’s aunt in 1976, reports CBS News Correspondent Elaine Quijano.
Lupus affects roughly one-and-a-half million Americans, mostly women. It causes the body’s immune system to become hyperactive and attack normal, healthy tissue.
Gaga’s flamboyant look and string of hit singles have her career on fire. Her 2008 album “The Fame” earned her two Grammys. And the video for “Bad Romance” is the most-watched clip ever on YouTube.
okinawa
April 25, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Tens of thousands of people have attended a rally in Japan’s southern island of Okinawa demanding that a US military base be moved off the island.
Under a 2006 agreement with the US, the US Marines’ Futenma base was to be moved from the centre to the coast.
But demonstrators want Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to stick to an election pledge to remove it completely.
The row over the base has undermined relations between his centre-left Government and the US.
The BBC’s Roland Buerk in Tokyo says Mr Hatoyama staked his job on resolving the issue by the end of May.
He is now under pressure because of his apparent dithering over the base, our correspondent adds.
His handling of the issue could be critical ahead of upper house polls in July.
Japanese have long been resentful of the massive US base on the island, which is home to most of the 47,000 American troops based in Japan.
CVC checks all Games projects for graft signs
February 24, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
New Delhi, Feb. 23: The Central Vigilance Commission is reportedly checking all construction works related to the Commonwealth Games 2010, to be held in the national capital in October this year, following complaints of large-scale corruption in the procurement process.
According to sources, the Central Vigilance Commission has asked its vigilance officials posted with the agencies concerned to double-check the procedures involved in the procurement process and other aspects of the projects.
Sources said that the commission had received certain complaints regarding alleged corruption in Commonwealth Games projects.
As a preventive measure, the commission has directed its senior officials in all departments to be cautious and ensure transparency in the process, the sources said.
The Central Vigilance Commission has issued a circular asking all departments and organisations to use the e-tendering system and leverage technology (the latest software for accounts, manpower and logistics-related work) to keep out corruption and prevent any misuse.
Age Correspondent
Pakistanis in Indian Jails await help
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News – Almost 30 Pakistani imprisoned in Central Jail Kot Bhulwal, Indian Occupied Kashmir, are waiting for government assistance for their release, it has been learnt reliably.
All of these Pakistanis have already completed their sentence, however escalating tension between the two neighbours remains to be a major hurdle in the way of their release.
Some of the Pakistani nationals have been languishing in Central Jail Kot Bhulwal for the past 15 years despite completing their sentence and blame the two rival governments of Pakistan and India for not doing anything to seek their repatriation.
18-year-old Abdul Ghafoor is one of the 30 Pakistanis who have completed their sentences in August 2008 but could not secure release due to unknown reasons.
According to details in a letter that Ghafoor wrote to his parents on 16 June 2007 from Central jail Kot Bhulwal, he unconsciously crossed the Line of Control near Muzaffarabad in July 2007 and was nabbed by Indian security personals deputed there.
Indian authorities put Ghafoor in jail for one year following his arrest. He completed his sentence on August 2008, however the Indians have not released him yet. According to Ghafoor, there still are 30 Pakistanis suffering in the same jail despite having completed their sentence.
Since the arrest of his teenager son , Ghafoor’s aged father Muhammad Manzoor has been visiting Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking concerned authorities for early release of his son. “No progress has been made yet”, Manzoor told this correspondent.
According to sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as many as 700 Pakistanis are languishing in Indian jails, including 400 fishermen, at present. Concerned authorities are said to be engaged in serious efforts to secure their release. However, escalating tension between the neighbours is said to be the major hurdle in this regard.
When contacted, Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Abdul Basit said concerned authorities are in contact with the Indians for the release of Pakistani prisoners. However he admitted the fact that the process was slow.
Pakistanis in Indian Jails await help was first posted on December 5, 2009 at 8:12 am.
Blast in Hayat Abad Peshawar, 10 injured
October 23, 2009 by Trend PK
Filed under Breaking News
Peshawar, Pakistan:- A blast occurred in a restaurant of Hayat Abad Phase II area of Peshawar which injured 10 people according to the initial reports.
According to Correspondent the blast occurred near main Alzarghoni Mosque. The eye witnesses told that the sound of the blast was very powerful which was heard till far. The witnesses said that the blast was a car blast. The windowpanes of the nearby areas shattered and the clouds blanketed the area.
The rescue teams have reached to the spot, however, no casualty are reported yet. The injured are being shifted to the main hospital of the area where the emergency has been imposed. There are government and private offices in the area. The intelligence agencies have reports that the terrorists could struck on Friday and the strict security measures had been taken. The police and rangers’ officials did the aerial firing to disperse the people. Chief Executive Hayat Abad Medical Complex Aftab Durrani said that no dead bodies had been brought to the hospital yet. He said that the hospital was on red alert and was treating the injured.
Blast in Hayat Abad Peshawar, 10 injured was first posted on October 23, 2009 at 1:37 pm.
US embassy admits to Start Lifter flights from Benazir Shaheed International Airport
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Richard Snelsire in US embassy in Islamabad, confirmed on Friday that US military aircrafts have been flying in and out of Benazir Shaheed International Airport in order to allegedly transport military equipment to Pakistan Army.
“Flying of American Star Lifters in and out of Benazir International Airport is not a top secret as they are being
used for the transportation of military equipment from US to Islamabad only. The top leadership of the
democratic government of Pakistan as well as its military high ups are well aware of this, so it is not an issue,”
Richard Snelsire told this correspondent.
“Pakistan and the United States are important allies in war against terror. Pakistan Army is busy fighting the
militants in areas bordering Afghanistan. In these circumstances we (the Americans) are equipping Pak Army
with latest arms and ammunition (to be used against militants only) that was being transported to Islamabad
through these aircrafts,” he added.
When contacted, Spokesperson of Inter Services Public relations Major General Athar Abbas denied these
reports, at first. However, when this correspondent shared US Embassy’s version with General Athar Abbas, he
admitted, at once, saying, “there have been such flights in the past.” He was unable to confirm whether any major
arms had been received from the US, beond the night vision goggles. But other defence sources were
categorical that Pakistan has received no heavy arms or weapon systems recently.
The military spokesperson made a commitment with this scribe that he will come up with a statement on this
issue on Saturday after getting confirmation from Civil Aviation Authority if there has been any such flight
recently.
The American Star Lifters have been spotted frequently flying out of Benazir International Airport, Islamabad
(BIAI) recently. According to defence analysts star lifters are heavy lift aircraft of the US army and air force and
are used by the US military to transport heavy equipment lift or large troop movements.
When contacted by this correspondent, the CAA was unable to respond. However well placed sources in CAA
confirmed there have been such flights. Though the CAA is well aware of such flights however, it has no record of
these flights, sources said. ( Source www.nation.com.pk )
US embassy admits to Start Lifter flights from Benazir Shaheed International Airport was first posted on October 10, 2009 at 10:37 am.
