Talks With India: Qureshi Summons Ministerial Meeting

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has convened a ministerial meeting to chart out the strategy for talks with India.
The meeting would be held at the Foreign Office, which would be attended by the officials of ministry of Water and Power, and other ministries. Pakistan’s High Commissioner in India Shahis Malik would brief the meeting about the details regarding his meetings with Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna and other officials of its foreign ministry.

OGRA empowered to decided for fuel prices

Full Story And Original Content.TrendPK.com ISLAMABAD: Government has empowered Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to decide for the petroleum prices.

Full Story And Original Content.TrendPK.com ISLAMABAD: Government has empowered Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to decide for the petroleum prices.
According to sources, OGRA will no more seek Prime Minister’s approval for fuel prices, and it will not send summary to PM or other Ministries.

Balochistan Education Minister Shot Down

Quetta, Pakistan: Balochistan Education Minister Shot Down, Balochistan Education Minister Ahmed Shafiq was killed as unknown gunmen opened fire on him outside his home here in the provincial capital.
The minister alight from his vehicle to enter his house when unknown gunmen identified on a motorcycle, opened fire and killed him in the sport.

The minister was associated with the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Car Bomb Attacks in Iraq 64 Die, 600 Hurt

Baghdad: Car Bomb Attacks in Iraq 64 Die, 600 Hurt, Two suicide car bombers attacked the justice ministry and government of the city on Sunday in Baghdad, killing at least 64 people and wounding 600 and causing unrest in the Iraqi capital at war.

Authorities closed roads leading to the bomb sites, which were covered with charred bodies and torn limbs, as fire trucks and ambulances fought through thick traffic to reach the burning buildings.

The attacks, which occurred within minutes of each other around 10:30 am (0730 GMT), destroyed dozens of cars and smashed water pipes, throwing dirty water into the nearby streets, a correspondent for the French agency news.

At least 64 people were killed and over 600 injured in individual attacks, according to a combined balance given by four hospitals in the capital for the dead and injured were being transported.

Several helicopters hovered overhead and dozens of Humvees filled the streets near the sites of attack.

The powerful explosions, which brought a grim reminder of the attacks of powerful trucks in the capital in August that killed nearly 100 people, also damaged several nearby buildings and knocked out power briefly.

One attack occurred at a busy intersection near the Ministries of Justice and Labor, with a reporter saying that the car that exploded was parked in the middle of the street.

The attack occurred near others in the neighborhood Salhiyeh outside the building of the Baghdad governorate.

“Why are doing this to us?” shouted a man named Mohammed, who was near the attack Salhiyeh.

“It is because of the election – who want to challenge the government!” He said, referring to general elections due in January.

The double attack came as Iraqi political leaders meet to try end an impasse over the election law stalled amid growing concerns that the country 16 January, the election will be delayed.

Thick smoke billowed over the area affected and the fire was visible from the two buildings, set in the center of town, near the state television building.

Windows of nearby buildings were destroyed and firefighters were using ladders to reach upper floors of the ministries, the fear that many deaths and injuries could be trapped.

Lt. Gen. Ali Ghaidan Majeed said in an interview with a news agency on Saturday that the coming months could see a surge in violence ahead of January elections, with the stabilization of the security only in the middle of next year after a transfer of power to a new government.

“I am worried that between now and July 2010 … basically in the elections and after the move from the old government to the new government, perhaps you will see the increasing terrorist activities,” he said.

The attacks have decreased significantly compared with a year ago – the violent deaths in September were the lowest since May – but remain high by international standards.

Bomb Blast In Baghdad Market 2 Killed

BAGHDAD: A bomb attached to a bicycle ripped through a market in central Baghdad on Thursday, killing two people and adding to the carnage in the Iraqi capital a day after twin truck bombs left 95 people dead.

Security and medical officials said at least 10 people were wounded in the blast in the market situated in the largely commercial Al-Rasheed street.

On Wednesday, twin truck bombs outside the ministries of finance and foreign affairs killed 95 people and wounded almost 600, spurring Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to vow an overhaul of the country’s security.

The explosions came just minutes apart outside government ministries and were followed by a car bombing and spate of mortar attacks, giving Baghdad its bloodiest day in 18 months.

The number of violent deaths fell by a third last month to 275 from 437 in June, following the pullout of US forces from urban areas on June 30.

The figure for May was 155, the lowest of any month since the US-led invasion of 2003.