Disappearances in Pakistan rose after 9/11: Amnesty International

Amnesty International has called on Pakistan s government to end what it calls the growing practice of disappearances enforced by the state.

In an August 29 petition on its website, the human rights group alleged the disappearances have increased dramatically since Pakistan joined the American war on militancy after the
Sept. 11, 2001 airliner attacks on the United States.

Those detained – including activists, journalists and students – are sometimes found dead, with signs of torture. Thousands may have fallen victim to the practice, Amnesty said.

“The Prime Minister of Pakistan who controls the security agencies needs to urgently step in to address this human rights situation,” Amnesty said on its website.

Pakistan s army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said: “There has been no military operation conducted in Baluchistan since 2008. There is infighting going on between various militant groups, and they are kidnapping and killing each other”.

Man involved in Quetta Express attack, arrested

QUETTA: Frontier Corps Balochistan arrested a man accused of attack on Quetta Express, TrendPK reported Monday.

The FC officials were quite sure that they would soon arrest the other accused involved in the attack on the train.

According to the FC spokesman, a man allegedly involved in the attack on Quetta Express near Mach yesterday, had been arrested. A motorcycle used in the attack was also recovered from his custody.

It should be mentioned here that Quetta Express left three people dead and 18 others sustained injuries. TrendPK

Pakistan launches military operation near Afghan border

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have launched a major offensive against militants in the northwestern tribal region of Kurram on the Afghan border, Pakistan’s military spokesman said on Monday.

Ban condemns burning of the Quran, calls for tolerance

NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Tuesday condemned the recent burning of a copy of the Muslim holy book Quran in a U.S. church in Florida, adding that ” such actions cannot be condoned by any religion,” UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters.

Ban issued the statement in a meeting on Tuesday with a group of ambassadors representing countries in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the spokesman said.

The secretary-general said “such actions contradict the efforts of the United Nations and many people around the world to promote tolerance, intercultural understanding and mutual respect between cultures and religions.”

Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center church in Gainesville, Florida, oversaw the burning of a copy of the Islamic holy book on March 20. The church had threatened to burn multiple copies of the Quran last year to mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Reiterating the UN high representative of the Alliance of Civilizations’ statement on the desecration of any holy text, Ban said “no religion tolerates the slaughter of innocent people.”

Meanwhile, protests erupted throughout Afghanistan following news of the Quran burning that resulted in deadly violence.

On April 1, protesters in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan overran a UN compound and killed seven international staff working with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Ban added that such an attack cannot be justified under any circumstance, the UN spokesman said. AGENCIES

Foreign exchange reserves down by $350.38 million

Foreign Exchange Reserves of Pakistan have come down by $350.38 million, trendpk.Com reported on Thursday.

According to the statistics of State Bank of Pakistan the total foreign exchange reserves of the country remained $16.39 billion on 4th December, 2010. The reserves of the central bank decreased by $320 million to reach $12.65 billion while that of commercial banks came down by $ 30.37 million to reach the level of $ 3.73 billion. According to the spokesman of the Stare Bank of Pakistan the decrease in the foreign exchange reserves happened due to payment of debts.

At least 12 dead in Karachi cargo plane crash

KARACHI: At least 12 people were killed when a Russian-made cargo plane crashed in a fireball seconds after taking off from Karachi on Sunday, a spokesman for Pakistan’s civil aviation authority said.

Rescue workers recovered 12 bodies from the crash site, including three identified as local labourers, and the death toll was expected to rise.

Authorities said the Ilyushin IL-76 operated by Georgian airline Sunway slammed into buildings soon after refuelling and taking off from the airport in Pakistan’s business capital.

The plane was carrying eight crew members and 31 tons of supplies for Sudanese capital Khartoum and the crash was so severe that fire engulfed two buildings, as well as adjacent construction sites, the spokesman said.

“All eight people on board have died, we fear that some labourers on the ground have also been killed,” Civil Aviation

PIA’s Jeddah-Islamabad Hajj flight delayed for 16 hours

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines Jeddah-Islamabad Hajj flight has been delayed for 16 hours on Wednesday.

According to details, PIA Hajj flight PK-3704 was scheduled to arrive in Islamabad last mid night but it delayed till 11.00am today.

The relatives of the Hajjis kept on waiting at the air port but faced a second time disappointment when same flight did not arrive on the re-scheduled time.

After that the airport authorities informed the desperate relatives of the Hajjis that due to the security clearance problem at Jeddah air port that flight has been further delayed till 4.00pm in the evening.

According to the spokesman of PIA, apart from the Flight PK-3704 three more flights PK-3306, PK-3606 and PK-4206 are also passing through the immigration process at Jeddah airport and after getting clearance they will depart

Gas load shedding continues in Gujranwala on 2nd day

Staff Report

GUJRANWALA: The gas load shedding of Gujranwala’s industries has been continued on second day as well on Sunday (today).

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) halted the gas supply of more than 1150 small, medium and large industries of Gujranwala region’s two districts, Gujranwala and Gujrat, for four days on Saturday and due to low pressure of gas, more than one dozen CNG stations have been also closed in different parts of the same region.

The ongoing gas load shedding has troubled and annoyed the industrialists of the area while turning hundred of thousands daily wagers jobless and famine struck.

According to the spokesman of SNGPL, due to the low pressure of gas the supply of Gujranwala Zone will remain halted for further three days. Trend Pk

FO takes notice of 16 missing persons of Mandi Bahau ud Din

After the news telecast on Dunya News, the Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan has taken notice of the 16 missing persons of Mandi Bahau ud Din. The spokesman of the foreign office Abdul Basit has said that the Pakistan embassy in Oman and other concerned authorities are being contacted in this regard.
Talking to the media personnel during the weekly news briefing in the foreign office, the spokesman said that during the last few months hundreds of Pakistani have been brought back from Oman who reached there illegally however he said that he did not know about these 16 missing persons. The spokesman also said that India is not serious in continuing the composite dialogue and is insanely accusing ISI. After the Samjhota Express incident, India abruptly accused ISI for being involved in the incident however later the accusation proved wrong.
Abdul Basit said that being unsuccessful in getting civil nuclear technology from the USA could not be called a failure. He also briefed the media that Pakistan hopes that the US President, during his visit to India, would discuss the matters of regional security and stability.

Receivables exceed 152 billion rupees: PSO

Pakistan State Oil has said that PSOs receivables have exceeded 152 billion rupees out of which 80 percent is immediately payable by the borrowers after the credit limit has expired, Dunya News reported on Thursday.
According to the statistics provided by the spokesman of PSO, receivables on the part of WAPDA are 53 billion in volume out of which 38 billion rupees have exceeded their credit limit. Similarly HUBCO has to give 61 billion rupees to PSO whereas KEPCO has to give 25 billion rupees immediately. Due to these deferred payments to PSO, severe difficulties are being faced for the payments of oil imports and payments to the oil refineries.

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