Musharraf supports military intervention in Karachi

LONDON: Former President General (retd.) Pervez Musharraf has also supported calls for military intervention in Karachi, where a fresh wave of violence killed over 60 people in a few days.

Former Governor Moinuddin Haider has blamed political parties for the breakdown of law and order in the country’s commercial capital.

Speaking at TrendPK program ‘Is Haftay’, Musharraf said foreign powers are not behind the Karachi mayhem, but he said that these powers could manipulate the situation due to our internal weaknesses.

“There are gang wars in the city. The government, if willing, can contain the violence,” says the former president.

“The killing of 20 to 30 people on daily basis has proved that political leadership has failed.”

He said police and rangers could bring the situation under control, but despite all their powers, if rangers have failed to maintain security, army must be deployed in the city.

Expressing his views on the issue, former governor Haider said that efforts being made by political parties to take control of Karachi were leading to such a grave situation in Karachi.

“Who are the killers and who are being killed; police, rangers and all political parties know everything,” he commented. TrendPK

Long power cuts disrupt routine, business activities

FAISALABAD: Business activities and routine life of people have been disrupted as long power cuts have become a regular exercise in most of the cities of the country even before the proper onset of summer.

Hundreds of the daily wagers suffer unemployment as industries suffer closures in Faisalabad where load shedding hours range between 16 to 18 hours daily. Beside industries, common people also suffer from the problem.

Load shedding hours in Multan are also increased and cause difficulty for people. Reports say that the people of Multan suffer 8 hours of power cuts daily.

Same is the situation in Gujranwala, Hyderabad and other cities where load shedding has made live terrible for people. TrendPK

President phones MQM chief, talks about Mirza’s speech

KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari telephoned Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain and discussed the situation after Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza’s speech.

Mirza had criticized the coalition partner (MQM) for target killings in the city yesterday.

MQM has suggested to Mirza to go to court if he has proof regarding MQM’s involvement in the target killings.

MQM said it would contact the President and Prime Minister after Muharram 10 to discuss Mirza’s speech. TrendPK

Zulqarnains contract with Lashings depends on residential status

The chances of Zulqarnain Haider signing for Lashings receded this week, after the clubs owner David Folb said bureaucratic red tape had put a possible move for the Pakistan wicketkeeper on hold.
Folb met with Zulqarnain on Sunday night after returning from Abu Dhabi, where he was finalising details of the Kent clubs 2011 tour.
Although the Lashings chairman says the meeting was positive, he is concerned about the wicketkeepers residential status.
Zulqarnain applied for asylum in the United Kingdon after fleeing from the Pakistan squad during the series with South Africa in the United Arab Emirates last month, claiming he had been threatened by a match-fixing ring.
Lashings immediately offered Zulqarnain a place in their squad for 2011, but Folb now admits the situation has become complicated.

Russian pilots kidnapped in Darfur

Three Russian pilots have been kidnapped in Darfur, in Sudan. The UN World Food Programme, for which the pilots work, confirmed the news.
The governor of South Darfur, Abdel Hamid Kasha, told that it was not known who the kidnappers were and that they were being pursued. This is the latest in a series of kidnappings of foreign aid workers in Darfur in recent months. Ransoms are usually demanded.
Since President Omar al-Bashir was indicted in 2009 by the International Criminal Court for war crimes allegedly committed in Darfur, the situation for humanitarian workers has greatly deteriorated.
About 300,000 people have died since fighting began in 2003, and some 2.7 million people have fled their homes as a result of the conflict.
Rebel movements in Darfur have been fighting government soldiers and Arab militias, backed by Khartoum.

Rehman Malik telephones Altaf, discusses Karachi situation

Federal Minister for Internal Affairs Rehman Malik when reached London, telephoned MQM leader Altaf Hussain and had a detailed discussion about overall situation of Pakistan, focusing on the situation of Karachi.
Altaf Hussain spoke with Rehman Malik and thanked him for visiting the affected areas of Sher Shah and also said that no proper strategy is being implemented so far for the rehabilitation of affectees of the area. Rehman Malik gave a goodwill message to Altaf Hussain on behalf of President Zardari and PM Gilani. I once again assure the citizens of Karachi that government will for sure provide maximum security and will also compensate for their damages done so far, said Rehman Malik. Both representatives will meet in Tuesday; where as PM Zardari will meet the MQM delegation upon return of Rehman Malik.

Hundreds of trees chopped off along Shara-e-Faisal

Staff Report

KARACHI: Hundreds of trees have been chopped off along Shara-e-Faisal, one of the main boulevards in Karachi, due to advertising hoardings and sign boards.

Special safety measures are taken across the world to save trees, which are vital for health and the environment. However, the situation is the complete opposite in Karachi where large numbers of trees were cut down to save sign boards.

Presently, Pakistan ranks second in the global tree cutting index. If this process continues, the number of trees by 2020 will reduce to an alarming level. SAMAA

US rules out mediation over Kashmir dispute

Foreign office spokesman of the United States Philip Crowley has said that the USA has serious concerns over the situation in the Indian held Kashmir however it does not intend to mediate on the dispute. US urged Pakistan and India to resolve the issue bilaterally.
Philip Crowley said, in Washington, that the US is in continuous contact with Pakistan and India over the situation in Kashmir and aspires for the solution of the dispute. The spokesman also said that the situation in Kashmir is extremely violent and should be resolved by table-talks. Philip Crowley briefed the media personnel that mediation on Kashmir dispute is not a part of the US policy.
Earlier Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in a joint press conference with Hilary Clinton, said that the Kashmir dispute must be resolved for durable peace in the region. He also urged the USA to play its part in resolving the issue.

Nawabshah: One dies in stampede during Watan Card issuance

Staff Report

NAWABSHAH: At least one person died and three others sustained injuries in a stampede which occurred after a police baton charge to control unruly flood victims during the issuance of Watan Cards in Nawabshah on Tuesday.

According to details, during the distribution of Watan Cards at D.C. High School, Nawabshah, a few flood victims tried to enter the premises by jumping over walls which created disturbance in the crowd.

Police started aerial firing and a baton charge to control the unruly crowd, which made the situation serious while people started to flee for safety.

The stampede claimed the life of a 45 year old, while three others sustained serious injuries.

The dead body of the deceased and those who are injured have been moved to P.M.C. Hospital, Nawabshah. SAMAA

U.S., Britain concerned about Darfur

EL FASHER: U.S. and British envoys voiced concern about the situation in Darfur on Friday, where refugees who fled violence in the remote region complained to them of hunger and deteriorating security.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said one of the complaints was that the U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was not doing enough to protect them.

Some of this, she told reporters accompanying the U.N. Security Council on a trip to Uganda and Sudan, was due to unrealistic expectations of what blue helmet troops could do in a region of western Sudan as big as France.

“When you separate what is practical and reasonable to expect on the one hand, there’s still a pervasive feeling that we heard that it wasn’t enough,” she said, referring to the work of the roughly 22,000 UNAMID troops and police.

Rice said it was

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