Islamabad,Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar Monday called her Afghan counterpart Zalmai Rassoul over phone to strongly condemn the Taliban attacks in the country that killed nearly 50 people. Khar conveyed solidarity of her government and people of Pakistan with their Afghan brethren on the terrorist attacks, reported Xinhua quoting a foreign ministry statement. On Sunday, Taliban rebels stormed Kabul with intense gunfire and rocket attacks targeting key establishments in the heavily guarded diplomatic area. The assault ended after all the attackers were killed Monday. At least 48 people, including 36 terrorists, were killed and 65 injured in the 18-hour dramatic siege of the Afghan capital Kabul by Taliban suicide attackers. On this occasion, Khar also emphasised that Pakistan and Afghanistan faced common challenges of extremism and terrorism necessitating that the two countries work together with greater resolve to eradicate this menace. She assured the Afghan foreign minister of Pakistan's full support for any Afghan initiative that is focused on long-term peace and stability of Afghanistan. The latest attacks came as western forces prepare to leave ...
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Lahore, Pakistan and India should take a lesson from the recent avalanche that buried 138 people in the Siachen sector and review troop deployments on the Himalayan glacier, foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Sunday. "Pakistan and India should take a lesson from the incident at Gyari camp. They will have to review the deployment of forces at Siachen," Khar said while addressing a ceremony held after a polo match in Lahore. An avalanche slammed into a Pakistan Army battalion headquarters at Gyari in the Siachen sector on April 7, burying 127 soldiers and 11 civilians. Pakistani troops have been engaged in a frantic search for the buried men at the site of the disaster. Pakistani media analysts and politicians have called for a review of the deployment of forces at Siachen, where soldiers from the two countries have been engaged in standoff since 1984. The guns have largely been silent since late 2003, when the two sides put in place a ceasefire along the frontiers in Jammu and Kashmir, and more troops have died due to the adverse weather than combat. Khar further said Pakistan wants peaceful relations with India and President Asif Ali Zardari's day-long visit ...
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Seoul, Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday said a result-orientated dialogue would help India and Pakistan resolve their bilateral issues. Speaking on the sidelines of the second Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea, Khar said that merely talking about reducing a trust deficit was not enough for the two neighbouring nations and its citizens. "We should not just talk about reducing the trust deficit. We should engage in a result-orientated process of dialogue, so that our people can be confident of the resolution of our major issues coming through dialogue," Khar said. Reflecting on a recent announcement made by her Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna, who said he would visit Pakistan in the summer, Khar added regional forums such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) needed to be strengthened as their focus had been hampered by strained ties. "I would like to mention SAARC, because SAARC is an exceptionally important forum, which we feel has been held back rather than propelled forward by the India-Pakistan issues," added Khar. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since gaining independence in 1947 and remain ...
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New Delhi, Shekhar Suman, who is returning to the telly world with his cult show "Movers & Shakers" after over a decade, has approached social activist Anna Hazare to be the special guest on the first episode of the chat show. And he has a special reason for it. "Anna Hazare has rocked the nation! We are trying to do the show's first episode with him. So far he has said yes…so we hope to see him," Shekhar said at the show launch here Wednesday. Hazare, 74, is leading a campaign for a strong Lokpal bill. In 2011, he used the Gandhian way of 'ahimsa' to get citizens together in his crusade for a corruption-free nation. "I don't think we can get a better person than him on the show, because according to me, he is the biggest mover and shaker of today. He is the biggest voice of the common man, and a big beacon of hope in the country today," added the actor. When it was first launched in 1997 on Sony, "Movers & Shakers" became widely watched, and brought a lot of success to Shekhar. The original show went on till 2001. Now the new, improved version will go on air March 12 on Sab TV. "The show is a satire…it is a satire for all things related to the common man's ...
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Islamabad, A US resolution on Balochistan could worsen ties between Washington and Islamabad, said Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. Khar Monday said in London that Balochistan was Pakistan's internal matter and the province's elected representatives would resolve its issues and not US Congressmen, Geo News reported. Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Oversight and Investigations of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Dana Rohrabacher, Friday introduced a House Concurrent Resolution, in support of the "right of self-determination of the Balochi people, for being victims of human rights violations and oppression despite being the largest province", reported Xinhua. Speaking at the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), Khar condemned the US resolution on Balochistan, and said such acts of "foolhardy-global-vigilanteism" could aggravate Pakistan's already estranged ties with US. "It would distance the two allies even further," Khar was qouted as saying. On ties with India, the foreign minister stressed on keeping the dialogue alive. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani Saturday have condemned the bill submitted to the US House of Representatives ...
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Raichur, A call to Pakistan's foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar allegedly from the cellphone of a youth hailing from the remote Buddini village in Sindhanur taluk of Karnataka's Raichur district has landed him in trouble. The incident came to light when CCB sleuths from Bangalore grilled him on Sunday. The investigation followed a message from the Pakistan foreign minister's office asking the government to inquire into this call. It is alleged that the youth who called the cellphone of the minister and used filthy language, said local police. Police said the foreign ministry officials claimed that the call originated from the youth's phone and lasted 15 minutes. The incident took place two months ago. Police said CBI officials who arrived from Delhi had visited the town last month. On Sunday, officials from CCB Bangalore visited the town and inquired, the local police disclosed, adding that youth had denied the allegation. However, there was no confirmation from the CCB police in Bangalore. The victim, Amaresh, an attender at a private coaching centre, told media: "Neither have I heard of Rabbani Khar nor do I know Urdu or English to abuse her. I do not know what all ...
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Islamabad, Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal discussed bilateral ties with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar here. They discussed bilateral relations Tuesday, reported Associated Press of Pakistan. Taking note of recent contacts between the two countries, Khar underscored the need for continuation of the dialogue process in a sustained, time-bound and result-oriented manner. She also emphasised that such contacts would be useful in decreasing the mistrust and improving the atmospherics. Sabharwal appreciated the foreign minister’s commitment to the dialogue process. ...
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Islamabad, Pakistan says it wants to forge closer political and economic ties with Bangladesh. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Bangladesh High Commissioner Suhrab Hossain Thursday discussed matters of mutual interest and agreed to strengthen ties. Khar said Pakistan greatly values its relations with Bangladesh which is an important regional country, Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Hossain delivered an invitation to Khar from Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni to visit the country. They also agreed to high-level exchanges to realize the potential between the two countries. ...
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Islamabad, The Chief Justice of the Pakistan Supreme Court, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has said the country does not tolerate the contents of the memo. “Pakistanis are a living nation, they do not tolerate the matters written in the memo, federation considers it only a piece of paper, then why was such a key-meeting held in the prime minister house, why was the resignation taken from Haqqani and why did the prime minister order an investigations?,” The News quoted Chaudhry, as saying. His statement came after Pakistan Attorney General Maulvi Anwar-ul Haq stated in his written reply to the probe on behalf on the federation that Haqqani tendered his resignation at a meeting held at the prime minister’s house on November 22, and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had ordered a probe into the scandal on the same day. His resignation was approved the very next day and thereby a notification was issued, he added. The nine-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Chaudhry was hearing the Memo Gate probe. Justice Chaudhary pointed out both the accuser and those falling within the purview of this accusation had urged a probe into the ...
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Islamabad, Severing diplomatic ties with other countries was not in Pakistan's interest, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said in response to anger in the country following the Nov 26 NATO airstrike that killed two dozen soldiers. Khar said breaking off diplomatic ties with other countries was not in national interest and asserted that Pakistan wanted amicable relations with all countries of the world. She said in Lahore that parliament would take decisions on ties with the US in the larger interest of the country and the nation, reported Associated Press of Pakistan. Pakistan had held a two-day envoys' conference to discuss the modalities to re-evaluate the country's policies, keeping in view national interests. The conference was called after the US-led NATO fighter jets and helicopters Nov 26 carried out what Pakistani leaders viewed as an intentional attack on two border posts in the country's Mohmand tribal region bordering Afghanistan, leaving 24 soldiers dead. Islamabad angrily reacted to the attack as the military leadership said the NATO aircraft violated the "Red Lines" clearly defined to the coalition forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan military said that ...
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Lahore, Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said the country wants amicable ties with all nations, as severing relations is detrimental to Islamabad’s diplomatic interests. The Pakistan Parliament would take decision on ties with the United States in the larger interest of the country in the near future, she said. Khar called for national unity in the wake of the multiple challenges facing the country. “We must dispel the impression that an issue created on the whims of an unreliable individual can force us to demand constitution of a national commission or a Supreme Court bench,” The News quoted Khar, as saying. She regretted the media highlighting the Memo Gate scandal, which she described as a ...
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Islamabad, Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar Friday apprised British Foreign Secretary William Hague about the NATO air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Khar received a phone call from Hague in which she informed the British foreign secretary about Pakistan's decision not to participate in the Bonn conference on Afghanistan, the Online news agency reported. Hague said Britain understood Pakistan's position in the matter, the report said. Earlier, the Pakistan Senate passed a unanimous resolution which said that in case of foreign aggression, the nation would stand united for the country's defence. The resolution was tabled by Leader of Opposition in the Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the Dawn News reported. Khar told the Senate that in the wake of the NATO attack, it had become difficult to remain on the same page with the US. She said the decision to boycott the Bonn conference was "well thought out" and there was no possibility of reviewing ...
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ISLAMABAD : Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Sunday expressed 'the deep sense of rage' felt across the country over Saturday's NATO attack which left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead. Meanwhile, thousands of people took to the streets to protest. Khar spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to discuss the incident and the decisions made during an emergency meeting of the cabinet's defense committee on Saturday evening. "Foreign Minister Khar stressed that such attacks are totally unacceptable," a spokesperson for the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said following the telephone call. The incident happened on early Saturday morning when NATO helicopters and fighter aircraft crossed the border from Afghanistan and carried out several airstrikes in the Mohmand Agency of Pakistan's tribal areas, killing 24 Pakistani troops and injuring 13 others. NATO and U.S. officials claim they were returning fire after being fired upon from across the border. The incident has further crippled the already fragile relationship between the United States and Pakistan, which has been accused of helping terrorists. U.S.-Pakistani relationships also deteriorated earlier ...
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Islamabad, Pakistan had no hidden agenda in Afghanistan, says Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. Khar Friday said Pakistan was only interested in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. Addressing a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle Friday, Khar said the onus lay on the Afghan people and it would be upto Kabul if they want Pakistan's supportive role or not. "We are part of the solution in Afghanistan and ready to play our due role in improving peace, security and development there," Associated Press of Pakistan quoted her as saying. She said Pakistan was being made a "scapegoat" in the Afghan crisis and was being criticised without any justification. On ties with Germany, Khar said bilateral relations had improved substantially in the last few years. She said there was tremendous improvement in trade between the two countries as its volume had risen to USD 2.2 billion, which was in favour of Pakistan. She said investment from Germany to Pakistan had also increased and Germany was now the fifth largest foreign investor. Guido Westerwelle said Germany was ready to cooperate with Pakistan and working together for the development ...
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Chandigarh, January 15 (DNS)- Punjab’s IAS officers got together today for a presentation on software ‘Akhar’, specially designed for using Gurmukhi Punjabi script. The software has been developed by Dr GS Lehal of Department of Computer Science, Punjabi University, Patiala. Organised by the Punjab State IAS Officers’ Association, the presentation focussed on the use of ‘Akhar’ to write in the Gurumukhi script while using an English keyboard. Chief Secretary Punjab SC Agarwal and association president Sarvesh Kaushal stated that the association was committed to endeavour for capacity building in the cadre officers for an efficient and result-oriented discharge of the duties. The chief secretary expressed his appreciation of the efforts of the association towards ensuring an efficient professional delivery system and assured of cooperation of the government to pursue the association’s strive for professional ...
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