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| Drone attacks undermining Swat operation: Gilani |
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
Says Army operation well-planned; denies extension of operation to other parts
By Amer Malik
LAHORE: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the US would have to review its policy of drone attacks, which were undermining the Pakistan government’s strategy and the military operation against the militants in Swat and Malakand.
“Pakistan has conveyed its concerns to the US on drone attacks and the whole world also supports Pakistan’s viewpoint,” Gilani said while answering questions on all parties’ unanimous demand to halt the US drone attacks.
After the inauguration of an undergraduate medical college at the Sheikh Zayed Hospital & Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore, on Saturday, the prime minister said the drone attacks had proved extremely counter-productive in the war against terror as the policy was uniting the militants and the tribal people. “Had it been productive, Pakistan would have supported it,” he said.
When asked that some political parties opposed the Army operation during the All Parties Conference, he said it was more important that all parties had adopted a unanimous resolution to conduct the military operation against the militants. “We are grateful to all parties whether they supported or opposed the military operation,” he said.
To another question regarding the expansion of the military operation to other parts like Bajaur and Waziristan, he said the government would only conduct the military operation in areas where the writ of the government was challenged. “The government does not aim to conduct the Army operation in any other parts of the country,” he added.
Gilani said the drug mafia from poppy growing areas was financing the militants and action would be taken against them after getting evidence.
About the Peshawar bomb blast as the militants’ reaction to the Army operation, he said the government had advised the chief ministers before the launch of the military operation to make necessary security arrangements as the militants would react in other provinces. “The government cannot keep silent if the militants make us hostage,” he said.
The prime minister also rejected the comments and analyses appearing in the media, according to which the military operation was ill-planned, saying the operation was the best-planned operation ever launched by the Pak Army. “There is complete cohesion between the civil government and the Army on the operation and those dubbing it as ill-planned are badly mistaken,” he said.
About the harassment of the IDPs, the prime minister said the government couldn’t even think of troubling those displaced people who were not terrorists but patriotic as was evident from their sacrifices during the military operation against the militants. However, he said the government was only completing their registration to issue proper IDs to them in order to help them get Rs 25,000 per family. “Otherwise, there is no way to identify them in order to help them,” he added.
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CJ says good governance being compromised
By Sohail Khan
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Tuesday that good governance is being compromised as it is believed that the administration of justice is the sole duty of courts or the legal fratern more |
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Hakimullah dies of wounds in Multan?
By Mushtaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR: Reports about the death of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud once again started circulating on Tuesday and this time it was being reported that the militant commander had succumb more |
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MNAs seek solution to Sindh-Punjab water rift
ISLAMABAD: Members of the National Assembly on Tuesday urged for the resolution of the water crisis between Punjab and Sindh, failing which would lead to serious repercussions for the country.
Yousuf Tal more |
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Good governance hinges on change in national behaviour: PM
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that change in the collective behaviour of the nation is necessary for the promotion of good governance. He said that his government believed in streng more |
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NIC made mandatory to get sugar from USC outlets
ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Tuesday made it mandatory to produce national identity cards to get a pack of 2kg sugar from the USC outlets.
The ECC met here unde more |
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Three provinces to hold LG polls in four months
By Hanif Khalid & Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: A high level meeting here on Tuesday at the Aiwan-e-Sadr decided that the chief ministers of Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan would hold local government elections in four months.
President Asif Al more |
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Senators condemn attack on Sh Rashid
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Senators on Tuesday strongly condemned the murder attempt on Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members advised Sheikh Rashid to stop more |
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PIA obliges religiously; latest being religious minister
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), facing a mind-boggling loss of about Rs70billion, has quietly upgraded two seats of Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi and his wife fr more |
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A brigadier without brigade has a history of thrashing
By Umar Cheema
ISLAMABAD: The basher-brigadier of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), who assaulted his professor colleague late Thursday, has a long list of such incidents on his credit as his resume is sprin more |
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PAC settles drought money misuse
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: A special committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) probing misuse of drought funds worth million of rupees on Tuesday conveniently settled majority of charges against deputy auditor general o more |
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NA-55 by-polls
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has urged all the political parties, including the PML-N, to withdraw from the NA-55 by-polls in favour of Sheikh Rashid.
“ more |
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Point scoring be avoided in Rashid attack case: Shahbaz
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the Rawalpindi incident on Monday had grieved every Pakistani.
He said a joint investigation team comprising federal and provincial agencies including I more |
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SC moved against delay in judges’ appointment
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court was moved on Tuesday against the government’s delay in the appointment of judges in the apex court and was prayed for directing the government to perform its constitutional duty by more |
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‘74 killed in Bajaur operation’
By Hasbanullah Khan
KHAR: Security forces claimed to have killed 74 militants and injured 54 others and wrested the strategically important hilltops and areas from the insurgents during the weeklong military operation in the Mamon more |
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Afghan unrest kills US, French soldiers
KABUL: A US and French soldiers were killed in attacks in southern and eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the alliance said.
The US service member was killed in an improvised bomb blast in southern Afghanis more |
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Army called in for today’s Lakki by-election
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The government has requisitioned the services of the Pakistan Army to augment the police and civil security forces for conducting the NWFP Assembly by-election on PF-75 Lakki Marwat for which polling more |
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Meeting discusses political issues
ISLAMABAD: A meeting held here at the presidency on Tuesday and presided over jointly by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani discussed political and development issues in the N more |
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Rashid accuses PML-N of promoting criminal culture
ISLAMABAD: Head of Awami Muslim League, Sheikh Rashid, on Tuesday criticised the PML-N-led Punjab government for promoting criminal culture in Rawalpindi and the province.
Talking to a private TV channel more |
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Briefs...
Over 64 dead in Afghan avalanches
KABUL: At least 24 bodies have been recovered and 40 other people are feared dead after avalanches swept vehicles into a ravine and trapped cars in a mountain pass overn more |
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ISSN 1563-9479 
