Awaz Apni

Awaz Apni ISLAMABAD: Federal Information minister says an investigation has revealed that the lone surviving Mumbai gunman is a Pakistani citizen, as India has alleged.Information Minister Sherry Rehman confirmed Kasab was a Pakistani in a text message but gave no other details, said a foreign news agency.

CNews ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman said Sunday that confirming the violation of Pakistan air spaces by Indian fighter jets; the Indian Air Force has said that it entered into Pakistan’s air spaces by mistake.She said this after the media contacted her to respond on Indian jets violation of Pakistan air spaces.

CNews ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ms Sherry Rehman said on Saturday that President Pervez Musharraf should read the writing on the wall and step down. Talking to the media here at the Parliament House she said that the move to impeach the President was a historic step. The government would follow the Constitution and law of the land during the whole impeachment process and all the four provincial assemblies which form the electoral college in the election of President have already voted against General Musharraf, the Minister said.She said that a charge-sheet against the President had been finalized and was being whetted now. To a question, she said the impeachment of the President was a parliamentary process and not a trial. The President would be given the right to defend himself before the Parliament, she added.

CNews KARACHI: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Sherry Rehman Friday described the so-called "white Paper" of PML (Q) on 100 days of the present government a "collection of contradictions" based on newspaper clippings. The Prime Minister will himself present a comprehensive record of the achievements of the present government of its 100 days, the Minister told a press conference held at a local hotel here. She pointed out that criticism is always a part of democratic culture but every one should have the tolerance to listen to criticism as well as listening to reply. She said the white paper contains many things of the previous government which too were criticised. Referring to criticism in the white paper that the present government did nothing during its first 100 days, Sherry Rehman said the crashing of stock market, sugar crisis, selling of steel mill at throw- away price, flour crisis, country's economic crisis and many more issues were t...

CNews ISLAMABAD: Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier (Retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema Tuesday said the government has prepared a security advisory plan for politicians to avert life threat to them.He told the weekly media briefing that the advisory is aimed at providing general guidelines to the political leadership for their safety and security. Cheema said after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto it is of paramount importance that political leadership is sensitized about looming threat and asked them to adopt a security conscious approach. "The government would provide adequate security cover to the political leaders, it is incumbent upon the political leadership itself to play its role in taking necessary steps to ensure their own safety by cooperating and paying heed to security advisory." He said all Home secretaries and heads of law enforcement agencies have been given directives to ensure foolproof security of all political leaders under threat. Under the security advisor...

CNews ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - An Islamic militant group said Saturday it had no link to Benazir Bhutto's killing and the opposition leader's aides accused the government of a cover-up, disputing the official account of her death. The government stood firmly by its account of Thursday's assassination and insisted it needed no foreign help in any investigation. "This is not an ordinary criminal matter in which we require assistance of the international community. I think we are capable of handling it," said Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema. Bhutto's aides said they doubted militant commander Baitullah Mehsud was behind the attack on the opposition leader and said the government's claim that she died when she hit her head on the sunroof of her vehicle was "dangerous nonsense." Cheema said the government's account was based on "nothing but the facts" Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton called for an inde...

In this image made from video provided by PTV News via APTN, Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, is seen in her vehicle moments before being killed, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2007, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Hundreds of thousands of mourners thronged the mausoleum of Pakistan's most famous political dynasty in an outpouring of emotion for Benazir Bhutto, Friday, Dec. 28, 2007.

CNews ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's interior ministry said Friday that Benazir Bhutto was killed after smashing her head on her car's sunroof while trying to duck, and that no bullet or shrapnel was found inside her. The ministry also said it had intercepted a phone call from a top Al-Qaeda figure congratulating a militant for the attack on her Thursday, and said there was "irrefutable evidence" the group was trying to destabilise the country. Bhutto's death after a suicide bomber blew himself up at her campaign rally has plunged this nuclear-armed Islamic nation into turmoil, but the ministry said she would have lived if only she had stayed inside her car. "If she had not come out of the vehicle, she would have been unhurt, as all the other occupants of the vehicle did not receive any injuries," ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema said. He said the post-mortem on the populist opposition leader, whose funeral earlier Friday was attended by hundreds of tho...

Elections before Feb 15: President Musharraf (Updated at 1640) ISLAMABAD: President General Pervez Musharraf said that the general elections will be held before February 15, 2008.He also announced to take off his uniform before taking oath as the president for the second time."General elections in the country would be held by February 15 next year," Musharraf was quoted as saying after chairing a meeting of the National Security Council. "The tenures of the national assembly and provincial assemblies were ending on different dates and after studying the option whether to hold elections on separate dates, it was decided to go for holding the election simultaneously on or before February 15, 2008," it quoted him as saying. Musharraf said he was "committed to holding general elections and the transition to full democratic civilian rule in the country," it added. State television also reported that Musharraf renewed his pledge to quit as army chief before taki...

ISLAMABAD: The state minister for information and broadcasting Tariq Azeem said Wednesday that the Swiss could award sentence of 18-month imprisonment to former Prime Minister and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto in a money laundering case.The National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) will not apply for the cases lodged against any political leader in other countries, he said, while addressing a press conference here.Several corruption cases have been registered against Benazir and her spouse Asif Ali Zardari in Switzerland and Spain, he said.

CNews ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani proposed on Friday an all parties conference (APC) to combat extremism and terrorism in the country.“This (the Karachi suicide blasts) is a crime against the entire humanity, it is the loss of the entire nation,” the minister told a press conference.He said the country is moving towards democracy, and this process should not be hampered. “Such acts of terrorism are against democracy and are being carried out by those who do not want peace in the country, and do not want the common people to share the power,” he said.The minister said the situation demands that all political parties and leaders should work on a one-point agenda for combating the menace.“We have to face this challenge with complete unity and solidarity,” he said, while referring to the process of political reconciliation, initiated by the government. Durrani said: “An all parties conference may be convened by the ruling coalition as soon as possible, if all the o...

CNews MIANWALI: Federal minister for parliamentary affairs Dr. Sher Afghan said Tuesday that the Martial Law was likely to enforced in the country if the Supreme Court rules against the overwhelming victory of President General Pervez Musharraf in recently held presidential election. “ Martial Law cannot be ruled out if the Supreme Court rules against the reelection of President General Pervez Musharraf,” he said while talking to CNews News here. He was of the view that neither Benazir’s sentences would be forgiven nor Nawaz Sharif would take any benefit from the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

CNews DHAKA: An overcrowded train jumped the tracks in southern Bangladesh on Saturday, killing at least three passengers and injuring more than 100 others, a railway spokesman said. The Probhati Express _ with many passengers riding atop the carriages _ was bound for the capital, Dhaka, from the port city of Chittagong, 220 kilometers (135 miles) to the southeast, when five of the rear cars went off the rails. Bangladesh Railway spokesman Shafiqul Alam said three bodies had been found and at least 100 people were injured. Rescuers were still searching for more possible casualities, he said. The train was packed with about 1,000 people returning home for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. It was not immediately clear what caused the derailment. Investigators were on their way to the site about 40 kilometers (25miles) north of Chittagong, Alam said.

CNews ISLAMABAD: Federal minister for information and broadcasting Muhammad Ali Durrani said Monday that the caretaker government would be formed after November 15. Addressing a press conference here, he said, the government has chalked out a plan to form the caretaker government soon after the November 15. The names of neutral and non-political personalities were under consideration to form the caretaker government to hold free, fair and transparent general elections, he said.

CNews RAWALPINDI: Namaz-e-Jinaza of Brigadier Zahoor Ahmed, Naik Ajmal, Lance Naik Rashid and PTV Cameraman Muhammad Farooq who died in a helicopter crash on Monday near Muzaffarabad was held tonight here. President General Pervez Musharraf, Federal Minister for Information Muhammad Ali Durrani, General Tariq Majid, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee, General Ashfaq Pervaz Kayani, Vice Chief of Army Staff and other senior serving and retired civil and army officers and other ranks attended the Namaz-e-Jinaza and offered Fateha. Later, mortal remains of the deceased were sent to their ancestral villages for burial.