DINA for the issue of December 28, 2011

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D A W N I n t e r n e t N e w s A l e r t
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December 28, 2011 Wednesday Safar 2, 1433
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The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news-service
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DAWN.

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(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 2011

The link at the end of each extract can be used to access the
complete story on DAWN - the Internet Edition.


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Zardari vows to defend democracy
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By M.B. Kalhoro
GARHI KHUDA BAKHSH, Dec 27: Embattled President Asif Ali Zardari has vowed to defend the Constitution and said he would not allow anyone to damage the federation.

The speech was seen by political analysts as a move to bring down the political temperature since it avoided any reference to the military leadership or the memo case — issues that have taken tensions between the PPP-led government and the army top brass to a new high...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/28/zardari-vows-to-defend-democracy.html


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Asma Jehangir blasts Pasha for meeting Mansoor Ijaz
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By Nasir Iqbal
ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: A day after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had adopted a soft attitude towards the military leadership, the top spymaster came under intense scrutiny in the Supreme Court hearing a set of petitions in the memo case here on Tuesday.

"I called these petitions 'benami' (anonymous) because two of its respondents are the actual petitioners," Advocate Asma Jehangir argued while alluding to Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha who are named as parties in the petitions...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/28/asma-jehangir-blasts-pasha-for-meeting-mansoor-ijaz.html

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Pakistan and India agree to extend nuclear pacts
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By Baqir Sajjad Syed
ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: Senior Pakistani and Indian officials agreed on Tuesday on extending pacts on reducing risks of nuclear accidents and pre-notification of ballistic missile tests.

"The two sides agreed to recommend to their foreign secretaries to extend the validity of the 'Agreement on Reducing the Risk from Accidents Relating to Nuclear Weapons' for another five years," the Foreign Office said in a statement issued at the conclusion of sixth round of expert-level talks on nuclear confidence-building measures (CBMs)...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/28/pakistan-and-india-agree-to-extend-nuclear-pacts.html


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PML-N asks PPP to reveal names of assassins
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By Amir Wasim
ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: The PPP and PML-N chose the fourth death anniversary of Ms Benazir Bhutto to pose questions, former to the Supreme Court and the latter to the PPP-led coalition government.

Hours before PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari's speech in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh in which he indirectly blamed the judiciary for the delay in resolving the case of Ms Bhutto's assassination, the PML-N presented a questionnaire to the government on important points about incidents on and after the Dec 27, 2007, the day Ms Bhutto was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack outside Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/28/pml-n-asks-ppp-to-reveal-names-of-assassins.html


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PM again clarifies Babar's statement
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By Our Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani reiterated before the Supreme Court on Tuesday that a press conference addressed by former law minister Babar Awan soon after the court's Dec 1 order in the memo case was not intended to ridicule any judge or the judiciary.

A two-page statement filed by Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq on behalf of the prime minister said his government believed in 'trichotomy of power', rule of law and civilian supremacy in terms of the constitutional scheme...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/28/pm-again-clarifies-babars-statement.html


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Mullah Omar was never on FBI list
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By Anwar Iqbal
WASHINGTON, Dec 27: The US capital was abuzz with claims and counter-claims since Tuesday morning that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has removed the name of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar from its list of "most wanted terrorists".

The report, attributed to unidentified officials but not backed by reliable sources, claimed that the US decision to remove his name from the list reflected Washington's desire to improve ties with the Taliban insurgents. Last week, US officials confirmed that they had held talks recently with Taliban representatives in Qatar and Germany. The US also supported a move to open a Taliban political office in Qatar, which will serve as an outpost for the outlawed insurgent movement...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/28/mullah-omar-was-never-on-fbi-list.html


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Meeting planned on Himalayan rivers
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By Khaleeq Kiani
ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: The Abu Dhabi Dialogue Group comprising seven states sharing the rivers rising in the Greater Himalayas is expected to meet early next month to adopt a joint initiative to minimise the impact of melting of glaciers.

The group comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India and Nepal was set up in 2006 in Abu Dhabi. Later on, the United Kingdom, Australia and Norway joined it to support its activities...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/28/meeting-planned-on-himalayan-rivers.html


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Karachi Stocks Up 9.26 Points:
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KARACHI, Dec 27: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11310.35, up 9.26 points.
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Forex Update:
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KARACHI, Dec 27: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 90 to the US Dollar in the open market.
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