DINA for the issue of 19 February, 2012

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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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February 19, 2012 Sunday Rabi-ul-Awwal 26, 1433
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The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news-service
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DAWN.

We encourage comments & suggestions. We can be reached at:

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(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 2012

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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PM decries US bill on Balochistan
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By Parvaiz Ishfaq Rana
KARACHI, Feb 18: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday took exception to two pronouncements made in the United States on Pakistan this week — the bill tabled in the House espousing self-determination for Balochistan and the statement warning Islamabad against going ahead with the Iran gas pipeline project.

The prime minister said...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/pm-decries-us-bill-on-balochistan.html

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Resolution has no legal force
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By Anwar Iqbal
WASHINGTON: The Balochistan resolution presented in the US Congress on Friday is not a piece of legislation and will have no legal force even if it is adopted, although this seems unlikely.

As Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, the lawmaker behind the effort, stated in his press release, it's a concurrent resolution submitted in the US House of Representatives...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/resolution-has-no-legal-force.html

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Karzai tells Americans: don't talk to Taliban 'on our behalf'
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By Baqir Sajjad Syed
ISLAMABAD, Feb 18: Afghan President Hamid Karzai may have struggled in Pakistan to get the desired support for reconciliation with the Taliban, but his trip revealed that he was not on the same page with the Americans about their peace efforts despite having endorsed the establishment of group's office in Qatar.

"Americans cannot negotiate on our behalf with the Taliban and with us on behalf of the Taliban," President Karzai, who was visibly uneasy with the Qatar initiative, told a group of journalists...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/karzai-tells-americans-dont-talk-to-taliban-on-our-behalf.html

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Lashkar's 'back broken'; Bara cut off from Tirah
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Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, Feb 18: Lashkar-i-Islam, a militant outfit of Bara sub-district of Khyber tribal region, has suffered a string of major setbacks in areas linking up with the remote Tirah valley in a spectacular coordinated blitz, senior administration and security officials said.

"It was spectacular," Political Agent, Khyber, Motahirzeb said. "Bara has now been cut off from Tirah. This has broken the back of Lashkar-i-Islam that has remained unchallenged in the area for seven years," he said...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/lashkars-back-broken-bara-cut-off-from-tirah.html

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PBC slams kidnapping by agencies
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By Nasir Iqbal
ISLAMABAD, Feb 18: With the sit-in staged by families of the missing persons outside the Parliament's House having entered the fourth day, the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) adopted on Saturday a hard-hitting resolution condemning the unabated kidnapping of people allegedly by intelligence agencies, especially in the strife-torn province of Balochistan.

"This house condemns the abduction of the citizens of Pakistan by the government and its intelligence agencies and for keeping such persons missing and untraced against the due process of law," said the resolution adopted at the 192nd meeting of the PBC, the highest elected body that regulates the affairs of all lawyers' associations in the country...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/pbc-slams-kidnapping-by-agencies.html

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Pakistan has achieved three uplift goals before schedule: report
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By Amin Ahmed
ISLAMABAD, Feb 18: Pakistan has achieved targets in three indicators of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ahead of the target year of 2015, says a report published by the United Nations and Asian Development Bank.

These indicators are: reducing the proportion of people living on less than $1.25 per day; reducing the prevalence of TB and reducing consumption of ozone-depleting substances...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/pakistan-has-achieved-three-uplift-goals-before-schedule-report.html

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Two FC men die in Dera Bugti ambush
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By Saleem Shahid
QUETTA, Feb 18: Two security personnel were killed and nine others injured when their convoy was ambushed in Dera Bugti district on Saturday, official sources said.

They said that unidentified armed men perched on hills ambushed the FC convoy when it was passing through the Sangsilla area, killing two FC men and injuring nine others...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/two-fc-men-die-in-dera-bugti-ambush.html

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9/11 detainee doesn't deserve death penalty, says lawyer
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WASHINGTON, Feb 18: The nephew of the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks does not deserve the death penalty, his attorneys argue in court documents filed on Friday.

Ali Abdul Aziz Ali is accused of helping to plot the 9/11 attacks against the US. However, James Connell, one of his attorneys, told AFP that Aziz Ali, a Pakistani, played a "relatively minor role in the conspiracy" that "would not justify the death penalty under the US standards"...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/911-detainee-doesnt-deserve-death-penalty-says-lawyer.html

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Parachinar suicide blast, firing toll soars to 41
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By Our Correspondent
PARACHINAR, Feb 18: The death toll from Friday's suicide blast and subsequent firing by security forces on protesters in Parachinar rose to 41 on Saturday.

A tense calm prevailed as complete shutdown was observed in Parachinar bazaar. All shops, markets, business centres and educational institutions remained closed...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/parachinar-suicide-blast-firing-toll-soars-to-41.html

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Afghan troops told to move families from Pakistan
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KABUL, Feb 18: The Afghan defence ministry has begun ordering soldiers who have families in Pakistan to move them to Afghanistan in a bid to rid the army of Taliban infiltrators, officials said on Saturday.

The new policy was crafted in response to a recent spate of incidents in which Afghan soldiers reportedly with links to militants carried out attacks against Nato troops...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/afghan-troops-told-to-move-families-from-pakistan.html

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Iranian warships enter Mediterranean
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TEHRAN, Feb 18: Iranian warships entered the Mediterranean after crossing the Suez Canal on Saturday to show Tehran's 'might' to regional states, the navy commander said, at a time of simmering tensions with Israel.

In occupied Jerusalem, the foreign ministry said Israel would be watching the ships' movements closely to ensure they did not approach its coast...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/iranian-warships-enter-mediterranean.html

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S. Arabia asks Taliban to renounce Al Qaeda
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NEW DELHI, Feb 18: A New Delhi court agreed on Saturday to try admitted American terrorist David Headley and eight others for their alleged role in the deadly 2008 attacks in Mumbai, local media reported.

The court's decision allows Indian investigators to seek Headley's extradition from the United States, where he is in prison after admitting to laying the groundwork for the three-day shooting rampage in India's largest city. However, his plea agreement with US authorities said Headley would not be extradited if he cooperated with investigators...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/s-arabia-asks-taliban-to-renounce-al-qaeda.html

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Delhi court to try Headley, eight others in Mumbai case
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NEW DELHI, Feb 18: A New Delhi court agreed on Saturday to try admitted American terrorist David Headley and eight others for their alleged role in the deadly 2008 attacks in Mumbai, local media reported.

The court's decision allows Indian investigators to seek Headley's extradition from the United States, where he is in prison after admitting to laying the groundwork for the three-day shooting rampage in India's largest city. However, his plea agreement with US authorities said Headley would not be extradited if he cooperated with investigators...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/delhi-court-to-try-headley-eight-others-in-mumbai-case.html

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England win ODI series
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DUBAI, Feb 18: Kevin Pietersen hit his first ODI century for more than three years to steer England to a nine-wicket win over Pakistan on Saturday to help them secure an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.

Chasing 223 for victory, England eased home with 12.4 overs to spare after Pietersen (111 not out) and captain Alastair Cook (80) shared an opening partnership of 170...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/19/england-win-odi-series.html


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