DINA for the Issue of April 01, 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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April 1, 2012 Sunday Jumadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1433
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The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news-service
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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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SHC seeks explanation for strikes
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By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 31: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad ordered a crackdown on criminals and the High Court chief justice sought a report from police and Rangers chiefs about the frequent strikes and incidents of violence as Karachi saw the third shutdown within a week on Saturday.

Karachiites woke up to find all markets closed and public transport off the road after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) called for a day of mourning across Sindh in protest against the pre-dawn armed attack near the Banaras bridge, in Orangi Town, that claimed the lives of four people. Among the dead were a man and his 12-year-old son...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/shc-seeks-explanation-for-strikes-2.html

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Govt adds fuel to nation's misery
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By Kalbe Ali
ISLAMABAD, March 31: The petroleum ministry added fuel to the fire raging in the country, especially in Punjab and Karachi, when it announced a massive hike in oil prices on Saturday, setting aside recommendations made by the regulator. The hefty rises took prices of all the major fuel items above the Rs100 mark.

The revised price of petrol for April will be Rs105.68 — an increase of Rs8.02 per litre...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/govt-adds-fuel-to-nations-misery.html

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Foreign NGO's role in ECP plan questioned
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By Malik Asad
ISLAMABAD, March 31: The Election Commission's move to involve a foreign non-governmental organisation (NGO) in computerisation of electoral rolls using the computerised national identity card (CNIC) database despite opposition by the interior ministry has jeopardised the privacy of the data.

According to documents available with Dawn, the interior ministry opposed the involvement of the International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES) in the project for computerisation of electoral roll system (CERS) and the economic affairs division (EAD) also did not sign the memorandum of understanding between the ECP and the IFES. However, the ECP involved the NGO in the sensitive project without completing legal formalities...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/foreign-ngos-role-in-ecp-plan-questioned.html

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Unprecedented hike in CNG rates
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By A Reporter
ISLAMABAD, March 31: The ministry of petroleum and natural resources has made an unprecedented hike of Rs 9.93 in the price of compressed natural gas for Karachi and Lahore. In Islamabad and Peshawar regions the hike will be as high as Rs 11.58. The increase will take effect on Sunday (April 1).

The new price, notified by Ogra for Region-I -- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Potohar region and Balochistan -- is Rs88.70 per kg and for Region-II -- Sindh and south and central Punjab -- Rs80.89...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/unprecedented-hike-in-cng-rates-2.html

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Commission asks Yaseen, Haqqani to appear next week
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ISLAMABAD, March 31: The memo commission has summoned Husain Haqqani, Kashmiri leader Yaseen Malik and senior officials of the Foreign Office next week with directives to the latter to produce the record of secret correspondence that Mr Haqqani had with them when he was ambassador to the United States.

The three-member commission, headed by Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, has been formed to investigate the origin, authenticity and purpose of a secrete memorandum allegedly written by Mr Haqqani to former US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen to pre-empt a military...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/commission-asks-yaseen-haqqani-to-appear-next-week-2.html

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Consensus on Nato supply eludes PCNS
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By Amir Wasim
ISLAMABAD, March 31: The all-party Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS), currently busy in redrafting its earlier recommendations on fresh terms of engagement with the US, is facing a daunting task to come out with a consensus document because of different and changed positions adopted by the parties on resumption of supplies for the Nato-led troops in Afghanistan.

While the Pakistan Muslim League-N and PML-Q want to link the resumption to certain conditions, the JUI-F is completely against it and has threatened not to sign the document if its demand is not met...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/consensus-on-nato-supply-eludes-pcns-3.html

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Crackdown in China on Internet after coup rumours
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BEIJING, March 31: China has shut down websites, made a string of arrests and punished two popular microblogs after rumours of a coup linked to a major scandal that brought down a top politician.

Authorities closed 16 websites for spreading rumours of "military vehicles entering Beijing and something wrong going on in Beijing", the official Xinhua news agency said, citing the state Internet information office...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/crackdown-in-china-on-internet-after-coup-rumours.html

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Name of Gilani's son missing from document: International rules violated in chemical scam: report
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By Imran Ali Teepu
ISLAMABAD, March 31: As the ephedrine scandal allegedly involving prime minister's son Ali Musa Gilani lands in the Supreme Court, a Joint Investigation Committee's report reveals that there have been violations of international regulations.

However, the report does not mention the prime minister's younger son...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/name-of-gilanis-son-missing-from-document-international-rules-violated-in-chemical-scam-report.html

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Babar Awan removed from PCNS hours before meeting
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By Our Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, March 31: Former parliamentary affairs minister and Senator Babar Awan suffered further humiliation on Saturday when he was removed by his Pakistan People's Party from the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) hours before the all-party panel was to hold a meeting.

A notification issued by National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza, replacing Mr Awan with PPP's information secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira, hours before the start of the PCNS meeting took all the members and its chairman Raza Rabbani by surprise...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/babar-awan-removed-from-pcns-hours-before-meeting.html

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Gilani to address Boao Forum tomorrow
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BOAO (China), March 31: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani arrived here on Saturday to attend the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2012.

During his three-day stay, the prime minister will address the opening session of the forum on April 2. He will speak on this year's theme, "Asia in the changing world: Moving towards sound and sustainable development". He will touch issues relating to widening wealth disparity and the need for a strong economic system in the region for the betterment of the common man...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/gilani-to-address-boao-forum-tomorrow.html

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Attack on Parliament House foiled: Malik
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By Our Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, March 31: Interior Minister Rehman Malik claimed on Saturday that police had thwarted a plot to attack the Parliament House during the president's address to a joint session of the National Assembly and Senate and arrested the main handler of the conspiracy.

Chairing a meeting held to review the law and order situation in the capital, the minister praised Islamabad police for averting the attack...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/attack-on-parliament-house-foiled-malik.html

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US body to review Gitmo detainee case
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WASHINGTON, March 31: An inter-American rights body admitted for review on Friday the case of a man held at Guantanamo Bay for over 10 years, the first time it accepted jurisdiction over the US naval base in Cuba.

Djamel Ameziane's co-counsel at the Centre for Constitutional Rights
and the Centre for Justice and International Law announced the move, as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights does not publicly report on such decisions until they have been communicated to the parties.—AFP..

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/us-body-to-review-gitmo-detainee-case.html

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Zulfikar commission suggested law to legalise IB working
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By Nasir Iqbal
ISLAMABAD, March 31: As the Supreme Court is grappling with the issue of widening the scope of Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan's case by focusing its attention on the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the matter reminds one of recommendations made by the Zulfikar commission on enhancing proficiency of the civilian agency.

The two-decade-old report on the working of security and intelligence agencies by the commission has still to see the light of day. It had recommended that the IB should focus on covert anti-state and subversive activities of political parties or individuals, rather than on overt activities of such parties as these found ample coverage in the press...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/zulfikar-commission-suggested-law-to-legalise-ib-working.html

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Afghanistan seeks answers on US bases
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KABUL, March 31: Afghanistan wants the US to clearly spell out what sort of military presence it will leave behind once most of its combat troops leave by the end of 2014, an Afghan official said.

"These are issues that concern us. We want to know how many bases will be there, how many soldiers and what will be their mission. And what will we get from the United States for our security forces," President Hamid Karzai's spokesman Aimal Faizi said...

http://www.dawn.com/2012/04/01/afghanistan-seeks-answers-on-us-bases.html


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