DINA for the issue of December 23, 2012

	Sunday 23rd December 2012 | Safar 9, 1434
The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news service from Pakistan’s largest English language newspaper, the Daily DAWN.
Bashir Bilour assassinated: •Secretary, 7 others die in blast •TTP claims responsibility By Ali Hazrat Bacha PESHAWAR, Dec 22: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour and at least eight other people were killed and 17 injured in a suicide bomb explosion in Qissa Khwani Bazaar on Saturday evening.	For suggestions and comments: Email: webmaster@dawn.com Website: http://dawn.com Fax: +92(21) 35693995
FO summons Afghan envoy over beating of workers By Our Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: The Foreign Office summoned the acting Afghan ambassador on Saturday to lodge protest against beating of Pakistani labourers by Afghan forces while returning to Pakistan. “The Afghan Charge d’Affaires was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this morning and a strong protest was lodged, seeking an investigation into the incident and action against those responsible,” the FO spokesman said.
A steadfast campaigner against terrorism By Ashfaq Yusufzai PESHAWAR: Despite escaping two assassination bids, there was no looking back for Bashir Ahmed Bilour. He remained undeterred and steadfast against terrorism till Saturday evening when he died in a suicide bombing near Peshawar’s Qissa Khwani Bazaar. Bilour’s career spanned over 40 eventful years during which he served as provincial president of the Awami National Party and stayed committed to it through thick and thin.
ECP proposes four-fold increase in election expenses By Iftikhar A Khan ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has proposed a four-fold increase in election expenditure to Rs6 million for a National Assembly seat and Rs4m for that of a provincial assembly. The current ceiling of Rs1.5m and Rs1m for a national and provincial assembly seat respectively was fixed over a decade ago.
CM being invited to governor’s oath-taking By Zulqernain Tahir LAHORE, Dec 22: In an attempt to ‘depoliticise’ office of the governor, an invitation is being extended on behalf of Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood to provincial heads of mainstream political parties to attend his oath-taking ceremony at the Governor’s House next week. Official sources told Dawn that the invitation had been extended to provincial heads of the PML-N, PML-Q, PTI and JI, besides Nawaz Sharif, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Imran Khan.
Govt wants to ensure smooth sailing for accountability bill By Amir Wasim ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: Just three months before the expiry of its term, the PPP-led coalition government has managed to get the previously controversial fair trial bill passed from the National Assembly unanimously through a smart move of withholding the contentious accountability bill. After getting the fair trial bill passed with the support of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) from the National Assembly on Thursday, the government now seems to have pinned its hopes on winning the support of the main opposition to ensure a smooth sailing for the accountability bill through parliament in the next session.
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