DINA for the Issue of June 19, 2013

	Wednesday 19th June 2013 | Sha"ban 9, 1434
The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news service from Pakistan’s largest English language newspaper, the Daily DAWN.
US-Taliban breakthrough: Talks to begin in Doha tomorrow   KABUL, June 18: The Taliban and the US announced on Tuesday that they would hold talks on finding a political solution for ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan as the militant movement opened an office in Qatar.	For suggestions and comments: Email: webmaster@dawn.com Website: http://dawn.com Fax: +92(21) 35693995 Karachi Stocks Down 325.18 Points: At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 22216.46, down 325.18 points. Forex Update : The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 99.8 to the US Dollar in the open market.
Swiss govt calls Zardari case time-barred By Syed Irfan Raza ISLAMABAD, June 18: The PML-N government opened on Tuesday a letter received from the Swiss government which declared President Asif Ali Zardari a ‘clean’ man in a $60 million money-laundering case closed by a Swiss court after lapse of a specific period. In February this year, the Swiss government told the PPP-led government about the letter and conveyed its contents, but it was officially opened on Tuesday by Law Minister Zahid Hamid.
MPA among 29 killed in suicide attack By Jamal Hoti MARDAN, June 18: A suicide bomber blew himself up at a funeral in Shergarh area here on Tuesday, killing 29 people and injuring over 60 others. Imran Mohmand, a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, was among the dead. Agency reports said that Mr Mohmand who had contested the May 11 elections as independent candidate later joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.
Walkout from Senate over GST hike By Amir Wasim ISLAMABAD, June 18: The opposition members on Tuesday staged a token walkout from the Senate as a mark of protest over the government’s move to raise general sales tax (GST) from 16 to 17 per cent as proposed in the federal budget and the recent ‘hike’ in prices of petroleum products. The walkout was led by parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Raza Rabbani and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) members joined the protest despite knowing that the government had already announced at the meeting of a Senate Standing Committee earlier in the day that the increase in the oil prices had been withdrawn and the decision to impose two per cent additional GST on unregistered fuel stations had been suspended for two weeks.
Pakistan seeks IMF bailout By Khaleeq Kiani ISLAMABAD, June 18: Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are opening on Wednesday week-long discussions on Islamabad’s latest fiscal and macroeconomic adjustments and its request for a possible $5 billion bailout package for repayment of the fund’s outstanding loans. A senior official of the ministry of finance said the government had made a fiscal adjustment of about 2.5 per cent of GDP in its budget for 2013-14 to reduce fiscal deficit from 8.8pc to 6.3pc of GDP during the next financial year and hoped it would convince the IMF into agreeing on a new Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of about $5bn repayable in 10 years.
A tax regime made by top officials for themselves By Afshan Subohi KARACHI, June 18: Since the announcement of the federal budget for 2013-14, the salaried class finds itself in a state of shock — and for understandable reasons. There are about 1.6 million salaried people who pay income tax — an abysmal figure in any case for a country with a population of over 180 million — and an overwhelming majority of them are going to take a direct hit as a result of the measures proposed (as opposed to the 3,500 salaried people claimed by the government).
PM posts ‘trusted officers’ in federal bureaucracy By Khawar Ghumman ISLAMABAD, June 18: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif transferred on Tuesday over a dozen federal secretaries, assigning important positions of the cabinet and establishment divisions to the officers who in the past had worked with the Punjab government. With the new posting and transfers, five key positions which directly report to the prime minister have gone to the officers who had worked in the Punjab government from 2008 to 2013. These include secretary to the PM Nasir Mehmood Khosa, press secretary to the PM Mohiuddin Wani, secretary of Cabinet Division Sami Saeed and secretary of Establishment Division Shahid Rashid.
Afghans take over security from Nato KABUL, June 18: Afghanistan will send a team to Qatar for peace talks with the Taliban, President Hamid Karzai said on Tuesday, as the US-led Nato coalition launched the final phase of the 12-year war with the last round of security transfers to Afghan forces. “Afghanistan’s High Peace Council will travel to Qatar to discuss peace talks with the Taliban,” Mr Karzai said in Kabul, referring to the council he formed in late 2010.
US, Taliban dropped some pre-conditions By Anwar Iqbal WASHINGTON, June 18: The United States has dropped some of its preconditions for engaging the Taliban and is now willing to hold direct talks with the militants, senior Obama administration officials said on Tuesday. The Taliban too have agreed to support the Afghan peace process and the talks can now be held within days, officials said.
Judges’ allowances doubled By Syed Irfan Raza ISLAMABAD, June 18: President Asif Ali Zardari approved on Tuesday almost 100 per cent increase in travelling and daily allowances of the judges of superior courts. According to a notification, the allowances have been revised on the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the request of the Supreme Court.
State institutions back Afghan peace: FO By Baqir Sajjad Syed ISLAMABAD, June 18: Vexed over Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s latest outburst against the Pakistan Army and the ISI, the Foreign Office said on Tuesday that all state institutions unanimously supported peace and stability in Afghanistan and sought reciprocity from that country in combating terrorism. “The government of Pakistan and all its institutions have unanimity of views on issues of national security and foreign policy. In this context, promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan is an important pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy which is supported by all state institutions,” Foreign Office spokesman Aizaz Chaudhry said in a rejoinder to a statement by the Afghan president in which he had suggested that Pakistan’s military and premier intelligence agency ISI treated Afghanistan as a client state.
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