DINA for the issue of February 21, 2014

	February 21, 2014 | Rabi-ul-Saani 20, 1435
The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news service from Pakistan’s largest English language newspaper, the Daily DAWN.
Nisar hopeful talks will soon be back on track By Iftikhar A. Khan ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has reiterated the government’s stance that bloodshed and dialogue with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan cannot go together, but expressed the hope that deadlock in the peace process will end soon.	For suggestions and comments: Email: webmaster@dawn.com Website: http://dawn.com Fax: +92(21) 35693995 Karachi Stocks down 180.13 Points: KARACHI, February 20 : At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was 25506.80 , down 180.13 points. Forex Update : KARACHI, February 20 : The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 105.95 to the US Dollar in the open market.
Air strikes target foreign militants in N. Waziristan By Baqir Sajjad Syed and Pazir Gul ISLAMABAD / MIRAMSHAH: Dozens of militants, mostly Uzbek fighters, were killed as air force jets and army’s helicopter gunships carried out punitive strikes against terrorist hideouts in North Waziristan and Khyber Agency. The strikes in North Waziristan’s areas of Mirali and Datta Khel happened late on Wednesday night, while a militant compound in Khyber was targeted on Thursday.
Protest lodged with Kabul over FC men’s slaying By Our Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday lodged a protest with Afghanistan over the killing of 23 kidnapped Pakistani paramilitary soldiers in an Afghan area and sought action against the group behind the butchery. The group is believed to have sanctuaries there. Adviser to PM on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz conveyed Pakistan’s “strong protest and serious concern” to Afghan Foreign Minister Zarar Maqbool Osmani at a meeting on the sidelines of a Saarc ministerial meeting in Male, Maldives.
‘Ideal equation’ between Sharif and Raheel By Khawar Ghumman ISLAMABAD: A senior official of the Prime Minister’s Office said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was very much on board about the decision of conducting air strikes in North Waziristan and Khyber Agency. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and General Raheel Sharif have developed an ideal equation and have been regularly consulting each other on the issue.
The Last Mile Journey By Dr Ishrat Husain Pakistan-India trade negotiations have once again gone off the track despite the productive meeting between the two commerce ministers in New Delhi followed by the successful visit of Mian Shahbaz Sharif. But the cancellation of Mr Anand Sharma’s visit to Pakistan, has dashed the hopes. In Pakistan, several lobbies have become all of a sudden quite active and vocal. The consensus achieved after a prolonged periods of studies, analyses, seminars, exchanges of delegations, trade shows, appears to be breaking down. A few policymakers believe that because India is lukewarm in resuming the Composite Dialogue we should not allow the trade negotiations to pick up speed.
UNEQUAL FORCES IN MAKRAN By Salman Rashid OVER the past four months I have made two trips to Makran and have had extended conversations with local men as well as with several defence services officers at various levels. The latter were from the navy and army. The lessons to draw are remarkable. Most defence officers agreed that the people of Makran are simple, peaceable and friendly, that they appreciate developmental work in their district and that mischief does not come naturally to them. This would make them a community easy to work with and find acceptance from. Officers were also of the view that the insurgents causing strife from time to time infiltrated Makran from the more troubled districts of Balochistan northward.
Kalash got threats from across border, SC told By Nasir Iqbal ISLAMABAD: Threats received recently by the Kalash people of Chitral and Ismailis came from across the border, said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Advocate General Abdul Latif Yousufzai on Thursday. “This is more of an external than internal threat and we have taken up the matter with the federal government,” he told a three-judge Supreme Court bench in response to a suo motu notice taken by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani.
Privatisation of power company, two Discos approved By Amin Ahmed ISLAMABAD: Board of the Privatisation Commission has approved restructuring and privatisation of one power generation company and two distribution companies (Discos), and decided to initiate the process of hiring financial advisers for the purpose. A meeting of the board presided over by state minister and chairman of the commission, Muhammad Zubair, on Thursday considered and approved proposals for restructuring and privatising the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company, Hyderabad Electric Supply Company and a thermal power plant in Muzaffargarh.
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