Posts published in December 2012

Shrugging away Kashmir: edit in The nation,  Dec 13 An American think tank, the American Intelligence Council, in its latest report, has said that without solution of the core of issue Kashmir and other disputes between India and Pakistan, South Asia will not experience stability. This chimes in with the many voices arising worldwide which say what India is doing its best to deny, that it cannot establish normal relations with its largest neighbour, so…

Kashmiri leaders’ visit to pave way for settlement of Kashmir dispute By Maqbool Malik in The Nation, Dec 13 ISLAMABAD – A landmark weeklong visit of Kashmiri leadership from the Indian Occupied Kashmir to Pakistan, beginning from Friday, would pave way for tripartite dialogue towards resolution of the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, sources said on Tuesday. An eight-member All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) delegation headed by Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq would be visiting…

G-B govt to run free boat service across Attabad lake By Shabbir Mir  in The Express Tribune, Dec 2 GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) government has launched a free winter boat service for passengers crossing the Attabad Lake. Shehzad Ahmad, a senior government official, said the decision was taken in view of difficulties that passengers are facing trying to cross the 23-kilometre-long lake in the winter, when temperatures plummet below -15 degrees centigrade in the Hunza…

Target: Jamaat Ali Shah: By Khaled Ahmed in The Express Tribune, Dec 2 The writer is a director at the South Asia Free Media Association, Lahore Jamaat Ali Shah was Pakistan’s Indus Waters Commissioner with a long tenure because he had a brilliant record as his country’s watchdog over India’s actions under the Indus Waters Treaty (1960). Then, some people thought he was in cahoots with the Indians. The state went for him. See the…

Skyfall: edit in Dawn, Dec 1 MAN has always looked heavenwards for answers but on Wednesday night, disconcerted residents of Dadu district in Sindh had more than the normal vexations of life to quiz the higher powers about when large chunks of unidentifiable equipment dropped out ofthe sky overanarea spanning several villages. That no one was hurt and no property damaged can only be termed a miracle, for the pieces were far from small. The…

Mysterious objects in Dadu part of Hatf V missile: ISPR RAWALPINDI: The mysterious object that was found in a remote area of Dadu after successful test of Hatf V was part of motor body, ISPR said Friday. A spokesman of ISPR has said that the Hatf V (Ghauri) missile test conducted on Wednesday was a complete success. The missile during its flight remained within the designated flight path and corridor. “The metal parts found in…

New paths in Kashmir: by A.G. Noorani in Dawn, Dec 1 The writer is an author and a lawyer based in Mumbai IT is a great pity that a unique conference in Muzaffarabad, held early last month, has not received the attention which it so richly deserves. On Nov 5, the first-ever delegation of women civil activists crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir to attend a conference. The first such cross-LoC conference was…

Ministry row renders G-B’s appellate court dysfunctional By Shabbir Mir  in The Express Tribune GILGIT: A row between the Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) government and the ministry of Kashmir Affairs and G-B has delayed the appointment of judges in the Supreme Appellate Court, leaving the court dysfunctional since May. “There is obviously a row between the two that’s why appointment (of judges) has gotten delayed,” a G-B government official told The Express Tribune on Thursday. This was…

JUI-F leader shot dead in Gilgit,  Party`s members quit peace committees: report in Dawn, Dec 1 GILGIT, Nov 30: A local leader of Jamiat Ulema-iIslam (Fazl) was shot dead outside his house here on Friday morning, police said. According to Superintendent of Police Wasal Khan, unidentified men opened fire on Ubaidur Rehman when he came out of his house to go to work, killing him on the spot. Panic and fear gripped the town after…

Iranian cement being sold in Balochistan: By Aamir Shafaat Khan  in Dawn, Dec 1 KARACHI, Nov 30: Iranian cement is finding its way to Quetta and other parts of Balochistan through informal channels and is selling below the price of locally produced cement. A cement maker said that Iranian cement (Khash) is selling at Rs400-430 per 50kgs in Quetta, Rs350-380 in Gwadar, Rs330 in Khuzdar and Rs345 in Turbat, while locally produced cement bag carries…