PESHAWAR: Unknown gunmen on Monday shot dead the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) traffic and his driver in Peshawar’s Faqeerabad area in a firing incident. Sources told Dawn.com that gunmen opened fire on DSP Amanullah and his driver Amjad when they were returning home from office. The deceased were subsequently shifted to Lady Reading Hospital.
Tribute to classical music maestro
KARACHI, June 21: A melodious thungri (instrumental) with Abdul Ghani on the harmonium, Irfan Haider on the tabla and Gul Ahmad Khan, a promising young sarangi player, set a perfect foreground for the classical music event organised by the Arts Council on Thursday evening to pay tribute to the late Ustad Ahmad Ali Khan. The evening marked the 14th death anniversary of the legend. Ustad Ahmad Ali Khan was born in 1942 in Amritsar, to the ‘Gwalior Gharana’, a family which rose to fame during the Mughal Emperor Akbar’s reign. He entered the realm of classical music with his brother Ustad Rehmat Ali Khan.
Debate on Balochistan budget: Opposition decries ‘insufficient’ funds for development
QUETTA: The Leader of Opposition in the Balochistan Assembly, Maulana Abdul Wasay of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, has criticised the government for having failed to identify development schemes in the new budget and allocating `insufficient’ funds for ongoing projects. Opening the debate on the budget for year 2013-14 on Sunday, Maulana Wasay told the house that the previous government had increased the budget to Rs180 billion from Rs50bn.
Mountaineers’ bodies taken to Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan received at the Air Marshal Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi on Sunday the bodies of 10 members of a trekking expedition killed in a terrorist attack in Gilgit-Baltistan. The ambassadors of China and Ukraine and officials of the Nepalese and Russian embassies were also at the base to receive the bodies. According to a handout, the minister conveyed his condolences to the dignitaries of the embassies and said the objective of the attack appeared to be to tarnish the image of Pakistan and damage tourism in the country.
Rs500bn circular debt: No plan to print currency notes, says Dar
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday put up yet another spirited defence against attacks from opposition legislators who criticised the proposed budgetary allocations in their cut motions. Responding to queries about the government’s plans to clear circular debt of over Rs500 billion within 60 days, and the ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr Dar told the National Assembly in categorical terms that there was no plan to print currency notes to clear the liability.
Arthur sacked as Australia coach: report
SYDNEY: Mickey Arthur has been sacked as coach of Australia just two weeks ahead of the start of the Ashes series against England after a series of poor results and a string of disciplinary issues in the squad, local media reported on Monday. Cricket Australia said they would be holding a news conference in Bristol, England, later on Monday, where chief executive James Sutherland would “discuss the coaching structure of the Australian team”.
Jennifer Lopez gets 2,500th Hollywood star
LOS ANGELES: Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez was honored Thursday with the 2,500th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, joined by celebrities including Jane Fonda and watched by screaming fans. “I really am overwhelmed,” she said at the ceremony on Tinseltown’s star-studded sidewalk, a tourist favorite. “This all feels, I don’t know, kind of surreal, but so real. It’s awesome.”
Acid attack on Pashto actress in Nowshera
PESHAWAR: A Pashto actress, Shazia Aziz, suffered critical burns after a producer named, Shaukat, threw acid on her in Nowshera. According to sources, Shazia was at home, when Shaukat forced his way in, around 3 am, and allegedly asked her to marry him. On Shazia’s refusal, Shaukat threw acid on her and escaped leaving the empty can behind.
Peace committee member killed in IED attack in Bajaur Agency
KHAR: A member of the peace committee has been killed and another person was injured in a remote controlled Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack in Bajaur Agency’s area, Chamarkand, official said. Political administration officials confirmed that the peace committee member Khater Jan was targeted with a remote controlled IED near Bar Chamarkand when he was inspecting the site of an earlier explosion.
Interest rate reduced by 50bps
KARACHI: Announcing the monetary policy on Friday, the State Bank slashed the policy interest rate by 50 basis points to 9 per cent.The rate was revised primarily in the wake of declining inflation and poor credit off-take by the private sector.According to the SBP, power shortages and poor security continue to be strong impediments to growth. The absence of foreign financial inflows and high fiscal borrowings from the banking system were seen as formidable economic challenges.
