QUETTA, Dec 9: Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch has said that insurgency in the province can be ended through dialogue. Speaking to officers attending a senior management course here on Monday, he pointed out that all the pervious insurgencies had been controlled through talks. Mr Malik said his government was trying to initiate talks with disgruntled Baloch leaders to find a solution to the Balochistan issue. The chief minister said the Balochistan government had appointed Senator Raza Rabbani as legal consultant to guide it in implementing the 18th Amendment. He said the provincial government had ensured transparent distribution of relief goods among survivors of the recent earthquake in Awaran and Kech, maintained peace during Muharram and successfully held local bodies’ elections.

ISLAMABAD, Dec 9: The Supreme Court ordered on Monday that all public vehicles, including buses, vans, trucks, taxis and rickshaws, plying across the country without fitness certificates and route permits or violating provisions of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1965, be kept off the road. The court issued the directive in a suo motu case relating to the May 25 incident in which 16 children and a teacher were killed when a school van caught fire near Gujrat. The notice was taken on an editorial that appeared in an English daily on May 26. It described tragedy as nothing short of murder or at least manslaughter. The editorial also blamed the van driver and said the convenient, standard identification of short-circuiting as the cause of fire were dire signs of guilty seeking to take the old escape route.

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has launched ‘Youth Business Loans’ to help young entrepreneurs to initiate their own businesses. It is designed to provide subsidized financing at eight percent mark-up per annum for one hundred thousand beneficiaries through National Bank of Pakistan and First Women Bank. The total mark up rate would be fifteen percent but the Government would pay the remaining seven percent on behalf of applicants.
Those falling in the age group of 21 and 45 years are eligible to apply for loans from one hundred thousand to two million rupees.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chauhdry has said Saturday the judiciary has played a key role for rule of law in the country and the Supreme Court staff played an important role for honor of the judiciary. The Chief Justice appreciated performance of the Supreme Court staff in his address to the workers of the top court of the country in Islamabad this day. “I have worked with the Supreme Court staff for 14 years; from an assistant messenger to the Registrar, all played an important role for maintaining honor of the judiciary during this whole period,” said the Chief Justice.

QUETTA: Polling for Balochistan’s local government elections has begun and will continue until 5 pm in the evening. The provincial government had earlier declared Saturday as public-holiday and has made extensive security arrangements. Under section 144, pillion riding has been banned in the province till Dec 10. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan had earlier said 18,000 candidates were contesting the elections in 4600 constituencies. Six million ballot papers had been sent to the 32 districts of the province. He also said 33,000 polling staff had been appointed for 5,800 polling stations.