ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) abstained from the multi-party meeting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired in Karachi on the law and order situation obtaining there. A press statement issued by the party’s central media secretariat in Islamabad quoted Imran Khan as saying: “PTI was unable to participate in the meeting on Karachi’s security chaired by the prime minister because the leadership was not informed directly which would have enabled the party to send proper representation.”
Strikes to degrade Syria’s military capabilities, Congress told
WASHINGTON: The US military chief told a congressional committee on Tuesday that US strikes on Syria would degrade the Syrian government’s overall military capabilities, besides causing other collateral consequences. “Yes,” said Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Martin E. Dempsey when asked if US military strikes would have other “collateral consequences for the Syrian government, including the degradation of its overall military capabilities”.
Indian envoy raises LoC incident during ‘courtesy call’
ISLAMABAD: In what some foreign policy analysts described as discourteous, the new Indian High Commissioner during a “courtesy call” on Foreign Policy and National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz turned to the sore spot in bilateral relations and curtly told him that the Line of Control incident cast doubt on Pakistan’s sincerity in normalising ties. “Incidents such as the recent one on the LoC raised doubts on Pakistan’s sincerity,” Dr T.C.A. Raghavan was quoted as saying by a Foreign Office statement during the meeting with Mr Aziz, his (Raghavan’s) first since his posting in Islamabad.
Commanders meet today
ISLAMABAD: Top army generals have a full plate when they convene for the corps commanders’ conference on Wednesday at the General Headquarters. The meeting is taking place amidst extraordinary developments both in the country and outside that affect national security. The corps commanders’ conference coincides with a specialsession of the cabinet in Karachi on the law and order situation.The government appears to be ready for an operation in the port city which will be executed through civilian law enforcement agencies.
Scepticism follows premier’s assurance
KARACHI: When Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif assured all segments of society on Tuesday that peace would be brought back to Karachi, many were not ready to buy his words as history has made them sceptical. Despite seriousness showed by the federal government, the people in Karachi wonder what lies ahead for them, with threats ranging from militancy to target killings and street crimes to kidnapping for ransom tormenting them they face daily.
Ombudsman appears in SC to face challenge
ISLAMABAD: The ailing Federal Ombudsman, Salman Farooqui, appeared before the Supreme Court on Tuesday to face a challenge against his appointment filed by Adviser to the Transparency International Pakistan Syed Adil Gilani. Mr Farooqui was summoned by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to respond to charges that he had been appointed as acting ombudsman by the caretaker government. He informed the court that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer of the blood in which survival rate was not high.
Number of Syrian refugees passes 2 million
GENEVA: More than two million Syrians have now fled their war-ravaged country, the UN refugee agency said Tuesday, lamenting the nearly 10-fold increase from a year ago. “Syria is haemorrhaging women, children and men who cross borders often with little more than the clothes on their backs,” the UNHCR said in a statement, pointing out that on September 3, 2012, it had registered just 230,671 Syrian refugees. In addition to the two million Syrians living as refugees, some 4.25 million people have been displaced within the devastated country since the conflict began in March 2011, according to UN figures.
Indian HC, Sartaj Aziz discuss Nawaz, Singh meeting
ISLAMABAD: Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, T.C.A. Raghavan, met with Adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Sartaj Aziz, at the Foreign Office on Tuesday, DNA reported.
Stocks plunge by 436 points
KARACHI: Selling intensified at the Karachi stock market on Monday with red splattered all across the board. By the close of trading, the KSE-100 index had plunged by 436.17 points or 1.97 per cent to 21,724.68. With lone greens here and there, the declining stocks at 288, outnumbered the mere 45 gainers, by a margin of six-to-one. Market capitalisation eroded by Rs97 billion on Monday to close at Rs5.417 trillion. Although the stocks had suffered sharp pull back in the last two trading days, Thursday and Friday, most investors were shocked to see the stock prices cave in just at the start of trading on Monday.
World oil prices drop
LONDON: Oil prices fell on Monday after US President Barack Obama said he would seek approval from lawmakers for military action against Syria, easing prospects of an imminent strike, analysts said. Losses were capped by news of upbeat economic data in China, which is the world’s biggest consumer of energy. New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in October, shed 41 cents to $107.24 per barrel.
