Afghan Government Cuts Ties With IMF.

KABUL, June 21 Asia Pulse - Afghanistan's Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal on Monday said the Afghan government had severed its relations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for stopping a US$70 million payment after the near collapse of nation's largest private bank. 

Relations were cut off after the financial institution presented "politically motivated" conditions to resolve the bank problem, the minister told reporters in Kabul. 

Trouble at Kabul Bank surfaced last year, as the public discovered that the bank made hundreds of millions of dollars in questionable loans to shareholders, including the elder brother of President Hamid Karzai. Some used the loans to buy luxurious mansions in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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MOBILE USERS TO VISIT CUSTOMER CENTERS FOR DATA CORRECTION

Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has advised the mobile phone subscribers to visit Customer Service Centers (CSC) of concerned mobile operator to get their SIM data corrected if there is any discrepancy in their antecedents. PTA has requested subscribers’ cooperation in streamlining of SIMs data to achieve target of 100% corrected data. In this regard, PTA has also directed cellular mobile operators to take all possible measures for the verifications of post and prepaid mobile connections of their subscribers within specified time period through “SIM information System 668”.

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The Bank of Punjab Corruption Scandal

77 Billion Rupees Fraud Report Presented in SC

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government on Wednesday submitted a report before the Supreme Court on the Bank of Punjab (BoP) scam of Rs9 billion and revealed that former Chief Minister Punjab, Ch Pervaiz Elahi, siphoned Rs5.4 billion from the BoP while Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Salman Siddique, approved unlawful credit proposals of Rs1.1 billion in July 2006.

Pakistan’s pride Moin Akhtar passes away

KARACHI: Moin Akhtar, the legendary artist of television, stage and film passed away after having a heart attack here on Friday, Geo News reported.
Moin Akhtar, 61, was taken to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) where he breathed his last during treatment.
Moin Akhtar was a television, film and stage actor, as well as a comedian, impersonator, and a host. He was also a play writer, singer, film director and a producer.

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Pakistan Cricketer Zulqarnain to return Home on April 24

KARACHI: Former Pakistan wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider, who fled to London last year citing death threats from match-fixers, has said he will return home and cancel his application for asylum in Britain.

Zulqarnain was reassured by a meeting with Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik in London last week, and will seek to resume his cricket career, he said.
“After meeting with (the) interior minister and getting assurance of my and my family’s safety in Pakistan, I have decided to return home on April 24,” Zulqarnain, 24, told Pakistani private TV channels GEO and others from London.
“After getting this assurance there is no need for me to continue with my asylum application, which I will withdraw,” he said late Saturday.

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QAU ranked 69th among world top 100 universities

For the first time in the history of Pakistan Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad has been ranked 69th among top 100 Universities of the World in recognition of its valuable work and fast improving standard of education.
QAU has achieved this landmark distinction in QS World University Rankings by Subject - Engineering & Technology for year 2011. The ranking is based on three parameters including Academic, Employer and Citation per paper.

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Pakistan’s President to visit Turkey

ANKARA, 8 April 2011: President of Pakistan Mr. Asif Ali Zardari will pay an
official visit to Turkey from 11-14 April, 2011. During the visit, the
President will meet President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoðan and Speaker Turkish Grand National Assembly Mehmet Ali Þahin. He
will also interact with parliamentarians, business community, think-tanks
and the media.

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India still second in ICC ODI team rankings

India are the new World champions but Australia continue to head the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) One-day Internationals (ODIs) team rankings released Monday.
India, who beat Sri Lanka in the World Cup final in Mumbai Saturday, are second in the table with 121 points. Australia, who were knocked out by India in the quarterfinals are at the top with 128 points. They will have the opportunity of extending their lead as they play a three-match ODI series in Bangladesh starting Saturday. Sri Lanka are third at 118 points.

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PJC – Special Issue on Drugs

Dear All,

Though Pakistan has recently launched its new Anti-narcotics policy (2010) yet many think it, like the previous, a mere document short of action and implementation. It came into light after a few years of lapse since the end of the previous policy. The prospects of success of war on drugs in the last few decades, according to some assessments, are not dissimilar to the stories of ‘war on poverty’, and now ‘war on terror’. However, amid such claims and counter claims, researchers would like to critically evaluate the impacts of such anti-narcotic strategies and actions.

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No chance of any nuke debacle in Pakistan: Expert

No chance of any nuke debacle in Pakistan: Expert

Fukushima disaster should serve as a wake-up call

Islamabad: [March 31]

Nuclear expert Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood on Thursday said there is zero probability of any nuclear disaster in Pakistan.

There are no chances of radiation in Japan reaching here to affect Pakistani people, he said.

Pakistan’s nuclear disaster management capabilities and nuclear safety record is one of the best in the world and location of country is safe, Bashiruddin Mahmood said while speaking at a seminar held under the aegis of Nazaria Pakistan Centre.

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PJC – Special Issue on Drugs

Dear All,

Though Pakistan has recently launched its new Anti-narcotics policy (2010) yet many think it, like the previous, a mere document short of action and implementation. It came into light after a few years of lapse since the end of the previous policy. The prospects of success of war on drugs in the last few decades, according to some assessments, are not dissimilar to the stories of ‘war on poverty’, and now ‘war on terror’. However, amid such claims and counter claims, researchers would like to critically evaluate the impacts of such anti-narcotic strategies and actions.

Read More…