Pakistani Officers Disciplined Over Base Attack - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

Pakistan's military has disciplined three naval officers in connection with a deadly militant assault on a military base in Karachi one year ago.

The three officers -- who include the base commander at the time of the attack, Commodore Raja Tahir -- were found guilty of negligence by a board of inquiry.

Officials have suggested their punishments could be limited to a freeze on promotions and command appointments.

Heavily armed militants stormed the naval base in Karachi on May 22, 2011, destroying two U.S.-made surveillance planes and killing 10 personnel.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility.

The ability of the militants to penetrate the high-security base led to speculation they may have had inside information or assistance.

Pakistan's military said there was no evidence the officers were linked to the militants.

View the original article here

Pakistani doctor Khalil Chishti returns home from India - BBC News

16 May 2012 Last updated at 10:40 GMT Khalil Chishti has been in jail or in detention in India for 20 years A Pakistani doctor, who spent 20 years in detention in India, has returned to a hero's welcome in Pakistan.

Khalil Chishti, 80, flew home in an aircraft sent by Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday night.

He was met on arrival in Islamabad by Interior Minister Rehman Malik and other officials.

The scientist spent 14 months in an Indian jail for a 1992 murder. Last month, the Supreme court granted him bail on humanitarian grounds.

Chishti has always denied the murder charge and says he was framed.

As he was brought out of the airport in a wheel chair, Chishti was showered with rose petals by activists of the governing Pakistan Peoples Party, the BBC's Hafeez Chachar reports from Islamabad.

Some of them waved party flags and chanted slogans praising President Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for facilitating Chishti's return, our correspondent says.

Speaking to reporters, Chishti said he had lost all hopes about returning home.

He said he was grateful to President Zardari for his efforts in bringing him back.

President Zardari had raised the issue of Chishti's release at his lunch meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a private visit to India in April.

Last week, India's Supreme Court allowed him to visit Pakistan, but ordered him to return to India to attend his next court hearing on 20 November.

Chishti was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2011 for killing a man after a fight in the Indian town of Ajmer in 1992.

He was found guilty after an unusually long 18-year trial during which he was put under house arrest.

View the original article here

Measles outbreak kills 12 children in Pakistani tribal area - Al-Arabiya

A measles outbreak has killed 12 children in one of Pakistan’s lawless tribal districts and is spreading as fighting, power cuts and curfews cause a vaccine shortage, doctors said Monday.

North Waziristan, a restive and deeply poor area bordering Afghanistan, is Pakistan’s most notorious Taliban and al-Qaeda stronghold, hit frequently by U.S. drone strikes targeting Islamist militants.

“For the past three weeks we are daily receiving five to 10 children suffering from measles,” said doctor Mohammad Ali Shah, chief of the main hospital in Miranshah, the area’s biggest town.

He would normally see only one or two deaths a year from the disease, he said.

But another doctor, Mohammad Sadiq, said 12 children and a man had died from measles in the last three weeks, and that there were up to 70 confirmed cases in hospital.

The U.N. children’s agency UNICEF said there had been 143 measles alerts this year in Pakistan’s seven-district, semi-autonomous tribal belt.

The measles virus is highly contagious and can be fatal, but can easily be prevented by proper immunization.

However Shah said: “We do not have proper storage for measles vaccination because of long power outages and curfews and most of our stock expires due to these reasons.”

Poverty and poor transport facilities mean villagers in the rugged, mountainous areas cannot come to hospitals for treatment, he added, while military operations and unrest mean vaccination teams cannot reach them.

“There is accumulation of significant number of unvaccinated children in different parts of this region which are revealing as outbreaks or alerts over time to time,” said Doctor Quamrul Hasan of the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO and local health officials are to carry out a supplementary campaign in the tribal areas aimed at vaccinating more than a million children aged under 10 by the end of June, he said.

Polio vaccination campaigns in tribal areas have in the past suffered because of rumors -- sometimes spread by radio stations or from mosque loudspeakers -- they were a Western conspiracy to sterilize children to reduce the Muslim population.

But UNICEF said work had been done to tackle misconceptions and there was less suspicion of the measles vaccine, administered by injection, than of the orally-administered polio dose.

Nearly 140,000 people died of measles worldwide in 2010, according to the World Health Organization -- 95 percent in low income countries with poor health infrastructure.

View the original article here

Illustrious Pakistani doctor inducted into Medical Hall of Fame - The Express Tribune

Dr S Amjad Hussai­n from Peshaw­ar was recogn­ised for invent­ing two surgic­al device­s and a servic­e spanni­ng 40 years. Dr S Amjad Hussain graduated from the Khyber Medical College. PHOTO: COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO

WASHINGTON: Illustrious Pakistani doctor S Amjad Hussain, has been inducted into the Medical Mission Hall in Toledo, Ohio.

Amjad Hussain is one of 34 individuals from around the world who are now members of the Medical Mission Hall of Fame. The MMHOF was created in 2004 to honor those individuals and organisations who have made significant and substantial contributions to advancing the medical well-being of people throughout the world.

Last year Dr Sania Nishtar, Pakistan’s first female cardiologist and founder of the health policy organisation, Heartfile, which is recognised as a model for replication in developing nations, was inducted into the hall of fame.

A native of Peshawar, Dr Hussain has participated in medical and teaching missions for more than 40 years. He has traveled to the Dominican Republic, China, Libya, India and Pakistan, where he has taught a legion of medical students and doctors and has donated tons of supplies and equipment. Professor emeritus of thoracic cardiovascular surgery at the University of Toledo, he is a graduate of Khyber Medical College in Peshawar.

Proclaimed by the Journal of Islamic Medical Association to be a renaissance Muslim, the writer, photographer and explorer has treated those in need in foreign countries while making surgical and travel arrangements for complex procedures to be performed in Toledo.

A member of the University of Toledo Board of Trustees, Dr Hussain has a professorship in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery named in his honor and also a visiting professorship in the history of medicine at the University.

The inventor of two surgical devices – the pleuro-peritoneal shunt and a special endotracheal tube to supply oxygen during fiberoptic broncchoscopy in awake patients – he was recognised by the Khyber Medical College with its first lifetime achievement award during its golden jubilee celebration in 2005.

Dr Hussain is the author of seven Urdu and six English books on diverse subjects including religion, culture, history and international relations.

Among the other two honorees, Dr Harvey Doorenbos devoted 35 years of his life to medical missionary work, 10 years in the Sultanate of Oman and 25 years in Ethiopia. Dr Lincoln Nelson performed surgeries for 60 years and helped to start four hospitals in the Philippines.

View the original article here

Pakistani filmmakers win global award - gulfnews.com

The 20-minute film The Other Side was awarded the Best Audience Award at the National Film Festival For Talented Youth held in Seattle.

The short film was written and directed by Danish Ali along with five other team members.

The film revolves around the idea of assessing social, psychological and economical effects of the US drone strikes on the people in the northwest tribal areas of Pakistan. It identifies the problems faced by families who have become victims of missiles fired by the drones.

However, the filmmakers were unable to attend the award ceremony as their visa applications were rejected. "If we had got the visa then it would have been easy for us to frame our point of view in front of the other selected youth filmmakers," Ali said.

Article continues below

View the original article here

United States helps strengthen Pakistani Civil Society - Associated Press of Pakistan

People of Pakistan and Japan have centuries old contacts: Japan FM - TOKYO, April 27 (APP): Pakistan is a beautiful country blessed with a lot historical and cultural assets, including the Indus Valley and Gandhara civilizations. This was stated by Japan’s Foreign Minister, Koichiro Genba, while addressing a reception arranged by Pakistan Embassy in a local hotel here to mark the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Pakistan. The Japanese Foreign Minister said that the people from the present day Pakistan had centuries old contacts with the people of Japan. He said recent research had revealed that even in the 18th century trade prevailed between Japan and the areas consisting present Pakistan. The Japanese Foreign Minister appreciated Pakistan’s assistance in the wake of Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.

Arif Lohar says his US tour is aimed at sharing ?our wish for peace? - NEW YORK, April 27 (APP): Pakistan’s famous folk singer Arif Lohar, who is in the United States bringing Sufi music to Americans audiences in various cities across the country, calls himself both “a fakir and a safir (a wandering mystic and a cultural ambassador). All the world over, the language is music, he said in an interview with The New York Times. The styles are different, the
nuances are different. But the language is the same. I am here representing my country and my culture. I have connected with people, and it feels so good to connect in that way,” said Lohar, who is set to perform at Asia Society in New York Friday night—the show is sold out.

Grossman had productive meetings on full range of issues: US - WASHINGTON, April 26 (APP): The United States on Thursday described the  U.S. delegations talks with Pakistani officials as productive as the two sides engaged in discussions on full range of issues in the wake of Pakistani Parliaments new guidelines on way forward in the bilateral relations. The State Department said the U.S. inter-agency team, led by special  envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman, affirmed Washingtons resolve to work with Pakistan going forward on wide-ranging areas.

US says wants to see PM contempt issue settled justly, transparently - WASHINGTON, April 26 (APP): The United States sees the issue of contempt of court against Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilai as an internal Pakistani matter and expects it to be resolved  justly and transparently, the State Department said Thursday. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland, asked at the daily  briefing to comment  on the Supreme Court’s conviction verdict earlier Thursday in the contempt case against the prime minister,  said:

Hillary Clinton to visit China, Bangladesh, India next week - WASHINGTON, April 26 (APP): U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will next week visit China, Bangladesh, and India on a regional trip during which she will discuss bilateral relations with leaders of the three countries. In Beijing May 3-4, Secretary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner will join their Chinese co-chairs, Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo, for the fourth joint meeting of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), the State Department said.
LAHORE, Apr 26 (APP)- The 34th National Boxing Championships on Thursday reached to final stage after all the national champions eased into the title-fight round here at the Punjab College Hall. On the fourth day of the event there was only one RSC O/C (referee stopped contest outclass) and a knock out decisions and a walk over but none of the boxers who entered into the ring retired.  All the bouts were played till the last second and the decisions were  made on points.
  LAHORE, Apr 26 (APP)- The newly appointed, Chief Executive Officer of USA Cricket Association, Nabeel Ahmed said that USACA will seek cooperation from different cricket boards including Pakistan Cricket Board to lift the level of cricket in America. “We have been assigned a challenging task to raise the standards of USA cricket and definitely we will be taking all necessary measures to give new dimensions to our cricket,” he told APP from Detroit here on Thursday. The newly elected CEO of USACA firmly believes that noted cricket boards of the world can benefit the cricket in USA where the passion for cricket is ever growing and youth is taking cricket as a sport, said Nabeel from Pakistani origin and a former Senior Vice President of USACA.
  LAHORE, April 26 (APP) - Pakistan Olympic Association entered into a new era by launching its webiste to provide update information regarding national olympic committee and its affiliated national sports federations. “ It is a new chapter in country’s sports that we have developed a major source of information sharing regarding Pakistan’s sports for our own people and sports lover around the globe”,said Lt Gen retd Syed Arif Hasan, President,POA at a news conference to unveil the salient features of the POA website after Executive Committee meeting of the POA here on Thursday.
  LAHORE, April 26 (APP) - Top national players moved into the quarter finals of the men singles of the 14th All Pakistan Aamer Hayat Khan Rokhri Badminton Tournament after winning their respective ties here on Thursday at New Khan Hall. No upset was recorded in the single matches and Wajid Ali (Wapda), Shoaib Hafeez (Punjab), Shabbar Hussain (Wapda), Waqas Ahmed (Wapda) and Attique Ch (Wapda) breezed into the next round of the event.
  KARACHI, Apr. 26 (APP) - Pakistan’s top cuemen Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Sultan won their last league games but failed to qualify for the last 16 round of 28th Asian Snooker Championship in Doha (Qatar), according to information received here on Thursday. Asif was taken to full distance by Bashar Hussain Abdulmajid of Qatar before grabbing 4-3 wins.
 March, 2012 February, 2012 January, 2012 December, 2011 November, 2011 October, 2011 September, 2011 August, 2011 July, 2011 June, 2011 You are not authorised to view this resource.
You need to login.Saleem Shahzad Inquiry Commission Report Chinese Prime Minister Visit to Pakistan Presidential address to the joint sitting of parliament

View the original article here