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WEEKLY
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| PM now heads a jumbo cabinet |
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Tuesday, November 04, 2008
MQM, JUI stay away as 22 federal ministers, 18 ministers of state sworn in
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: After a gruelling wait, the PPP-led coalition government expanded the federal cabinet on Monday by inducting 40 ministers, pushing the total to 55 and making it one of the largest cabinets in Pakistan’s history.
The new faces in the cabinet include 22 federal ministers and 18 ministers of state. President Asif Ali Zardari administered oath to the new ministers. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, ministers, parliamentarians and high-ranking officials attended the oath-taking ceremony.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl stayed away from joining the cabinet, an indication of differences with the PPP over the apportionment of portfolios and the number of ministries they were offered. The cabinet expansion came on a day when outside the Darbar Hall of the presidency, where the ceremony took place, lawyers and political activists chanted slogans against the November 3, 2007 imposition of state of emergency.
The surprising aspect of the cabinet expansion was the absence of the names of much-talked-about PML-Q forward bloc aspirants from the list of new ministers. Those who were sworn in on Monday belong to the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the Awami National Party (ANP), Fata, the BNP-Awami and the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional.
As expected, the Punjab got the lion’s share in the cabinet expansion as 10 federal ministers and 11 ministers of state were taken from the largest province. Six federal ministers and 3 ministers of states were taken from Sindh, two federal ministers, belonging to the PPP, from the NWFP and one minister of state from Balochistan. From the ANP, two ministers of state were inducted while the PML-Functional got one federal minister and one minister of state, both belonging to Sindh. Senator Israrullah Zehri, who belongs to the BNP-Awami, was also sworn in as minister.
Senior PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim has been appointed as a senior minister with the portfolio of Commerce. Mian Raza Rabbani, who will also hold the office of the leader of house in the Senate, has been given the portfolio of Inter-provincial Coordination.
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani also reshuffled the portfolios of some of his ministers. Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, who was looking after the Ministry of Local Government and Development has now been shifted to the Ministry of Railways and Syed Naveed Qamar, who was looking after the Ministry for Ports and Shipping, has now been given the Ministry of Privatisation and Investment.
Najamuddin Khan got the Ministry of Sports, leaving the charge of the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions. The portfolio of Khawaja Muhammad Khan Hoti has also been changed to the Ministry of Narcotics, which was previously being looked after by Nazar Muhammad Gondal. Gondal has been made incharge of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock.
The names of the newly inducted federal ministers are: Makhdoom Amin Fahim (senior minister with the portfolio of Commerce), Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo (Industries and Production), Hamid Saeed Kazmi (Religious Affairs), Dr Babar Awan (Parliamentary Affairs), Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan (Social Welfare), Rana Muhammad Farooq Saeed Khan, Samina Khalid Ghurki, Abdul Qayyum Khan Jatoi, Shahbaz Bhatti (Minority Affairs), Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Syed Mumtaz Alam Gilani, Mian Raza Rabbani (Inter-provincial Coordination), Pir Aftab Hussain Shah Jilani, Mir Ijaz Hussain Jakhrani (Health), Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani (Education), Shahid Hussain Bhutto, Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan, Waqar Ahmad Khan, Lal Muhammad Khan, Mir Israrullah Zehri, Abdur Razzaq Thaheem (Kashmir and Northern Areas Affairs) and Noorul Haq Qadri.
The names of the ministers of state are: Tariq Anis, Imtiaz Safdar Waraich, Mehreen Anwar Raja (Parliamentary Affairs), Tasneem Ahmad Qureshi (Interior), Muhammad Afzal Sindhu, Ghulam Fareed Kathia, Rafiq Ahmad Jamali (Food and Agriculture), Sardar Nabeel Gabool (Ports and Shipping), Muhammad Jadam Mangrio, Shagufta Jamani, Hina Rabbani Khar (Economic Affairs), Sardar Saleem Haider and Nawabzada Malik Ahmad Khan (minister of state for Foreign Affairs), Syed Samsam Ali Shah (Information and Broadcasting), Dr Ayatullah Durrani, Abdul Rafiq, Arbab Muhammad Zahir and Masood Abbas (Science and Technology).
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Three killed as Sh Rashid escapes attempt on life
By Shakeel Anjum
RAWALPINDI: Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief and a candidate for NA-55 (Rawalpindi) by-election Sheikh Rashid Ahmad was wounded, while three people — a guard and two party workers — were killed when four gunmen more |
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12 soldiers killed in South Waziristan
ISLAMABAD: Twelve soldiers embraced martyrdom while two others were injured in a clash with militants during the ongoing operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan Agency (SWA), the ISPR said on Monday.
S more |
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Plan to attack five-star hotel foiled
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The CIA police here on Monday claimed to have foiled an attack on Americans staying at a five-star hotel and arrested six terrorists, including a suicide bomber.
Addressing a press conference, SS more |
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Govt taking court for a ride
By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: She fought her case in the media. She won her battle in the judicial forum too. But still the government is bent on making an example out of her for refusing to follow the illegal dictates of her min more |
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Pakistan against arms race: Gilani
By Azeem Samar
KARACHI: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said Pakistan does not want to be engaged in an arms race with any country.
Speaking as chief guest at the induction ceremony of second Chinese-m more |
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Punjab-Sindh water row Centre’s intervention sought
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Tension between Punjab and Sindh over opening of the Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Punjnad link canals has touched a new high as the former has sought the Centre’s intervention.
The Punjab has sai more |
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French, Dutch fight over giving LNG to Pakistan
By Khalid Mustafa
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin and his team is all set to thwart the attempt of an unscrupulous combine of oil industry heavyweights and some functionaries of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Re more |
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Nine killed as no let-up in rains
By Nisar Mahmood
PESHAWAR: Nine people were killed and scores of others injured as heavy rains and snowfall lashed various parts of the country for the fourth consecutive day on Monday.
Reports from the Shangla district more |
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Malik orders NUML closure as protest enters 5ht day
ISLAMABAD: The protest of the students of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) against thrashing of Professor Malik Tahir by Registrar Brigadier (R) Obaidullah Ranjha entered its fifth consecutive more |
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Malik insists no Blackwater in Pakistan
By Muhammad Anis
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik while responding to an accusation from a PML-N parliamentarian told the National Assembly that Blackwater was not providing security to the president and the prime mini more |
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FBR gets list of properties rented out to foreigners
By Hanif Khalid
ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has received list of properties from Foreign Office, which were in use of foreigners in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore, but these were not shown in annual tax more |
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Repealing of 17th Amendment
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has begun efforts to create consensus on repealing the 17th Amendment before presidential address to the joint sitting of the parliament.
The prime minis more |
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Three suspects held in Mohmand
By our correspondent
GHALLANAI: The security forces arrested three suspected persons during search operation in Safi subdivision of Mohmand Agency, official sources said Monday. The sources said the security forces carried out sear more |
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No presence of Blackwater, DynCorp in Pakistan, NA body told
ISLAMABAD: Secretary Interior Qamar Zaman again negated on Monday the presence of Blackwater, DynCorp or any other foreign security agency in the country. “Neither the Blackwater and the DynCorp nor any other s more |
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Govt urged to take up water issue with India
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat while urging the government to take up the issue of ‘water terrorism’ with New Delhi, has question more |
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Avalanche kills 17 Indian soldiers in held Kashmir
HELD SRINAGAR: Seventeen Indian soldiers were killed on Monday in an avalanche that slammed into a group of 70 combat troops at a high-altitude warfare training camp in Kashmir, the army said on Monday.
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Taliban defiant as Afghans flee ahead of assault
KANDAHAR: The Nato commanders urged the Taliban to surrender as troops dug in on Monday for a major assault on their key stronghold in southern Afghanistan, sending thousands of residents fleeing.
The Ta more |
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Plea to freeze foreign accounts
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday ordered the federal government to submit a reply within four weeks on a petition seeking freezing of accounts in foreign banks and recovery of illegal assets accumu more |
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Attack on Sh Rashid
RAWALPINDI: The PML-N candidate for by-polls from NA-55, Malik Shakil Awan, has announced suspension of electioneering for a day to mourn the death of those killed in the attack on the office of his rival, Shei more |
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Indian forces to halt Kashmir rally outside UN office
HELD SRINAGAR: The held Kashmir authorities deployed thousands of police and troops on Monday to prevent a protest outside the UN office here over the recent killing of two teenage boys by Indian security force more |
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briefs...
20 die in Afghan floods, avalanches
KANDAHAR: Twenty people have died in floods and avalanches triggered by some of the heaviest rain and snow in Afghanistan for 50 years, an official said on Monday. At more |
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ISSN 1563-9479 
