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Missing papers on Partition
Muzaffarabad quake-hit on strike today
India, US work out anti-terror strategy
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Sacked Indian envoy refuses to return
Adopt ceremonial role,
US to Nepal King
Pak confirms fourth bird flu outbreak
No Iran curbs without proof, says Russia
Was Shakespeare Virgin Queen’s lovechild? Women to be inducted in Pak army
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Missing papers on Partition to be made available
Islamabad, April 21 The documents, pertaining to the All-India Muslim League from 1906 to 1947, were with the family of late Muslim League secretary Shams-ul-Hassan. They had initially been left behind in New Delhi and were shifted to Pakistan in large steel boxes after the 1947 partition of the subcontinent on the direction of Jinnah and remained in the custody of the Hassan family as a private collection. They will now be made available to the general public at the new Jinnah Archival Museum being built at the National Archives of Pakistan at a cost of Rs 26 million. Cabinet Secretary Ejaz Rahim said the documents, popularly known as the Shams-ul-Hassan Collection, are of great historical significance and contain original records of the All-India Muslim League. “It is purely an initiative of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to preserve, document and make available to the people of Pakistan all records of the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah,” Rahim said. He said the Prime Minister had specifically directed that the historical records be made available to the masses and a modern museum be set up for the coming generations depicting the long struggle in the creation of Pakistan. Rahim said Rs 39 million had been allocated for upgradation of equipment, digitisation of historical data and provision of modern facilities at the National Archives of Pakistan. The National Archives has a collection of thousands of documents on Jinnah, including his 14 handwritten diaries, legal cases, letters, receipts and even lists of his kitchen items. “The latest audiovisual aids, projectors and displays are being prepared to exhibit rare photographs, audio recordings, documents of Jinnah and the All-India Muslim League at the museum,” said Prince Abbas Khan, the Director-General of the National Archives of Pakistan. — IANS
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Muzaffarabad quake-hit on strike today
Muzaffarabad, April 21 According to an article carried on the website of the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC), Saturday’s general strike call will be the culmination of a wave of mass protests sweeping Muzaffarabad to highlight Islamabad’s poor response to rehabilitating the quake-affected. The March 31 protest was followed by a UPF-sponsored shutdown in the same area on April 3 in which over 200 people participated. Kashif Murtaza, the Chief Secretary of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and ERA Chairman General (retired) Saleem Altaf visited Garhi Dopatta on April 7 to review quake-relief efforts, but they were greeted by a 300-strong crowd of protesters who indulged in sloganeering and called for a district-level protest on April 13. On April 13, Shujat Kazmi, coordinator of the UPF, led 40,000 people in protests in 12 towns in and around Muzaffarabad. — ANI
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India, US work out anti-terror strategy
Washington, April 21 This was decided at the two-day meeting of the India-US Joint Working Group on Counterterrorim which ended today. The two countries decided to advance cooperation in the areas of bioterrorism, aviation security, biometrics, cyber-security and terrorism, WMD-terrorism, terrorist finance and money laundering and violent extremism, a statement issued by the Embassy of India said. — PTI
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Sacked Indian envoy refuses to return
Wellington, April 21 New Delhi has named a successor and said he would arrive in Wellington to take up the post next week. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said yesterday that Dogra’s diplomatic visa had been revoked and he could be deported if he refused to go quietly. Dogra was first recalled on March 1 after allegations of mishandling visas for the local Indian community.
— DPA |
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Adopt ceremonial role,
US to Nepal King
Washington, April 21 "It is time for the King to return political power to the parties so they can appoint a Prime Minister and take over governance. It is time for the King to adopt a more ceremonial role and let the political process go forward," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Richard Boucher told reporters. We are in touch with other governments on Nepal, particularly the Government of India , and we are making all efforts to try to ensure a peaceful restoration of democracy," he said yesterday. He said the US was prepared to help political parties in many ways, including training and organisation, to make sure they can govern effectively. Mr Boucher also urged the Maoists "to adopt a real ceasefire, to end their violence and participate solely in the political process." He said the US viewed the role of Nepalese security forces very seriously as it had resulted in several deaths during the Royal Government's crackdown on pro-democracy agitation. "We are also very concerned in the last few days that the security forces have used what we have to call excessive force and this has resulted in quite a few deaths.” |
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Pak confirms fourth bird flu outbreak
Islamabad, April 21 The outbreak of avian influenza at a farm in Tarlai, a village on the outskirts of Islamabad, is the fourth in the country. The culling by the food, agriculture and livestock ministry was carried out at five suspected sites Friday. The bird flu was confirmed by test results, said an official. “The farm was infected with H5N1 virus. We have taken all protective measures,” spokesman Mohammad Afzal told reporters. Authorities took samples from over two dozen farms at Tarlai and from another five that were suspected to contain the virus.
— IANS |
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No Iran curbs without proof, says Russia
Moscow , April 21 ''We will only be able to talk about sanctions after we have concrete facts confirming that Iran is not exclusively involved in peaceful nuclear activities,'' Tass quoted spokesman Mikhail Kamynin as saying. The US and some other major powers believe Iran may be building a nuclear bomb. But they say evidence that Iran is not complying with the UN nuclear watchdog is enough on its own to justify sanctions.
— Reuters |
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Windsor, April 21 With a decade to go before she rivals Queen Victoria’s 64 years on the throne, the sprightly working grandmother shows no signs of slowing down and seems to have genes on her side — her mother died at 101. Crowned nearly 53 years ago, Europe’s longest-serving monarch rules out abdication, and opinion polls show republicans face a losing battle calling for the abolition of the monarchy while she is alive. In an ITV News survey, she was rated the most popular royal. Bottom of the pack came Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. — Reuters
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Was Shakespeare Virgin Queen’s lovechild?
He further argues that the first child, secretly sired in 1548, was raised as Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford - who is one of the main claimants to the name of Shakespeare for those who do not believe a lad from rural Warwickshire capable of literary genius. "I have rewritten Elizabethan history," Streitz claimed from America yesterday, prior to visiting Britain next week to lecture. "The Virgin Queen was a myth created by the Tudor propaganda machine that was copied uncritically by the vast majority of historians in the following centuries." Streitz, an author of plays and musicals, became a passionate supporter of the Oxford theory about Shakespeare's true identity when he was researching a play. His book, which is already published in America, began as an attempt "not to argue the case , but rather to write a story of the development of the artist Oxford", he said. — The Independent
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Women to be inducted in Pak army
Islamabad, April 21 "Induction process of females in signals, electrical and mechanical engineering, inter services public relations, computer and legal branch of the army would be completed by June 1," defence spokesman Shaukat Sultan told reporters here. Pakistan Air Force has already commissioned four women pilots. Sultan said a special six-month course was being devised for the women cadets.
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