Efficiency unheard of in Punjab
Passes 7 Bills in 15 minutes
Chandigarh, March 9
Punjab Legislative Assembly took barely 15 minutes to conclude legislative business and passed seven Bills unanimously in the absence of the Congress party which boycotted Vidhan Sabha proceedings. No legislator had questions or objections to the Bills, which include five amendments and replacement of two ordinances. Even after Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon asked the legislators to debate the Bills, there was no response and the Bills were passed one by one unanimously without discussion.

Clear up the mess: Kayani to Zardari
A day after former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf supported the Army and the ISI for being “onboard” in the peace process with India, country's Army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani is believed to have asked President Asif Ali Zardari to clear up the mess in the country and resolve all political issues before March 16.
Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, in a whitecap, chief of Jammat-ud-Dawa, leaves under tight security after his court appearance in Lahore on Monday. Saeed was detained under house arrest last year as part of Pakistan’s investigation into the Mumbai attacks. — AP/PTI

Editorial Americans commit blunders, not mistakes By H K Dua We all have heard about good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. And doctors and nutritionists tell everybody to eat almonds and walnuts the best of which, incidentally, come from Afghanistan. Now comes a strange bit of news from Washington that President Barack Obama, who has begun experimenting with foreign policy, has discovered that there are indeed: The ‘Good Taliban’, and the ‘Bad Taliban’.

Fresh Salvo Fired
Adviser-Guv war intensifies
Chandigarh , March 9
The ongoing war between UT Administrator, Gen. S F Rodrigues, and the advisor of his administration, Pradip Mehra, intensified further today with the former firing a fresh salvo against his bête noire and ordering a vigilance inquiry for the alleged “favouritism” shown by him while exercising his quasi judicial powers for reviewing cases relating to resumption of properties.

Ragging claims life of student
n Tanda medical college principal quits
n 2 students held
Dharamsala, March 9
Ragging by senior students reportedly led to the death of Aman Satya Kachroo, a first-year student of Tanda medical college yesterday. Aman reportedly started feeling uneasy around 8 pm yesterday after he was allegedly threatened by senior students. He had filed a written complaint against them a day before.

EC transfers Punjab Home Secretary
Chandigarh, March 9
In a severe jolt to the Punjab government, the Election Commission (EC) today ordered the transfer of the state Home Secretary as well as the DIG, Amritsar, and the SSP (Rural), Amritsar, for implementing an order on the transfer of three police stations from Amritsar (city) to Amritsar (rural) police district after the implementation of the model code of conduct.

MHA, EC discuss poll security
Revised IPL schedule sent to states
New Delhi, March 9
The Election Commission and the Home Ministry today discussed the security requirement during the coming Lok Sabha elections while the centre has sought state governments’ comments on the revised schedule of the Indian Premier League (IPL).