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Musharraf's party to boycott election
Usman Ghani, an Independent candidate for the provincial assembly, addresses supporters during a rally in the Arabian Sea in Karachi on Friday. AFP Musharraf's All-Pakistan Muslim League (APML) has announced the boycott of May 11 elections.

Usman Ghani, an Independent candidate for the provincial assembly, addresses supporters during a rally in the Arabian Sea in Karachi on Friday. AFP

Israel bombs Hezbollah-bound missile shipment
Washington, May 4
Israel has carried out an air strike targeting a shipment of missiles in Syria bound for Hezbollah guerrillas in neighbouring Lebanon, an Israeli official said on Saturday. Israel had long made clear it is prepared to resort to force to prevent advanced Syrian weapons, including President Bashar al-Assad's reputed chemical arsenal, reaching his Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah allies or Islamist insurgents taking part in a more than two-year-old uprising against his government.

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EARLIER STORIES

	Bilawal leaves Pak, not to return before poll day May 4, 2013
	Musharraf held for Bugti murder May 3, 2013
	Kayani: Army to extend full cooperation to poll May 2, 2013
	Musharraf banned for life May 1, 2013
	PPP promoted graft, nepotism: Sharif April 30, 2013
	Pak faces prospect of hung House April 29, 2013
	Army officers protest ‘humiliating’ treatment to Pervez Musharraf April 28, 2013
	Boycott poll, Taliban tell voters April 27, 2013
	Imran Khan targets PPP, PML-N; Shahbaz hits back April 26, 2013
	Under threat, Bilawal not to lead campaign April 25, 2013

	Musharraf's party to boycott election Afzal Khan in Islamabad Musharraf's All-Pakistan Muslim League (APML) has announced the boycott of May 11 elections. Musharraf himself has been disqualified from contesting on four seats in the country — Karachi, Islamabad, Chitral and Kasur — on charge of abrogating the Constitution twice, sacking and detaining dozens of judges of superior courts and implication in the assassinations of Benazir Bhutto and Akbar Bugti. Last week, on a review petition against the disqualification, the Peshawar High Court banned Musharraf for life from taking part in elections. The APML, formed by the General in 2011, has been a non-starter and had fielded only a handful of virtually unknown candidates. APML spokesman Muhammad Amjad announced their party's boycott of the polls at a news conference here. "The rejection of Musharraf’s nomination papers has resulted in this decision by the party," he said yesterday. "Musharraf will face all cases against him and will not run away from any charges," Amjad said. All 170 candidates fielded by the APML had withdrawn from the poll. Musharraf has been humiliated since he returned to Pakistan from self-exile in March to contest elections. He is now being held in his farmhouse. APML officials stated that free and fair polls were not possible under the current Election Commission. (With PTI inputs) Remand extended An anti-terrorism court has extended the judicial remand of Pervez Musharraf for two weeks in the judges’ detention case. The ATC ordered him to appear in court on May 18. — TNS
	Israel bombs Hezbollah-bound missile shipment Washington, May 4 Israel has carried out an air strike targeting a shipment of missiles in Syria bound for Hezbollah guerrillas in neighbouring Lebanon, an Israeli official said on Saturday. Israel had long made clear it is prepared to resort to force to prevent advanced Syrian weapons, including President Bashar al-Assad's reputed chemical arsenal, reaching his Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah allies or Islamist insurgents taking part in a more than two-year-old uprising against his government. Hezbollah, allied with Israel's arch-enemy Iran, waged an inconclusive war with the Jewish state in 2006 and remains a potent threat in Israeli eyes. Israelis also worry that if Assad is toppled, Islamist rebels could turn his guns on them after four decades of relative calm in the Golan Heights border area. The target of Friday's raid was not a Syrian chemical weapons facility, a regional security source earlier said. A US official, who also declined to be identified, had told Reuters on Friday that the target was apparently a building. The Israeli official who acknowledged the raid and described its target spoke on condition of anonymity. Israel's government has not formally taken responsibility for the action or confirmed it happened. — Reuters
	Legally working Indians in S Arabia to be regularised Dubai, May 4 Indian workers who have travelled to Saudi Arabia legally will be allowed to regularise their visa status, get new jobs or to return home if they register voluntarily with the Saudi authorities during the three months grace period announced by the kingdom, according to officials. This was among the issues discussed at the Joint Group meeting held this week at the Saudi Ministry of Labour. The group will continue their discussions next week, said a statement issued from the Indian embassy in Riyadh. The Joint Group was set up during the discussions between Saudi Labour Minister Adel Fakeih and Indian delegation led by Overseas Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi in Jeddah on April 28. The group is mandated to discuss all issues pertaining to the welfare of the Indian community in Saudi Arabia including immediate issues pertaining to implementation of Nitaqat programme and overstaying Indian workers. The 'Nitaqat' law makes it mandatory for local firms to hire one Saudi national for every 10 migrant workers. There has been widespread perception that the new policy will lead to denial of job opportunities for a large number of Indians. — PTI
	Blasts outside 2 party offices Afzal Khan in Islamabad Bomb blasts separately targeting election offices of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) and Jamaat-i-Islami in Peshawar and Hangu in the Khyber - Pakhtunkhawa province injured several activists of both parties on Saturday morning. This is the first time the militants have attacked these two parties. The Taliban till now had only targeted the three secular parties — PPP, ANP and MQM — in their plan to disrupt the elections. “A timed device planted outside the office of the PTI in Peshawar exploded, but did not cause any loss of life,” a police official said. The blast occurred hours before PTI chairman Imran Khan was due to address a rally in Peshawar from where he is also contesting a National Assembly seat. In another attack, a blast occurred near the convoy of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) candidate from NA-39 in Hangu district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. JI candidate Raj Mohammad survived the incident without any injuries. No party is safe This is the first time the militants have attacked the PTI and JI The Taliban till now had only targeted the three secular parties — PPP, ANP and MQM — in their plan to disrupt the upcoming poll
	The ringside view Khoso promises smooth transfer of power Islamabad: Dismissing speculations of any extension to the present interim administration, caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has said elections would be held as scheduled. “I assure you that independent, fair and impartial polls will be held on May 11. We will hand over power to the elected representatives without any delay. The interim government will never accept any extension,” Khoso said in his maiden nationwide TV address. — TNS JUI, PTI chiefs doubt each other’s faith Islamabad: Labelling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan as an agent of Jewish and Qadiani lobbies, Jamait Ulema Islam (JUI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has declared that that it would be heresy to vote for Khan. Talking to reporters in his home constituency Dera Ismail Khan, Fazl cited an edict issued by group of religious leaders against Imran for his “un-Islamic” activities. Imran Khan hit back at the Maulana during a hurricane series of election rallies in various constituencies of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa (KP) province saying the Maulana has been levelling malicious accusations against him which have no basis. He said the Maulana was equally responsible for bleeding the Pakhtuns in KP by being a partner in the Zardari government. “He is selling the sacred name of Islam for political purposes but his game is over now,” Khan said. — TNS

BRIEFLY

water drop: A fire-fighting helicopter makes a water drop in California. Hundreds of firefighters continue to battle the wildfire that has affected 18,000 acres. AFP
A fire-fighting helicopter makes a water drop in California. Hundreds of firefighters continue to battle the wildfire that has affected 18,000 acres. AFP

New York
Indian awarded for making novel water purifier
An Indian student studying in the US has been awarded for co-founding a company that creates cheap sensors for purifying water of harmful bacteria. Nisarg Patel won the changing entrepreneurship and outstanding teaching awards for co-founding HyrdoGene Biotechnologies. The group reprogrammes bacteria to produce a protein bio-sensor that then purifies water from the bacteria. — PTI

Tripoli
Clashes erupt in Tripoli
Clashes erupted in the Libyan capital between crowds demonstrating against militias in the city and supporters of a law to exclude Gaddafi-era officials from top government jobs. Several hundred people gathered in Tripoli’s central Algeria Square on Friday to protest against militias that have been laying siege to the Justice and Foreign ministries to call for the sacking of officials from the ousted regime of Muammar Gaddafi. — AFP

Singapore
Sikhs in Malaysia angry at tonsuring act
Sikhs in Malaysia are angry at Jagdeep Singh, a Sikh member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), for shaving his head ahead of the country’s May 5 general elections. Leaders of the multi-racial DAP had tonsured their heads at a temple to protest what they called money politics. Gurdwara Sahib Kangar president Pritpal Singh has said that Jagdeep Singh had insulted his religion. — IAN