RADIO PAKISTAN
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01-08-1998
07/0800 HOURS OF 1-8-1998
PM- MALE: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had a meeting with President of Maldives Mamoun Abdul Gayyum in Male Friday. They discussed Colombo SAARC summit and the situation in the region.
Earlier, the Prime Minister was given a warm welcome when he arrived in Male from Colombo on a two-day official visit to Maldives. He was received among others by the President of Maldives, Mamoun Abdul Gayyum.
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and President Mamoun will jointly inaugurate the new Maldevian Parliament building Saturday which has been constructed by Pakistan as a gift to the people of Maldives.
Built at a cost of over 116 million rupees in 3 years, the new Parliament building spread over an area of 4885 square metres with seating capacity for 124 members.
SENATE: The Prime Minister will address the special session of the Senate summoned to meet on Thursday.
The one day session is being held to celebrate the silver jubilee of the Senate which completes its 25 years on that day.
NISAR: A committee has been constituted to provide relief to the people for the timely delivery of gas bills, speedy redressal of complaints and for provision of new connections.
This has been stated by the Federal Minister for Petroleum Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan while chairing a meeting of Sui Northern Gas Pipeline in Lahore Friday to access its performance regarding the assigned targets.
He said that special incentives would be given to those consumers who would deposit an annual average of their gas bills at a stretch.
The Minister was told that over one billion rupees has been recovered from the big defaulters of Sui gas.
YAQUB: Federal Minister for Railways Sardar Yaqub Nasir has said the Railways Department is being privatized in the best interest of the country.
He was speaking at the opening of close circuit TV system at Quetta railway station. He assured that there would be no retrenchment of staff in the department.
Annual losses of 6 billion rupees to the department had been reduced to half and the remaining losses would be overcome during the next year to make the Railways a profit earning department.
The Railways Minister said the running time between Quetta and Rawalpindi would be reduced from 32 to 26 hours.
AHSAN: Coordinator 2010 Programme Mr. Ahsan Iqabal will launch a network of 5000 champions of reform which is aimed at helping the country out of the current economic and social stagnation.
Mr. Ahsan Iqbal told newsmen in Islamabad Friday that dedicated and hard core leaders are needed who will act champions of reforms in their respective areas to counter challenges the nation is facing. He said the champions of reforms would be selected in 21 categories including agriculture, education, energy and environment.
He told that Prime Minister has already set up an effective framework for monitoring and implementation of programme 2010.
KASHMIR: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their continued reign of repression brutally tortured forty people in Thanamandi area of Rajouri district.
According to reports the occupation forces destroyed a number of houses and harassed women folk in the area. The troops attacked a caravan of shepherds in Kishtwar area killing three of them. Dozens of cattle were also killed.
In Ganderbal area, students staged a forceful demonstration against the occupation of their school building by the Indian troops. In Doda, demonstrations were held against victimisation of Muslim population by military backed village defence committees.
In Srinagar, journalists at an emergent meeting strongly denounced harassment of newsmen by occupation forces. The Journalists declared they would not yield to any official pressure and continue their professional duties honestly.
BENAZIR: The leader of Opposition Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has strongly condemned the repeated violations of the Line of Control by Indian troops and firing on the innocent civilians for the last several days.
In a statement, she said the indiscriminate and unprovoked Indian firing on civilians in different border areas of Azad Kashmir was most barbaric and despicable. She said continued violation of Line of Control had threatened peace in the region.
QAZI: Amir Jamat-e-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmad has accused Indian leadership of showing irresponsible attitude during talks in Colombo between Pakistan and India on Kashmir.
Addressing participants of the Ulema Academy in Lahore he said the talks were bound to fail because of the intransigent attitude of the BJP government in India.
Qazi Hussain Ahmad said India could not stop freedom struggle in occupied Kashmir and the Kashmiris will eventually be able to throw off the yoke of Indian rule.
21/2200 HOURS OF 31-7-1998
TALKS: A Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman has said that no progress could be achieved despite two rounds of talks between Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India in Colombo.
In a statement in Colombo Friday he said, the talks aimed at easing tension had failed to break a stalemate. India's position was rigid and inflexible and it continues to security and the Kashmir dispute.
In keeping with the requirements of the security situation resulting from nuclearisation of South Asia these issues must be specifically dealt with on a priority basis. India, he said neither wants the issues to be given priority nor it wants establishment of any working group on these items.
The spokesman said Pakistan is desirous to hold urgent meaningful and result-oriented dialogue with India. It will remain ready to enter into such negotiations whenever India is willing to do so.
PRIME MINISTER: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has expressed his dissatisfaction over the talks.
In an interview with a Sri Lankan newspaper,' The Island', he said nothing had been achieved in the two rounds of talks he held with the Indian Prime Minister on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit. He said Indians reluctant to discuss the Kashmir issue and there is no point in having talks without discussing Kashmir which is the root cause of all the conflicts between the two countries.
The prime Minister emphasised that talks should not be held for the sake of talks but they should also succeed.
The Prime Minister said outcome of his visit to Colombo was a success particularly because he had been able to make his proposals on peace and security for South Asia in his address to the summit.
GOHAR: Talking to AFP in Colombo, the Foreign Minister Mr. Gohar Ayub Khan also said that the talks were deadlocked and nothing had been achieved. He said if the Indian Prime Minister could not agree on discussing the Kashmir issue, the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries were unlikely to achieve anything.
PM DEPARTURE: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has gone to Maldives from Colombo on a 2-day official visit at the end of the SAARC summit.
He will hold wide ranging talks with he Maldives President Mr. Mamoun Abdul Ghayyum on regional, bilateral and international issues of common concern.
The Prime Minister is also due to inaugurate a citizens' Majlis (Parliament) building which is a gift from the people of Pakistan to the people of Maldives.
POWER POLICY: A new power policy has been announced to ensure cheap electricity generation through indigenous resources, competitive bidding and minimum tariffs.
Announcing the policy at a news conference in Islamabad Friday morning the Minister for Water and Power Raja Nadir Pervaiz said that it lays emphasis on utilization of indigenous fuel, like coal, hydel resources and gas where available. He said coal reserves of two billion tonnes are available in the country while wide scope exists for hydel projects.
He stated that the basis for selection of private power projects will be minimum levellized tariff through international competitive biddings.
INDIA FIRING: The death toll from yesterday's unprovoked firing of Indian troops into Azad Kashmir has risen to 28 with over 100 injured.
Reports reaching Rawalpindi however say Pakistani troops are giving a measured response to the indiscriminate and unprovoked Indian firing, targetting their bunkers and gun positions.
At least 20 Indian soldiers have been reported killed, scores of others seriously injured, a field and medium artillery battry and a number of vehicles and bunkers destroyed.
The reports further say the Indian army began pounding the civilian areas along the Line of Control in Azad Kashmir in small hours of Friday and used medium and field artillery, mortars , guided missiles and automatic weapons as a result of which heavy losses in terms of both life and property were incurred.
The worst hit areas included Athmaqam, shahkot, Dhudnial, Nauseri, Chakhoti, Pandu, Chirikot, Satwal, Battal, Nikial and Tata Pani. The Indian fired over ten thousand rounds of artillery and mortars during the past few days. Those who embraced shahadat also included women and children
Reports confirm injuries to about a dozen Pakistani troops, five of whom were stated to be in serious condition.
Diplomatic observers in Islamabad say India resorted to unprovoked firing along the line of control to undermine chances of success of Pak-India talks in Colombo.
KASHMIR: In occupied Kashmir, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference has called for international mediation to resolve the Kashmir issue.
The call was voiced by the APHC Chairman Syed Ali Gilani its former Chairman, Mir Waiz Umer Farooq at Juma congregations at Hyderpura and Jamia mosque in Srinagar and Maulvi Abbass Ansari while addressing a gathering at Pulwama.
They also stressed their demand that true Kashmiri representatives should be associated with Kashmir talks which was a must for achieving positive results.
They appealed to UN and the big powers to play active role in settling the issue which they thought could not be substantively addressed at India-Pakistan bilateral talks.
The APHC leaders denounced India for the terror unleashed by its troops in Doda, Poonch and Rajouri districts.
Meanwhile, 9 Indian troops were killed and 6 injured in clashes in Rajouri and Budhal area. Two vehicles were destroyed and a number of troops killed and injured when the freedom fighters attacked a military convoy at Gandwa, in Doda district. The freedom fighters clashed with troops at Yalgam, in Kupwara area killing a major and two troops of Rashtria Rifles. The major was identified as S.N. Patwala.
PAF COMPENSATION: The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Pervaiz Mehdi Qureshi has announced a prompt compensation of two lakh rupees to legal heirs of each deceased person in Thursday's air crash incident at Orangi in Karachi.
The Air Officer Commanding has visited hospitals and assured the wounded of the best possible medical help at PAF expenses.
MUSHAHID KASHMIR: Information Minister Mushahid Hussain Sayed has condemned the Indian occupation forces blatant aggression in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and reaffirmed Pakistan's full support and solidarity with Kashmiris in the hour of need.
He held out this assurance at a meeting with the Acting Prime Minister of AJK Sahibzada Ishaq Zafar.
Sahibzada Ishaq Zafar apprised the Minister of the serious situation across the Line of Control arising out of the unprovoked and indiscriminate firing by the Indian occupation army on unarmed civilian.
The Information Minister also assured that the Government would provide all kinds of humanitarian and other assistance to the people of AJK who have been victims of the firing.
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