Holbrooke urges EU aid for Pakistan

BRUSSELS: US envoy Richard Holbrooke urged the EU Monday to boost aid to Pakistan to help beat the Afghan insurgency, as President Barack Obama seeks a way to end more than seven years of fighting.Holbrooke was in Brussels to brief NATO and European Union officials on a new US strategy for Afghanistan.It puts Pakistan at the heart of efforts to beat the Taliban, who are backed by Al-Qaeda fighters, drug runners and criminal gangs."He asked the co .... Full Story

Zardari warns US on cross-border raids from Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has said on Monday that the controversial issues must peacefully be resolved in Parliament instead of streets. In an interview with a British television, Zardari said US and NATO troops have been waging anti-terror war in Afghanistan for last seven years but they have failed to accomplish the desired goals so far.President questioned Obama-led US administration what major success they had ... Full Story

LONDON: President Asif Ali Zardari called on Britain

LONDON: President Asif Ali Zardari called on Britain and the United States on Monday to do more to help his government fight terrorism and insisted he would not allow militancy to take over in Pakistan.
Zardari said his Pakistan Peoples Party had brought democracy to the country after eight years under the military rule of General Pervez Musharraf, and the international community should now play its part.
Asked in an interview on Sky News television to outline his key message to Britain and the United States, Zardari said: ‘The message is: You've got democracy, democracy is part of the solution – but ... the second part of the solution is with you, so please give us the help that we need.’
Zardari gave no details in the broadcast interview of what kind of help he wanted, but Sky News quoted him on its website as saying: ‘We haven't received a dollar. Until then we don't have the tools to fight.’
Western allies fear that recent political instability in Pakistan is allowing militant groups like al Qaeda and the Taliban to take hold in vulnerable areas of the nuclear-armed Muslim nation, but Zardari rejected such fears.
‘The Taliban are not going to be in control of any part of my country,’ he said, adding that reports of Sharia law being handed down in some areas of the country were ‘media hype.’
Zardari said the international community had to recognise and accept its role in the rise of Islamic militancy and international terrorism.
‘The world has to accept that we are all collectively responsible for creating this monster,’ he said. ‘I think the world has not been told about this, they have not been talking about it, they have been in denial.’
He rejected suggestions that his government was seeking to duck its responsibilities, saying: ‘It is my fight, it is our fight, it is Pakistan's war, we will fight it. But, if you help us we can do it sooner

England beat NZ to lift Women World Cup

SYDNEY: England women won the Women World Cup for the third time by defeating New Zealand in Sydney on Sunday. Winning the toss, New Zealand batted first but could not face English bowlers and collapsed at 166 runs.England's Nicky Shaw bowled excellently to take a career-best four for 34 while for New Zealand, Lucy Doolan top scored with 48.Wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor also played an important role in England’s victory as she not only dismissed four players from behind the stumps but added 74 runs with Caroline Atkins.Though three wickets by Doolan brought back the Kiwis into the game but England eventually made it home by four wickets in the 47th over.Pakistan women could get the sixth position in the tournament.

Team against Australia should be announced after April

LAHORE: Chief selector of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Abdul Qadir has said that the announcement of the national team for the series against Australia should be made after April 1.The former leg-spinner said while talking with Geo News that he would suggest to chairman PCB Ijaz Butt tomorrow that the national team should be announced after April 1 so that a few new players may be considered for selection.Abdul Qadir said that this is his desire to form the strongest team for the important series against Australia. Thus, it would be better to wait for the completion of the one-day tournament in the country.

Parliament’s joint session likely on April 6

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari is likely to address the joint sitting of the parliament to be called on April 6. Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Izhar Amrohi told Geo News that new parliamentary year would begin with the address of Parliament in accordance with constitution. A summary has been forwarded to President to summon the joint session of the parliament, he said.He said that the final date in this connection would be given by President himself.

Pakistan share DNA profiles of four Mumbai suspects with Interpol

PARIS: Pakistan has shared the DNA profiles of four suspects linked to last year's attacks in Mumbai with Interpol, the policy agency said on Sunday in what it called a benchmark move.Interpol, which has 187 member countries, said the information would allow it to help Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to determine "the full international dimension" of the attacks."Pakistan's decision to send its DNA terrorist-related profiles to Interpol so that all member countries can compare their DNA profiles against them sets a benchmark for Interpol in terrorist-related investigations," Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said in a statement.Interpol said in December that India had not shared information with it about the attacks, which killed 179 people.