Efforts being made to separate NWA from Pakistan, says Imran

ISLAMABAD: Referring to the military action against terrorists, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan told journalists Tuesday that it appeared that efforts were being made to separate North Waziristan from Pakistan. He said the internally-displaced persons were fleeing more to Afghanistan than to other parts of Pakistan.

“Why we want to push North Waziristan out of Pakistan? Foreign actors are also involved in this dangerous game.”Appealing to Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, he said: “For God sake think about Pakistan”. He claimed that women and children were dying in the ongoing operation and the East Pakistan-like thinking was developing among people.

The PTI chief asked where was the leadership of Pakistan and said the prime minister was busy undertaking foreign visits. He said the prime minister had undertaken record 14 foreign tours whereas foreign investment was the lowest ever during this period.

He again said Pakistan must come out of others’ war and insisted that war was no solution to Pakistan’s problems. He advocated resumption of talks with the Taliban. Imran pointed out that there had been significant decrease in terror acts after the start of peace process with the Taliban. He noted there had been a change in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following talks with the Taliban.

Criticizing the government policies, he said the sense of deprivation among smaller provinces was increasing.Imran claimed to have received scores of messages that locals in Waziristan thought as if the agency was being separated. He recalled how he had witnessed a sense of deprivation among the people of East Pakistan when he was on tour as part of under-19 cricket team, where it was felt they were being treated as a colony of Pakistan. Imran said the same feeling was seething in Balochistan.

The PTI chief said it seemed as if only the Punjab was Pakistan for mega projects, as projects like metro bus were being launched there instead of funds allocation for hydel power projects.Imran claimed that circular rail project was for Karachi being Pakistan’s biggest city, but it was abandoned and now metro train project was to be started in Lahore, costing double amount.

“An impression is being given to the people of smaller provinces that Punjab was the only Pakistan,” he asserted.He repeated his demand for thumb verification of voters in four constituencies and claimed worst ever rigging was carried out during the last year’s general election. Imran noted that a party which could not hold public meetings in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore had bagged so many votes after the polls.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak said the prime minister should follow the Constitution in running Pakistan as a federation. He also complained that the Centre was ignoring his province. He said if the federation supported his province, they could produce power at the rate of Rs2-3 per unit. He reminded Nawaz Sharif that he was the prime minister of Pakistan and not of Punjab only.

Imran reiterated that they had proposed to the Centre to hand power generation and distribution over to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying they could not only cut down line losses, but also reduce power tariff. But, he continued, the federal government had declined to hand the electricity system over to them.

Khattak noted that his province that produced gas, hydel power and oil was being deprived of its rightful share of funds by the federal government. He said the federal government was yet to pay Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the agreed payment of Rs6 billion net hydel profit.

In addition, the decision on uncapping of net hydel profits, which was finalized by the technical committee of the federal government in March 2013 and duly notified, had yet to be implemented. “These arrears stand in excess of Rs138 billion owed to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government,” he said.

He said levy of excise duty on crude oil came under Article 161 of the Constitution. “This is the provincial revenue but the federal government has to notify it which they are refusing to do. As a result, the annual loss of revenue for his province is in excess of Rs15 billion,” Khattak said.

Khattak said provision of Windfall Levy under Clause 4.1 of the Petroleum Policy 2015 of which 50 per cent was to go to the province had not been levied. This had caused a loss of more than Rs25 billion per annum to the province.

Non-payment of royalty on LPG as decreed by the PHC was resulting in losses of hundreds of millions of rupees annually, he maintained.Meanwhile, the Geo News team was Tuesday afternoon barred from covering the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s news briefing at his Bani Gala residence here.

“Sorry, we have orders not to let you in,” asserted a security official when asked by a Geo journalist as to why they were not being allowed in to cover the event.The Geo team waited outside Imran’s residence along with the DSNG van but no one came out to let them enter the premises.

During the news briefing, when one of the media persons drew Imran’s attention towards the issue, he said the PTI was on boycott of Geo/Jang Group which will continue unless Jang Group owner apologised to him for their alleged campaign against him.

Meanwhile, a Jang Group spokesman said no campaign was launched against Imran Khan. If he had any proofs in this regard, he should send these to the Jang Group. He said the Jang Group people were in touch with the PTI team and they were never informed of any such alleged campaign.

The spokesman said as for as the coverage of recent days is concerned it was in self defence and consisted of replies to the allegations leveled by the PTI chief. He said these allegations have been proved wrong one by one. Imran Khan would not accept this but all will be clear in courts.The spokesman said Imran Khan can approach Pemra, Council of Complaints and courts in this regard.

Threatening calls were made at end of PPP's tenure: Mir’s wife

KARACHI: Wife of senior Geo News anchor Hamid Mir has said that the matter of threatening phone calls to her husband were made at the end of the PPP's term in government.

In a response issued through his wife to Chaudhry Nisar's statements, Hamid Mir said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had raised the matter of threatening phone calls in the National Assembly.

Mir's wife said that over PPP leader Khurshid Shah's advice the speaker of the assembly constituted a committee led by the opposition member Ahsan Iqbal. The committee's report is available in the record of the National Assembly, she added.

Earlier, talking to media, Nisar said that former Islamabad police officials denied that any complaint was lodged over an attack on Mr. Mir's wife and children.

However, Mir's wife said that the incident had taken place in Islamabad after which Geo News Islamabad's Admin Officer Younis Arain had lodged the complaint, Mir's wife said. Younis Arain lodged complaint over the attack on Hamid Mir's wife and his children.

She said Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had issued a statement in 2010 against the secret agencies harassment to Hamid Mir. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) had also issued condemnation over the issue, she added.

Mir's wife said phone numbers were sent to IG Islamabad through speaker National Assembly.

The security provided to Hamid Mir by the PPP-led government was withdrawn by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, she said.

She asked as to where the investigation has reached over the issue of bomb planted under Mir's car in Islamabad.

Power shortfall will be made up in about 2/3 years: PM

DERA MURAD JAMALI: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Friday announced that government would ensure provision of natural gas to each and every city of Balochistan within three years. He added that the government would overcome the energy crisis in three years.

The Prime Minister directed Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to personally monitor this project and ensure its completion on time.

The Prime Minister made the announcement after inaugurating the 404 megawatt Uch II Power Plant at Dera Murad Jamali that will contribute an aggregate of 990 MW gross electricity to the national grid. The Uch II Power Plant the Independent Power Plant (IPP) has been constructed by GDF SUEZ a French company presently working in 70 countries.

Addressing the gathering at the inauguration ceremony here the Prime Minister said Balochistan was neglected in the past but the democratic government would take necessary steps to mitigate the sense of deprivation of people of the province. He said his government had planned a big development programme for Balochistan and its people.

He announced installation of two separate power lines from Uch II Power Plant to Naseerabad and Sibbi Divisions of Balochistan. The Prime Minister said the power project was significant mainly for two reasons firstly it would be based on an indigenous gas by substituting expensive liquid fuel thus saving foreign exchange and secondly it has been set up in Balochistan.

He commended the contribution of GDF Suez for successful commissioning of the project which he said was a valuable addition to the national grid. He said GDF Suez had been a reliable energy partner for Pakistan for many years and was also playing its role in the socio economic development of the province. He invited the French company to undertake more investment in Pakistan's energy projects.

Nawaz Sharif said the electricity shortfall in the system had a very negative impact on the development of the country. He said new power projects were being constructed using conventional and renewable energy resources and technologies. He mentioned that the government's steps in this regard including clearing of Rs 500 billion of circular debt and initiating the work on Neelum Jhelum project and Nandi Pur project that will add 959 MW and 425 MW to the national grid respectively.

Besides development of Thar Coal Project Jhimpir project in Sindh and solar projects in Punjab are also prominent steps to overcome power shortage he said.

Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch said the project would contribute to overcoming the energy shortage and would invite further foreign investment in Balochistan. He said the project will not only help in curtailing the present power shortages but also provide cheap electricity to the consumers and save precious foreign exchange in oil imports.

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resource Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Minister of State Abid Sher Ali were also present.

Body found of boy who made first call from Korea ferry: report

SEOUL: The body of a high school student who made the first distress call from a sinking South Korean ferry was recovered from the submerged vessel on Thursday, news reports said.

The student, identified by his surname Choi, had called the emergency 119 number at 8:52am on Wednesday last week, three minutes before the crew of the 6,825 tonne Sewol sent their first distress signal.

The timing of his terrified message -- "Save us. The ship is sinking" -- has fuelled anger over the slow response of the Sewol´s captain and crew as the disaster unfolded.

The confirmed death toll stood at 162 on Thursday, with 140 still unaccounted for -- their bodies believed trapped in the ship that capsized in circumstances that have yet to be fully explained.

Yonhap news agency said divers had retrieved the boy´s body from inside the ferry on Thursday morning and it had been identified by his parents.

A DNA test was being carried out to formally confirm his identity, Yonhap said.

The boy was one of 325 students from the same high school who were on the ferry, bound for the southern resort island of Jeju, when it capsized.

During his 119 call, Choi was bombarded with questions about the ferry´s coordinates and the number of people on board.

A coastguard official later told reporters that emergency services had mistaken him for a crew member.

The captain and 11 crew members have either been arrested or taken into police custody awaiting charges.

Looters of public money to be made an example: Shahbaz

MUZAFFARGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday vowed to eliminate corruption root and branch and said those busy looting hard-earned public money will be made an example.
The chief minister said this while inaugurating a 50-bed state-of-the-art hospital at Rakh Khanpur situated in the flood-hit area of Muzaffargarh.

The Rs2 billion hospital has been constructed from the funds donated by the Turkish people. The hospital will be run by a trust. Dr Abdul Bari Khan of the Indus Hospital and the Punjab Government will sign an MoU in Lahore next week.

Shahbaz said he would abandon politics if he failed to wipe out corruption. He warned that corruption and negligence in healthcare would not be tolerated and stern action was being taken against those who had purchased rusted machinery for Lodhran Hospital.

He said the Turkish people had given sufficient donations for the construction of housing colonies, schools and hospitals for the flood-hit people of Dera Ghazi Khan. He said Turkey had become a role model for cities from Casablanca to Kuala Lumpur under the guidance of PM Tayyip Erdogan.

Shahbaz saluted the Turkish PM and said Turkey and Pakistan would walk shoulder to shoulder in every walk of life to get optimum benefit from each others’ potential.He said the Metro Bus Project assisted by Turkey had transformed Lahore into a modern and developed city. Shahbaz vowed to strengthen bilateral, trade, cultural, political and economic relations with Turkey.

“Pakistanis and the Turkish people enjoy historic brotherly relations. I am proud of this relationship,” the CM said.The chief minister took serious notice of the abduction of a newborn from the Muzaffargarh DHQ Hospital during a power shutdown.

Khawaja Salman Rafique, adviser to the CM, said the hospital was equipped with the latest healthcare facilities.Punjab Health Secretary Dr Ijaz Munir, Dean KE Medical University Prof Dr Arshad Cheema, Secretary Irfan Elahi, City Press Club President Dr Khalid Mehmood, Turkish representative Mehmoud Ahmed, Mian Ahsan of Lahore, Sohaib-bin-Amir, Minister Social Welfare Makhdoom Haroon Sultan and MPA Qaswar Kareem Langrial, Hammad Nawaz Tipu and MPA Mian Imran Qureshi were present on the occasion.

MH370 co-pilot made mid-flight phone call: repor

KUALA LUMPUR: The co-pilot of missing Malaysian airliner MH370 attempted to make a mid-flight call from his mobile phone just before the plane vanished from radar screens, a report said Saturday citing unnamed investigators.

The call ended abruptly possibly "because the aircraft was fast moving away from the (telecommunications) tower", The New Straits Times quoted a source as saying.

But the Malaysian daily also quoted another source saying that while Fariq Abdul Hamid´s "line was reattached", there was no certainty that a call was made from the Boeing 777 that vanished on March 8.The report -- titled a "desperate call for help" -- did not say who he was trying to contact.

Fariq and Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah have come under intense scrutiny after the plane mysteriously vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. Investigators last month indicated that the flight was deliberately diverted and its communication systems manually switched off as it was leaving Malaysian airspace, triggering a criminal investigation by police that has revealed little so far.

The fate of flight MH370 has been shrouded in mystery, with a number of theories put forward including a hijacking or terrorist attack and a pilot gone rogue.

There have been unconfirmed previous reports in the Malaysian media of calls by the captain before or during the flight but no details have been released.

The NST report said that Flight 370 flew low enough near Penang island on Malaysia´s west coast -- after turning off course -- for a telecommunications tower to pick up the co-pilot´s phone signal.

The phone line was "reattached" between the time the plane veered off course and blipped off the radar, the government-controlled paper quoted the second source as saying.

"A ‘reattachment’ does not necessarily mean that a call was made. It can also be the result of the phone being switched on again."

Malaysia´s transport ministry told that it was examining the NST report and will issue a response.

The Malaysian government and media have repeatedly contradicted each other and themselves over details of the search and criminal investigation.

Lot of progress made in talks with Taliban, claims Nisar

ISLAMABAD: The Minister for Interior, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, said on Thursday that a lot of progress had been made in the talks with the Taliban.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of a think tank the Centre for Policy Research and Dialogue, the minister said a meeting would be held soon to review the dialogue process with the Taliban. He said Pakistan will become peaceful because of the efforts made by the government.

Ch Nisar said the former rulers imposed a war on Pakistan for 12 years to serve the foreign interests. “This war continued for over a decade and nobody held talks to resolve the conflict,” the minister said.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government started talks and in a few months, a headway was made in the process. “Now those people who did not take any step to initiate the talks are raising objections and resorting to criticism,” he added.

Chaudhry Nisar said facts should not be distorted, as there were no acts of terrorism from 2001 to 2004 in the tribal areas. “No Pakistani or tribesman was involved in the incident of 9/11 but the rulers of the time got the war stuck in their throat,” he said, adding that millions of people in Fata were displaced from their homes in the previous years. He said Islam is not a religion of violence but it is all about peace and forgiveness and Allah dislikes chaos.

Chaudhry Nisar, talking about removing the name of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf from the Exit Control List (ECL), said the government had clarified its position on the issue. He said Musharraf shifted to his farmhouse from the AFIC without informing the government.

The minister said the people had stopped making a difference between right and wrong and truth and falsehood. He said the rulers should adopt the strictest standards of accountability as it was necessary for stopping degeneration in the society.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry Nisar had an unscheduled meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday evening and it is understood that the minister briefed the premier about the reported release of 19 detainees in the tribal areas.

Sources in the Prime Minister’s House told The News that an international wire service wrongly involved the Prime Minister’s Office in the release of such detainees. The detainees who were released are non-combatants and the impression that the prime minister asked for their release or it was part of any deal with the Taliban was false.

No authorisation has been given by the prime minister in this regard. The Prime Minister’s House officially clarified that the release of some prisoners involved in petty crimes by the local political administration had been wrongly termed as release of the Taliban prisoners.

Over 50,000 illegal appointments made in Sindh LG Department

KARACHI: About 50,000 illegal appointments had been made in the Sindh Local Government (LG) Department during the last five years, ‘The News’ has learnt here on authority, writes Imdad Soomro.

Earlier, Sindh Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon, who also holds charge of the LG Department, had mentioned 20,000 illegal appointments in the department but a recent report of a departmental inquiry committee suggested that the figure of 20,000 was only for one year, 2012.

The committee disclosed a fraud of appointing nearly 14,000 persons illegally in the LG department in 2013.The department sources told ‘The News’ that the figure of these illegal appointees from 2009 to 2013 is above 50,000 and a team of honest and impartial officers should be appointed to investigate the whole matter.

The illegal appointees caused a heavy burden on the exchequer and the department is now unable to pay salaries to its staff.Following the reports of illegal appointments in the Sindh LG department, the Sindh government appointed Nazeer Dhoon, the then additional secretary and now member of the Chief Minister Inspection Team (CMIT), as inquiry officer.

Dhoon inquired into the matter and submitted a report to the Local Government Secretary Javed Hanif, disclosing the scam.According to the report of Dhoon, a copy available with ‘The News’, illegal appointments were made on the directions of powerful PPP ministers with collaboration of department’s officers. The process started from 2009 and it reached its peak in 2012.

The report further said that the illegal appointments were made in the LG and its subordinate departments — former city governments, district governments and taluka governments. It was also disclosed that hundreds of persons were inducted as employees through fake transfer orders and the concerned officers, without verifying their employments, issued salaries to the illegal appointees.

Thousands of illegal employments were also created in former city government and its subordinate departments like KMC, Water Board, City Warden, Fire Brigade, but, despite the orders of the Sindh government, the record of these appointments was not produced before the inquiry team.

The report declared the department’s former secretary Ali Ahmed Lund as responsible for the matter. It is to be mentioned here that Lund, an officer of federal government, was posted irregularly as LG secretary in previous tenure of the Sindh government. His posting was declared as illegal by the Supreme Court in July 2013 and he was ordered among some other officers to join back their parent departments but despite the apex court orders Lund did not join his parent department and was appointed on an important position as secretary co-operative, Sindh.

Some of the illegal appointments were made on political basis while others were made after getting bribe by the officers of the department.According to the report, Hyderabad Municipal Corporation officer Fakhar Shaikh appointed more than 1,000 persons illegally on contract basis and then confirmed them without provision and the permission of the competent authority; Larkana District Council officer Abdul Qadir Shaikh appointed over 800 persons, Taluka Municipal Administration (TMA) official Asghar Bhand appointed 443 persons, Manjhad TMA’s Aurangzaib Sammo appointed 160, Khairpur Nathan Shah TMA’s Rafiq Shaikh and Abdul Wahid appointed 300 plus, Nawabshah Municipal’s Najaf Rind 200, TMA Jati’s Munawar Mallah 155, Tando TMA’s Ghulam Ali Akbar Bhurt appointed 1,000 plus, Dadu District Council’s Parvez Chandio 400, Salih Pat Town Committee’s Aijaz Palh and Liaqat Kalhoro 300 plus, Dahrki Town Committee’s Hazar Khan Mahar and Abdul Rehman Soomro appointed more than 500, and Khan Garh Town Committee’s Banho Khan Mahar appointed 600 plus.

The report also accused the officers Tariq Hussain Bhugio, Abdul Rasheed Malak, Irshad Hulio, Abdul Qadir Shaikh, Gul Muhammd Khokhar, Ismail Nandwani, Nisar Magsi, Zafar Phulpoto, Nasurullah Sarki of illegal appointments.

It suggested for further and comprehensive investigation through the Anti-Corruption Department, and verification of record of all the employees through Nadra.The Dhoon report said that the investigation regarding illegal appointments in the Sindh LG department was conducted only for one year – 2012 - and insisted for a comprehensive probe i.e. from June 2009 till date.

The report pointed out Liaquat Kalhoro, Aijaz Palh, Rasheed Malak and others, who were appointed illegally in the LG department and then merged their services in other Sindh government departments.

LG Secretary Javed Hanif, confirming about the inquiry report, told ‘The News’ that the matter will be placed before the chief minister for proper action. Replying to a question, Hanif said he was unable to tell actual number of illegal appointees because the matter required more inquiry and scrutiny.

Pakistan be made part of Nuclear Suppliers Group, says Nawaz

 

THE HAGUE: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Monday said Pakistan had the expertise, manpower and infrastructure to produce civil nuclear energy and called for the country’s inclusion in all international export control regimes, especially the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Speaking at the third Nuclear Security Summit here, he said Pakistan had been running a safe and secure civil nuclear programme for more than 40 years and attached the highest importance to nuclear security because it was directly linked to its national security.

“Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state and pursues a policy of nuclear restraint, as well as credible minimum deterrence,” the prime minister said.Leaders from 53 countries, the United Nations, the European Union, International Atomic Energy Agency and Interpol are attending the summit.

“Our region needs peace and stability for economic development that benefits its people. That is why, I strongly advocate nuclear restraint, balance in conventional forces and ways to resolve conflicts,” the prime minister said.

He said Pakistan’s nuclear security was supported by five pillars — a strong command and control system led by the National Command Authority (NCA), an integrated intelligence system, a rigorous regulatory regime, a comprehensive export control regime and active international cooperation.

The prime minister said Pakistan’s security regime covered physical protection, material control and accounting, border controls and radiological emergencies.He said Pakistan’s nuclear materials, facilities and assets were safe and secure and the country’s nuclear security regime was anchored in the principle of multi-layered defence for the entire spectrum — insider, outsider or cyber threat.

The prime minister said Pakistan had established a Centre of Excellence that conducted intense specialised courses in nuclear security, physical protection and personnel reliability. He said Pakistan was ready to share its best practices and training facilities with other interested states in the region and beyond.

He also paid tributes to President Barack Obama for launching the nuclear security summit process four years ago.“As prime minister, I feel that energy deficit is one of the most serious crises facing Pakistan. As we revive our economy, we look forward to international cooperation and assistance for nuclear energy under the IAEA safeguards,” he added.

He said international treaties and forums should supplement national actions to fortify the nuclear security.He said Pakistan was a partyto the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) and worked closely with the IAEA to deal with safety and security of radioactive sources and illicit trafficking of nuclear materials.

The prime minister said Pakistan regularly submitted reports to the UN Security Council’s 1540 Committee on the measures the country took to exercise control over transfer of sensitive materials and technologies.

“Looking back, we can say with confidence that our decisions and commitments have spurred national action, promoted international cooperation and fostered nuclear security culture,” the prime minister said, adding that Pakistan has constructively contributed to this process.

The prime minister said all leaders gathered here wanted nuclear security, which was a national responsibility and a global priority.He said all the countries should continue to take measures to secure all nuclear facilities and materials and prevent any perceived nuclear terrorist threat.

“We all need radioactive sources for hospitals, industry and research but should be vigilant about radiological threats,” he added.Premier Nawaz also met the US President Barrack Obama, Chinese President XI Jinping and Turkish President Abdullah Gul on the sidelines of the two-day summit and discussed with them matters of bilateral relations and mutual interest.

He is accompanied by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.Meanwhile, talking to media persons after meeting with the US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the summit, Nawaz Sharif said he had informed John Kerry of Pakistan’s desire to use a third party to resolve the Kashmir dispute with India.

“The Kashmir issue should be resolved. India is unwilling to use a third party to resolve the issue. The US needs to play a role in normalising relations in the region.” The prime minister said the purpose of his visit to Afghanistan was to create a ‘positive atmosphere’ between the two countries.

“Some people are trying to derail this process,” Nawaz said. The premier said he had expressed Pakistan’s praise for the US policy of stopping drone attacks in the tribal areas. “The policy of restraint adopted by the US should continue.”

Kerry told Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that the United States will continue to work with Pakistan for the elimination of terrorism. He also assured the prime minister of cooperation to meet its energy needs.

Speaking to the media following their meeting, John Kerry said the two countries were “deeply engaged.” “We have great confidence in Pakistan’s nuclear security,” Kerry told reporters. Prime Minister Sharif said: “There are a lot of challenges and we are meeting these challenges.” The prime minister also mentioned his positive meeting with US President Obama a few months ago in Washington, DC.

Ranbir Made Deepika Cry a Lot

Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor’s affair made headlines for quite a while and so did their high profile break-up. It's rumoured that it was Ranbir Kapoor's infidelity that drove Deepika to break the relationship but it also left her deeply scared and hurt. She was recently at the India Today Conclave and spoke openly to journalists. While answering questions about a patch up with ex-boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika said, "I have never thought about it. We have both moved on. But it has made me realise that I should not be so attached to anything or any person. I cried a lot after my break up but I had to pick myself up. Now I have become a better person and I thank him for that."

Asian Parliamentary Assembly to be made vibrant: Nayyer Bokhari

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate and President of Asian Parliamentary Assembly Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari on Wednesday reiterated the commitment to reinvigorate Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) to its fullest potential.
He said it is aimed at achieving the objectives envisaged in Islamabad Declaration, whic was adopted during the 6th Plenary in Pakistan last December.
He said that APA is an important forum and collective efforts would be made to realise the dream of establishment of Asian Parliament come true.
He expressed these views while talking to Dr. M.H Nejad Hosseinian, Secretary General APA in a meeting here.
The Chairman Senate observed that Asian region is faced with common challenges and member states share commonality of views on issues being faced by the region.
As President of APA, the Chairman Senate stated that he would play an active role to give a practical shape to the line of action delineated in the Islamabad Declaration.
It is pertinent to mention here that Chairman Senate was elected as the President of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly for two years during the 6th Plenary of APA.
The Chairman Senate also highlighted the importance of bilateral relations between Pakistan and Iran.
He observed that Pakistan desires to further strengthen ties for mutual benefit.
APA Secretary General Dr. M.H Nejad Hosseinian appreciated the remarks of the Chairman Senate and expressed the hope that under the leadership of Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari as President of APA, the forum would be able to play an active role for regional integration and prosperity of the member states.
Modalities with regard to organizing Troika Plus meeting were also discussed during the meeting.
The Secretary General APA assured all his support for operation and administration of Troika Plus meeting.