India’s concerns over Saeed’s acquittal ‘misplaced’: Pak

September 25th, 2009 NEW YORK - External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Friday said that India's "principled" stand on CTBT is not likely to change unless a number of other "developments" take place to address its concerns. During a high level conference on disarmament addressed by UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon, India and eight other countries were asked to ratify the agreement so that it comes into force.

September 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafeez Mohammad Saeed's lawyer, A K Dogar, has filed a petition in a court seeking Saeed's release from house arrest. Saeed, the alleged Mumbai terror attacks mastermind and chief of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) was placed under house arrest four days ago.

July 7th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Government and the Punjab province Government on Tuesday re-filed the petitions against the release of Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, after removing the objections. The federal and Punjab governments after removing these objections have re-filed the petitions.

July 6th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has indicated that it was attaching immense importance in its meeting with India on the sidelines of Non-Aligned Movement summit in the resort of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and is looking to make an all out effort to address New Delhi's concerns. Foreign secretaries' of the two countries are to hold talks on the sidelines of the July 14-15 summit.

July 5th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Following the Punjab government's decision to challenge the Lahore High Court's (LHC) verdict of releasing the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafeez Muhammad Saeed and Colonel (retired) Nazir Ahmad, both of whom are accused of masterminding the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, now the federal government has also decided to file a separate petition against the verdict. The Pakistan government is likely to file the petition on Monday, July 6.

June 17th, 2009 WELLINGTON - The infamous cashed-up Asian-origin couple, who escaped from New Zealand, continue to prove elusive for Kiwi police. Kiwi police say "cultural differences" are challenging their efforts to find failed petrol station owner Leo Gao and his girlfriend.

June 17th, 2009 DUBLIN - Ireland, a torchbearer of nuclear non-proliferation, rolled out the red carpet for Indias missile man APJ Abdul Kalam - a move that officials on both sides said signalled a recognition of Indias rise on the world stage. Former president Kalams just-ended visit to the Irish capital of Dublin June 11-12 was marked by the Irish government according him the honours of a state visit - the Irish President and Prime Minister received him in their offices and Foreign Minister Micheal Martin hosted a dinner for him.

June 13th, 2009 LAHORE - The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, who himself has apparently been involved in a number terrorist attacks, has condemned Friday's suicide attacks on a mosque in Lahore in which Pakistan's top religious scholar, Dr Sarfraz Naeemi Al-Azhari was killed. In an apparent bid to gain public sympathy and represent himself as a humanitarian leader, Saeed denounced the terrorist attack, terming it as an 'inhumane' and 'un-Islamic' act.

June 4th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan's former Human Rights Minister Ansar Burney has termed the house arrest and subsequent release of the Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed as a 'drama'. Burney said Saeed was never arrested, as he was living in his own house and was free to meet whosoever he wanted.

June 4th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has said the arrest or release of an individual should not affect ties with India. Kaira was referring to the release of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed.

June 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The acquittal of Jamaat-ud-Daawa (JuD) chief Hafeez Saeed is seen as a 'very major setback' to the efforts being initiated to thaw the relationship between India and Pakistan. Experts believe that the heightened friction between the two neighboring countries was declining, as New Delhi had shown some moves to deescalate the tension.

June 3rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI - Pakistan says India's views on the release of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed are misplaced as it is best not to comment on a court decision. Reacting to a statement issued by the Indian ministry of external affairs, Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said the views expressed therein are misplaced.

June 3rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has said that the Lahore High Court's verdict to release Jaamat-ud Daawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has disturbed the United States. "His release has disturbed us all," The News quoted Holbrooke, as saying.

May 16th, 2009 TOKYO - A Japanese housewife, Kazumi Izaki is set to be the world's oldest champion, if she's allowed to fight at the age of 46. According to The Independent, Izaki rises at 5:45 a.m., makes her daughter's packed lunch, shops, cooks and cleans.

January 10th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has extended by two months the house arrest of Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, the founder chief of banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is blamed by India for the Mumbai terror attacks. Saeed was detained in December after the United Nations declared Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a frontal organisation of the LeT, as a terrorist group.