Pak backtracks from its ‘foreign hand’ in Karachi violence stance

September 3rd, 2009 KARACHI - An Emirates flight carrying Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna made an emergency landing at the Jinnah International Airport here Thursday night, a media report said.

August 6th, 2009 KARACHI - A United Nations (UN) commission probing the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto intends to meet former President Pervez Musharraf as part of investigations into the case, the Foreign Office (FO) has said. FO spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters that he was unaware if the UN team had already approached Musharraf.

August 1st, 2009 Building collapse in Pakistan's Karachi kills 16KARACHI, Pakistan — A five-story building collapsed in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, killing at least 16 people, mostly women and children, authorities said Saturday. Local Mayor Mohammad Dilawar, who was supervising the rescue work, said the building caved in late Friday in the congested downtown Lea Market neighborhood.

August 1st, 2009 Building collapse in Pakistan's Karachi kills 21KARACHI, Pakistan — A five-story building collapsed in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, killing at least 21 people, mostly women and children, authorities said Saturday. Local Mayor Mohammad Dilawar, who was supervising the rescue work, said the building caved in late Friday in the congested downtown Lea Market neighborhood.

June 16th, 2009 PRAGUE - Iran summoned a senior Czech diplomat Tuesday over the European Union's (EU) critical statements about the disputed Iranian presidential election, the Czech foreign ministry said. "I can confirm that our charge d'affaires Josef Havlas was today (Tuesday) summoned to the foreign ministry in Teheran," ministry spokesman Jiri Benes told DPA.

May 7th, 2009 KARACHI - With the military action against the Taliban getting intense in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), fears of the extremists shifting their base to the southern part of the country and taking Karachi under their grip have also gained momentum. The growing ethnic Pashtun population on the outskirts of Karachi has raised fears among residents that the Taliban is slowly expanding its reach in the region.

May 2nd, 2009 KARACHI - Bristling at suggestions of its involvement in the ethnic violence in this southern port city that claimed at least 34 lives earlier this week, the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), a partner in Sindh's ruling coalition, has demanded the removal of two key police officers for 'misleading' the prime minister on the clashes. Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club Friday on the phone from London, Mohammad Anwar of the MQM coordination committee accused Sindh Inspector General of Police Salahuddin Babar Khattak and Karachi police chief Waseem Ahmed, of 'patronising the land and drug mafias' that were responsible for the violence.

May 1st, 2009 KARACHI - Terming this southern port city a 'mini Pakistan', Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Friday called for curbing illegal arms supplies in the metropolis in the wake of ethnic clashes that have left at least 34 people dead. Addressing a press conference after chairing a high-level meeting on the situation in Karachi, Gilani asked Sindh Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza to immediately take steps to curb the illegal arms' supplies.

May 1st, 2009 KARACHI - A foreign hand could not ruled out in the ethnic violence that has rocked this southern port city, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Friday as the death toll in the clashes rose to 34. 'It can't be ruled out,' Gilani told reporters in Multan while replying to a question on the possible involvement of a foreign hand in the Karachi clashes between workers of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and the city's Pashtun minority community.

May 1st, 2009 MULTAN - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the involvement of a foreign hand in the recent spate of violence in Karachi could not be ruled out. Addressing media persons here, Gilani said the government is committed to take stern action against anybody who challenges the writ of the country and is involved in violation of the law.

April 30th, 2009 LAHORE - The Pakistan Government has issued shoot-on-sight orders for 'miscreants' in Karachi to counter the deteriorating law and order situation in the city. State Minister for Ports and Shipping Nabeel Gabol said certain elements were trying to create trouble in the region by fanning ethnic tension.

April 30th, 2009 KARACHI - Five more persons were reportedly killed in the continuous spate of violence on Thursday here, taking the death toll to 24 besides 30 others injured. According to the reports filtering-in, the violence which erupted on Wednesday took a more violent turn today as several hotels, restaurants and vehicles were torched in different parts of the city.

April 29th, 2009 Officials: Shootouts leave 20 dead in PakistanKARACHI, Pakistan — Officials say shootouts in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi have killed at least 20 people. Provincial minister Faisal Sabzwari says the violence is aimed at fanning ethnic unrest in the city.

March 23rd, 2009 KARACHI - Noted Pakistan lawyer Omer Soomro has asked the district administration to re-erect the statue of Harchandrai Vishindas at the Municipal Building here. Soomroo, in his letter to the Karachi city Nazim Mustafa Kamal said that the statue of Vishindas must be relocated to its rightful and original place.

January 13th, 2009 KARACHI - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Wednesday revised the itinerary of its home series against Sri Lanka, squeezing three One-day Internationals within four days on the request of the tourists. A PCB spokesman said that the Sri Lankans will stay in Pakistan for less than a week and will now play back-to-back One-dayers in Karachi on Jan 20 and 21 before featuring in the last game of the series on Jan 24 in Lahore.