Pak to discontinue special concessions for US officials at Islamabad airport

October 14th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has restricted the hitherto unfettered movement of US and UN officials at the international airport here, citing misuse of the facility that was granted in the wake of the 9/11 terror attack. "All US officials and diplomats will now have to go through normal airport checks at the Islamabad airport as the government has decided to withdraw the extraordinary concession offered to them after 9/11 by former president Pervez Musharraf," The News said Wednesday.

October 10th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Responding to media reports in which questions were raised over the frequent arrival and take-off of heavy US cargo aircraft at Benazir International Airport (BIAI), the US Embassy has said that such operations were not secret. US Embassy spokesperson, Richard Snelsire disclosed that the Star Lifters of the US Air Force were being used to transport some military equipment from the US.

October 9th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Residents of Islamabad are concerned by the frequent arrival and take-off of heavy US cargo aircrafts. The huge star lifters, used by the US Air Force and Army to transport troops and heavy loads, have been flying in and out of the Benazir International Airport (BIAI) on a regular basis over the past few days.

August 19th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) delegation met with US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke on Tuesday and conveyed the party's concerns over the expansion in the US embassy in Islamabad and the drone attacks, besides raising the issue of Dr Aafia Siddiqui's detention. According to The News, the delegation comprising JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch and Naib Ameer Dr Muhammad Kamal met the US special envoy at the US Embassy.

August 13th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Even after registration of a case against former President General Pervez Musharraf, the Islamabad Police would not be able to quiz the former general or 'others' mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR), as it requires a special order from the government. According to senior police officials, Musharraf and his close aides could not be arrested due to certain constitutional and legal implications.

August 1st, 2009 ABU DHABI - A baby crocodile was seized from an Egypt Air flight after its cabin crew alerted the airport officials when the plane landed here, WAM news agency reported Saturday. The flight was from Cairo to the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) capital.

July 10th, 2009 MOSCOW - Several flights have been delayed at New York's Kennedy Airport when some 80 turtles blocked one of the runways, a media report said. Officials believe the turtles were probably looking for their mating partners amid the spawning season, the New York Post reported.

July 8th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Security officials have arrested three officials of the Pakistan Interior Ministry on charges of issuing illegal arms licenses. According to The Dawn, all the three officials have been charged of issuing weapon licenses to at least 161 persons despite a ban on the sale of arms and ammunition.

June 24th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Batman, Moron, Brest, Old Crow, Mafia, and Asbestos Hill are some of the names that have been included in a list of the world's funniest, rudest and weirdest airport names. Australian airports Useless Loop, Broken Hill, Woodie Woodie, Wagga Wagga, and Wee Waa have also been enlisted.

June 18th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Peshawar's international airport that was temporarily shut Wednesday amid a rise in Taliban attacks in the northwestern city, was reopened on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's orders, Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar said Thursday. "Peshawar airport has been opened for flights in pursuance of the directives of the prime minister," Mukhtar told Online news agency.

June 17th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani authorities Wednesday temporarily shutdown Peshawar's international airport amid a rise in Taliban attacks in the northern city. "Peshawar airport has been closed for the time being due to technical reasons and the flights are being diverted to Islamabad airport," said Pervez George, a spokesman of country's Civil Aviation Authority in the southern city of Karachi.

May 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Taliban has threatened Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and other top Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) leaders, saying they would face dire consequences if the military offensive is not discontinued immediately. In a letter to the PPP Information Secretary Fouzia Wahab, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) warned that the country's leadership would be targeted if the operation against them is not stopped.

March 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A powerful explosion Monday evening rattled a Special Branch police station here in what is thought to be a suicide attack, Geo TV reported. Eyewitnesses said smoke was coming out of the police station, located in the capital's Sitara Market, after the blast, which was so loud that it shattered windowpanes of the surrounding buildings.

March 12th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Interior Ministry has expressed fears of a possible attack on PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif. According to The News, the Sharif brothers have been asked to discontinue their spate of public rallies, as they could be targeted during such events.

February 8th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke arrived in Islamabad Monday. 'I am delighted to be visiting Pakistan again and welcome this opportunity to meet with a variety of Pakistani leaders on a wide range of issues,' Holbrooke said on arrival.