Pakistan 10th most unsafe country for journalists

October 6th, 2009 NEW YORK - A former Pakistan minister has criticized the Gilani Government for agreeing to the terms and conditions attached with the Kerry-Lugar Bill, saying the United States is trying to 'defang' the country and destroy the armed forces. "People think this government has sold us to the Americans again for their own selfish interests," The New York Times quoted Jahangir Tareen, as saying.

September 30th, 2009 NEW YORK - Two Indian American journalists are among the four winners of the prestigious 2009 Knowledge@Wharton Awards for Business Journalism, sponsored by the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), the Wharton School and the Knowledge@Wharton online business journal. The Indian origin winners are Sonia Narang, a journalist with NBC News in New York, and Sanjay Bhatt, an enterprise reporter for The Seattle Times.

September 27th, 2009 NEW YORK - In what may be seen as a clear defiance on Pakistan's part on taking stern action against Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that Islamabad would not accept any foreign country's interference over prosecuting the LeT founder leader. Malik said Pakistan would not entertain the diktat of any foreign country, as the investigations regarding Saeed's role in the 26/11 carnage were on and action would only be taken against him if there was sufficient evidence to prove India's stance.

September 25th, 2009 NEW YORK - President Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan wants peaceful relations with India, and urged resolution of the Kashmir issue, as it is the key to peace in the region. He said the only way forward with India is the dialogue, saying Pakistan hails the resumption of dialogue with India and Pakistan wants friendly relations with its neighbour.

July 22nd, 2009 NEW YORK - While the United States is planning a massive surge in Afghanistan, what may be seen as a final assault against Al-Qaeda, theTaliban and other extremist groups, Pakistan is not supportive of any such US move. Pakistan intelligence officials say Islamabad is apprehensive about the expanding US offensive, as it feels that it could create further problems in already troubled Balochistan.

July 13th, 2009 NEW YORK - With the magazine and newspaper industry floundering in the US, the future of journalism and the need to embrace new media tools were critical issues at the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) Convention here. SAJA is a non-profit organisation that serves as a networking forum for journalists of South Asian origin in the US.

July 11th, 2009 NEW YORK - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is hopeful that two American journalists detained by North Korea on charges of illegally entering the country will be granted amnesty. Clinton on Friday said "everyone is very sorry" about an incident that resulted in North Korea detaining two US journalists.

June 9th, 2009 NEW YORK - The verdict by a North Korean court to jail two American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, could further sour the already estranged relationship between Washington and Pyongyang, an editorial in the New York Times said. North Korea's bankrupt justice system may have further aggravated problems for the country by awarding 12 years of hard labor to Lee and Ling.

May 8th, 2009 Pena homers in 10th, Rays beat Yankees 4-3NEW YORK — Carlos Pena homered leading off the 10th inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays survived a sudden downpour and Mark Teixeira's late, tying double to beat the New York Yankees 4-3 on Wednesday night. Pena was hitless in his first three at-bats before driving a 1-0 pitch from Phil Coke (1-2) just over the right-field wall for his major league-leading 12th home run, sending the Yankees to their fourth straight loss.

May 1st, 2009 NEW YORK - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that China, Cuba and Eritrea are responsible for half of the 125 journalists imprisoned in 2008, some of whom have been under detention for years. 'I urge all governments that have detained journalists to ensure that their rights are fully respected, including the right to appeal and defend themselves against charges,' Ban said on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day held each May 1 around the world, citing the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

April 3rd, 2009 NEW YORK - The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, has expressed concern that Pakistan may implode with nuclear weapons in near future, and also "use" them. "My biggest concern is that if Pakistan gets to a point where it implodes, you've got a country that could be an Islamist, theocratic country with nuclear weapons which could both use them and proliferate them.

April 1st, 2009 NEW YORK - US President Obama's strategy review for Afghanistan and Pakistan, unveiled last week, finally focuses the government's attention and resources where they are most needed, says an editorial in the New York Times. According to Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, after years, the president has recognized that the key to US national security is defeating Al Qaeda, and that to do so we must address both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

March 21st, 2009 LAHORE - The 2011 cricket World Cup is scheduled to be held in the four sub-continent countries India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh but with several teams expressing their worry over the security scenario in Pakistan it is now been speculated that Pakistan might not get to host any matches of the event, in such eventuality the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would lose around 12 million dollars. Talking to media persons here, a PCB official said: "Pakistan has been given 16 matches including one semi-final.

March 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - While Pakistan continues to boil over the political bedlam, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Michael Mullen has rebuked the notion that the Pak Army is set to take over the country. Mullen said he actually stopped Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani from interfering in the prevailing political stalemate in the country.

March 14th, 2009 NEW YORK - The Pak-American Society is gathering in New York on Saturday to stage a protest against the ban on Geo News transmission in Pakistan. "This is a dictatorial act perpetrated by a so called civilian government," The News quoted Pak-American Society President Sham-us-Zaman, as saying.