Parveen Shakir be Remembered

KARACHI, Pakistan news update: 24th November, is the birthday of legendary Urdu poet, Parveen Shakir. She started writing at an early age, initially under the pen name of Beena, and published her first volume of poetry, Khushbu, to great acclaim, in 1976 and won Pakistan’s Adamjee Award.

She received two undergraduate degrees in English literature and linguistics.

She was Urdu poet, teacher and a civil servant of the Government of Pakistan. Shakir was born on 24th November, 1952 in Karachi.

She was a teacher for 9 years before joining the Pakistan Civil Service, where she served in the Customs department.

In 1986, she was appointed second secretary, CBR in Islamabad.

In 1990, she taught at Trinity College, Connecticut, USA, and then did her masters in public administration at Harvard University in 1991.

She married Naseer Ali, a doctor by profession, whom she later divorced. Parveen was killed in a car-truck collision in Islamabad on December 26, 1994, when she was only 42. With the premature end of her poetic career, Urdu poetry suffered an irreparable loss. She is survived by her son, Syed Murad Ali.

Her poetry was a breath of fresh air in Urdu poetry. She used the first-person feminine pronoun, which is rarely used in Urdu poetry even by female poets. The feminine perspective of love and the associated social problems were her theme. Critics compare her poetry to that of Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad.

Her first book, Khushboo, won the Adamjee Award. Later she was awarded the Pride of Performance.

She subsequently published Sad-barg (Marsh Marigold), Khud kalami (Conversing with the Self), Inkaar (Refusal), Maah-e-Tamam (Full Moon) and Kaf-e-Aa’ina (The Edge of the Mirror), all to great acclaim.

SBP to Announce New Policy Monitor Today

KARACHI,Pakistan News update: State Bank of Pakistan Governor Saleem Raza has said that new monitory policy will be announced on Tuesday.

According to details, he said foreign exchange reservoirs had reached to the stage of five months from three weeks.

State Bank Governor maintained that national economy was improving, adding that exports and credit demand were increasing.

He told that foreign exchange reservoirs are enough to fulfill the needs for five months.

26th Death Anniversary Today Waheed Murad

Karachi, Pakistan News Update: Waheed Murad’s 26th death anniversary is being observed today. He was also known as a chocolate hero. A star such as Waheed Murad is born once in a century. He was a natural actor and ruled the film industry.

He is among the few celebrities in the sub-continent, who remains famous even after death.

He was a well educated person and the best romantic hero. He was the second actor after Dilip Kumar whose hairstyle was copied by several young boys. Waheed Murad’s fans have kept growing in numbers since his death.

Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi Dead Body In Karachi

KARACHI,Pakistan News: The dead body of Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi has arrived here at Karachi airport from London, reported on Sunday while he will be laid to rest in his native city Noshero Feroz.

According to sources, his son Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi was also along his corpse while a large number of NPP activists received in grief his body along with his relatives and sons here at airport.

His funeral prayer has been scheduled to be said in New Jatoi at 1400 hours meanwhile, provincial local body government minister Agha Siraj Durrani and other key political personalities were also present on the occasion, sources said.

Courts will Decide NRO cases: Fehmida Mirza

KARACHI,Pakistan: Speaker National Assembly. Dr. Fehmida Mirza has expressed the optimism that the country will successfully meet all the challenges it is confronting including NRO.

She said the house is not authorized to take action in faovour or against NRO according to constitution but however, courts can deal with this issue and will decide NRO cases in the long run.

She was talking to media persons at the Karachi Gymkhana here on Friday evening. The Speaker referred to the sacrifices being rendered by Army and the law enforcement agencies as well as the civilians in the war on terror and added that we all should contribute towards successfully meeting this challenge as we cannot afford to lose war on terror.

Replying to a question, she said that the National Assembly has passed a bill pertaining to domestic violence against women and then it was on the Senate level.

For this a mediation committee is being formed in accordance with the rules, she added.

The other bill pertains to the harassment of the women at workplaces which has partly been passed by the National Assembly with consensus and the remaining part would hopefully be passed in the next session.

Replying to a question, Fehmida Mirza said that the President had addressed the parliament in March this year on the occasion of new parliamentary year, he asked the Speaker of the National Assembly to take initiative regarding the 17th amendment and by taking all the parliamentary party leaders into confidence to form a committee.

She said that in a resolution the parliament authorised to this effect in April to form a committee consisting of members of National Assembly and of the Senate.

A resolution in this connection was also passed by the Senate by the end of April.

Speaker said that after this she consulted all the parliamentary party leaders and in June she announced the committee consisting of 27 members with representation of the provinces.

She said that the leader of the opposition in the Senate and the National Assembly were also included in the committee.

Fehmida Mirza said that the committee elected its chairman unanimously and he was Senator Mian Raza Rabbani. The committee framed its rules and invited public opinion.

Now this committee is conducting its proceeding in camera and totally independently and that we should wait as to what result the committee gives.

Replying to another question, the Speaker made it clear that the parliament is working fully and in an active manner and that it has full powers.

To a question, she said that the Balochistan Package would be announced soon as work on this is going ahead at a fast pace.

Under19 World Cup 2010 to Be Launched in Dunedin

KARACHI,Pakistan: The ICC Under19 Cricket World Cup 2010 will be launched in Dunedin (New Zealand) on November 23, 2009, ICC said in statement issued on Thursday.
The function will take place at University Oval, Dunedin The event is being held in advance of the first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan, which begins on November 24.

The ceremony will be attended by ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat, New Zealand Cricket President Denis Currie, and Under19 CWC tournament director Tim Murdoch. Black Cap batsman Ross Taylor, himself a former Kiwis Under19 Captain has been invited to attend the launching ceremony.

This 16-team tournament, which is seen as an important breeding ground for the next generation of senior international cricketers, will take place in New Zealand from January 15 to 30 January next.

Defending Champion India will open its campaign against qualifier Afghanistan at Bert Sutcliffe Oval, near Christchurch on the opening day of the competition with Pakistan facing the West Indies in Palmerston North and 2008 beaten finalist South Africa taking on Ireland in Queenstown.

The teams are split into four groups with Groups A and C being based in and around Christchurch, Group B teams playing their matches in Queenstown and Group D games taking place in Napier and Palmerston North.

In addition to the 10 Full Members, there are six Associate and Affiliate teams taking part, having won through their respective regional qualifying tournaments as well as the global qualifier, which was held in Canada in September.

Progress in the National Conference of Award: Tarin

KARACHI,Pakistan: Federal Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin on Thursday expressed satisfaction on the progress achieved so far in the meeting held in connection with reaching a consensus between provinces and federation on the distribution of NFC Award.

Briefing the media after the meeting, Shaukat Tarin said the stakeholders are close to reaching a consensus on the formula for vertical distribution of resources.

He said all the provinces have expressed agreement on helping NWFP.

“Consensus has been reached on vertical distribution of resources and now talks will be held on provinces’ shares,” the Finance Minister told the reporters. However, he said, some technical details are yet to be finalized with regard to the formula for vertical distribution.

He said input of all the provinces were taken on the distribution of the divisible pool.

The next session of NFC Award will be held in Lahore on 9th and 10th December.

Meeting of the National Conference Announced Probable Formula for Allocating Resources Today

KARACHI,Pakistan: A two-day meeting of NFC will continue today here in a local hotel. Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin will preside the meeting which likely evolve the vertical formula for resource sharing among the center and provinces.

The sources said formula has already driven in yesterday’s meeting but formal announcement will be made today. According to new formula, provinces share will likely increase from 45 to 55 percent whereas reduction in center’s share is expected from 55 percent to 45. The provinces demanded increment from 60 to 80 percent.

All four chief ministers along with their respective finance ministers are attending the meeting besides private members from the provinces including Mirza Abdul Ghafoor from Punjab, Qaisar Bangali from Sindh, Haji Adeel from NWFP and Dr Gulfraz from Balochistan.

Provinces 60 Percent Demand for Participation in the Group of Divisible

KARACHI ,Pakistan: With the federal government willing to direct the flow of national resources towards the federating units, the provinces on Wednesday demanded at least 60 percent share in the divisible pool under vertical distribution of the National Finance Commission Award.

This was stated by Federal Finance Minister and Chairman of NFC, Shaukat Tarin, while briefing media persons about the Commission’s two-day meeting on the long-awaited NFC Award here at a hotel. The 25-member meeting was attended by nine representatives of the federal government and four representatives, including finance ministers, each from four provinces of the country.

While Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah attended the meeting in the capacity of provincial finance minister, his counterparts from Balochistan, Punjab and NWFP would reportedly join the conference on Thursday, when the Commission would take up what Dr Qaiser Bengali, Sindh representative in NFC called a “tentative decision” on vertical distribution of resources among the centre and peripheries under the Award.

In his address, urging the need to strike a balance, Tarin said that the federal government was ready to transfer resources to the provinces so that the latter could undertake maximum projects for development of their people. According to him, the meeting discussed vertical distribution of resources under the Award, agreeing that resources of the country should flow towards the provinces and, under a reconciliatory spirit, all federating units should get their due share.

He said that the stakeholders weighed various technical options that, Dr Bengali said, included the financial impact of the proposed weightage on budgets of the centre and provinces. While Tarin marked Thursday as a day of concrete decision, Bengali told Business Recorder, on sidelines of the briefing, that the Commission was not likely to go beyond taking a “tentative decision” on the vertical distribution.

Even on Thursday, “the decision would be tentative, and not final, as we are yet to decide about horizontal distribution, and if any of the provinces faces loss on that front, we would come back to the vertical side to adjust the loss,” he said. The economist said that in Wednesday’s meeting 3-4 options were discussed and in all the options Islamabad appeared willing to transfer resources to the provinces under its commitment on provincial autonomy.

He said that NFC would continue to meet in different cities of the country, with Lahore being the next venue, to reach an agreed formula. Also on sidelines, Punjab Finance Minister Tanveer Ashraf Kaira told Business Recorder that the provinces had developed consensus on and demanded of the federal government at least 60 percent share in the divisible pool.

Bearish KSE End Down at 9205

KARACHI, Pakistan: Pakistani stocks ended more than 1 percent lower on Tuesday as investors booked profits at higher levels after the market gained 2.62 percent the previous day on hopes for a cut in the key policy rate, dealers said.
Monetary policy for December and January will be announced on Nov. 24, a central bank spokesman said.

The Karachi Stock Exchange’s .KSE benchmark 100-share index ended 1.07 percent, or 99.33 points, lower at 9,204.98 on turnover of 160 million shares.

“Share prices fell today mainly due to profit-taking,” said Furqan Punjani, an analyst at Topline Securities Ltd.

Volume was still on the low side but the negative impact of militant attacks was easing as the attacks were occurring almost on a daily basis, dealers said.

The army began an offensive against Pakistani Taliban fighters in South Waziristan on the Afghan border a month ago and militants have stepped up retaliatory attacks in response, killing hundreds of people.

The KSE-100 index has gained 60 percent this year after losing 57.9 percent last year.

In the currency market, the rupee ended flat at 83.40/50 to the dollar, unchanged from Monday’s closing.

The rupee has been supported by remittances from Pakistanis working overseas but dealers expect importers will weaken the currency.

According to the latest official data, remittances from Pakistanis working overseas rose 32 percent to $3.1 billion in the first four months of the 2009/10 (July-June) fiscal year.

The rupee has weakened 5.97 percent this year after losing 22.12

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