Saturday 12 December 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

TAPI Project will improve bilateral relations: PM Nawaz

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ASHGABAT (Dunya News) – Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif Sunday met with the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. Addressing an international conference in Ashgabat to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Turkmenistan‘s Permanent Neutrality, PM Nawaz stated that the bilateral relations between the two countries will improve due to the TAPI project.Nawaz stated that Pakistan supports peace and stability in the region. He further added that Pakistan believes in resolving all differences through dialogue.The PM had earlier left for a two day visit to Turkmenistan where he will be attending the inaugural ceremony of a gas pipeline connecting Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI).PM Nawaz congratulated the President Berdimuhamedov on hosting the ground breaking ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, PM Nawaz stated that TAPI project will establish peace in the region while improving trade as well. President Berdimuhamedov thanked PM Nawaz for the visit.PM Nawaz earlier arrived in Turkmenistan and was welcomed by the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan at the airport.Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov, his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani and Indian PM Narendra Modi will attend the inauguration ceremony.TAPI, as the proposed 1,735-kilometer (1,140-mile) pipeline is known, is intended to carry 33 billion cubic meters of gas annually through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar and end up in the India-Pakistan border town of Fazilka.Also Read:PM arrives in Turkmenistan to attend inauguration of TAPI gas project

Terrorist shot dead during joint action in Sheikhupura

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SHEIKHUPURA (Dunya News) – A terrorist linked to an outlawed organization was shot dead Saturday night during a joint action conducted by police and the Intelligence department in Saffdarabad area of Sheikhupura.Terrorists opened fire on the officers of the law enforcement agencies during the operation. One terrorist was killed in the retaliatory fire while 3 managed to escape.6 grenades, a Kalashnikov, explosives’ material and a suicide jacket were found from the killed terrorist.Police are on the hunt for the remaining terrorists.

MQM decides not to support Sindh govt, agrees on widening operation

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in a meeting in London Saturday decided not to support Sindh government regarding the issue of extension of Rangers’ special powers. The party has opted to remain neutral on the issue.MQM also agreed on widening the operation throughout the Sindh province for the complete eradictation of corruption and various other crimes. Decision was also reached on the question of Mayor for Karachi during the meeting and will be announced in a few days time.On the other hand, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) severely criticized the Federal government’s statement that the Sindh government was creating hurdles in immediate extension of Rangers’ power for the sake of just one person, Dr. Asim Hussain.PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has threatened a smaller province. He said that the federal minister wants anarchy in thecountry and said that the party is ready for a fight if challenged.Qamar Zaman Kaira exclusively told Dunya News that the federal government doesn’t have authority on the things happening in the provinces. He said that the federal government must give up on this ‘fascist’ thinking because the federation and the provinces have separate domains.Read Further: Interior Minister wants anarchy in country says KairaMeanwhile, Sindh Information Adviser Moula Bakhsh Chandio on Saturday told Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar not to give threatens or scare the Sindh government of consequences.Read Further: Chandio says were political, not scared of threatsOpposition Leader in National Assembly Khurshid Shah also lashed out at the Federal Interior Minister by saying they aren’t wearing bangles if the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) wants to politick again.Further Reading:Khurshid says we arent wearing banglesFederal Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar had earlier stated that Karachi operation is being detracked. He said that PPP should not make Karachi operation controversial over one person. Nisar warned that if allegations against Rangers were not stopped he would release the video of Dr. Asim Hussain s statement and evidence against him for all to see.Further Reading:Dont make Karachi operation controversial over 1 person, Nisar tells PPP

Netanyahu dog quarantined after biting MP, minister

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JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus dog was behind bars Saturday after biting a lawmaker and a cabinet ministers husband during an event to mark the Hanukkah Jewish holiday.Last night we lit the fifth Hanukkah candle with all the family present before we were sadly obliged to send Kaiya to quarantine as required by law, Netanyahu wrote Friday in a Facebook post reported by media Saturday.The premier said the experience brought home to him flaws incompatible with logic and compassion in Israels public health regulations, which mandate that dogs who bite, even if they have received all the necessary inoculations, be confined for 10 days.The mixed-breed dog was adopted by the Netanyahus from an animal shelter in July.Kaiya nipped lawmaker Sharren Haskel from the prime ministers Likud party as well as the husband of Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely during a festive candle-lighting ceremony on Wednesday night.Neither was badly hurt during the event at the premiers official Jerusalem residence.Netanyahu tweeted a photo of himself and his new dog in August.How much light Kaiya brought into our home he wrote of the 10-year-old. If you want a canine, find an adult dog to rescue. You wont regret it

Melting glaciers blamed for subtle slowing of Earth's rotation

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The melting of glaciers caused by the worlds rising temperatures appears to be causing a slight slowing of the Earths rotation in another illustration of the far-reaching impact of global climate change, scientists said on Friday.The driving force behind the modest but discernible changes in the Earths rotation measured by satellites and astronomical methods is a global sea level rise fueled by an influx of meltwater into the oceans from glaciers, the researchers said.Because glaciers are at high latitudes, when they melt they redistribute water from these high latitudes towards lower latitudes, and like a figure skater who moves his or her arms away from their body, this acts to slow the rotation rate of the Earth, Harvard University geophysicist Jerry Mitrovica said.The movement of ice and meltwater is also causing a slight migration of the Earths axis, or north pole, in a phenomenon known as polar wander, the researchers said.Imagine a figure skater who doesnt stick their arms straight out but rather sticks one at one angle and the other out at another angle. The figure skater will begin to wobble back and forth. This is the same thing as polar motion, Mitrovica said.The research looked at the changes in the planets rotation and axis in light of the worlds sea level rise in the 20th century as a result of increasing global temperatures.The melting of the ice sheets and the rise in sea levels moved the planets rotation axis, or north pole, at rates of less than a centimeter per year, Mitrovica said. This melting slowed the Earths rotation and increased the duration of a day by about a thousandth of a second over the 20th century, Mitrovica said.These are small effects, but are another indication of the profound impact of human-induced climate change on the planet, Mitrovica said. The observed rotation slowdown does not pose a danger to the planet, he said.If polar ice sheets melt at higher rates this century, as experts forecast them to do, the impact on Earths rotation will grow, Mitrovica said.

Prove you are a Muslim, get into Brooklyn comedy club for free

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NEW YORK (Reuters) -Donald Trump may want to block all Muslims from entering the United States, but a Brooklyn comedy club is welcoming them into its shows free of charge.The club is aiming to make a serious statement about the Republican presidential hopefuls proposed ban - and possibly to win some new customers.While Trump has yet to spell out how he intends to prove someone is Muslim, The Experiment Comedy Gallery has a simple working formula:1) Face Mecca. 2) Recite The Fatiha. 3.) Laugh out f for free, all night long, the club says on its website, referring to the opening passage of the Koran.Mo Fathelbab, general manager and a stand-up comic himself, sees the offer as the light-hearted way for a comedy club to express outrage over the proposal by Trump, the Republican front-runner in opinion polls ahead of the November 2016 U.S. presidential election.Im a Muslim-American and Im tired of the rampant Islamophobia overtaking the campaign, Fathelbab told Reuters in an email on Friday. And until Muslim Mel Brooks appears on the scene to comically knock down Trump with our version of The Producers, this is the next best thing.A representative of the Trump campaign could not be immediately reached for comment.Fathelbab said asking someone to prove that he or she is a Muslim is a very silly idea to begin. He does not expect too many people to be able to recite the surah and gain free entry into the club, located in the New York Citys hip Williamsburg neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn, one of New York Citys most diverse.The comic, who was born in Brooklyn and raised by Muslim parents who emigrated from Egypt, said he attended a Catholic school in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood and dated outside my religion and ethnicity.Trump floated his proposal days after a husband-and-wife team of suspected Islamist militants gunned down 14 people at a San Bernardino, California, holiday party, police say. The shooting has ratcheted up concerns about the U.S. governments ability to protect Americans from future jihadist attacks.Fathelbab admitted that the offer of free admission to Muslims was in part a bid for publicity, but it was mostly about sticking it to the man.Id rather confront Trump and his mentality now instead of when he becomes president, he said.

Football: Slain Honduras star Peralta laid to rest

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TEGUCIGALPA (AFP) - Honduras-born international football star Arnold Peralta was laid to rest in his hometown city of La Ceiba Saturday, as authorities continued their hunt for his killers.You will be in heaven, the late midfielders grieving mother Celina Sosa said at the service. I pray to God that he open the way, she said.Gunmen killed the 26-year old former Rangers player in a drive-by shooting Thursday in a shopping mall car park in the coastal city.Peralta, who had been playing for Olimpia, the top side in Honduras, is the latest victim of apparent gang violence in Honduras, where gang warfare has given it one of the highest murder rates in the world.Police were hunting for at least one gunman.They said shortly after the shooting that they did not believe that robbery was a motive, because none of Peraltas belongings was taken.Peralta made his name in the local leagues in the coastal city of La Ceiba and was picked for the Honduras squad for the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt in 2009. He was in the squad for the 2012He joined Scotlands Rangers football club in 2013 but returned home in January this year to sign for Olimpia, the most successful team in Honduras.

Gambia now an 'Islamic state', says president

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BANJUL (AFP) - President Yahya Jammeh has declared the Gambia an Islamic state, but stressed that the rights of the Christian minority in the small west African country would be respected and that women would not be held to a dress code.The announcement came as the president addressed supporters in the coastal town of Brufut on Thursday, and the comments were later broadcast on state television and repeated on his website.Gambias destiny is in the hands of the Almighty Allah. As from today, Gambia is an Islamic state. We will be an Islamic state that will respect the rights of the citizens, he was quoted as saying on the presidential website.In television footage of the address on GRTV, seen by AFP on Saturday, the president did not go into detail about what the change would mean for the country, but he reassured Christians and followers of other faiths they would be able to worship freely.Christians will be given their due respect. The way of celebrating Christmas will continue, he said, adding that no one had the right to interfere with others way of life.He also warned against trying to impose a dress code on women.I have not appointed anyone as an Islamic policeman. The way women dress is not your business, he said.An impoverished former British colony nestled within Senegal, and famed for its white-sand beaches, the Gambia has a population of nearly two million, 90 percent of whom are Muslim.Of the remainder, eight percent are Christian and two percent are defined as having indigenous beliefs.Jammeh, 50, a military officer and former wrestler from a rural background, has ruled the country with an iron fist since he seized power in a coup in 1994.He cultivates the image of a practising Muslim, and is often seen holding a Koran or prayer beads, and of promoting an aura of mysticism.He also regularly rails against the Gambias colonial past, blaming it for many of the countrys woes.The main opposition party on Saturday poured scorn on the presidents unexpected proclamation of an Islamic republic, saying it had no legal basis.President Yahya Jammehs pronouncement or declaration is unconstitutional, it has no constitutional basis and... it is an unlawful declaration, Ousainou Darboe, the secretary general of the main opposition United Democratic Party, told AFP.It is becoming ridiculous that whenever he wants to divert pubic attention from what is happening in the country, he attacks colonialism, Darboe said.Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch branded Jammehs regime one of the most repressive in the world, blaming paramilitaries and secret police for torture, disappearances and extrajudicial killings.In 2013, Jammeh withdrew his country from the Commonwealth, saying it represented an extension of colonialism.

Joyful ministers seal landmark Paris Agreement to stop global warming

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LE BOURGET (AFP) - Cheering envoys from 195 nations approved Saturday a historic accord in Paris to stop global warming, offering hope that humanity can avert catastrophic climate change and usher in an energy revolution.French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius ended nearly a fortnight of gruelling UN negotiations with the bang of a gavel, marking consensus among the ministers, who stood for several minutes to clap and shout their joy, with some shedding tears of relief.I see the room, I see the reaction is positive, I hear no objection. The Paris climate accord is adopted, declared Fabius, the president of the talks.Turning to a little green hammer with which he formally gave life to the arduously crafted pact, he quipped: It may be a small gavel but it can do big things.The post-2020 Paris Agreement ends decades-long rows between rich and poor nations over how to carry out what will be a multi-trillion-dollar campaign to cap global warming and cope with the impacts of a shifting climate.With 2015 forecast to be the hottest year on record, world leaders and scientists had said the accord was vital for capping rising temperatures and averting the most calamitous impacts from climate change.Without urgent action, they warned, mankind faced increasingly severe droughts, floods and storms, and rising seas that would engulf islands and coastal areas populated by hundreds of millions of people.Victory for the generationsIt is a victory for all of the planet and for future generations, US Secretary of State John Kerry told his fellow envoys in Le Bourget on the northern outskirts of Paris.The crux of the fight entails slashing or eliminating the use of coal, oil and gas for energy, which has largely powered prosperity since the Industrial Revolution began in the 1700s.The burning of those fossil fuels releases invisible greenhouse gases, which cause the planet to warm and disrupt Earths delicate climate system.Ending the vicious circle requires a switch to cleaner sources, such as solar and wind, and improving energy efficiency. Some nations are also aggressively pursuing nuclear power, which does not emit greenhouse gases.The Paris accord sets a target of limiting warming of the planet to well below 2.0 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) compared with the Industrial Revolution, while aiming for an even more ambitious goal of 1.5C.To do so, emissions of greenhouse gases will need to peak as soon as possible, followed by rapid reductions, the agreement states.The world has already warmed by almost 1C, which has caused major problems in dry developing countries, according to scientists.Some environmentalists said the Paris agreement was a turning point, predicting the 1.5C goal would help to doom the fossil-fuel industry.That single number, and the new goal of net zero emissions by the second half of this century, will cause consternation in the boardrooms of coal companies and the palaces of oil-exporting states, Greenpeace International chief Kumi Naidoo said.Solving money battlesDeveloping nations had insisted rich countries must shoulder the lions share of responsibility for tackling climate change as they emitted most of the greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution.The United States and other rich nations countered that emerging giants must also do more, arguing developing countries now account for most of current emissions and thus will be largely responsible for future warming.On the crucial financing issue, developed countries agreed to muster at least $100 billion (92 billion euros) a year from 2020 to help developing nations.However, following US objections, it was not included in the legally-binding section of the deal.Ahead of the talks, most nations submitted voluntary plans to curb greenhouse-gas emissions from 2020, a process billed as an important platform for success.But scientists say that, even if the pledges were fully honoured, Earth will still be on track for warming far above safe limits.In an effort to get countries to scale up their commitments, the agreement will have five-yearly reviews of their pledges starting from 2023.Nations most vulnerable to climate change lobbied hard for wording to limit warming to 1.5C.Big polluters, such as China, India and oil producing-giant Saudi Arabia, preferred a ceiling of 2C, which would have enabled them to burn fossil fuels for longer.Chinas chief negotiator Xie Zhenhua said the pact was not perfect.However, this does not prevent us from marching historical steps forward, he said.This indeed is a marvellous act that belongs to our generation and all of us.Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation of about 10,000 people at risk of being submerged by rising oceans, celebrated.We have saved Tuvalu, and in doing so we have saved the world, Tuvalu negotiator Ian Fry said.Nicholas Stern, a former chief economist for the World Bank who has become a prominent global advocate of climate action, also hailed the deal.This is a historic moment, not just for us and our world today, but for our children, our grandchildren and future generations, Stern said.French scientist Jean Jouzel, who contributes to the UNs Nobel-winning climate panel, was cautious.He told AFP the 1.5C goal was legitimate for climate-vulnerable countries but in reality, it was a dream, and certainly too ambitious to reach.My disappointment is about action before 2020, which would help avert future warming, Jouzel said. There is really no ambition there at all.

IS attack near hospital in Syria's Homs kills 16, wounds dozens

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DAMASCUS (AFP) - A powerful car bomb exploded near a hospital in the central Syrian city of Homs Saturday, killing 16 people and wounding dozens, the provincial governor and a monitoring group said.The Islamic State group in a statement said it was behind the attack, and said it consisted of a car bombing and a suicide bomber blowing himself up.Governor Talal Barazi said the attack near the Al-Ahli hospital, in the Al-Zahraa neighbourhood where most residents belong to the same Alawite sect as President Bashar al-Assad, killed 16 people.Another 54 were wounded, some seriously, and being treated at hospitals throughout the city.The vehicle used in the attack had been carrying at least 150 kilos (330 pounds) of explosives, Barazi added.In its statement, the exremist IS named the bomber as Abu Ahmed al-Homsi, and said he parked the car and detonated it before then activating his explosives belt.IS said the toll from the attack was more than 25 dead, with 70 wounded.Firefighters, security forces and dozens of other men packed into the residential street where the blast occurred, searching for victims and seeking to rescue the injured.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said 16 people were killed and dozens wounded, adding that some were in critical condition.The attack comes just three days after hundreds of rebel fighters and civilians were evacuated from the city following a deal with the regime.The deal, overseen by the United Nations, will see Homs last rebel-held neighbourhood, Waer, turned over to government forces in exchange for humanitarian aid for besieged residents.Body parts on groundThe explosion was terrifying. Body parts were on the ground... It was one of the biggest explosions to hit Homs, a 28-year-old woman working in a neighbourhood coffee shop told AFP.The blast left a huge crater, and people were running in every direction in fear of more explosions, she added.Syrias government condemned the attack, calling it a cowardly terrorist explosion.These terrorist explosions will not discourage the Syrian people from national reconciliation and fighting terrorism, said Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi in comments carried by state news agency SANA.Once known as the capital of Syrias revolution, Homs will be under the full control of the regime by the end of January.The Britain-based Observatory and local activist groups said a UN convoy carrying humanitarian aid had been due to enter Waer on Saturday, but there was no confirmation from UN representatives in Damascus.More than 250,000 people have been killed in Syrias conflict since it erupted in March 2011 with anti-government protests.Elsewhere on Saturday, 10 people, including a child, were killed in air strikes on the rebel-held town of Atareb in the northern Aleppo province, the Observatory said.It was unclear whether the strikes were conducted by government warplanes or Russias air force, which has been carrying out an air war in Syria since September.The monitor relies on a network of sources on the ground to collect its information, and identifies aircraft based on their flight patterns and munitions used.

Sindh CM's statement confession of a state witness: Sirajul Haq

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) – Jamaat Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq has on Saturday said that Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Qaim Ali Shah’s statement is like a confessional statement of a state witness. He said that by saying out loud what he thinks, Sindh CM has proven himself as a representative of the status quo, reported Dunya News.In a statement issued from Lahore, JI chief said that corruption will only be curbed when the big fish will be trapped. “The palaces of the corrupt are visible even to the blind but National Accountability Bureau (NAB) turns a blind eye on them”, said Siraj.Sirajul Haq said that a few ‘Mughal’ princes and opportunists are eating the fruit of the sacrifices made by the sincere workers while the opportunists are using their official ranks for eating up the country.“Without the electoral reforms, elections will remain a source of keeping the status quo in place and Pakistan’s politics will continue to revolve around the same old parties instead of principles.

Nusra chief rejects outcome of Riyadh meet on Syria: report

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Al-Qaedas Syria affiliate on Saturday rejected the outcome of a Saudi-hosted conference of Syrian opposition figures which agreed to negotiate with the Damascus regime, branding it a plot.It is a plot, not a conference. Such... gatherings must be foiled, Al-Nusra Front chief Abu Mohamed al-Jolani said in an interview with Orient News, a Dubai-based Syrian opposition television channel monitored in Beirut.Syrias main political and armed opposition groups agreed at unprecedented talks on Thursday to negotiate with President Bashar al-Assads regime, but also insisted that he step down at the start of any political transition.The participants are ready to negotiate with representatives of the Syrian regime... within a specific timeframe that would be agreed on with the United Nations, participants said in a statement.Jolani accused rebel fighters who attended the two-day conference in Saudi Arabia of treason and a betrayal of the youths who have sacrificed their blood in Syrias nearly five-year war.Among the groups attending the start of the Saudi talks on Wednesday was Ahrar al-Sham, one of Syrias main rebel groups which is allied with Al-Nusra Front.But on Thursday Ahrar al-Sham announced it had withdrawn from the gathering, saying this was because of the fundamental role... given to personalities linked to the regime.But sources inside the talks and Western diplomats said Ahrar al-Sham subsequently signed on to the opposition agreement, although this could not immediately be confirmed.In Saturdays television interview, the Al-Nusra Front chief said that rebels who attended the Saudi talks faced pressure and that this was unjustified.He also said that even if they agreed to the statement issued in the Saudi capital they do not have the power to implement it on the ground.The Saudi meeting came after top diplomats from 17 countries, including backers and opponents of Assads regime, agreed last month in Vienna on a roadmap for the Syrian conflict.This would see a transitional government set up within six months and elections within 18 months, and calls for negotiations between the opposition and the regime by January 1.More than 250,000 people have been killed and millions forced from their homes since the Syrian conflict erupted in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

RememberingAPS: 1 year since attack on country's future

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(Web Desk) –December 16 will mark 1 year since the most heinous and one of the deadliest attacks on the country’s future when over 150 – mostly children – were martyred while in school.People have been taking to the social media to pay rich tributes to the fallen angels as 1-year anniversary of the Peshawar horror nears.Pictures are worth a thousand words and following are a few to express the grief and mourning the nation has gone through following the terror. ‘They thought they could bury us but little did they know that we were seeds’.

Interior Minister wants anarchy in country: Qamar Zaman Kaira

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) – Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira has on Saturday said that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has threatened a smaller province. He said that the federal minister wants anarchy in the country and said that the party is ready for a fight if challenged, reported Dunya News.Reacting to Chaudhry Nisar’s press conference, Qamar Zaman Kaira exclusively told Dunya News that the federal government doesn’t have authority on the things happening in the provinces. He said that the federal government must give up on this ‘fascist’ thinking because the federation and the provinces have separate domains.“Provincial government has to decide about the powers of Rangers”, said Kaira. He added that PPP has suffered politically due to the operation but remained steadfast with the institutions. He said that PPP is not against the operation in Karachi.“What does the minister mean by repeating ‘one person, one person’? If Interior Minister will threaten us, everyone has proofs”, said Kaira. He challenged Nisar to confront Sindh government if he wants anarchy in the country.“The same thinking had dismembered Pakistan in the past”, said Kaira. He said that the operation against corruption is not being carried out by Rangers but National Accountability Bureau (NAB). “When NAB arrested people, we didn’t protest because it is their duty and we have been demanding indiscriminate accountability”, he said. “Where was Interior Minister during the Swat operation? We were standing firm with the institutions then”, he said.
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