World Bank increases Pakistan flood support to $1 bn
Washington, Sep 2 (DPA) The World Bank said Wednesday it was raising its support for flood relief in Pakistan to $1 billion, from $900 million.

The announcement came after a meeting in Washington between World Bank president Robert Zoellick and Pakistani Finance Minister Hafeez Shaikh.

"As the surging Indus river devastates Pakistan, the country needs the world's support to meet urgent humanitarian needs: Food, clean water, sanitation facilities, medical and nutritional supplies, and vaccines," said Zoellick. ... Read More

Pakistani Taliban added to US terror list
By Arun Kumar

Washington, Sep 2 (IANS) The United States has designated the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban, linked to the botched Times Square bombing attempt by a Pakistani American, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday also designated two senior TTP leaders Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali Ur Rehman as specially designated global terrorists as the US imposed financial and travel sanctions on the Pakistan based group that trained Times Square ... Read More

Lahore wears deserted look a day after serial blasts
By Awais Saleem

Lahore, Sep 2 (IANS) A day after three back-to-back blasts by militant outfit Lashkar-i-Islami in a Shia congregation in Lahore killed at least 35 people and wounded over 200, the city in Pakistan's Punjab province wore a deserted look Thursday while traders have declared a three-day mourning.

A mass funeral of the dead would be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, officials said.

Almost all parts of the city and particularly the area near Lower ... Read More

Pakistan frees 100 more Indian fishermen
Islamabad, Sep 2 (IANS) Pakistan Thursday released another batch of 100 Indian fishermen from a prison in Karachi, two days after it freed 100 fishermen languishing in the port city's jail, authorities said.

Pakistani authorities released 100 Indian fishermen Aug 31 from a prison in Karachi. They were held for fishing illegally in Pakistani waters across the Sir Creek border, Xinhua reported.

The freed fishermen will be handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah ... Read More

Toll in Lahore bombings rises to 38
Islamabad, Sep 2 (DPA) The toll from three suicide bombings in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore rose to 38 Thursday as more victims died in hospital from their wounds, rescue workers said.

The number of injured nearly doubled from Wednesday to 300 after officials were able to tally the casualties, who had been taken to various hospitals, slowing data collection.

Three suicide bombers struck a religious procession of Shiite Muslims in Lahore within a span of ... Read More

Five of same family die in Lahore blasts
By Awais Saleem

Lahore, Sep 2 (IANS) A couple and their two minor children and nephew were among the dead in Wednesday's suicide blasts in Pakistan's Lahore city.

Painter Rehmat, in his early 30s, was part of the Shia procession with his family when three back-to-back explosions went off within half hour.

A total of 35 people were killed and over 250 injured in the horrific incident, just after sunset, near the Karbala Gamay Shah, the most ... Read More

'Keep India out of Turkmenistan gas project'
Islamabad, Sep 2 (IANS) Pakistan must not let "sworn enemy" India join the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan gas pipeline project to prevent it benefiting and acquiring more means to "oppress the Kashmiri people as well as plot against Pakistan", an editorial in a Pakistani newspaper said Thursday.

Noting that after a long hiatus, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan had revived the project to supply natural gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India via Afghanistan, the editorial in the Nawa-i-Waqt said that ... Read More

UN fears Pakistan's flood victims moving toward Iran
Islamabad, Sep 2 (DPA) The United Nations expressed fears Thursday that flood-affected people in Pakistan's southwestern province of Baluchistan could move toward Iran, sparking illegal cross-border movements.

Baluchistan, which July 22 became the first of Pakistan's provinces hit by flash floods that have since submerged one-fifth of the country, borders Iran's restive Baluchistan-Sistan province, where the anti-Iran Jundollah militant organisation has been active.

More than 2 million people have been affected in the impoverished province, and ... Read More

IMF offers $450 mn flood aid to Pakistan
Washington, Sep 2 (DPA) The International Monetary Fund Thursday pledged $450 million in emergency loans to Pakistan to help the country cope with a massive flood disaster.

The IMF is also in talks with Pakistan about handing over the next instalment in a loan programme that has been running since November 2008.

IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, after meeting with Pakistani Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, said the talks were "progressing" and that $1.7 billion in ... Read More

From Karachi, with love
Rafia Zakaria

Last year’s catastrophic attack in Mumbai broke the heart of many children raised by its ghosts in Karachi.

The Karachi I grew up in was haunted by memories of Mumbai. My father, grandparents and aunts had all left Mumbai in the decades after Partition, chasing jobs and the promises sold to the Muslims of the subcontinent. At every dinner table conversation, every afternoon tea reminiscence, and every late night stroll, we were accompanied ... Read More