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We don’t need Amir and Asif


Imran Khan proclaims Pakistani bowling attack ''not potent'' without Amir and Asif
Imran Khan, who was recently in New Delhi to promote the World Cup, proclaimed Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif to be “the best opening bowling pair in the world” and said that these bowlers are particularly significant to Pakistan’s chances of winning championship. He further said that without these bowlers in the team, the Pakistani bowling attack is “not potent.”
With all due respect to the

School bus targeted in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A blast occurred near a school bus in Bhana Mari area in Peshawar on Monday, killing the driver of the bus and injuring two children on the bus.
Express 24/7 correspondent Iftikhar Firdous reports the bus, carrying students of the ‘Sir Syed Islamia Model school’, was targeted in the Bhana Mari area on Kohat road, injuring several people. Most of the children had been dropped off to their homes when the blast took place. Initial reports had indicated that two children had been killed as a result of the

2010: A good year for Bollywood

Bollywood remains committed to entertaining audiences throughout the year. PHOTO: FILE
This year has seen several commercially and critically successful films released by the Indian film industry. Dozens of Bollywood films have been released internationally this year, some of these have been the year’s highest-grossing films. Dabangg, Golmaal 3, Raajneeti, My Name is Khan, Housefull, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai and I Hate Luv Storys have all  done well at the box office with Dabangg leading the

Pakistan talented enough to ride out scandal: Ramiz



Former captain Ramiz Raja said on Sunday Pakistan have the talent to ride out a spot-fixing scandal engulfing the national game.
“For me credibility and integrity are the main issues and there is a need to draw a line between whether we want suspicious players or we just want talented players,” Raja, also a member of the International Cricket Council’s Pakistan task team, told AFP.
Pakistan cricket’s image took a devastating knock when Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were provisionally suspended by the

Ten dead as H1N1 flu returns to Britain



The H1N1 swine flu virus which swept the globe last year has returned to Britain with 10 people dying in the last six weeks, health officials said Saturday.
Britain’s Health Protection Agency said the 10 deaths had occurred in adults all under the age of 65, most of whom had underlying health

‘Lahore’ director signs ‘Hulk’ cinematographer for sci-fi movie




Still basking in the glory of two National Awards for his debut film “Lahore”, filmmaker Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan has roped in “Hulk” cinematographer Frederick Elmes for his next venture.
Touted to have the finest of Hollywood and Bollywood crew, parts of the yet-to-be-titled sci-fi movie will be shot at the National Aeronautics and

Rani Mukerji Set To Marry Aditya Chopra Next Year



Rani Mukerji and Aditya Chopra are all set to tie the knot early next year. Or are they? According to reports circulating in the media, an engagement is soon on the cards for this actress – director jodi who apparently became close to one another during the time they spent working in various films together.
The Rani Mukerji – Aditya Chopra relationship had created quite a furore in the recent past when the news first surfaced in the media. Apparently, Aditya’s relationship with Rani was the cause of his breakup with Payel Khanna, his wife of

Obama prays for Holbrooke’s recovery



President Barack Obama on Saturday night called Richard Holbrooke “a towering figure in American foreign policy” and said he is praying for the critically ill diplomat’s recovery.
Holbrooke, 69, the president’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was described as being in stable, but critical condition after undergoing more than 20 hours of surgery for a torn aorta, the large artery that takes blood from the

Hajj scam: Zardari stops PM from sacking Kazmi

The PM had proposed that Kazmi be asked to leave in the same manner as defence production minister Abdul Qayyum Jatoi was removed. PHOTO: EPA
ISLAMABAD: President Zardari has turned down a proposal by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to sack religious affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi from the federal cabinet saying that such a move may have an adverse impact on the Hajj corruption case. The PM had proposed that Kazmi be asked to leave in the same manner as defence production minister Abdul Qayyum Jatoi was removed following controversial remarks that minister made in Quetta.
The Zardari snub came when Prime Minister Gilani called the president after Supreme Court judges summoned two federal ministers – Azam Swati and Hamid Saeed Kazmi, in court in the Hajj scam. Both ministers had earlier exchanged allegations of corruption once the scam was highlighted in the media.
Gilani is said to have been in a flux after the exchange of accusations between the two ministers. The PM was advised by his close aides to ask his religious affairs minister to resign, as it would improve his own government’s image in the media and in the public.
Sources said PM Gilani was upset since his own name had started appearing in the media in relation to his alleged role in the appointment of Rao Shakeel. Shakeel is in FIA custody on charges of corruption in the Hajj arrangements. Gilani was advised that it would be proper to ask religious affairs minister to resign on his own, because it would send a good message to the SC where the scam is being heard.
As Gilani was convinced with the logic of this move, he had contacted the president to get the presidential seal of approval. Gilani is understood to have told the president that he wanted to ask Hamid Saeed Kazmi to stay out of the cabinet till his name was cleared.
However, well placed sources said that the president did not appreciate this out of the box approach of asking a cabinet minister to resign when the case was being heard in the Supreme Court and all sorts of stories were being published against the minister in the media. Zardari told the PM not to take any such step as it would demoralise his own minister, particularly when Kazmi was fighting a crucial battle  in the apex court.
The sources said that before making the call to the president, the PM was confident that he would get permission to sack his own minister as he had successfully done in the case of Defence Production Minister Abdul Qayyum Jatoi. This was done after Jatoi gave a controversial statement in Quetta against the military leadership of the country. Gilani had summoned Jatoi to the PM House the same evening and told him to resign.
Gilani was of the view that as the religious affairs minister was confident that he did not do anything wrong in the process of leasing of buildings in Saudi Arabia, it should not be a problem for him to first get a clean bill from the courts before resuming his job as the minister.
But, sources said, President Zardari was of the opinion that it would show weakness of his government before the media and a hostile judiciary.
The president has also been informed that Kazmi was being targeted because of sectarian tensions between Barelvi and Deobandi schools of thought. Kazmi belongs to the Barelvi school while Azam Swati is of the Deobandi school. Kazmi had even alleged that he was attacked by gunmen outside his office by the Taliban because for his beliefs.