By Azfar-ul-Ashfaque

KARACHI, Feb 16: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement announced on Saturday that it had decided to quit the federal and provincial governments in protest against what it described as ‘negative attitude’ of the People’s Party.

The decision of the MQM coordination committee came at a time when the national and provincial assemblies are going to complete their tenure in a matter of a few weeks and the office of the leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly has gained much importance because of its role in finalising a caretaker set-up in the province with the outgoing chief minister.
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By Khalid Hasnain and Waseem Shamsi

LAHORE/SUKKUR, Feb 16: The national and provincial assemblies would be dissolved on March 16 and the general election will be held within 60 days after that, two federal ministers said on Saturday.

The government also dropped a hint that names for the caretaker government would be finalised in a week.

KARACHI: The Balochistan governor admitted on Saturday that the state seemed to be non-existent in the province, according to a DawnNews TV report.

Talking by phone from Quetta, Zulfiqar Magsi said his “heart was bleeding” over the sectarian attack.

By Iftikhar A. Khan

ISLAMABAD, Feb 16: Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has expressed concern over an alarmingly high rate of acquittal in terrorism cases and called upon the government to take measures for effective prosecution of such cases in all provinces.

He was presiding over a meeting on implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, on Saturday. The meeting urged the government to enforce Section 21 of the Act, which provides for the protection of judges, counsel, public prosecutors, witnesses and people concerned with court proceedings.

By Nasir Iqbal

ISLAMABAD, Feb 16: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Admiral (retd) Fasih Bokhari stepped up his war of words against the superior judiciary on Saturday, heaping allegations of bias in an application he submitted in reply to contempt of court charges.

Filed by Advocate Navid Rasul Mirza on behalf of the chairman, the application pleaded with the court to place the contempt case against Admiral (retd) Bokhari before another bench.

By Mubarak Zeb Khan

ISLAMABAD, Feb 16: With only about 25 days left before end of its term, the government has finalised optimistic taxation proposals for the next federal budget which is expected to propose raising Rs461 billion in additional revenue.

A well-placed source in the Federal Board of Revenue told Dawn that the FBR had finalised budgetary proposals and shared them with the finance ministry and the International Monetary Fund.

By Ikram Junaidi

ISLAMABAD, Feb 16: A medical team of Polyclinic hospital handed over on Saturday to police a report on the causes of death of Kamran Faisal.

Kamran Faisal, an officer of the National Accountability Bureau, was involved in investigations into the rental power projects scam and was found dead in his apartment on Jan 18. An earlier report had declared suicide as the cause of his death. Police will submit the report, finalised and sealed on Saturday, in the Supreme Court, Dawn has learnt.

ISLAMABAD, Feb 16: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived here on Saturday on a three-day official visit to Pakistan.

Federal Minister for Textile Makhdoom Shahabuddin and high-ranking officials welcomed Mr Abbas at the Noor Khan Airbase.

WASHINGTON, Feb 16: The United States seeks to boost its relationship with Pakistan, though it is committed to winding up its combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of next year, says a top Pentagon commander.

Gen Lloyd J. Austin, nominee for commander of US Central Command (Centcom), told his confirmation hearing earlier this week that the conflict in Afghanistan remained Centcom’s top priority despite the Obama administration’s determination to end the war by December 2014.

WASHINGTON, Feb 16: President Barack Obama’s pick for CIA director John Brennan promised senators, who would vote on his nomination, more openness about US counter-terrorism programmes, saying the closely guarded number of civilian casualties from drone strikes should be made public, according to his written responses to questions released on Friday.

Mr Brennan was questioned sharply by Democrats and Republicans alike during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on his nomination last week.