By Azfar-ul-Ashfaque

KARACHI, March 17: Disgruntled PPP leader and former MNA from Lyari, Nabil Gabol, joined the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Sunday.

Mr Gabol had been practically sidelined by the PPP leadership and rumours were rife that he was planning to quit the PPP and join either the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf. But he preferred the MQM to what he called “serve the people of Lyari”.

By Saleem Shahid

QUETTA, March 17: The constitutional crisis in Balochistan deepened after resignations of 21 ministers belonging to a group led by leader of opposition in the provincial assembly Mir Tariq Magsi were accepted by the governor on Sunday. Later, 13 ministers belonging to the JUI-F and BNP-Awami also submitted their resignations to the governor.

The opposition group claimed that Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani had lost majority in the assembly but his supporters disagreed.

By Muhammad Ali Siddiqi

MANIFESTOS don’t win elections, and voters don’t read them. Nevertheless, they are an essential part of what Iqbal calls jamhoori tamasha. Back in 1997, the PPP launched what turned out be Benazir Bhutto’s last election manifesto.

Laced, no doubt, with plenty of rhetoric, the document still reflected Benazir’s determination to complete “the unfinished agenda disrupted by the opponents of change” — a reference to the dismissal of her government in 1996 by a president who ironically belonged to her own party.

By Our Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD, March 17: Taking notice of what it has termed objectionable postings and transfers ordered by a former ports and shipping minister — Babar Ghouri of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) — the establishment division has stopped five senior officials from working on their new positions.

In a letter dated March 15, the establishment division asked the auditor general to ensure that no financial disbursements were made on the orders relating to the transferred officials.

By Our Staff Correspondent

QUETTA, March 17: Wasey Tareen, the prosecutor general of Balochistan who was kidnapped last month, returned home on Sunday, his brother said.

Mr Tareen and his driver were going to Islamabad by car on Feb 27 when they went missing.

ISLAMABAD, March 17: Commodore Nasir Mahmood was promoted to the rank of rear admiral with immediate effect, said a Pakistan Navy press release on Sunday.

Rear Admiral Mahmood was commissioned in the electrical branch of the navy in June 1982 and graduated from Pakistan Navy Engineering College in 1984.

By Amir Wasim

ISLAMABAD, March 17: The controversy over the issue of selection of a caretaker prime minister has again exposed a lack of trust between the two main opposition parties — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).

PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq and leader of opposition in the Senate Ishaq Dar rushed to the residence of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday after he publicly expressed displeasure over Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s decision to unilaterally withdraw the name of Justice (retd) Shakirullah Jan from the list of opposition’s nominees for the post of the caretaker prime minister.

By Khaleeq Kiani

ISLAMABAD, March 17: The Planning Commission (PC) has raised serious objections to the budget strategy paper cleared by the cabinet of Raja Pervez Ashraf for financial year 2013-14, saying it has concealed some major fiscal indicators and does not contain measures to achieve macroeconomic targets.

A finance ministry official told Dawn that deputy chairman of the PC Dr Nadeem-ul-Haque had pointed out in writing that revised fiscal deficit estimated at 6.5 per cent of the GDP for the current fiscal year was not based on facts and, therefore, target of 5.8 per cent of the GDP set for next year was unrealistic.