April 13, 2000

Zahir Shah optimistic about success of Rome process
ISLAMABAD (NNI): The former Afghan monarch, Zahir Shah has said that he has not appointed anyone as his envoy adding he would continue efforts for convening Loya Jirga without seeking any position for himself.

UN envoy visits Afghanistan on Thursday
ISLAMABAD (NNI): UN Secretary General Personal Representative for Afghanistan Francesc Vendrel, visits Afghanistan tomorrow (Thursday) for talks with Taliban officials on his peace mission, sources said Wednesday.

Pakistan threatens to ban sectarian groups
By Tahir Ikram
ISLAMABAD, April 13 (Reuters) - Jolted by the sectarian slaughter of 14 Shi'ites, Pakistan issued a strict warning to extremist groups on Thursday to shun violence or face a ban.

Pakistan holds four suspected bin Laden associates
CAIRO, April 12 (Reuters) - Pakistan has arrested four men on suspicion of having links with Saudi-born Islamic militant Osama bin Laden, a London-based Islamist pressure group said on Wednesday.

US asks Pakistan to force Taleban surrender Osama
BUSINESS RECORDER (Pakistan)
KARACHI (April 13) : The United States wants Pakistan to impose severe trade sanctions on Afghanistan to force Taleban to expel Osama bin Laden, Western diplomatic source told Business Recorder. According to these sources, the US demand was

Pakistani Taliban attack video shops, burns video cassettes, TV, VCRs
MIRANSHAH (Pakistan) (NNI): Inspired by Afghanistan ruling Taliban, a group of Pakistani Taliban Wednesday stormed video shops and burnt thousands of video cassettes, several television and VCRs in a town in northwestern Pakistani tribal

Entry of 42 ulema banned in City - Frontier Post Report
PESHAWAR - The provincial government has banned entry of 42 ulema belonging to different sects and restricted the movement of Afghan refugees during Moharram-ul-Haram. "We will even detain those Afghan refugees who entered the city

17 killed in Afghan plane crashes
KABUL, April 12: Seventeen people have been killed in separate air crashes involving opposition and Taliban warplanes in Afghanistan over the past two days, official sources said on Wednesday.

Albright to perform balancing act in Central Asia
By Elaine Monaghan
WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will have to perform a delicate balancing act stressing human rights while defending U.S. interests when she visits three states in the volatile Central Asian region later this

Pakistan fails to satisfy IMF
Pakistan's economy remains extremely fragile - BBC
By Business correspondent Mark Gregory
Senior officials from the International Monetary Fund have left Pakistan with no sign of an agreement to release much-needed new credits.

Robert Fisk: Struggle continues for 'unfashionable' Afghans
By Robert Fisk in Mardan, North West Frontier - The Independent (UK)
Their camps are little Afghanistans, streets of mud and wattle huts, a wooden gate padlocked on to dry earth, a flurry of goats, wooden roofsoverhanging earthen walls, a dust road and women who scurry into darkened rooms at the sight of a