ROHILANWALI: Watan Cards worth Rs2 million were stolen from the Rohilanwali Watan Card Centre on Thursday.

Robbers broke into the Watan Cards Centre set up at Rohilanwali Government Higher Secondary School and took the cards along with their pin codes.

Police informed the robbers stole 100 Watan Cards as well as computers and other material of value.

A case has been registered in the Rohilanwali police station, while the residents of the area alleged that the robbery was carried out with the help of the local administration.

Meanwhile thousands of people in Swat, with Watan Cards in their hands, are having a hard time utilising them as nearly all ATMs installed in banks of Swat are out-of-order.

In Dera Ghazi Khan, with two days left till the deadline the government assigned for the distribution of Watan cards, only 20 per cent of the families have received their cards as yet

Twitter and Facebook users from over 40 countries across the world are committing to shut down all means of social networking to support the cause of autism, create awareness about the disorder and raise funds for charity on November 1, 2010.

Celebrities like Steven Seagal, Fran Drescher and Deepak Chopra have joined the Communication Shutdown initiative to support a shutdown of social networks.

The global initiative initiated by the Australian based NGO, AEIOU, aims to encourage a greater understanding of people with autism who find social communication a challenge.

The fundraiser is using social networks themselves to shutdown social networking. Anyone who wishes to participate can donate $5 or more to receive a charity app (CHAPP) which gives donors a shutdown badge to wear online and adds their picture to a global mosaic of supporters beside prominent celebrities. The application will show people a user has decided to shut down via status updates, tweets and profile picture changes

The organisation says the donations will provide much-needed services for people with autism in the donor’s respective countries.

KHAR: Militants beheaded three “common criminals” allegedly masquerading as Taliban while stealing and kidnapping for ransom, a local official and residents said.

The trio was captured two days ago and their bodies dumped in fields in the Yaka Ghaound district of Mohmand, one of the seven districts in Pakistan’s lawless tribal belt on the Afghan border, said local administrator Mairaj Khan.

Residents said a note was found near the bodies, identifying them as criminals “defaming” the Taliban. “They were involved in various crimes, including theft and kidnapping for ransom, posing as Taliban. We killed them so others may learn a lesson from this,” the note said.

A man who identified himself as a local Taliban spokesman said the trio had masqueraded as Taliban. “They were defaming our organisation,” said the man who called himself Sajjad Mohmand.

The Taliban have been blamed for many of the deadliest bomb attacks hitting Western targets, Pakistani security forces and civilians across Pakistan over the past three years. The militia is fighting an insurgency against the Pakistani military concentrated in the tribal belt and other parts of the northwest.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has slammed double standards in the Indian government’s policies, as it seeks details of the probe into the Samjhota Express bombings.

During the weekly Foreign Office briefing in Islamabad, spokesperson Abdul Basit said India is obsessed with blaming Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence for any untoward incident.

He also said India should formally inform Pakistan regarding the Samjhota Express probe.

Some 68 people, mostly Pakistani nationals, were killed when bombs were set off in two coaches of the cross-country Samjhauta Express train, running between Delhi and Lahore, around midnight on February 18, 2007 at Diwana near Panipat, 80 kilometres north of Delhi.

The case was being handled by Harayana Police which had failed to make any headway after its probe led to a tailor at Indore who had prepared the cover for the suitcase in which the bombs were planted.

With no breakthrough in the over three-year-old Samjautha Express blast case, the Indian government has decided to hand over its probe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to unravel the conspiracy.

The discussion involves all the topics that would have occurred in the last week and may include political issues, social issues, inflation, economy, international issues, showbiz and even religion. Their discussion deals with big and serious issues albeit through simple questions and by employing a layman’s everyday conversation. Mr. Hassan Nisar’s witty and intellectual insights on the current political and social scenario are the highlight of the show.The idea of this program originated from Mr. Hassan Nisar’s column “Choraha”. This program is a representation of Lahori culture where men of a mohalla get together in the evening, sit on a Choraha and discuss issues which are prevalent to their interests. In true spirit of Lahori mohalla culture, the men indulge in jugatbazi, an integral part of even their most serious conversations. Program includes actual Choraha where Mr. Hassan Nisar sits with 3 characters and chit chat on all issues making it interesting with a tinge of wit.

Dr. Safdar Mahmood is historian and leading political analyst. He has received Pride of Performance for his outstanding contributions in the field of history along with a number of other prizes and awards. His more than one dozen books have been favorably reviewed by Pakistani and foreign press and are widely quoted by foreign and Pakistani authors and research scholars. Some of his books have also been translated into German, Chinese, Bengali, Uzbek and Sindhi languages. His research articles are published in journals and magazines of international repute. He has also served at different administrative and posts as member of Central Superior Services, Government of Pakistan.

Dr. Maleeha Lodhi is among the most accomplished female professionals in the Muslim world, with extensive experience in diplomacy, media, and teaching. Her diplomatic experience spans eleven years, representing Pakistan as Ambassador in the US and Britain. She is the recipient of the President’s award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz for Public Service in Pakistan. Lodhi has also received an Honorary Fellowship from the London School of Economics in 2004 and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from London’s Metropolitan University in 2005.

She served as a member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Affairs from 2001 to 2005. In 1994, Lodhi was selected by Time magazine as one of a hundred people in the world – the only one from Pakistan – who will help to shape the 21st century. She has addressed top Think Tanks and other foreign policy forums across the world, drawing on her diplomatic skills and media background.

Lodhi has been the editor of Pakistan’s leading English daily, The News and among the country’s top political commentators. Lodhi taught Politics and Political Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science for five years – from 1980-1985.

Lodhi is the author of two books: Pakistan’s Encounter with Democracy and The External Challenge both collections of her essays on contemporary issues.

Hamid Mir (Urdu: حامد مير, born July 23, 1966) is a Pakistani journalist and editor. He is news anchor, terrorism expert, and security analyst who regularly participates in international conferences. He is also known for his columns in Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, and English newspapers and hosts a popular political talk show on Geo TV with the name of Capital Talk. He was banned from TV by the military regime of General Pervez Musharraf in 2007. He was again banned by the Zardari-led PPP government in June 2008.

Nazeer Naji (urdu:نذیر ناجی) is a senior columnist in Pakistan’s Urdu press. He frequently writes in the country’s largest newspaper, Daily Jang, published from Karachi. with Nazeer Naji regarding Mr Naji’s plot allotment in Islamabad. The verified audio recordings of these phone calls were published on the internet on 19 April 2009 by popular Pakistani blog PkPolitics . Contents of this conversation are inappropriate because Naji have used a very abusive and slang language and threatened Ahmed Noorani and Ansar Abbasi (also an investigative journalist), which shows a new face of his personality.