Karachi, Aug 9 : The chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain, has said that the country was facing socio-economic crises and Talibanisation in Karachi was the chief issue to be addressed instead of impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf at this point of time.

Hussain said that the MQM would not allow Talibanisation in Karachi and would protect the city at any cost.

Karachi, Aug 8: The recent sharp rise in inflation, affecting the prices of essential commodities, including food items, in Pakistan, has also affected the sale of Rakhis even as the festival of Rakha Bandhan is almost a week away.

Compared to last year, the prices of Rakhi this year have gone up by 30-50 percent, said Mohan, a Rakhi-seller in Karachi.

The Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan falls on August 16.

Karachi, Aug 8 : Legal luminaries in Pakistan feel that the move to impeach President Musharraf first and then tackle the deposed judiciary would further complicate the already much-delayed issue of restoration of the judges.

According to them, Musharraf’s impeachment was not that simple, rather it was an uphill task with may have many technical obstacles.

Karachi  - The family of a Pakistani woman extradited to the United States on terror charges on Tuesday sought her repatriation, terming the accusations an attempt to "cover up" her five-year illegal detention, rape and torture at a US base in Afghanistan.

Aafia Siddiqui, a PhD holder from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was due in court in Manhattan on Tuesday after being extradited on charges of attacking a US official on July 18, after having been arrested in Afghanistan the previous day.

Karachi, Aug 5 : Pakistan’s unit of the Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has said that their next area for expanding its operations was Karachi, where they want to end “vulgarity”.

“Karachi holds great significance for the Taliban movement, and the Taliban aim to establish themselves in the port city to ‘end vulgarity in the city’”, the Daily Times quoted TTP spokesman Maulvi Umar as saying.

Karachi is considered as the financial and entertainment capital of Pakistan. It is also strategically situated city of Pakistan suiting the country’s business and commercial interests.

Karachi, Aug. 4 : Gang wars and drug peddling activities are as healthy as ever in Karachi’s infamous Lyari area. The only change that appears visible is that now women are playing a vital role.

According to the Daily Times, they are being roped in for the above activities, and police say the day is not far off when they will be seen bearing arms and getting involved in clashes.

Last month, the Sindh Rangers and Police staged a joint operation that resulted in peace being restored to Lyari and other areas which were previously off-limits for uninvolved citizens.

Drug peddling, however, is tradition and is a major source of income for the people of Lyari and so it has proven impossible to eliminate completely.