Tags:
Journalism of Courage
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have asked pop group Junoon to explain a slew of charges ranging from 8220;belittling the ideology of Pakistan8221; to 8220;disagreeing with national opinion on nuclear tests8221;, hurled against them by the local media during their recent Indian tour. The three-member group, which made a highly successful visit to India in May, has been asked by the ministry of Cultural Affairs to explain several anti-Pakistan remarks allegedly made during their visit, media reports said here today. Salman Ahmed of Junoon said, 8220;I vehemently refute these charges. How can a group that sang Jazba-e-Junoon, the national anthem, and that composed Allama Iqbal8217;s poetry into songs, ever conceive of belittling Pakistan?8221; Ahmed further said, 8220;On the contrary Junoon went to India to promote Pakistani culture and art, and proved the relevance and popularity of our art form in the subcontinent.8221;
BRATISLAVA SLOVAKIA: Opposition parties have won enough seats in national elections to be able tooust Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar if they join forces as pledged, unofficial results released today showed. The results, based on full but unofficial tallies from all 5,000 precincts in Slovakia, may signal the end of the authoritarian rule that has dominated this country throughout its nearly six years of independence. The central election commission, which released the figures today morning, said they should remain virtually unchanged when official results are released on Tuesday.
