PPP wants election clarification

A Pakistani Minister has reportedly said that former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto can seek third terms, leading to demands by Bhutto’s party for a clarification from President Pervez Musharraf, who had framed rules to the contrary.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has sought a clarification from Musharraf on remarks by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afghan Niazi that no rules barred Bhutto and Sharif from becoming Prime Ministers for the third term, party spokesman Faratullah Babar said. An election order issued by Musharraf in 2002 banning a third term for Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers had blunted their chances to contest the polls after which the military-backed ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and defectors from PPP formed the government.

Pak’s new visa rules

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan announced new visa guidelines for Indians saying a request must be sent eight weeks in advance. A visa request must be accompanied by photocopies of a valid passport. For visas for cultural/sports functions, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs must be contacted. Such requests will be processed once received through the concerned Ministry. PTI