Word: punjab
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...major cities such as Islamabad and Lahore - though an influx into Karachi of people displaced by the fighting in the tribal areas has swelled that city's Pashtun population, which has in turn raised communal tensions there. While the Taliban is reported to have made some inroads in southern Punjab and has linked up with small militant groups based in the province, it remains a minor presence in those parts of the country where the majority of Pakistanis live. Even in the most generous assessments of their fighting strength, they are very lightly armed and outnumbered by the army...
...farm-belt rally. The rural poor still make up the vast majority of voters, and no party can win a general election without their support. Gandhi spoke to several thousand Congress supporters in Bhatinda, a small town dominated by mango, kinnow and guava orchards in the heart of rural Punjab. He trumpeted the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, a welfare scheme for the poor that offers a minimum of 100 days of paid work to one person per family per year, and boasted about the Congress Party's $14 billion loan-waiver program for farmers, the largest ever in India...
...course, winning an election is the main reason that Gandhi has come to Bhatinda. He has lent his star power to five young, handsome Congress candidates who are running for parliament from Punjab. All of them also come from politically well-connected families, though none with the name recognition of the Gandhis. The crowd waited under massive white awnings during the scorching midday heat to hear Gandhi at the rally, which was held during the April 14 Baisakh festival celebrating the spring harvest. He introduced each one of the candidates in turn, hailing them in his textbook Hindi as naujawan...
...police recruits were not trained to confront armed terrorists, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik told reporters. They were shown fleeing the building in a panic as the rangers - a paramilitary force - and members of the Punjab police's élite commando unit arrived. The security forces mounted nearby buildings and worked their way into the besieged facility. Fierce gun battles ensued as they sought to push back the attackers. In scenes reminiscent of the three-day siege of Mumbai's luxury hotels, there was a relentless exchange of gunfire, with ammunition crackling loudly in the background. The local area, Manawan...
...fought in Kashmir and more recently in Pakistan's tribal areas. Given the chilling similarities in the tactics deployed in the two attacks in Lahore, many analysts believe the same group could have been involved. All these militant organizations have a strong presence in the country's richest province, Punjab...