ISLAMABAD: The nation on Saturday is celebrating Jashan-e-Eid Milad-un-Nabi (Peace Be Upon Him) on 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal of lunar year with religious reverence and fervor, renewing the pledge to follow true teachings of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him).

A large number of processions, comprising faithful on foot, motorcycles, cars, big trucks, vans and other vehicles, holding banners, green flags and placards, are being taken out in various cities of country including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Islamabad, Hyderabad and others.

The day will begin with special prayers for development, safety, peace, unity and brotherhood amongst the followers of Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Special security arrangements have been made to maintain law and order situation all across the country on the occasion of 12th Rabi-ul-Awal.

Newspapers and magazines are publishing special supplements while television channels and radio stations arranging special ‘Naatia Mushairas’ and quiz programmes on Seerat-e-Mustafa (PBUH) to celebrate the memorable eve.

All major government and private buildings, residential and commercial plazas, markets, mosques, roundabouts and even houses have been tastefully illuminated with colorful lights.

Mahafil-e-Milad and public meetings are being held in different parts of the country, while faithful are actively participating in the programs organized by different local, religious and social organizations.

Na’at and the Holy Quran reciting competitions would be held throughout the day in almost every nook and corner of the country to revive the real spirit of Islam and offer respect to the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him).

There have been adopted special security arrangements in the Federal Capital, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and other cities and towns across the country to avoid any untoward incident. Participants of Mahafil would be properly verified and checked by security personnel.

Milad processions would be taken out from different areas of twin cities, reciting Na’ats and Darood o Salam for the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him).

Major event of the day would be the annual National Seerat Conference to be held later in the day in which prominent Ulema and scholars from across the country would deliver lectures on the seerat, services, teachings and holy deeds of Holy Prophet of Islam Hazrat Mohammed Mustufa (Sallalah o Aleh e Waaleh-e-Wasallam).

Selected Ulema and scholars would present their articles on this year’s theme “Preaching strategy in the light of Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) teachings.”

Besides, such conferences would also be held at provincial headquarters, divisional and district levels to pay respect and homage to Allah Almighty’s Last Messenger (SAWW).

Congregations would be organized in all important cities of the country where the preachers and scholars would highlight the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) besides delivering lectures on His way of life.

For faithful, Eid Milad-un-Nabbi is a highly regarded religious festival when they express gratitude and thank to Allah Almighty for blessing the universe with His last messenger and Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

KARACHI: Following the death of 39 people in Karachi, the rangers have been awarded special powers under Anti-Terrorism Act in the limit of 26 police stations to halt the rising incidents of violence in the city.

Section 144 has already been put into effect in these areas, while permissions granted for carrying arms have also been cancelled.

According to authorities, nine more people were shot dead in Pirabad, Sarjani Town, Liaquatabad, Buffer Zone, Mangho Pir, Sir Syed Town, Azizabad and PECH, after which the five-day death toll mounted to 39.

Tension gripped the affected areas, while enraged people staged protest in Nazimabad, Karimabad and other areas.

Earlier, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik chaired a high-level meeting called to discuss security situation in Karachi.

GENEVA: Haiti’s government has ended the search and rescue phase of the quake relief effort after at least 132 people were pulled out alive from under the rubble, the United Nations said on Saturday.

“The government has declared the search and rescue phase over,’’ the UN’s Organisation for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest situation report on the relief effort.

“There were 132 lives rescued by international search and rescue teams,’’ it added.

An 84-year-old woman and 22-year-old man were pulled out of the rubble in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, on Friday, 10 days after the magnitude 7.0 quake.

The United Nations said the Haitian government declared the rescue effort over at 4pm local time on Friday (0800 AEDT Saturday).

Up to 67 search and rescue teams with 1,918 staff and 160 dogs combed the ruins of Port-au-Prince and towns and villages in south Haiti in the search for signs or life under collapsed homes and buildings.

Aid workers have already said there was a record number of people pulled out for such a disaster.

As deliveries of food, water, shelter and medical care to hundreds of thousands of people scaled up in Port-au-Prince and the worst affected towns of Jacmel and Leogane, the focus of the relief effort was shifting to the homeless.

A huge wave of displacement was underway, partly with official blessing, as tens of thousands of people moved out to parts of the country that were not affected by the earthquake, the worst to hit the Americas in recent history.

“The number of people leaving Port-au-Prince is increasing daily,” the UN said, as more than 130,000 people took advantage of the government’s offer of free transport to other cities.

“The total number of people leaving Port-au-Prince by private means remains undetermined,” it added.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation estimated that the number of people fleeing to impoverished rural areas could reach ‘‘as high as one million,’’ adding to the strain on local resources, OCHA said.

Aid agencies already stationed around the country prior to the quake reported people arriving in the central area of St Marc, Anse-

Actress Meera has been stopped at Karachi airport on Tuesday for possessing two passports at a time.

According to reports, Meera had arrived at Karachi airport from America via Dubai. FIA has seized the both passports of Meera and sent it to DG FIA Islamabad. Meera is under investigations, reports added.

LAHORE: The four provinces have reached a consensus on the 7th National Finance Commission (NFC) Award here on Friday.

The decision was made at a meeting attended by chief ministers of the four provinces.
The issue of NFC Award had been lingering on for 19 years which has now been resolved with unanimity and an accommodating approach of the provinces.

However, the federation has made historic sacrifices over the division of national resources among the provinces. The federation has raised the provinces share by 8.5 percent.

In a joint media conference here at Chief Minister House, Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin and the four chief ministers said that the federation has raised the share of provinces in the divisible pool from 47.5 percent to 56 percent.

The distribution of resources under the new formula will be made from the next financial year. The distribution will be made on the basis of multiple-criteria – population (82 percent); poverty and backwardness (10.6 percent) and; revenue and other factors will form the rest of the percentage.

The Punjab will get 51.74 percent from the total of 56 percent share of the divisible pool; Sindh 24.24 percent; NWFP 14.6 and; Balochistan will receive 9 percent of the provinces share.

Balochistan will be given Rs83 billion in view of its special needs while the Federal government will meet all the expenses of the ongoing war against terrorism.

On the occasion Shaukat Tarin said that Sales Tax is a provincial matter, so the provinces will levy taxes in this regard on their own discretion.