Sohail Abid recently toured whole of Punjab on his motor bike. His tour spanned 27 cities in first phase, while he has plans to visit Northern Areas, Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan later this year, most probably with same transportation channel.

For those who don’t know, Sohail Abid is a freelance coder/developer based in Islamabad, a good friend, prominent figure in Pakistani blogosphere.

There would be other people too, who were adventurous enough to roam the country, but Sohail Abid’s made his journey particularly special with the help of technology and the social media.

Sohail created a Facebook page, where he shared updates through mobile phone, which included interesting facts, information, pictures and tales of places he visited.

In very short span of time, he got over 1200 visitors – with no advertising, no struggle.

Sohail was equipped with an iPhone with facebook and twitter applications, to keep his fans posted about the happenings.

Here is what he wrote to ProPakistani:

Mainly two things made it possible to share live tour pictures and updates easily: iPhone and Telenor Persona (with monthly GPRS/EDGE package)

I was taking 2MP pictures and uploading right from the location where they were being taken. And this involves small towns, villages, jungles (lal suhnra), desert (cholistan), and Derawar Fort. Telenor worked everywhere, even in Cholistan.

He will leave for Northern Areas’ tour next week – you can join him by becoming a fan of Tour De Pakistan

Following are few pictures from Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/tourdepakistan

ISLAMABAD: All major political parties are making hectic efforts to end the deadlock created by a sudden change in PML-N chief’s stance on the 18th amendment, although Mian Nawaz Sharif reiterated his demand on Monday for changes in the provision about judicial appointments in the draft prepared by the parliamentary committee on constitutional reforms.

And the issue on which the committee had failed to arrive at a consensus, the renaming of the NWFP, remained unresolved but the government was optimistic about reaching an agreement among all parties in a few days.

ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan told reporters after a meeting with Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, chairman of the committee for constitutional reforms, that the committee’s mandate was to resolve all issues, including the renaming of the NWFP.

Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif held a press conference and again justified the change in his stance and rejected allegations that he had taken a U-turn.

According to sources, the ANP leadership was assured by PML-N leaders in the evening that the issue of NWFP’s new name would be resolved after a meeting of the N-League scheduled for Tuesday.

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani contacted Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour who belongs to ANP and some PML-N leaders to discuss various steps to resolve the contentious issues.

Sources at the Prime Minister’s House said the government was hopeful of reaching an accord on the constitutional package by Wednesday.

According to sources, the chief of ANP’s NWFP chapter, Senator Afrasayab Khattak, led a delegation to the residence of PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to discuss the possibility of getting the constitutional reforms approved by parliament without the support of the PML-N.

PML-Q’s provincial chief Amir Muqam told the ANP delegation that his party would not accept ‘Pakhtunkhwa’ as the new name of the NWFP, but promised to cooperate if Abasin, Khyber or Afghania was added to it.

The PML-Q constituted a five-member committee headed by Mr Muqam to hold talks on the issue.

The entire leadership of the PML-N, including Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, was in Islamabad, apparently anticipating a meeting with top government leaders.

Nawaz Sharif, who also had an off the record interaction with senior journalists, rejected a perception that he had sabotaged the reforms and said he had acted in national interest.

Mr Sharif put all the blame for the discord on Law Minister Babar Awan and said that premature announcement made by him about the package had caused the logjam.

He said it was wrong to assume that a consensus had been reached on the issues of renaming the NWFP and the procedure for appointment of judges.

He said it was better for the committee to deliberate for a few more days rather than letting the issues become contentious in parliament.

Mr Sharif said his party did not trust the PPP leadership which dissolved the PML-N government in Punjab and got him and his brother disqualified by what he called a ‘kangaroo court’.

He also said that he had no regrets over the stand he had taken on the crucial issue.

Mr Sharif blamed the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for the current political chaos and said it was trying to link every issue with repeal of the 17th Amendment.

He said the PPP wanted to include a senior judge of its choice in the judicial commission. “It was unacceptable because three of the seven members were already representatives of the government.”

He described as ‘half-baked’ the constitutional package which was to be tabled in parliament.

He said some matters were still under discussion when the government announced that it would table the document in the National Assembly and that President Asif Ali Zardari would address a joint session of the two houses of parliament before that.

Mr Sharif also called for curtailing the president’s powers in ‘one go’ before moving to other reforms contained in the constitutional package.

LAHORE: Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza are going to tie the knot in April, Sania’s father Imran Mirza confirmed to media.

As per reports, the two sports stars have been in an affair for the last six months, which had led to Sania’s earlier engagement to break.

Sources said that the mother of Shoaib Malik went to Indian city of Hyderabad Deccan where she met with the family of Sania Mirza and finalized Shoaib and Sania’s marriage.

This may be recalled that earlier engagements of both Malik and Mirza had come to an end.

Malik was engaged with Ayesha Siddiqui also from Hyderabad Deccan on June 3, 2002 while Sania on the other side was engaged with childhood friend Sohrab Khan which ended in January 2010.

The wedding ceremony of Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza will take place in India while the valima reception will be hosted by Malik on April 16 or 17 in Lahore.

“I desire to get married soon. You will soon get some good news but it depends on my family. I fully expect to get married this year,” Shoaib had said in a recent interaction with the media.

Asked if it would be an arranged marriage, he said, “No can say what will happen, but it will take place with the concurrence of my family.”

LAHORE: At least 39 people were killed and 95 others wounded on Friday after two suicide bombers struck the vehicles of Garrison Security Force near R A Bazaar in Lahore.

The heads of both alleged bombers were recovered from the scene of the blasts while two suspects were also arrested, the Inspector General of Punjab Tariq Salim Dogar told reporters after the blasts.

The IGP also confirmed the death toll.

Meanwhile, the proscribed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed the responsibility for twin Lahore bombings.

The blasts took place at 12:48 pm within the space of 15 seconds at R A Bazar as crowds gathered for Friday prayers. The blasts were so powerful that it caused cracks in nearby buildings besides shattering window panes.

“We have collected concrete technical evidence, which will help identify the attackers. Both the attackers were on foot,” the IGP said.

Five security men were dead and 15 others were wounded in the bombings, sources cloe to security agencies said.

Rescue workers and paramedics rushed to the R A Bazaar, a densely populated area of the city.

The area was crowded as the blasts occurred shortly before the main Friday prayers were to start. Emergency was immediately declared in city hospitals, where dead and injured were shifted.

LAHORE: Five back-to-back blasts have happened in Iqbal Town of Lahore within the last 45 minutes, Geo News reported Friday.

All the five blasts have taken place in the premises of Iqbal Town.

The first blast occurred in an empty plot near crowded Moon Market in Kashmir Block. The second blast hit a car parked outside a house. The third blast occurred near Edhi Center in Kashmir Block located in Iqbal Town. The fourth blast has been reported outside the residence of a serving DSP again in Iqbal Tow.

No causality is reported din these attack. However, four people have received injuries.

It may be reminded here that dozens of people were killed in two blasts at Moon Market on December 7 last year.

Earlier, at least 39 people were killed when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in R A Market near security forces’ convoy.

Overall seven blasts have taken place in Lahore within 10 hours, killing 39 people and injuring 95 others.

The series of bomb blasts in the city has triggered panic and fear among the citizens.

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LAHORE: Three back-to-back blasts have happened in Iqbal Town of Lahore, Geo News reported Friday.

The third blast has occurred in near Edhi Center at Kashmir Block. However, nobody is hurt in the last blast.

Overall five blasts have taken place in Lahore within 10 hours, killing 39 people and injuring 95 others.