Pakistan

Slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's 19-year-old son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was named as Chairman of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Sunday at a meeting of Central Executive Committee of the party held at Bhutto's parental Naudero House in Larkana.

A socio-cultural anthropologist at the Washington University in St. Louis, who lived in Pakistan for six months and researched Islamic movements in that country and Afghanistan, has described the assassination of Benazir Bhutto as loss for both Pakistan and the world.

According to reports, General Pervez Musharraf will lift Emergency within 24 hours and resign the post of Army chief.

Tomorrow, Musharraf will address the nation after taking oath as a civilian president.

It is reported that all persons confined after the imposition of Emergency will be released soon.

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif is expected to make another comeback bid to the country by November 26.

Sources said that the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief would be accompanied by his son and son-in-law during his return.

Cricketer-turned-politician and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was released from the prison on Wednesday evening, according to jail officials.

The Jail Superintendent of Dera Ismail Khan prison said this today, The News reported.

The latest development comes after reports said that Imran had gone on an indefinite hunger strike.

Giving a blow to Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf, country's Deputy Attorney-General Yawar Ali Khan on Saturday resigned form his post within a week after he was assigned the new post in the wake of emergency.

The News quoted Khan saying to Geo News that he does not want to work further on this post.

Khan is brother-in-law of a Supreme Court judge Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday, who did not take oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) proclaimed by Musharraf.

The new Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Abdul Hameed Dogar, who was appointed after emergency was announced in Pakistan, on Sunday constituted a four-member Supreme Court bench to hear cases from Monday.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had notified to cancel all the hearings of the cases pending before the court for the next week, commencing from Monday (November 5-8).

Today, Over 200 security personnel belonging to Pakistan army have been released by their extremist captors in South Waziristan.

Quoting sources, the News reported, that the release was made possible under the exchange plan of prisoners with the Taliban, and at least 29 local Taliban were released in return for these security personnel.

However, there is no official confirmation of the release of these local Taliban, the report added.

Former cricketer and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan Niazi has reportedly managed to run away from his house here today, after he was put under house arrest in the wake of the imposition of emergency.

"He was detained along with eight supporters at the house. The supporters are at home but he has slipped away," his close relative told a foreign news agency.

The Pakistan Government has excluded the name of Asif Ali Zardari, spouse of former Prime Minister and PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto, from Exit Control List (ECL), The News reported quoting sources telling to Geo News on Tuesday.

The latest decision is part of National Reconciliation process that led to the return of Bhutto to Karachi, thereby ending her eight years of self-exile.