Lahore, Dec.30 (ANI): A majority of people in Pakistan consider the presence of US military force in Afghanistan as a threat to their country.

According to a poll conducted by a US-based economic and socioeconomic research organization, 54 percent of Pakistani people are of the view that the US forces present in Afghanistan pose a threat to their land.

Similarly, a majority of Pakistanis (54 percent) also say that the US military presence in Asia is a threat to their country.

Amidst a surge in US missile strikes in the Tribal Areas, Pakistani people have also rejected the claim that the strikes were an effective way of flushing out the Taliban from the region.

Gallup showed that 48 percent of Pak nationals do not consider the US missile strikes effective against the Taliban.

People in Pakistan also opined that the co-operation on the 'war on terror' has so far mostly benefited the US. 32 percent people believed that the war against terror in the region has not benefited Pakistan in any way. (ANI)

Kathmandu, Dec 30 (ANI): All 25 political parties in the Nepal Constituent Assembly (CA) have made a commitment to press freedom and asked the CPN (Maoist) not to use intimidation and violence to press its demands in future.

Speaking at an interaction at the Parliamentary Secretariat, the leaders also urged Maoists to come up with a clear-cut policy on press freedom.

Maoist Central Committee member Barsa Man Pun said Maoist unionists made mistakes by attacking Himalmedia. The attack on Himalmedia was against his party's policy.

Members of other political parties insisted that Maoists are good at making commitments but poor on delivery. In view of the party's poor track record, the leaders urged Maoists to come up with a clear-cut policy on the press.

Nepali Congress youth leader Gagan thapa said press freedom is not a thing to be curtailed by other issues. He demanded that Maoists make public their official position on press freedom.

UML senior leader Pradeep Gyawali expressed concern over the series of attacks on the press.

Leader of Janashakti Party, Prakash Chandra Lohani said all sections of society should raise their voice against the series of attacks on press freedom.

Editor of Himal Southasian, Kanakmani Dixit stressed the need for tolerance.

"The media sometimes may bring even unpopular opinions to the market, which may take time to prove true," Kantipur quoted him as saying.

Earlier this month, the Maoist affiliated All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers'' Union had attacked the staff of the Himalmedia, inflicting injuries to the journalists and vandalising the office. (ANI)

Kathmandu, Dec 30 (ANI): Former CPN (UML) General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal has said the Maoists must bank upon the public support instead of relying on their paramilitary wings.

"It seems that the Maoists are not abandoning their arms as they still harbour panic about the possibility of a coup by the Nepal Army (NA). But, it will not help them gain public support," Nepalnews quoted him as saying.

He also prescribed the former rebels to lead the government in the right way by taking the Nepal Army in confidence.

He further said that the government should not bar the Nepal Army from recruiting new soldiers to fill up its vacant posts. (ANI)

Kathmandu, Dec 30 (ANI): Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda has said there's been too much of political interference in the education sector and that he wants this sector to remain completely independent.

Prachanda made this remark at the annual assembly of the Tribhuvan University, which had been suspended for three consecutive years due to pressure from his party's student wing, the All Nepal National Independent Students Union- Revolutionary (ANNISU-R), demanding its representation in the assembly.

"Political interference in education sector has caused great harm to the nation," he said.

He said the new education policy should aim at ending the vestiges of feudalism and the current government is committed to make education scientific and vocational, Nepalnews reported. (ANI)