Dogs rush over and greet Nilgul Sayar when she arrives by car to feed them in the countryside near Istanbul, one of many Turks with affection for Turkiye’s estimated four million stray dogs, whose fate now lies in the government’s hands. Ankara has drafted legislation to get them off the streets, citing concerns about attacks, road accidents and rabies. It …

Iran on Thursday began registering candidates for an early election next month following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi told state TV. Once seen as a possible successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — Iran’s ageing ultimate decision-maker — Raisi’s sudden death triggered a race among hardliners to influence the selection of Iran’s …

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) claimed on Wednesday that as many as 7,167 individuals had filed their returns for the tax year 2023 after their mobile SIMs were blocked, as part of a drive to enforce a law that allows the stoppage of cellular services to individuals who fail to comply with the country’s tax laws. Since May …

ISLAMABAD: The Supr­eme Court has taken exception to remarks made by British High Commissioner Jane Marriott during a public event, in which she underlined the “importance of democracy, elections and need for open societies”. On the instructions of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the court’s registrar, Jazeela Aslam, wrote a letter to Ms Marriott on May 3. The letter …

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The ruling PML-N on Wednesday held a special meeting at the Sharifs’ estate in Jati Umra to review budget preparations for the upcoming fiscal year, where it decided to prepare the financial plan in line with the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and also discussed proposals for “drastic” cuts in government expenditure. The ‘people-friendly’ budget envisaged by the ruling …

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the National Command Authority Lt Gen (retd) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai has underscored Pakistan’s stance on not committing to the No First Use (NFU) policy regarding nuclear weapons. Speaking at a seminar held at the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS) to commemorate Youm-i-Takbeer, the anniversary of the 1998 nuclear tests, Gen Kidwai, who has served as the director …

ISLAMABAD: A Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, on Wednesday reserved its decision on a Punjab government petition seeking review of its Feb 6 judgement that overturned appellant Mubarak Ahmad Sani’s conviction on charges of distributing ‘proscribed literature’. At the last hearing of the government’s review petition, the SC had sought assistance of the Council …

ISLAMABAD: Why were three Bahria Town officials off-loaded from a Saudi Arabia-bound flight? This is the question the Islamabad High Court has placed before the government in a case that is exp­ected to be taken up for hearing today (Thursday). The question was posed in connection with three separate petitions, filed by retired brigadiers Tah­ir Butt and Zafar Iqbal Shah, …

PTI founder Imran Khan has said that his only regret from his time in power was trusting former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, whom he held responsible for “creating lies and false narratives”, allegedly to secure a second extension as the military head. The former premier, who is currently incarcerated at Adiala Jail in a string of cases …

Former premier Imran Khan on Thursday, in his first courtroom interaction with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, complained of difficulties in seeking legal assistance for a case about changes to accountability laws. Imran, currently incarcerated at Adiala Jail, told CJP Isa, “They (jail authorities) do not let me meet my legal team. I am being kept in …