In light of arguments made by the Elections Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding security threats in holding timely polls, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial on Wednesday noted that the country has been facing terrorism for the past 20 years but elections were still held throughout the years. The chief justice made these remarks as a five-member bench …

ISLAMABAD: The family of an army veteran on Tuesday made an impassioned plea to military and judicial authorities to ensure that justice is done in the case of Hasan Askree, a civilian who was court martialed after he wrote a critical letter to former army chief retired Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. According to a press release issued after the press …

ISLAMABAD: As the government attempted to curb the powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the National Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution asking the Supreme Court (SC) to “refrain from interfering in political and administrative affairs” and called for the formation of a full SC bench to hear constitutional matters. Through the resolution, read out by Information Minister Marriyum …

CIUDAD JUAREZ: At least 39 migrants from Central and South America died after a fire broke out at a migrant holding centre in the Mexican northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, the government’s National Migration Institute (INM) said on Tuesday. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the blaze apparently broke out after migrants set fire to mattresses in protest …

ISLAMABAD: In the coming Kharif season, beginning on April 1, the country is heading towards a ‘massive water shortage’, somewhere between 27 per cent and 35 per cent, only months after unprecedented floods submerged large swathes of lands across Sindh and southern Punjab, Irsa sources told Dawn. In view of the higher shortage, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) would be …

KARACHI: Minority shareholders of Ecopack Ltd — a listed company that makes plastic bottles for beverage firms — have sought the intervention of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) to protect the entity from hostile and allegedly illegal takeover by a group of seven investors. The seven acquirers “acted in concert” to accumulate over 50 per cent shareholding …

Saudi Arabia’s cabinet approved on Wednesday a decision to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), as Riyadh builds a long-term partnership with China despite US security concerns. Saudi Arabia has approved a memorandum on granting the kingdom the status of a dialogue partner in the SCO, said Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The SCO is a political and security union of …

ISLAMABAD: The government has asked the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to increase K-Electric’s consumer tariff by up to Rs6.02 per unit under two past quarterly adjustments and allow its recovery from consumers in three months — April to June — to ensure national uniform tariff. The government has already notified an equivalent increase in tariff for consumers of …

GENEVA: The WHO has tailored its Covid-19 vaccination recommendations for a new phase of the pandemic, suggesting that high-risk groups should get a booster between six and 12 months after their last vaccine. The UN agency said the aim was to focus efforts on vaccinating those facing the greatest threat of severe disease and death from Covid-19, considering the high-level …