ISLAMABAD: Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Shah on Friday stated on the floor of the National Assembly that some 6,000 cusecs of water was being wasted while flowing a distance of 350 kilometres from Sukkur Barrage to Kotri Barrage because of “evaporation”, and at the same time expressed his surprise over missing 20,000 cusecs between Taunsa, the last barrage …

ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Friday issued alert to the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA) and district disaster management authorities to stay vigilant as the glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) risk is looming amid the prevailing weather conditions. “There is an increased possibility of Glof/flash floods, landslides and gusty winds in vulnerable areas of GB,” the NDMA …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has abolished the pro forma policy for promotion of bureaucrats that was not only burdening the exchequer but had also inundated the Establishment Division with frequent litigation. The government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) through a statutory regulatory order (SRO) omitted the proviso that enabled the civil servants to claim pro forma promotion, according …

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed for taking steps to make the act of setting fire to a forest as a non-bailable offence. A statement issued here said that Mr Khan was chairing a meeting regarding the recent incidents of forest fires in the province. It was attended by Provincial Minister for Forests Ishtiaq Urmer, Chief Secretary Dr Shehzad …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday lauded efforts of Minister for Industries and Production Makhdoom Murtaza Mehmood for making timely arrangements for import of edible oil from Indonesia. During a meeting with the minister, he said the import of edible oil would help red­uce prices of the commodity in the country. Mr Sharif said the visit of the minister …

ISLAMABAD: In an unprecedented move, a senior member of the ruling coalition on Friday refused to take part in the budget discussion in Senate as a mark of protest against the absence of ministers in the upper house of parliament. The issue was initially raised in the house by leader of the opposition Dr Shahzad Waseem and later supported by …

A soldier was martyred during an “intense exchange of fire” between security forces and terrorists in North Waziristan district’s Miranshah area, the military’s media affairs wing said on Saturday. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) identified the soldier as 32-year-old Naik Zahid Ahmed, a resident of Charsadda, who embraced martyrdom after “having fought gallantly”. During the exchange of …

A judicial magistrate in Karachi directed the relevant authorities on Saturday to conduct a post-mortem examination of deceased lawmaker and television personality Aamir Liaquat Hussain, who passed away on June 9 and was buried the next day. In a copy of the order, which is available with Dawn.com, Judicial Magistrate (East) Wazeer Hussain Memon stated, “It is crystal clear that the cause of death of …

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar on Saturday said that Pakistan is now “one step away” from exiting the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) “grey list”, and the planned on-site visit is a procedural requirement. She was briefing the media a day after the watchdog acknowledged that Pakistan had completed the action plan items and had secured an on-site …

Kardashians fans are over the moon as they’re speculating about Khloe Kardashian moving on from her doomed romance with Tristan Thompson after the basketball star cheated on her The 37-year-old reality star’s love life is creating massive on social media after netizens spot clues that she’s found herself a new beau. Taking to Instagram Story, Khloe left fans swooning with …