The Afghan defence ministry on Wednesday rejected Pakistan’s claim that the plot to kill five Chinese engineers in the Bisham attack was hatched in Afghanistan. The statement comes a day after Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif said that the planning for the attack was done in Afghanistan and the suicide bomber was also its national. “Terrorists and their facilitators were …

RAWALPINDI: Day temperatures are likely to soar this week; however, Met Office forecast rain/thunderstorm in northern parts of the country from May 10 to May 12. The day temperatures are likely to increase due to high pressure in the upper atmosphere particularly in the southern half of the country. However, it added, a westerly wave was likely to enter western …

ISLAMABAD: As the world has made strides in sexual and reproductive health and rights over the last 30 years, the number of women who cannot benefit from this is still in millions. These observations were made on Tuesday when UNFPA launched the annual report on the State of the World Population 2024 under the theme ‘Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending Inequalities …

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Tuesday sought reply from the National Account­ability Bureau (NAB) on an application of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, seeking his acquittal in a reference related to Toshakhana vehicles. Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the accountability court asked NAB’s prosecution to submit reply by May 23. The judge was hearing the reference against President Asif Ali Zardari and …

ISLAMABAD: Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought contempt proceedings over a complaint filed against him and his alleged vilification on social media. The development came a day after IHC’s Justice Babar Sattar sought contempt proceedings over a social media campaign targeting him and his family. Justice Kayani, the senior-most IHC judge after the chief justice, has …

ISLAMABAD: Wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) has been detected in four more sewage samples taken from previously infected districts, taking the tally of current year’s environmental samples to 112. The confirmation was made by the Regional Refer­ence Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health which said that three samples collected from different districts of Karachi and one …

QUETTA: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday emphasized the need for a dialogue between all political forces in Balochistan stating that talks were essential to ensure development and progress though certain quarters did not want stability in the country. The president expressed these views while receiving a briefing on law and order and progress on the ongoing development projects in …

ISLAMABAD: Against a flurry of activities between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to boost trade ties, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is expected to arrive in Pakistan this month to conclude deals being negotiated between Islamabad and Riyadh. According to Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, dates for the visit had not been communicated to Pakistan, but media reports claimed that the visit was likely …

ISLAMABAD: Justice Ayesha A. Malik of the Supreme Court has ruled that parliament lacks the legislative competence to make the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023, rendering the act ultra vires of the Constitution. In an additional note in the practice and procedure case, Justice Malik stated, “The rule-making power under Article 191 of the Constitution exclusively falls within …

Lahore’s GPO Chowk on Wednesday became a battleground between riot police and lawyers after the latter staged a protest rally and attempted to enter the Lahore High Court (LHC). The lawyers’ attempts to gain entry into the high court were repelled by police, who baton-charged, fired tear gas at and used water cannons to disperse them.     Rana Bilal, …