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ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday told President Arif Alvi in so many words that he has no role in the announcement of dates for general elections to provincial assemblies and the commission is aware of its constitutional obligation in this regard. “According to Article 48(5) of the Constitution, where the National Assem­bly is dissolved by the …

LAHORE: PTI allies Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Chaudhry Parvez Elahi have backed Imran Khan’s court arrest drive (Jail Bharo Tehreek), which Mr Khan plans to launch from Lahore on Wednes­day and then expand to other cities. Both Mr Ahmed and Mr Elahi announced their support for the movement after holding separate meetings with the PTI chief on Saturday at his …

LAHORE: Claiming that Pakistan has already defaulted, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif holds ‘everyone’ including the establishment, bureaucracy, and politicians responsible for it. Speaking at a private college ceremony in Sialkot on Saturday, he said “you may have learnt that Pakistan is going bankrupt or that a default or meltdown is taking place. It has already taken place. We are living …

LAHORE: PML-N’s chief organiser Maryam Nawaz on Saturday again targeted the PDM government led by her uncle, saying she was “totally against” National Accountability Bureau’s amendments that not only defamed the anti-graft body but also benefited a number of politicians mostly of the federal ruling coalition in corruption cases. “I am totally against NAB amendments. Currently, (Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman) Imran …

ISLAMABAD: A whispering campaign is making the rounds in legal circles suggesting suo motu proceedings against a Supreme Court judge by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) if the content of recent audio leaks is found to be true, in which PML-Q leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi is purportedly heard talking to a judge by phone. The call for the SJC proceedings intensified after …

KARACHI: Taking great exception to the current state of security arrangements at government buildings and installations following an attack on heavily-guarded Karachi Police Office (KPO) in the heart of the provincial metropolis, the security administration and provincial government decided to carry out a ‘security audit’ of these facilities while seeing the assault on the law enforcement agency’s headquarters as a serious security …

ISLAMABAD: A new World Bank report on the impact of Covid-19 on South Asia’s youth says the pandemic has created 1.6 million additional idle youth in Pakistan. The report says pre-school enrollment at the end of 2021 was down by more than 15 percentage points in Pakistan. Enrollment among Pakistani children between the ages of six and 14 dropped by six percentage …

ISLAMABAD: Law­makers sitting on the opposition as well as treasury benches in the National Assembly on Friday blasted Finance Minister Ishaq Dar over his “failure” in resolving the prevailing economic crisis in the country as the lower house of parliament continued debate on the crucial IMF-dictated Finance (Supplementary) Bill, 2023, generally known as the mini-budget. Members also took the finance minister …

ISLAMABAD: As the Senate on Friday unanimously adopted recommendations on the Money Bill to amend certain laws relating to taxes and duties through the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2023, a call was given in the house to do away with perks for judges, generals and lawmakers as a step towards steering the country out of economic quagmire. Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmad, …

KARACHI: Security forces cleared a five-storey police compound on the port city’s main thoroughfare in an hours-long operation during which three militants of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed while two policemen, one Rangers official and a citizen embraced martyrdom on Friday evening. At least 19 men, mostly police and Rangers officials, sustained injuries in the exchange of fire …