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“National security” — a term abused so frequently by successive governments in Pakistan that it would be better off archived. Over the years, the term has been stripped of its true essence — devolved to an enervating level of widespread dismissal among many of us; mutated into an ugly weapon and spiked with alarmingly sweeping conditions. From the deepest recesses …

PTI Senator Shibli Faraz was appointed the new opposition leader in the Senate on Monday. Former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan had nominated Faraz for the position last week and he was widely seen to take the role with the endorsement of 21 senators. According to a notification issued by the Senate Secretariat, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, …

The Punjab government on Monday announced a local holiday on April 23 (Tuesday) in the Lahore district to avoid inconvenience to the public ahead of the visit of foreign dignitaries, including Iranian President Dr Ebrahim Raisi. The Iranian president is currently in Pakistan on an official trip from April 22 to April 24 (Wednesday). The Foreign Office had said that …

The ruling PML-N on Monday emerged victorious in by-elections held on 21 national and provincial seats, according to provisional results released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). On Sunday, by-polls were held across the country amid allegations of “record rigging”, temporary suspension of cellular services in specific districts of Punjab and Balochistan and multiple incidents of violence, leading to the death of a PML-N …

Eleven terrorists were killed by security forces in two separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan and North Waziristan districts, the military’s media wing said on Monday. A press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the operations took place last night. It said that an intelligence-based operation was conducted in Dera Ismail Khan district on the reported presence …

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Saturday allotted portfolios to cabinet members who took oath the other day, more than a month after the formation of the provincial government. According to an official notification issued by the Services and General Administration, the chief minister allocated portfolios to 13 ministers and four advisers to chief minister. The portfolios of finance, …

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Saturday demolished some structures at a tennis club – named after slain prime minister Benazir Bhutto – located on Embassy Road, prompting a strong response from the PPP which claimed that the civic body violated the stay order of the court. The civic agency claimed that as per the directions of the Islamabad …

CHAKWAL: A neck-and-neck contest is likely to be witnessed in PP-22 (Chakwal-cum-Talagang) between candidates of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in the by-election on Sunday (today). PP-22, a sub-constituency of NA-59, was won by PML-N candidate Sardar Ghulam Abbas who was also victorious in NA-59 in the Feb 8 polls. Mr Abbas, …

Polls are under way on 21 national and provincial seats as cellular services were temporarily suspended in “specific districts” of Punjab and Balochistan to “safeguard” the electoral process. According to a statement issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Saturday, “cellular services will be temporarily suspended in specific districts of Punjab and Balochistan during the by-elections” on April 21 …

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Sunday that Iranian President Dr Ebrahim Raisi would undertake an official visit to Pakistan from April 22 (Monday) to April 24 (Wednesday). In a statement, the FO said this would be the first visit by any head of state to Pakistan after the February 8 general elections. “The Iranian president will be accompanied by his …