Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The federal capital is likely to house two more five-star hotels as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has moved a summary seeking the federal cabinet’s approval for the construction of these hotels in Sector F-5. Sources in the interior ministry said the summary was prepared by the CDA in light of a decision taken in a meeting chaired by …

ISLAMABAD: Presi­d­ent Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday called on Chi­nese and Australian investors to capitalise on opportunities across various se­c­tors in Pakistan, inclu­d­ing agriculture, trade, economy, and infrastructure. During a meeting with Luo Zha­o­hui, chairman of the China Inter­national Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), who met Mr Zardari at Aiwan-i-Sadr along with a delegation, the president said Pakis­tan and China enjoyed …

ISLAMABAD: Brother of senior journalist and anchorperson Mateen Haider went missing on Wednesday, with the family expressing fears that he had been abducted. Talking to Dawn, Mateen Haider said his brother, Prof Arfeen Haider, who taught history and Pak Studies at OPF College, was taken away by a group of men from a metro station on The Mall in Rawalpindi on …

LAHORE: The Pakis­tan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), in collaboration with five other opposition parties, will launch a mass protest movement against what it calls “worst-ever rigging” in the general elections and subsequent by-polls, on Friday (tomorrow). On Wednesday, an online meeting of PTI Punjab office-bearers, MNAs, MPAs and ticket-holders was held to discuss the issue and chalk out a plan for Friday’s …

LONDON: MQM sup­remo Altaf Hussain appe­ared in a UK High Court on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a two-day hearing in his appeal against the MQM-P in a case related to London properties. The court heard arguments from both sides and reserved its verdict, which is expected this week. Last year, the MQM-P had triumphed over Mr Hussain when the court …

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has accepted another plea against the PTI’s intra-party elections, sources told Dawn on Wednesday. The electoral watchdog seems to be meting out ‘special treatment’ to the party, as it has been issued a notice over alleged irregularities in intra-party polls, conducted on the ECP orders on March 3. The party had filed documents related to its intra-party …

KARACHI: As Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sat down with the business community to find ways to uplift the economy through exports, his resolve was met with apprehensions from industry leaders who said it was “almost impossible” to do business under the current circumstances, particularly with high energy costs and inconsistent government policies. Posing tough questions during an hour-long meeting at …

ISLAMABAD: Disquiet is gro­wing within the ranks of the Su­­p­reme Court Bar Association (SCBA) over the indecision on its response to a letter, written by six judges of the Islamabad High Court, alleging meddling in judicial affairs by intelligence agencies. A similar reluctance is evident on the part of the government, which may not furnish any reply or suggestion to …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday suspended till May 6 a recent city administration notification that had reduced the prices of roti. On April 14, the Punjab government slashed the price of roti, followed by a similar decision by the Islamabad administration. The Punjab government had reduced the prices of roti from Rs20 to Rs16 while the price of naan was …

ISLAMABAD: Considered to be one of the first cases in the history of Pakistan, the Rawalpindi Drug Court has awarded imprisonment and heavy fines to the CEO and other employees of a pharmaceutical company in a case involving a medicine that was found to be ‘substandard’. The company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which is considered one of the most credible and well-reputed …