Pakistan

The National Institute of Health’s (NIH) National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) has confirmed 15 cases of Covid-19’s JN.1 variant, the health ministry said on Tuesday. Sajid Shah, the health ministry’s spokesperson, quoted caretaker Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan as saying that the situation was “being monitored strictly, with border health services, national and provincial health authorities, and labs fully …

Awami Muslim League (AML) leader Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was arrested on Tuesday after a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court rejected his bail in a case pertaining to violence in the country on May 9. Lawyer Sardar Abdul Razzak Khan confirmed the arrest to Dawn.com. “He will be held at the New Town Police Station overnight,” he said. The AML leader was previously arrested in September …

A Rawalpindi trial court on Tuesday indicted former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi in the Iddat case. The charges against the couple were framed by senior civil judge Qudratullah on a complaint filed by Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband Khawar Farid Maneka under Sections 34 (common intention), 496 (marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage) and 496B (fornication) of …

With election campaigns picking up steam in the country, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday said Pakistan would bury politics of “hatred and division” on February 8 while PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz said her party was prepared to work “round the clock” for the country’s development. Addressing a rally in Naudero, Bilawal said, “Politics of hate and division are ruling Pakistan …

The government will saturate Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with thousands of security forces before next month’s general election, officials said on Tuesday, as Islamabad battles rising militancy ahead of a poll. On February 8, the country will vote in delayed polls already marred by allegations of pre-poll rigging, with former prime minister Imran Khan jailed and barred from running. Previous election campaigns …

The caretaker government on Tuesday constituted a six-member joint investigation team (JIT) to “ascertain facts behind malicious social media campaign” against Supreme Court judges. According to a notification issued by the interior ministry, a copy of which is available with, the committee was formed under Section 30 (power to investigate) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. The JIT …

DAVOS: More than 80 countries held talks on Sunday seeking common ground on Ukraine’s peace formula, as the Swiss co-hosts admitted that including Russia in negotiations remains some way off. National security advisers from 83 countries held a fourth round of discussions based on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 10-point proposals for a lasting and just peace in Ukraine. The talks …

KHYBER: With officials of Pakistan and Afghanistan failing to reach an understanding regarding the visa restrictions on transporters of both countries, bilateral trade between the two neighbouring countries via the Torkham border remained suspended for a second consecutive day on Sunday. Sources at Torkham told Dawn that no headway was made in a meeting held between the border officials of the two countries late …

KARACHI: In the face of challenges after losing its iconic poll symbol ‘bat’ following a Supreme Court ruling that also rendered hundreds of its election candidates independent, the beleaguered Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Sunday launched its election campaign in Karachi where its senior vice president Sher Afzal Marwat vowed to build the momentum for polls and stage a rally in Hyderabad …

RAWALPINDI: For the third time, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) fielded a female candidate in the city area constituency, NA-56, while PTI also nominated a woman candidate for NA-57, former prime minister Imran Khan’s constituency in 2013. PPP veteran Sumera Gul will face PML-N’s Daniyal Chaudhry, PTI’s Shaheryar Riaz, and Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in NA-56 on Feb 8. The PPP …