Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Announcing that the printing of ballot papers for upcoming general elections will be completed by Feb 2, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday said it has started dispatching ballot papers to respective districts by air and by road with the help of security personnel. The ECP’s spokesman, Syed Nadeem Haider, in a statement said that preparations for …

ISLAMABAD: As the Supreme Court emphasised journalists should not be booked over a social media campaign against superior judges, Attor­ney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan assured the apex court that criminal cases will not be registered against reporters since “honest criticism” of a judgement was not a crime. Led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, a three-member bench also …

Interim Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai on Tuesday said that six militants were killed after security for­ces thwarted three terror attacks in the province’s Mach town last night. Security for­ces had thwarted three “coordinated attacks” launched by terrorists using rockets and sophisticated weapons in Mach town on Monday night, some 70km from the provincial capital, officials said. While Achakzai had initially attributed …

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court (LHC) full bench on Monday allowed an opportunity to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit a reply to a petition of former prime minister Imran Khan challenging his jail trial in a contempt case by the commission. The bench, comprising Justice Aalia Neelum, Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry and Justice Asjad Javed Ghural, heard …

Pakistan’s ranking on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has improved by seven spots from 140 out of 180 countries in 2022 to 133 in 2023, Transparency International said in a report on Tuesday. The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public-sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople. It relies on 13 independent data sources and uses a …

A special court established under the Official Secrets Act on Tuesday handed both former premier Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi 10 years in jail in the cipher case. The cipher case pertains to a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency’s charge sheet alleges was never returned by Imran. The PTI has long held that the document contained a threat from the United …

RAWALPINDI: As the political environment is highly charged in the country with political parties making their canvassing efforts, supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf clashed with police in different parts of Rawalpindi city where Pakistan People’s Party was holding a public rally at Liaquat Bagh on Sunday. Police took more than 25 workers of the PTI into custody for violating Section 144 …

GILGIT: Routine life was disrupted as Gilgit-Baltistan remained shut for the third day on Sunday due to protests against increase in subsidised wheat prices and other grievances. A complete shutterdown and wheel-jam strike was observed on the third consecutive day on Sunday across GB. Protest demonstrations were held across the region, and protesters marched to Gilgit from Nagar, Hunza, and …

LAHORE: Three foreigner tourists cycling in the Sadiqabad area on their way to Lahore have raised serious allegations of assault and sexual harassment against the Punjab police whose jurisdictions they entered on Jan 25. A video of an attack on them by a policeman surfaced on Saturday while it transpired on Sunday that it was one of many alleged assaults …

RAWALPINDI: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Sunday directed the chief secretaries of four provinces and the chief commissioner of Islamabad to ensure foolproof security arrangements during the upcoming general elections. The Election Commission has also directed district police officers (DPOs) to prepare security and contingency plans, which primarily cover pre-poll, polling day and post-poll activities, to hold the …