Pakistan

QUETTA: A two-member bench of the Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Friday rejected the Balochistan Appellate Tribunal’s decision to disqualify Nawabzada Jamal Khan Raisani, PPP’s candidate for National Assembly constituency NA-264, Quetta, and declared him eligible to contest the election. Mr Raisani had filed his nomination papers for contesting polls on NA-264, Quetta, which were accepted by the returning officer, but Sardar …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government is contemplating instituting an appeal before the Supreme Court against its 2023 Afiya Shehrbano Zia judgement, which held that judges who retire or resign do not fall within the ambit of Article 209 of the Constitution that determines misconduct of superior court judges. The information was laid by Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan …

ISLAMABAD: The case of the capital’s renowned skyscraper, One Constitution Avenue, has become a little more complex after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) informed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that flat allottees in the high-rise could not seek the court’s intervention in their dispute with the building’s owner. The development is part of a broader case concerning the termination of the lease …

LAHORE: The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) has assured Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari of its full support in the National Assembly’s constituency NA-127 (Lahore-XI) from where the PPP chairman is contesting the Feb 8 election. The assurance came during a visit of Mr Bhutto-Zardari to the PAT secretariat here on Friday. Talks between the two parties were already going on for the last …

CHAKWAL: After sensing the danger of losing its iconic symbol ‘bat’, the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has chalked out a plan B: forging an alliance with its splinter PTI-Nazriati group to use the ‘batsman’ symbol for its candidates, learnt on Friday. Sources privy to the developments said that an accord had been reached between the two parties after negotiations. “After the Election …

LAHORE: Baffled by the PML-N decision of not ‘honouring’ the seat adjustment formula, PML-Q has accused the former of practising double standards and decided to go solo in the Feb 8 elections. Since PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif visited PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Dec 6, there was a buzz that both parties would go into the polls as an alliance and …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), facing uncertainty over the retention of its ‘bat’ symbol, issued a list of its candidates for 234 of the total 266 National Assembly seats on Friday for the upco­ming general elections. The list, which includes 20 women and 20 advocates, was released by the party’s central secretariat. While the line-up features several prominent PTI leaders and former legislators, …

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Saturday observed that violation of the PTI’s party constitution was “proved” to the extent of the party chairman’s election. Justice Isa said, “The PTI’s constitution says that the chairman shall be elected every two years while other [members] every three years. Violation of the party constitution is proved to this extent.” …

ISLAMABAD: A national roundtable convened by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Thursday called for the establishment of a statutory national commission for the rights of minorities as per the recommendation of the 2014 Supreme Court Jillani judgement. HRCP’s director Farah Zia recalled that the national commission for minorities that was set up in 2020 failed to meet …

ISLAMABAD: Despite an announcement by the party chairman, PTI could not finalise the list of candidates for the upcoming general elections till late night on Thursday. While talking to the media outside the Adiala Jail in the afternoon, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said the announcement would be made by 11pm. “Consultation [with Imran] regarding tickets has been completed. Insha …