Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Senator Kalsoom Parveen on Thursday criticised the government decision to vacate land near Park Road to develop a housing society for lawyers, judges and bureaucrats. During a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works, Senator Parveen announced that she would bring affected people – those whose land is acquired for the development – to the next …

KARACHI: The Sindh wildlife conservator has been transferred and an officer of the forest department besides being allowed to continue in his own position, has been given the additional charge of the wildlife conservator, it has been learnt. According to sources, the development is against the superior judiciary’s directives which had recently expressed concern over influential officials of one department …

LAHORE: The Punjab government on Thursday told the Lahore High Court that it did not intend to allow kite flying or Basant festival during the coming spring season, however, it will take a balanced decision to permit the activity in future. During hearing of petitions against the government’s plan to allow the activity, a provincial law officer submitted a report …

LAHORE: The Sharif family members and some PML-N leaders on Thursday visited the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Kot Lakhpat jail here. The PML-N leaders warned the government that if anything happened to the imprisoned ex-premier the people would be on roads. Those who visited Mr Sharif included his daughter Maryam Nawaz, his mother Shamim Akhtar, son-in-law retired …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court will resume on Feb 18 hearing of appeals filed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the verdict in the Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references. Mr Sharif has challenged the conviction and seven-year sentence awarded to him in the Al-Azizia/Hill Metal Establishment reference, while NAB in its appeal sought …

ISLAMABAD: The opposition in the Senate on Thursday rejected the mini-budget as an attempt to appease the corporate sector, multinationals and capitalists. Taking part in the discussion on the money bill, senators from the opposition criticised the government for what they called a ‘directionless policy’, and its failure to address issues facing growers. They said that the government was adding to citizens’ problems …

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Shah on Friday took notice of the disconnection of a water line to the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation in Karachi and ordered that supply be restored by the evening. Upon learning that SIUT was not being supplied with water, the chief minister telephoned the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) managing director who informed …

RAWALPINDI: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor on Thursday rejected reports in Indian newspaper Hindustan Times that Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had approached his Indian counterpart for talks. The Indian publication reported that Gen Bajwa had approached the Indian chief of the army staff for talks and that both had served together in …

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday witnessed an unusual scene when the government itself provoked the opposition into creating a rumpus by directly targeting the opposition leadership, including Shahbaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari. At the outset of the sitting, which started nearly two hours late on a private members’ day, presiding officer Munaza Hassan of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf …

Special Assistant to Prime Minister Syed Zulfi Bukhari on Wednesday informed Iraqi President Barham Salih that Pakistani is seeking an increase in its labour force in Iraq amid development activities in the country. Bukhari, during an official visit, met President Salih at the Presidential Office in Baghdad to discuss matters related to the Pakistani labour force in the country. He …