Pakistan

GILGIT: Political parties, students and religious and civil society organisations on Sunday announced starting a joint protest movement for permanent settlement of political status of Gilgit-Baltistan. Protest demonstrations were organised by GB residents in Skardu, Islamabad and Karachi. The protesters rejected the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s judgment regarding the GB status and said if the region cannot be declared a …

LAHORE/QUETTA: A strong westerly wave caused widespread showers across the country along with snowfall over the hills, breaking a long dry spell in Balochistan and bringing the temperature further down on Sunday. The meteorological de­­partment reported snowfall over the hills in northern areas, Khyber Pakhtun­khwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Balochistan. Except the areas of lower Sindh, most parts of …

PESHAWAR: The organisers of the first-ever women’s cycle rally in Peshawar have resolved to rearrange the event in a month or two after taking the clerics and leaders of various religio-political parties into confidence. The rally, which was to be held on Saturday at Hayatabad sports complex, was cancelled after opposition from some religio-political parties. Speaking at a press conference …

ISLAMABAD: Asserting that rebidding for the Rs309 billion contract of Mohmand dam project should be allowed to ensure transparency in the award of the contract, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif on Friday requested Speaker Asad Qaisar to form a parliamentary committee to investigate the matter. However, Mr Qaisar did not accept the demand for a …

GUJRANWALA: The PML-N central leadership has asked the local party cadres to get united and support Gujranwala Corporation Mayor Sheikh Sarwat Ikram if the opposition brings a no-confidence motion against him. Mr Ikram had been elected as corporation mayor following the last local government elections on PML-N ticket but following the change of governments in centre and province after 2018 …

GILGIT/ISLAMABAD: While harsh weather conditions at high altitudes are making it difficult for three foreign expedition teams, which are attempting to scale the world’s second highest peak K2 and the ‘killer mountain’ Nanga Parbat, the mountaineers are determined to achieve their goals. The two K2 expedition teams are now teaming up to increase the chance of their success. According to …

KARACHI: The future of thousands of students of Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) is at stake following a decision of the Supreme Court regarding handing over the control of Karachi’s three major hospitals to the federal government, it emerged on Saturday. The verdict had come on a Sindh government appeal filed against a 2016 decision of the Sindh High Court, …

ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel has taken serious notice of a tragic incident in Karachi, involving the death of a young man after his head got stuck in an ‘automatic’ door at the entrance to a five-star hotel. Senate Standing Committee on Interior chairman Rehman Malik directed the Sindh inspector general police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate how …

KARACHI: The Twitter account of Punjab chief minister’s spokesperson Dr Shahbaz Gill was suspended on Saturday by the micro-blogging site. Upon visiting the handle @ShabazGill — followed by nearly 48,000 people — a notification ‘Account suspended’ appears. The error notification states the account has been suspended “for violating Twitter rules”. According to Twitter’s website, accounts may be suspended for violation …

HYDERABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Hyderabad chapter on Saturday strongly criticised the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) — the party’s coalition partner at the Centre — for “blackmailing” the federal government by threatening to quit it. Speaking at a press conference at the local press club, PTI Hyderabad district president Dr Mustansar Billah, general secretary Faisal Mughal and other office-bearers including Nawab …