Pakistan

KOTRI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has vowed to fight the “politics of vendetta” saying he is not afraid of threats of the exit control list, National Accountability Bureau and imprisonment. Addressing a public meeting here on Saturday after inaugurating Kotri-Jamshoro overhead bridge, he said the PPP had faced “Gen Zia’s lashes and Gen Musharraf’s prisons and exile” …

LANDI KOTAL: The National Logistic Cell personnel thrashed immigration staff at Torkham border the other day for distributing stamped passports to the Afghan nationals without informing them, sources said. They confided to Dawn on condition of anonymity that the NLC officials exchanged hot words with a staff member of immigration after he distributed stamped passports to Afghan nationals without informing …

LAHORE: Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad says the government will have to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) sooner or later to improve the economic situation of the country. “In such a situation, the governments cannot avoid the IMF and the PTI government also will have to go to the IMF finally,” the minister told the media on …

GILGIT: Despite continuous snowfall and harsh temperatures, three foreign expeditions have entered decisive stages in the quest to scale the most challenging peaks of K2 and Nanga Parbat. A foreign expedition team, comprising Daniele Nardi from Italy with Britain’s Thomas Ballard and two Pakistanis Rehmatullah Baig and Karim Hayat, are currently attempting to develop a new route on Mummery Spur …

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Athar Minallah on Saturday said live coverage of judges’ speech and its subsequent airing on broadcast media is against the code of conduct of the adjudicators. During the certificate distribution ceremony of a six-day training course on “Leadership and management” for district and sessions judges held at the Federal Judicial Academy, …

GUJAR KHAN: Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Saturday said the government had reduced imports and enhanced exports and was also cutting down the fiscal deficit through its policies. He said 10 million new jobs would soon be created for the youth while 500,000 houses would be constructed for the poor as promised by the PTI government. Addressing a press …

LAHORE: Former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri said long-lasting peace between Pakistan and India is possible through people-to-people contact. “We have taken the Kartarpur initiative believing that no progress can be achieved regarding peace between the two countries without people-to-people contact. In fact, long-lasting peace is only possible through this, but unfortunately it has not begun yet,” Mr Kasuri said …

KARACHI: Retailers have pushed up prices of essential food items including sugar and vegetables prices ahead of the mini-budget which will be announced on Jan 23. Sugar now costs Rs60 per kg versus Rs55 per kg a few days ago following an increase in the wholesale price to Rs57-58 per kg from Rs55 per kg. Two months ago, the wholesale …

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) have formed a joint coordination committee to explore prospects for collaboration aimed at realising common goals and objectives. The six-member coordination committee has been established with the consent of PTI chief and Prime Minister Imran Khan and MWM chief Allama Nasir Abbas. The committee will consist of three members each …

QUETTA: A total of 119 people — including 15 police personnel — were killed and 114 injured in terrorism-related incidents in Balochistan during 2018. Twenty-five terrorists were also killed in encounters and 55 arrested in 1,245 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in the province. Inspector General of Police Mohsin Butt disclosed this while briefing reporters at his office on Friday. He said …