Pakistan

KARACHI: While not ruling out extremism as a motive, the police authorities on Wednesday hinted at narrowing down the scope of investigation into last month’s murder of Ali Raza Abidi, former MNA and leader of a faction of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, when they claimed to have found leads suggesting that the party’s London- and South Africa-based members were in the …

KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Wednesday dismissed an application seeking to halt the proceedings of Perween Rahman’s murder trial until an order was passed by the Supreme Court on her sister’s plea for re-investigation of the case by the Federal Investigation Agency. Earlier, the same court had dismissed an application moved by the slain activist’s sister pleading to summon and …

CHARSADDA: As part of the ongoing efforts to find a political settlement to the four decades long war in Afghanistan, a delegation of Afghan government called on Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali Khan here on Wednesday. Afghanistan’s High Peace Council Chairman Mohammad Omar Daudzai was heading the delegation that also included Afghan Ambassador Atif Mashal, said a statement issued …

The Supreme Court on Thursday turned down former Malir Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Rao Anwar’s petition to have his name removed from the exit control list (ECL). Anwar is accused of being involved in the murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud — an aspiring model and shopkeeper from South Waziristan — and others in a fake police encounter in Karachi, but is currently out on …

KARACHI: An anti-encroachment operation threatening to raze the historic Urdu Bazaar in Karachi was postponed on Wednesday amidst protests by vendors and merchants. Official sources told Dawn that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation — which had launched an anti-encroachment drive late last year following the orders of the Supreme Court against illegal structures on drains, pavements and state land — formed …

KARACHI: The Pakis­tan Medical Association (PMA) on Wednesday said it would not accept the “undemocratic” ordinance promulgatedby the president of Pakistan allowing the prime minister, chief ministers, and armed forces to nominate their members to run the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), the premier body that regulated medical affairs in the country. “It is entirely undemocratic, unconstitutional and would not …

KARACHI: As efforts by Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to unite the opposition parties mainly ‘outside the parliament’ have yet to pay the dividends, National Party president Senator Hasil Khan Bizenjo won the approval of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership to pursue the course for the same objective on Wednesday. Sources privy to the development and a …

ISLAMABAD: The Fina­ncial Action Task Force (FATF) is reported to have expressed a degree of satisfaction over Pakistan’s efforts and action plan to combat money laundering and terror financing under international obligations and indicated certain areas to do more before May this year to get out of the grey list. A high-level delegation led by Finance Secretary Arif Ahmed Khan …

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MPA Khurrum Sher Zaman on Thursday said that he plans on pursuing the concealment of assets case against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in the Supreme Court as he withdrew his petition filed in the Elec­tion Commission of Pakistan (ECP). On December 21, Zaman, in his petition, had accused Zardari of owning an apartment in Belaire …

PESHAWAR: A group of tribal elders here on Tuesday demanded of the government to increase the number of provincial assembly seats in Khyber tribal district otherwise the residents of the area would launch a campaign to get the status of a separate province for the erstwhile Fata. Addressing a press conference at Peshawar press Club, the elders, led by Bazaar …