Pakistan

GILGIT: Babusar Pass has been closed for traffic earlier than usual in the wake of snowfall, officials said on Saturday. Diamer Deputy Com­m­is­sioner Arif Ahmed told that the route has been temporarily closed and can reopen only if the weather improves and snow clears. The route is usually closed for vehicular traffic for eight months from November to June due …

LAHORE: Thousands of teachers across Punjab are resisting the caretaker government’s decision to privatise 1,000 public schools in Punjab and amend the pension regulations. By holding protests and strikes in the major cites as well as the districts, they are demanding the government revoke its decision to hand over the schools to the Muslim Hands Pakistan, a non-governmental organisation (NGO). …

KARACHI: Ending days of speculations that followed the Sindh government’s decision to hold afresh the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2023, interim Health Minister Dr Saad Khalid Niaz said on Saturday that the provincial government proposed Nov 19 as the date for re-conducting the exam for which aspiring candidates would not be charged any fee. “November 19 has …

ISLAMABAD: The pendency of criminal cases in the federal capital has exceeded 18,000, with a majority of the suspects going scot-free as a result of archaic laws, weak prosecution, and flawed investigation. According to court statistics, currently, 9,369 criminal cases are pending with the Sessions Division (West) of Islamabad whereas the total pendency of Sessions Division East is 8,660. The …

PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday said that his party would resist any attempt of keeping it out of politics. Addressing Mufti Mehmood Conference in provincial capital, he said that they wanted to proceed towards elections and strengthen democracy in the country. Without naming anyone, he said warned those, who were trying to “fraudulently keep them …

ISLAMABAD: Despite the controversial rejection of two successive requisitions to summon the Senate session in the recent past, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has been making efforts for the past five days to seek required support for the requisition of a Senate session — this time to discuss the unfolding situation in Gaza. So far, its efforts have failed to yield the required …

As the conflict between Israel and Hamas continued to rage on, Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Sunday equated Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza and the siege of the territory to conducting genocide against the people of Palestine. The statement comes after Israel imposed a “total siege” to stop food and fuel from reaching the enclave of 2.3 million people, many poor …

ISLAMABAD: Short-term inflation hit a new high for the fifth week in a row as the retail price of petroleum products soared, according to official data released on Friday. Measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), short-term inflation saw a year-on-year increase of 38.28 per cent for the week ending on Oct 12. This is the second-highest increase in five …

KARACHI: A delegation of Transport Canada will visit Pakistan in December to conduct a flight and airport security audit. Canada is expected to conduct a security audit of direct flights and airports in Pakistan in December. The Transport Canada delegation will arrive in Karachi in the first week of December and audit the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) direct flights to …

PESHAWAR: Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Friday said that different political parties have different opinions rega­r­ding the general election, but the caretaker government will hold polls as soon as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announces the schedule. “Every political party registered with the ECP is entitled to file [nomination papers] for its candidate,” the caretaker PM said, while …