Pakistan

RAWALPINDI: Snow on mountains and rains accompanied with gusty winds with occasional gaps are expected in upper parts of the country, including Rawalpindi and Islamabad, from October 14 to October 17. The wet spell will bring chill in the air and drop the temperature significantly, the Met Office said. A westerly system is likely to enter upper parts of the …

KARACHI: As police on Thursday registered a case against the owner of the building that collapsed in Shah Faisal Colony on Wednesday, in which five people were killed, interim Sindh Chief Minister retired Justice Maqbool Baqar questioned the role of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and suspended its four officers while setting up an inquiry committee to probe into the incident. …

ISLAMABAD: As the Islam­abad High Court (IHC) said the pendency of related petitions in the court has no bearing on the cipher trial of former prime minister Imran Khan, currently underway at a special court, the PTI chairman expressed his resolve to stick to his demand for ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ and “free and fair elections”. This is the first message issued by the …

Hundreds of Pakistanis took to the streets in several parts of the country today to protest Israel’s siege and fierce bombing on the Gaza Strip, demanding an end to the oppression of the Palestinian people. Gaza is being bombed by the Israeli military after the Hamas group launched a surprise offensive on Saturday. Israel has put Gaza — home to 2.3 million people …

HYDERABAD: A teenage boy died and his cousin and four police constables suffered injuries in disturbances that broke out over an incident of alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in Pinjrapole area late on Wednesday night. The riots continued into the wee hours of Thursday in which enraged mobs torched a number of motorcycles and smashed windowpanes of a police …

KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided to set up ‘housing facilities’ in Karachi and Sukkur to lodge illegal Afghan immigrants before their deportation, it emerged on Thursday. Sources told Dawn that a meeting, held here at the Sindh home department on Thursday, decided to form a high-level committee comprising officials of civil and military representatives to oversee repatriation of illegal Afghan refugees from …

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf has stated that there may be an “understanding” in place for the return of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif. The statement comes a day after interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar dismissed the impression that Nawaz’s decision to return to Pakistan was a part of any deal with the caretaker government. In an interview with World Echo News, …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has, in the wake of top judiciary’s verdict upholding the Practice and Procedure Act 2023, decided to challenge the Supreme Court’s Sept 15 ruling in which it had declared as illegal the amended National Accountability Ordinance (NAO). Talking to , Attor­ney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan said the appeal is likely to be moved early next week Permission …

ISLAMABAD: In a split, but anticipated decision, the Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a law formulated to regulate the affairs of the top court, with a caveat that the right to appeal provided against a decision taken under Article 184(3) will not be applicable retrospectively. Headed by CJP Qazi Faez Isa, the full court announced the judgement at 6:25pm from …

ISLAMABAD: Voicing concerns over the prevailing political uncertainty in the country, representatives of the country’s mainstream political parties, civil society, media and academia on Wednesday cast doubt over the fairness of the upcoming general elections. Speaking at a “consultative session” on “How to ensure free and fair general elections?” organised by Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat), the …