Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: As the country has virtually entered election mode, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to continue his inauguration drive till the expiry of the government’s tenure in August. Dawn has learnt that the premier will continue to unveil the plaques of various projects and initiatives over the next few weeks. Observers believed that the prime minister wanted to claim credit …

LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday accused former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar of being the main architect of the disqualification of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif. “Former chief justice Saqib Nisar was the ringleader of the gang of conspirators. He, in connivance with others, got Nawaz Sharif disqualified,” PM Shehbaz said while inaugurating the construction of a link road to …

PESHAWAR: A day after the Election Commi­ssion of Pakistan (ECP) asked for the removal of caretaker provincial minister Shahid Khattak amid reports of his addressing a public meeting of the Awami National Party (ANP), Mr Khattak resigned from his portfolio citing ‘personal commitments’. “It is stated that I am unable to continue as caretaker provincial minister due to some personal …

One person was killed while five others were missing after a passenger van plunged into the Indus River in Gilgit, officials said on Monday. Mazhar Maghul, the spokesperson for the district administration, told Dawn.com that the incident occurred at seven in the morning near Sasi area of the Haramosh valley. A van carrying tourists from Rajanpur, Punjab lost control due to the …

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday barred authorities from arresting PTI Chairman Imran Khan till August 9 in a case pertaining to the murder of lawyer Abdul Razzaq Shar in Quetta. A three-member bench led by Justice Yahya Afridi and comprising Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Mussarat Hilali issued the directives while hearing Imran’s plea seeking to quash the …

GILGIT: Flash floods triggered by glacial lake outbursts continued to wreak havoc across Gilgit-Baltistan, damaging at least 10 houses and two shops and destroying two vehicles and a motorcycle in Yasin Valley of Ghizer district on Saturday, police officials said. Link roads to the valley have also been disconnected. The floods also swept away standing crops and corn fields, cherry …

ISLAMABAD: After concluding its four-day visit to Pakistan, Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) stated that the interruption of wild poliovirus transmission was possible in six months, a period critical to eradicating the virus. A high-level delegation of the GPEI, including the Polio Oversight Board, visited Pakistan to discuss the impact of political transition on eradication efforts and the strategies in …

QUETTA: Mediating ef­forts spearheaded by Nawab Aslam Raisani, chief of the Sarawan tribe, and elders of Jhalawan clan bore fruit as both warring factions of the Mengal tribe agreed on a ceasefire for an indefinite period, bringing an end to the clashes that kept Wadh town tense for three days. Seven people were injured during the fighting, and several government …

ISLAMABAD: A constable was arrested for allegedly raping a six-month pregnant woman, police said on Saturday. The constable has been in police custody on a two-day physical remand, they added. A police officer told Dawn the constable had been associated with the capital police’s Dolphin Emergency Response Unit. He was deputed to patrol the area of Noon police station where he raped …

LAHORE / BAHAWALPUR: Police on Saturday arrested another official of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) on drug charges, a day after the varsity’s chief of security was detained for allegedly possessing crystal meth and ‘objectionable’ videos and images of IUB students and staff members. On the other hand, a special report by police claimed that a “group of teachers” …