Pakistan

Ahead of the election for the new chief minister, police officials entered the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly on Wednesday, sealing the premises and evacuating journalists and lawmakers present. A day earlier, the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court had disqualified Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid on charges of obtaining a licence from the region’s bar council based on a fake degree. Subsequently, the PTI had nominated Raja Azam …

ISLAMABAD: Two Supreme Court judges who were on the initial nine-judge bench formed to take up petitions against military courts issued separate notes late Tuesday evening, with Justice Sardar Tariq Masood stating he had not recused from the larger bench, whereas Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah said he decided to sit on the new seven-judge bench with certain reservations. The …

The Pakistani rupee gained over Rs10 against the US dollar in the interbank market on Tuesday, in the first trading session after the country secured last-minute funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the local currency closed at Rs275.44 per dollar, up 3.83 per cent. The rupee stood closed at 285.99 against the dollar …

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that as a developing country facing serious economic and environmental challenges, Pakistan has no time for the Cold War-style bloc politics that appears to be making a comeback. He was hinting at the US and China blocs amid strife in the two superpowers’ relations while addressing an event in Tokyo on Monday. The …

PESHAWAR: A special court on Monday sought record from the anti-corruption establishment (ACE) in a bail plea of central leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Ali Mohammad Khan arrested on charges of committing ‘irregularities’ in development schemes in Mardan district. Senior special anti-corruption court judge Babar Ali Khan fixed July 10 for the next hearing of the petition filed by Mr Khan …

LAHORE: PTI Chairman Imran Khan has blamed the military for the alleged abductions of journalists when he was the prime minister. In an interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan on MSNBC, aired on Monday, Mr Khan was grilled over the atrocities committed against the journalists during his reign in power when he brought up the current restrictions on media and journalists. The …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday overturned the ruling of a sessions court wherein it had rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s petition to declare the Toshkhana case inadmissible. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq pronounced the verdict reserved on June 23 on a petition filed by the former prime minister, challenging the Toshakhana trial proceedings. The verdict came a day …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, should be condemned in “clear and unambiguous terms”. He made the remarks while addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) virtual summit hosted by India. Russia and China were also among the other countries attending the meeting. “SCO member states have a shared interest in ensuring …

Acting president and Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on Tuesday issued an order increasing the monthly salaries of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) and other Supreme Court judges to Rs1.2 million and Rs1.1m, respectively. The order issued by Sanjrani dated July 3, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, said that the changes would come into effect at once and …

GILGIT/LAHORE: In a bizarre turn of events, the federal government on Wed­nesday transferred Gilgit-Baltistan Inspector General of Police (IGP) Muhammad Saeed from his post following allegations — levelled by the information minister — that GB police personnel were being pitted against Punjab police as the latter attempted to arrest PTI chief Imran Khan from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore. …