Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The US State De­­partment has honoured a Pakistan police officer, Zaheer Ahmed, as one of the eight anti-trafficking heroes of 2023 while acknowledging that the country has increased its efforts to curb human trafficking. The honour list was announced on Thursday at a special event in Washington where Secretary of State Antony Blinken also released the annual Trafficking in Persons …

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday said that addressing the country’s domestic issues requires the quick rebuilding of ties, restoring trust with key capitals and reinvigorating extensive engagement with traditional partners. He said Pakistan is committed to forging good relations with all major powers, which includes not only the US and China but also Europe, Russia, Japan and Asean …

ISLAMABAD: Following the Covid-19 crisis and given Pakistan’s generally poor health outcomes, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Friday deemed it necessary to campaign for the right to health to be made a fundamental right. This observation was made at a national roundtable held on the need to recognise the right to health as an independent fundamental right …

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Friday passed a bill seeking to limit the disqualification of lawmakers to five years with retrospective effect, a move rejected by the opposition as “person-specific legislation”. The wraps were pulled off the cleverly drafted law in yet another dramatic move, after a bill originally seeking to empower the Election Commi­ssion of Pakistan (ECP) to unilaterally announce …

ISLAMABAD: Tax exemptions in next year’s budget are “triggers” for economic growth, the government said in response to International Mone­­­t­ary Fund’s concerns, but insisted that it was not rigid about its spending plans and was “keenly engaged with the IMF to reach an amicable solution”. The government also anno­unced that about $2.3 billion in Chinese loans would be rolled over …

ISLAMABAD: After being re-elected president of the PML-N for four years, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday the party post was temporary and would be given back to Nawaz Sharif upon his return to the country. “Nawaz Sharif will return from abroad to lead the country to progress and prosperity after becoming prime minister for the fourth time,” he …

KETI BANDAR: Life began returning to normal on Sindh’s coast after days of panic and preparations ahead of Biparjoy’s landfall, with the storm packing sustained winds of up to 125 kilometres per hour as it struck India’s Gujarat on Thursday, but then weakening overnight. More than 180,000 people in Sindh and the neighbouring Indian state of Gujarat fled the path …

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Saturday urged the government to “immediately investigate” the capsizing of a fishing boat earlier this week that killed at least 78 people, with Pakistanis feared to be among the dead. On Wednesday, an overloaded boat — with around 750 people on board according to a European rescue support charity — sank in open seas off …

Cyclone Biparjoy — which hit India’s Gujarat coast near the border with Pakistan on Thursday — weakened into a depression by Saturday morning, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said, declaring it safe for fishermen in Balochistan to venture into the sea starting today and for those in Sindh from tomorrow. Biparjoy, which means “calamity” in Bengali, had hit the state …

A bill seeking amendments to the Elections Act 2017, aimed at empowering the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce poll dates unilaterally without having to consult the president, sailed through the Senate on Friday. The Elections (Amendment) Bill 2023 was moved by State Minister Shahadat Awan amid protests by senators belonging to Jamaat-i-Islami and the opposition PTI. According to …