Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday formally constituted a committee to monitor the implementation of ‘ambitious’ austerity measures announced a few days ago. A notification regarding the constitution of the committee was issued at the directive of the prime minister. The seven-member committee included Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, IT and Telecommunication Minis­ter Syed Aminul …

KARACHI: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday accused the judiciary of double standard, alleging it penalised one leader but protected another, and called for expanding accountability laws to cover both past and present judges. In a hard-hitting speech, which came two days after a similar address by PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz Sharif in which she called for accountability in …

ISLAMABAD: While efforts are being apparently made to avoid polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to ‘poor’ security, a report released by an independent think tank claimed that situation in the country is not as bad as it was during the 2008 and 2013 general elections. The situation was bleak before the 2008 elections as just months before the …

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Monday granted the police a three-day remand of defence analyst and retired Lieutenant General Amjad Shoaib, following his arrest after a magistrate registered a case against him on charges of inciting the public against state institutions. The first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was lodged at the Ramna …

On the fourth anniversary of Operation Swift Retort, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that while the government aimed for peace with all, it was “mindful of our duty to defend the country”. On February 27, 2019, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had shot down two Indian planes that had violated Pakistani airspace. One of the Indian pilots was captured …

In an unexpected development, five judges of the Supreme Court — instead of a nine-member bench — on Monday resumed hearing the suo motu proceedings regarding the delay in the announcement of a date for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The original bench included: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial Justice Ijazul Ahsan Justice Syed Mansoor Ali …

The home of a Palestinian man behind a fatal attack on Israelis is to be demolished by Israeli authorities, even though it was built with compensation paid to them after one of their relatives was killed by an Israeli. The entrances to the east Jerusalem home of Fatima Alqam, her husband Moussa and four children were sealed within days after …

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) on Saturday made history by electing a woman secretary for the first time since its inception way back in 1893. Sabahat Rizvi bagged 4,310 votes against her two male rivals to become secretary of the LHCBA in the election held for the year 2023-24. This was her first election. She has association …

ISLAMABAD: Two labourers were killed and four others sustained injuries when a shuttering of the under-construction Bhara Kahu flyover collapsed on Saturday morning. According to some eye-witnesses, the shuttering collapsed all of a sudden and the labourers working under it were buried under its wreckage, consisting of iron rods and pipes. The other labourers present at the site and people …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to evict police officials illegally occupying 200 government flats since 2007. The court also ordered registration of criminal cases against the officials for encroaching on CDA’s properties. An IHC division bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri while deciding an intra-court appeal of …