Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The judiciary came under fire in the upper house of parliament on Friday over remarks given by judges the previous day, which were seen by lawmakers as ‘political’ and ‘against parliament and the legislative processes’. Senators belonging to various political parties voiced their objections to observations made by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, who said during a hearing …

Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar on Saturday suspended two senior cops for failing to prevent the mob lynching of a man over blasphemy allegations in Nankana Sahib, a Punjab Police statement said. The IG took notice of the incident as videos circulating on social media purportedly showed a violent mob outside a police station in Nankana Sahib. …

Yahoo said on Thursday it plans to lay off more than 20% of its total workforce as part of a major restructuring of its ad tech division. The cuts will impact nearly 50% of Yahoo’s ad tech employees by the end of this year, including nearly 1,000 employees this week, the company said. Yahoo, which is owned by private equity …

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial on Friday rejected the notion that the country was headed towards bankruptcy and asked the government to adopt measures to stem foreign currency smuggling. A three-member bench headed by Justice Bandial resumed a hearing into the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) challenge to the Lahore High Court’s bar on the taxman from …

Supreme Court Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, while hearing PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s petition against the August 2022 amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance on Friday, asked whether boycotting Parliament and then going to court was not weakening parliamentary democracy. After coming into power in April, the incumbent PDM government passed the Nati­onal Accountability (Second Amendment) Act 2022 — a move that was …

Pakistan’s economy can grow sustainably only if the country introduces “productivity-enhancing reforms that facilitate a better allocation of resources and talent”, a World Bank press release summarising its new report said on Friday. The report, titled ‘From swimming in sand to high and sustainable growth’, asked for resources to be allocated to more dynamic activities and for talent to be allocated to more productive …

At least two Levies Force personnel were martyred and three others were wounded in a blast in Balochistan’s Kohlu on Friday afternoon, security and rescue officials said. According to Levies Constable Jamal Shah, a vehicle unit was out on a routine patrol in the central area of Kohlu when a roadside bomb went off. “Two security personnel were martyred in …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that the federal government has established a Rs10 billion relief fund for earthquake-hit Turkiye and urged people across Pakistan to “generously donate” for the victims. Speaking at a ceremony at an airport in Lahore, from where relief goods are being sent to Turkiye, the premier said that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) …

ISLAMABAD: PTI lawmakers’ bid to return to the National Assembly was thwarted on Thursday when the deputy speaker abruptly prorogued the session. The lawmakers had arrived at the assembly a day after the Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended the speaker’s decision to accept the resignation of 43 PTI lawmakers and the subsequent move by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to de-notify …

LAHORE: The LHC spokesperson said on Thursday a letter written to the Multan stadium manager for the provision of VVIP passes of the Pakistan Super League’s opening ceremony for the judges and their families was a ‘misunderstanding’ and had been withdrawn. “The letter was issued on account of misunderstanding and as and when the matter came to the notice of …