Pakistan

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday reinstated PML-Q leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as the Punjab chief minister after he submitted an undertaking assuring that he would not dissolve the provincial assembly until the next hearing. The court issued the directives as a five-member bench took up Elahi’s plea challenging Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman’s orders to de-notify him as the provincial …

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Deputy Speaker Mahmood Jan remained unhurt on Friday as shots were fired near a gathering he was attending in Peshawar’s Shagai area, police said. “Mahmood Jan remained unhurt in the attack,” SSP Operations Peshawar Police Kashif Abbasi told Dawn.com. He added that the police were conducting a search operation in the area to arrest the miscreants. The motive …

RAWALPINDI: Due to poor visibility and fog in Lahore, Pakistan International Airlines on Wednes­day decided to shift all international flight operations between 10pm and 11am from the capital of Punjab to Islamabad. The rescheduling of flights during these hours is temporary and will be restored as soon as the foggy conditions improve, according to the national flag carrier. A PIA …

WASHINGTON: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has suggested letting neighbouring countries know that the outlawed TTP is an “absolute red line” for Pakistan and it would not allow anyone to cross that line. “As far as the TTP (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) is concerned, it’s absolutely our red line. It is something that we will not tolerate,” said the foreign minister while speaking …

ISLAMABAD: The government has summoned an emergency session of the National Assembly on Thursday (today) to get Islamabad’s local government amendment bill passed, with an aim to increase the number of union councils and seek direct election for the post of mayor. The session has been convened by President Dr Arif Alvi at a time when political parties are already …

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Thursday said Chaudhry Parvez Elahi had “constitutionally” ceased to be the Punjab chief minister after skipping the vote of confidence. On December 19, Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman had asked Elahi to take a vote of confidence by 4pm yesterday. Subsequently, Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan had disposed of the governor’s order, saying that the instructions were “against the Constitution …

PESHAWAR: As some semblance of normalcy returned to Bannu on Wednesday, a day after an operation against terrorists, the under-fire KP government refused to accept the blame for the resurgence of terrorism, saying it was the responsibility of the Centre to tackle the issue. Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in a media talk declared that ‘fighting militancy’ was the mandate of …

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to attract foreign investment into the country, the federal government is looking towards the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to launch new housing schemes for expatriates to boost country’s dollar reserves. The civic body has prepared a presentation which would likely be given to the prime minister on Thursday (today) in light of his directives pertaining to …

ISLAMABAD: In a family suit, the Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and appellate court decisions for dissolution of a marriage by way of khula and restored the decree of a family court to dissolve the marriage on the basis of cruelty inflicted by a man on his wife. While the family court after recording …

ISLAMABAD: PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif got the first benefit from the recent amendment in the accountability law when a court on Wednesday returned a Toshakhana reference to the anti-graft watchdog that had implicated him as well as PPP leader Asif Zardari and former premier Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani as accused. The reference, relating to vehicles obtained by the two leaders …