Pakistan

LAHORE: At the time when Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan is going all out to get the Punjab Assembly dissolved, Chief Minister Parvez Elahi’s move to appoint Khayal Ahmad Kastro as another provincial minister has created ripples in the ranks of the PTI. Adding insult to injury, a source in the PTI said even the party chairman did not know …

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the special joint investigation team (JIT) formed to probe the killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya to submit a progress report every two weeks. The court issued the directives as a five-member bench, comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Jamal Mandokhel, Justice Syed Mazahar Ali …

ISLAMABAD: A two-member fact-finding team consisting of officers from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has concluded that the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif was a “planned targeted assassination” which purportedly involved “transnational characters”. In a 592-page report submitted to the five-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, the investigators contested the …

The Islamabad High Court on Thursday barred the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from arresting Suleman Shehbaz, the son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is expected to return to Pakistan this week after four years of self-exile in London. Suleman has been in London with his family since 2018, when the National Accountability Bureau registered multiple cases against him ahead of the …

Following weeks of a lull in the audio leaks saga, another clip surfaced on Thursday purportedly featuring PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari and Bushra Bibi — the wife of PTI Chairman Imran Khan — where the duo could be heard talking about the sale of [wristwatches] in the possession of the former premier. The 21-second audio, which made the rounds on …

State Department Spokesperson Ned Price has reiterated President Joe Biden’s pledge of taking action “in a way that protects our interests” if the US sees “international terrorists regrouping in Afghanistan”. The statement came on Wednesday in response to a question asked during a press briefing about the rise of violence in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s failure to not provide “safe …

Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja on Wednesday said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) faced “unwarranted criticism” for allegedly opposing the use of electronic voting machines and balloting rights for overseas Pakistanis, saying the electoral watchdog was never opposed to them as was “widely propagated”. The remarks from the ECP chief comes in reference to the criticism from the …

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) counsel on Tuesday accused the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) — which has moved the court against the construction of the Bhara Kahu bypass on the university’s land — of trying to seek “undue advantage” in return for giving a nod to the project. CDA’s counsel Hafiz Arafat Ahmed was arguing before Islamabad High Court (IHC) …

ISLAMABAD: As the United Nations Satellite Centre’s imagery indicates an estimated eight million people still potentially exposed to floodwaters or living close to flooded areas, the latest UN report released on Tuesday said floodwaters still present in 11 districts of Sindh and two districts of Balochistan. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance’s report said floodwaters continued to recede in …

RAWALPINDI: To make Rawalpindi a smoking-free city, the district administration on Tuesday asked all civic bodies and the provincial departments to prepare plans within two weeks to enforce strict rules in public places. The decision was taken at a meeting of the District Tobacco Control Cell with Deputy Commissioner Shoaib Ali in the chair. Representatives from all district departments participated …