Pakistan

LAHORE: The Pakis­tan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), in collaboration with five other opposition parties, will launch a mass protest movement against what it calls “worst-ever rigging” in the general elections and subsequent by-polls, on Friday (tomorrow). On Wednesday, an online meeting of PTI Punjab office-bearers, MNAs, MPAs and ticket-holders was held to discuss the issue and chalk out a plan for Friday’s …

LONDON: MQM sup­remo Altaf Hussain appe­ared in a UK High Court on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a two-day hearing in his appeal against the MQM-P in a case related to London properties. The court heard arguments from both sides and reserved its verdict, which is expected this week. Last year, the MQM-P had triumphed over Mr Hussain when the court …

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has accepted another plea against the PTI’s intra-party elections, sources told Dawn on Wednesday. The electoral watchdog seems to be meting out ‘special treatment’ to the party, as it has been issued a notice over alleged irregularities in intra-party polls, conducted on the ECP orders on March 3. The party had filed documents related to its intra-party …

KARACHI: As Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sat down with the business community to find ways to uplift the economy through exports, his resolve was met with apprehensions from industry leaders who said it was “almost impossible” to do business under the current circumstances, particularly with high energy costs and inconsistent government policies. Posing tough questions during an hour-long meeting at …

ISLAMABAD: Disquiet is gro­wing within the ranks of the Su­­p­reme Court Bar Association (SCBA) over the indecision on its response to a letter, written by six judges of the Islamabad High Court, alleging meddling in judicial affairs by intelligence agencies. A similar reluctance is evident on the part of the government, which may not furnish any reply or suggestion to …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday suspended till May 6 a recent city administration notification that had reduced the prices of roti. On April 14, the Punjab government slashed the price of roti, followed by a similar decision by the Islamabad administration. The Punjab government had reduced the prices of roti from Rs20 to Rs16 while the price of naan was …

ISLAMABAD: Considered to be one of the first cases in the history of Pakistan, the Rawalpindi Drug Court has awarded imprisonment and heavy fines to the CEO and other employees of a pharmaceutical company in a case involving a medicine that was found to be ‘substandard’. The company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which is considered one of the most credible and well-reputed …

KARACHI: Sindh’s health minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho has said that a special vaccination campaign being run in the areas with several measles cases, ARY News reported on Wednesday. In a statement Azra Pechuho has said that a vaccine drive being started again from May 13 to 25 for typhoid vaccination. “In Sindh 8.9 million children of six months to …

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) Punjab reiterated its commitment to eliminate plastic bags from the district, announcing a complete ban on the use of all types of shopping bags and polythene bags from June 5. This decisive measure aims to eradicate plastic bags and mitigate the risks posed by plastic to human life, wildlife and aquatic ecosystems. This was …

ISLAMABAD: The Shu­h­ada Forum Baloc­hi­stan (SFB) approached the Sup­reme Court on Tuesday to seek the strict implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism and extremism — formulated in 2014 — as well as expeditious disposal of pending appeals and trials of terrorists involved in anti-state activities. Moved through senior counsel Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmad Khokhar on behalf of SFB patron-in-chief Nawabzada …