Pakistan

QUETTA: The newly elected Chief Minister of Balochistan, Mir Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti, has urged the Baloch insurgents to abandon their armed struggle and join mainstream politics for the achievement of the people’s rights. Speaking on the floor of the house on Saturday after being elected unopposed as Balochistan chief minister, Mr Bugti said: “Rights could not be achieved through arms.” He …

KARACHI/SEHWAN: The Pakistan Peoples Party on Saturday filed nomination papers of its candidate Asif Ali Zardari for the March 9 presidential election and announced that it would approach all parliamentary groups including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan to get their support for the PPP-Parliamentarian president. Mr Zardari, who had earlier served as the president of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013, is …

ISLAMABAD: While Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has been alleging that it was deprived of almost 80 seats of National Assembly, a recent study claimed that 54 per cent of Pakistanis believed the elections were overall transparent. The study was conducted by IPSOS, one of the largest research companies operating in 90 countries with more than 20,000 research professionals. However, 39pc thought …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan experienced 97 militant attacks in February, resulting in 87 fatalities and 118 injuries, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said. Statistics released by the Islamabad-based think tank, PICSS, reveal intriguing terrorism trends for February 2024. “While there was a marginal increase in militant attacks compared to January’s 93 incidents, the ensuing casualties slightly decreased, with …

GILGIT/PESHAWAR/QUETTA: Heavy snowfall and rain have brought life to a standstill in Gilgit-Baltistan, many parts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with Karakoram Highway and other thoroughfares rendered impassable due to landslides and flashfloods. Adverse weather has led to the cancellation of PIA flights between Islamabad and the cities of Gilgit and Skardu. Heavy rains and snowfall continue to lash large …

Barrister Gohar Khan was declared the PTI chairman again following fresh intra-party polls, according to results shared by the party’s spokesperson and Chief Election Commissioner Raoof Hasan on Sunday. Gohar won the chairman’s election unopposed, Hasan revealed during a press conference in Islamabad. This is the third time PTI has conducted intraparty elections in the past two years, following its …

LAHORE / ISLAM­ABAD: PTI leaders and workers came face to face with the police once again on Saturday as the party staged protests across the country, despite inclement weather, against the alle­ged rigging in the February 8 general elections. Police in Punjab thras­hed and arrested several workers and leaders in Lahore and other cities. PTI claimed that around 80 protesters …

After being elected as the 24th premier of Pakistan on Sunday, PM-elect Shehbaz Sharif vowed to steer the country “back to shore” with the help of allied parties in his second tenure in the top office. Shehbaz won the prime minister’s election today after clinching 201 votes against his PTI-backed opponent from the Sunni Ittehdad Council (SIC) Omar Ayub Khan, …

ISLAMABAD: While there are serious concerns among users over the continued disruption of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) for over a fortnight now, a member of the upper house of parliament has called for a permanent ban on all social media. Meanwhile, there are reports that the authorities are considering a blanket ban on all Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), prompting …

ISLAMABAD: The PML-N and MQM-P on Friday signed a formal agreement to empower local governments, which will be directly established and draw powers from the federation instead of provinces. The memorandum of understanding, signed at Parliament House, relates to the two parties’ resolve to introduce the 26th amendment to the Constitution. The two-point agreement was signed by Ahsan Iqbal of …