Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari made history on Sunday by taking the oath as president for a second time. He was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa at a grand ceremony at the Presidency. The two were joined by the newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and outgoing president Dr Arif Alvi. Chief of Army Staff General …

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The Punjab Police continued to use force in dealing with PTI protests across the province on Sunday, as many party workers were beaten up and a number of key leaders arrested during demonstrations against alleged electoral rigging. The rallies and protests were held in major cities across the country on the call of PTI’s incarcerated founder, Imran Khan. The agitation was …

KARACHI: In his first press conference after leaving the Presidency, Dr Arif Alvi said on Sunday that he was still trying to bridge the gap between the establishment and the PTI. Addressing the media at his residence in Karachi, Dr Alvi also stressed the need to take positive steps to bring the country together, calling on both the government and …

ISLAMABAD: Newly elected PM Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday continued consultations within in his own party over the federal cabinet, which is likely to be constituted in a couple of days. A source in the PM Office told Dawn the prime minister held a marathon meeting on Sunday, which continued late into the night, to finalise the names of his new ministers. “The oath-taking of …

President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday administered the oath to a 19-member federal cabinet of newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Earlier today, PM Shehbaz had sent a summary to President Zardari to appoint the cabinet, comprising 18 federal ministers and a minister of state. The PML-N’s main ally, the PPP, has refused to become part of the federal cabinet. …

LONDON: Scotland’s First Minis­ter Humza Yousaf clarified his position on a Scottish government donation to Gaza, after The Telegraph ran a story on Saturday alleging that he gave the funds while his family was stuck in Gaza. In November last year, the Scot­tish government donated £250,000 to the UNRWA aid agency. The rep­o­­­rt alleges that the donation was made shortly before Yousaf’s paren­ts-in-law were …

India’s second-highest ranked election commission official has resigned, the justice ministry said, days before the expected announcement of general elections in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek a third term. Arun Goel resigned on Saturday, leaving the Election Commission of India with only one of its three top officials to conduct what will be the largest exercise of the democratic franchise …

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has directed the provincial government to set up one police station each in every district of Karachi and other cities for the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) so that it can take legal action against illegal construction. A division bench of the SHC comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Mohammad Abdur Rahman observed that the …

PESHAWAR: The district and sessions judge of Peshawar has granted transit bail to former MNA and chairman of the National Democratic Movement Mohsin Dawar and another leader of his party until March 11 in a case about firing at a protest demonstration in North Waziristan tribal district. The firing killed four protesters and injured several last month. Judge Ashfaque Taj …

KARACHI: A search operation by divers of Pakistan Navy, Maritime Security Agencies and Edhi Foundation to find 14 fishermen who had gone missing after their boat capsized in sea near Keti Bandar continued on Saturday but no trace of them was found, officials said. MNA Agha Rafiullah of the Pakistan Peoples Party told Dawn that he had talked to Prime Minister Shehbaz …