Pakistan

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 …

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Friday remanded anchorperson Imran Riaz in five-day police custody in a case of violence outside Zaman Park residence of PTI founder Imran Khan. Racecourse police presented the anchorperson, who was already on judicial remand in an alleged corruption case, before the court. The investigation officer (IO) told the court that the suspect had been nominated …

PESHAWAR: Rains and snowfall lashed wide areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday, killing six people and injuring six in separate incidents. Five people were killed when a car they travelled in skidded off the downpour-slicked Karakoram Highway before falling into a deep ravine in the Torkamar area of Lower Kohistan district in Hazara Division. “Four passengers lost their lives immediately …

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Friday confirmed the pre-arrest bail of PTI founder Imran Khan in four cases pertaining to the murder of Zille Shah, attack on police outside Zaman Park, and torching of PML-N offices in Model Town and a container at Kalma Chowk on May 9, 2023. In his arguments against the bail petitions, Special Prosecutor Rana Shakil said the former …

LAHORE: Ignoring the pressure mounted by some religious sections, the Lahore police on Friday lodged the First Information Report (FIR) against dozens of miscreants who harassed a woman wearing a shirt with Arabic-script print a couple of days back in Ichhra Bazaar here. The suspects turning into a charged mob had accused the woman of “blasphemy” as they confused the Arabic alphabet …

KARACHI: Under the ongoing westerly wave, the city received moderate to heavy spells of rains with thunder on Friday, which continued intermittently for eight hours throughout the day submerging key roads, underpasses and main arteries in the metropolis. The area of Quaidabad received the heaviest rain, 42.5 millimetres, or 1.67 inches. Despite hour-long raining, the life largely remained unaffected as …

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan has dismissed the United States’ suggestion to probe electoral discrepancies, emphasising that it will not succumb to external dictates. In her weekly press bri­efing on Friday, Foreign Office spokes­person Mum­taz Zahra Baloch categorically stated that no country can give directions to Pakistan, which is an independent and sovereign country. “We believe in our own sovereign right to make …

QUETTA/GWADAR: Heavy rains, which have been continuing for the last one week across Balochistan, continued to pound miseries on the people on Friday, paralysing life in 22 out of 35 districts of the province. The situation in Gwadar and Kech districts of Makran is the worst as hundreds of houses have collapsed, rendering a large number of families homeless. Makran …

ISLAMABAD: PML-N sup­reme leader Nawaz Sharif visited the residence of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman here on Friday, possibly to seek the latter’s support in the formation of the upcoming coalition government at the Centre, as the JUI-F had abs­tained during the voting for speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly. Nawaz Sharif was accompanied by PML-N stalwarts Ishaq …