Pakistan

MUZAFFARABAD: PTI is all set to elect Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, its nominee for the office of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) prime minister, by a clear majority on Monday when the Legislative Assembly meets for the purpose. In a late night announcement on Sunday, the 19-member combined opposition, comprising PPP and PML-N representatives, announced that they will boycott the election …

ISLAMABAD: After a week-long delay, the government is forming the federal cabinet today (Monday) amid uncertainty whether Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) will become a part of it or abstain over a “disagreement” about the distribution of ministries. On Sunday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif continued to consult the ruling coalition parties and met delegations of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and the …

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Omer Sarfraz Cheema on Sunday declined to administer the oath to newly-elected Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, stating that the Punjab Assembly secretary’s report, the Lahore High Court’s instructions and the facts presented to him raised questions on the validity of the chief minister’s election. “I have written to the Punjab advocate general and the Punjab Assembly speaker …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed a petition asking the court to stop the expected issuance of a diplomatic passport to PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, stating that the petition “is based on unreliable material and is, therefore, frivolous”. Advocate Naeem Haider Panjutha, had filed a petition in the IHC on Thursday, referring to media …

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Sunday retained its National Assembly (NA-33) seat in Hangu in the by-election as its candidate Nadeem Khan defeated his close rival Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam’s Ubaidullah, with a margin of 4,430 votes. According to unofficial results, Mr Khan secured 21,583 votes against 17,153 votes of the JUI-F candidate, in an election marred by low turnout. The NA-33 …

An anti-terrorism court is expected to announce the verdict in Sri Lankan citizen Priyantha Kumara’s lynching case on Monday (today). Kumara was lynched by a mob comprising hundreds of protesters, including the employees of the factory in Sialkot he was the manager of, on December 3. The mob had tortured him to death and later burnt his body. A first information report …

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Sardar Tanveer Ilyas was on Monday elected the 14th prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in an election boycotted by the combined opposition. The election was held in the legislative assembly presided over by Speaker Chaudhry Anwarul Haq. The session was convened by President Barrister Sultan Mahmood under Article 16(3) of the AJK Constitution for the …

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that he plans on conveying to the new coalition setup his desire for “immediate” elections, just days after an alliance of then opposition parties ousted former prime minister Imran Khan through a no-confidence motion and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif took oath as the country’s new premier. Fazl, who had been at …

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, while hearing a presidential reference seeking its interpretation of Article 63-A on Monday, questioned why the Supreme Court should deal with political matters when its decisions are criticised at gatherings of “10 to 15,000 people”. The chief justice’s comments come days after recently ousted prime minister Imran Khan publicly asked the judiciary to explain …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday requested China for support for the planned revival of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project to end the woes of hundreds of thousands of commuters in the metropolis. During an address at the inauguration of a mass transit bus project from Peshawar Morr to Islamabad International Airport, he said that KCR would be a …