Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Power Division on Friday sought immediate payment of around Rs329 billion to operationalise about 7,900 megawatts of generation plants, currently out of system mainly due to fuel shortage and resulting in at least eight hours of outages across the country. Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan, while speaking at his maiden news conference with Minister of State …

KARACHI: The Supreme Court has directed Karachi police to record the statement of a petitioner and lodge an FIR against the management of Bahria Town. Petitioner Faique Ali Jagirani had approached the apex court in 2019 for registration of a case against real estate tycoon Malik Riaz of Bahria Town and others after a sessions court and high court had …

ISLAMABAD: The judiciary had to step in during the political crisis earlier this month to protect supremacy of the Constitution, the chief justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) said on Friday with reference to insinuations by certain quarters about the opening of the court on the night of April 9 amid developments which led to the ouster of then …

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates discussed Pakistan’s commitment to polio eradication, and the Covid-19 situation in the country in a telephone call, the military’s media affairs wing said on Friday. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Gates appreciated the army for supporting the country’s polio …

Former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday wrote letters to President Dr Arif Alvi and Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial seeking from them a public inquiry and the formation of a judicial commission respectively to probe the “threat letter” which the PTI chairman claims is evidence of a “conspiracy” to topple his government. Before his government was …

ISLAMABAD: Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has written letters to all the parliamentary leaders of parties in the National Assembly asking them for nominations for the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms. The speaker has asked them to forward their nominations within seven days, says a handout issued by the NA Secretariat on Friday. Despite the fact that 123 members of the …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah and discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral, economic, investment and trade ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The premier is in Saudi Arabia on a three-day visit — his first since he assumed office —, along with a delegation including Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Miftah Ismail, Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti, Marriyum …

After weeks of deadlock, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf administered oath to Punjab Chief Minister-elect Hamza Shehbaz at a ceremony held at the Governor Houseon Saturday, just hours after Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema rejected Usman Buzdar’s resignation, deeming it “not constitutionally valid”. In unprecedented scenes today, Buzdar’s cabinet was “restored” by Cheema, according to former provincial education minister Murad …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif continues to expand his cabinet as President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday administered the oath of office to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Dr Musadik Malik as the minister of state. With Mr Malik’s addition, the total number of the Sharif-led cabinet has reached 43. The oath-taking ceremony was held at the presidency. Mr Malik …

ISLAMABAD: The war of words between the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) touched new heights on Thursday after former prime minister Imran Khan accused the Chief Election Commissioner of taking “biased decisions” against his party and the ECP dismissed the PTI’s pronouncements as “a premeditated attempt to malign the commission”. Through a statement the CEC regretted …