Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The state of digital media freedom in Pakistan remained weak during 2020-21 due to regulatory pressures and threats against online expression. At the same time, the general public was exposed to alarming levels of online disinformation, including false messages about Covid-19 origin and treatment, which put their health and safety at risk. These were the crux of a report, …

RAWALPINDI: The twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were virtually cut off from most parts of the country after traffic on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road and railway service to and from Lahore were suspended in the wake of the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP)’s protest rally from Lahore to Islamabad. “As the main bridge over Jhelum River was closed, all …

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Nadeem Raza on Thursday underscored the role of the Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ) in the country’s defence and safeguarding national security and expressed satisfaction over the ‘jointness’ among the three armed services. Gen Raza, while chairing a meeting of the three services chiefs — Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Bajwa, …

ISLAMABAD: Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court has regretted that a simple walk to the court has now become an ordeal in Islamabad. In a letter made public on Thursday about an incident involving him and a ruling party lawmaker, Mohammad Akram Cheema, Justice Isa regretted that hundreds of police officers were on duty on Wednesday but not …

The proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) resumed its march from Gujranwala on Friday, with thousands of activists travelling in cars, buses and on foot continuing their journey towards Islamabad. Participants of the protest march spent the night near the General Bus Stand on the Grand Trunk Road and resumed their rally in the morning, despite Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s Thursday …

Former provincial assembly speaker Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo was elected unopposed as the new Balochistan chief minister on Friday, days after Jam Kamal Khan Alyani resigned from the position. Of the 64 members who were eligible to vote in the election, 39 voted for Bizenjo — six more than the minimum needed — while members of three political parties, as well as …

ISLAMABAD: The Fede­ral Shariat Court (FSC) held on Thursday that setting the minimum age limit at 16 years for a girl’s marriage under the Child Marriage Restraint Act (CMRA) 1929 would help girls get at least a basic education. The observation came while the FSC dismissed a petition and categorically declared that setting any minimum age limit for girls’ marriage …

The rally comprising thousands of workers of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) left Kamoke and neared Gujranwala city on Thursday morning, as life in the areas surrounding its route continued to remain disrupted. Some 4,000 TLP workers travelled on the Grand Truck Road in large trucks and buses along with their supplies, as stick-wielding activists of the group guarded the …

ISLAMABAD: The Election Comm­ission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday issued show-cause notices to two federal ministers for their tirade against it and the chief election commissioner (CEC). The notices to Information Minister Fawad Hussain Chaudhry and Railways Minister Azam Swati were issued during hearing of the case involving serious allegations against the ECP and the CEC. A two-member bench comprising ECP members …

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA), during a fortnight, suspended services of 11 healthcare establishments (HCEs) due to different reasons including keeping expired lab reagents, absence of qualified staff and lack of proper waste management system As many as three labs were found involved in preparing fake Covid-19 reports. Moreover, 37 HCEs were served notices and directed to apply for …