Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Sunday castigated Prime Minister Imran Khan for allegedly defaming the country and its political parties only to hide his own corruption at a time when foreign dignitaries were in the capital to attend the extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Afghanistan. Speaking at a news conference, PML-N’s information secretary …

Opposition parties have a combined lead over the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the first local government elections held in Khyber Pakhtun­khwa since the merger of tribal districts, according to unofficial results. The PTI is ahead on 15 seats followed by JUI-F (13), ANP (9), PML-N (2), the PPP and the JI one each — which totals up to 26 …

The tireless efforts of Pakistanis in the international labour force have made the country one of the top recipients of remitted money. But some of Pakistan’s most vulnerable migrant workers in the Gulf are routinely exploited, with many ending up in overcrowded prisons with little consular support. Around 7,000 Pakistanis are currently languishing in Gulf country prisons. What’s behind this …

ISLAMABAD: In a rare exercise of its power to “read in” the law, the Supreme Court has done away with constitutional bar on the appointment of retired judges as members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) before completion of two years after their retirement. The court in a detailed order on a petition challenging the Sindh High Court’s judgement of June …

RAWALPINDI: The cold weather that has gripped Rawalpindi and Islamabad for the last three days got bitter after the mercury dropped to -1°C Celsius on Saturday. As a result, many areas of the twin cities faced low gas pressure with some having no gas at all. There were also complaints of citizens falling sick with cold-related ailments. “The upper parts …

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs Dr Noorul Haq Qadri on Saturday said collective efforts were needed by all segments of society, including media and religious leaders, to prevent tragedies like the lynching of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot. The minister called for promotion of interfaith harmony to counter internal and external conspiracies against Pakistan. He was speaking as chief guest …

PESHAWAR: The police arrested the woman presiding officer of a polling station here on Saturday night along with her husband over the alleged rigging of the local body elections slated to be held today (Sunday). The two were kept at the C Division Police Station, an official told Dawn. The arrests were made shortly after the Provincial Election Commission removed the …

ISLAMABAD: Two suspected robbers were gunned down in an encounter with police near Rawat early on Saturday in which three officials of the capital police were also injured. A press release issued by the capital police said the suspects were associated with the notorious Bilal Sabit gang and had been involved in murder, house robberies, and snatching incidents in the …

LAHORE: The opposition has asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to stop blaming previous governments for his failures and concentrate on his performance. “Passing the buck to the Bhuttos and the Sharifs for his failures in more than three years in government, Imran Khan should know that this narrative has been outdated,” PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said in a series of …

ISLAMABAD: The judiciary, due to its lofty position in society, is open to criticism and “a judge is not immune from being criticised”, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) chief justice has observed in a detailed order on the post-arrest bail plea of a local politician. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had on Dec 16 granted post-arrest bail to the local leader of …