Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, the government and the opposition on Tuesday agreed on the formation of a parliamentary panel on electoral reforms. The decision was taken at a meeting of parliamentary representatives from treasury and opposition benches with National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser at the Parliament House. The development came amid a raging controversy over the government’s plan to …

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Tuesday approved a 44 per cent increase in the house rent allowance ceiling of government employees in view of high rents of residences in major cities, especially Islamabad. It also decided to remove legislators from parliamentary committees who have any conflict of interest with the panels. The meeting, which was presided over by Prime Minister …

PESHAWAR: The National Data­base and Registration Authority (Nadra) has updated details of over half million registered Afghan refugees as part of the countrywide campaign to issue renewed Proof of Registration (PoR) cards. The United Nations High Commis­sioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement here on Tuesday that some 1.4 million registered Afghan re­­­fugees were being verified and is­sued with …

ISLAMABAD: As the cases of Covid-19 continue to decrease across the country, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday decided to lift additional restrictions in six districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, general non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) will remain enforced across the country till Sept 30. The situation will be reviewed on Sept 28. The NCOC had on …

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday said that the government will consult lawyers regarding legal action that can be taken against the New Zealand and England cricket boards for cancelling their scheduled tours to Pakistan. Taking to Twitter, the information minister said the cancellations by the two boards — New Zealand Cricket and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) …

GUJRAT: PML-N’s supreme leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, taking strong exception to his party’s defeat in Gujranwala division’s cantonment boards elections, has asked its president Shehbaz Sharif to conduct a probe into the matter. He was speaking to party officials, lawmakers and former ticket-holders belonging to the Gujranwala division at a party workers’ convention held in Islamabad at …

TAXILA: Another interchange will be established on Islamabad – Peshawar motorway (M-1) soon in order to facilitate farmers in promptly supplying agricultural products to markets, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said on Monday while addressing public meetings in Hazro and Hassanabdal. The interchange would be established near village Haroon which would facilitate not only …

ISLAMABAD: With around a million people being inoculated on a daily basis, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has now decided to reach out to communities that have been continuously avoiding vaccination against Covid-19. Pregnant and lactating women have been advised to get vaccinated as it is perfectly safe for them and their babies. On the other hand, 40 …

ISLAMABAD: The Natio­nal Assembly on Monday again failed to take up any agenda item, except the poorly-attended Question Hour, due to lack of quorum pointed out by an opposition member as soon as Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan took the floor to present two ordinances. Speaker Asad Qaiser adjourned the sitting till Tuesday evening (today) …

UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Imran Khan highlighted Pakistan’s extreme vulnerability to climate change at a UN-sponsored meeting on Monday as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reminded rich nations that they had reaped the benefits of pollution and now’s the time for them to share their responsibilities as well. Mr Johnson, who co-hosted the meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, …