Pakistan

LAHORE/KARACHI/PESHAWAR: It was a walk of shame for some, and defiant stands by others, as a number of political leaders and entities announced their decision to step down — either from the political limelight or from the few seats they had managed to garner in last week’s elections. Jahangir Khan Tareen, the head of the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party — cobbled together …

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that his party will “gladly sit in the opposition benches” if independent candidates were able to form a government. The remarks come days after PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said his party was firmly against reaching out to either the PML-N or PPP for a possible alliance following PTI-backed candidates coming out on top …

LAHORE: The concerns over PTI’s success in keeping intact its candidates who won as independents materialised on Sunday as one of the winners joined PML-N. The wheeling and dealing has intensified as PML-N, and PPP, are making hectic efforts to woo independent members-elect to improve their tally of total National and provincial assembly seats. So far, six independent MNAs-elect, including …

ISLAMABAD: As new Covid-19 variants emerge across the globe, Pakistan has managed to obtain another 300,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. “Although currently no country has made it mandatory to get vaccinated against Covid-19 before travelling, there is a possibility that Saudi Arabia may declare the vaccination mandatory as people will gather there during Ramazan and then on the occasion …

QUETTA: Political parties’ protests over alleged election rigging continued in Quetta and other cities of Balochistan for the third consecutive day on Sunday. The sit-ins on major roads and highways meant the province had been cut off from other parts of the country. Hundreds of vehicles, including passenger coaches, buses, trucks carrying goods and other vehicles, were stranded at different …

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: As the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) took to the streets in the twin cities on Sunday against the alleged rigging in the Feb 8 polls, the Rawalpindi police used teargas and batons to disperse PTI-backed candidates and supporters who had gathered outside the office of the District Election Commissioner near Chandni Chowk. Police also detained a number of PTI supporters, …

LAHORE: A delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) led by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui called on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif here on Sunday and discussed modality for cooperation in the future federal set-up. PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb claimed that both sides agreed in principle on working together in the larger national interest. She said that agreement had …

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers and supporters on Sunday initiated protests in various cities across the country against alleged “rigging in the general election” held on Feb 8. PTI workers blocked the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway in continuing protest against what they called rigging in the general elections in Peshawar. A large number of PTI workers and supporters gathered at the Motorway …

Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Monday forfeited a Sindh Assembly seat he had won after the February 8 elections over alleged rigging. According to the provisional results released by the Election Commission of Pakistan for the February 8 general elections, Naeem had won from the PS-129 constituency (Karachi Central VIII) with 26,296 votes. Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) Muaz Muqaddam was …

LAHORE: After a poor showing in the Feb 8 polls, the PML-N, which has about 75 seats in the National Assembly, has pitched the idea of a ‘participatory coalition government’, saying not a single political party had secured the mandate to form a government in the Centre. Former law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar termed this scenario ‘Hobson’s choice’ and said …