Saudi Arabia condemned the publication of blasphemous sketches in France depicting Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), but held back from echoing calls by other Muslim states for action. A foreign ministry official said in a statement that the Gulf state condemns all acts of terrorism, an apparent reference to the beheading of a Paris teacher who showed the blasphemous sketches in …

India on Tuesday introduced new amendments in the country’s land laws for occupied Jammu and Kashmir which would enable any Indian citizen to buy property in the territory, local media reported on Tuesday. A notification by the Indian home ministry said that the new law, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of Central Laws) Third Order, 2020, would come into …

The United States and India signed a pact to share sensitive satellite and map data on Tuesday as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned of the threat posed by an increasingly assertive China. Pompeo, who arrived in New Delhi on Monday along with Defence Secretary Mark Esper, said after talks with their Indian counterparts that the two countries had …

LAHORE: Inspector General of Punjab Police Inam Ghani has directed to prepare a fresh list of land grabbers to initiate crackdown on them all over the province.Issuing a letter to all regional police officers, district police officers (DPOs) and the Lahore capital city police officer, the IGP directed them to complete data of retired government officials [allegedly] patronising the land …

ISLAMABAD: Thousands of people living in the rural areas of Islamabad have been facing grave issues in getting new electricity and gas connections because of a ban imposed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA). In 2016, the civic agency approached the utility companies and linked the provision of new utility connections with its no-objection certificate (NOC). However, Special Assistant to …

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its ruling on a petition moved by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) seeking empowerment and autonomy for local government institutions in Sindh. A three-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed, decided to hear a similar petition moved by the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) and other petitions at a later …

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Monday that an amount of Rs4.84 billion was lying unutilised in the account created for receiving donations and funds from the public and overseas Pakistanis for the fight against Covid-19. The information was provided by the government through a written reply to a question asked by MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali of the …

SWABI: A man sexually assaulted a seven-year-old boy in Parmuli village of Razaar tehsil here on Monday. Parmuli police station officials said the accused took the boy to an abandoned plot when he was returning from school and assaulted him. The boy’s father got an FIR registered, stating that they belonged to Gujjar families living in Mardan, but were presently …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said his dream was to build the country’s first Knowledge City which would offer top quality education to students. The prime minister shared on Twitter a video of the master plan of the project the ground-breaking of which was performed by him in Mianwali on Saturday. Renowned architect Tony Ashai, who will carry …

At least eight people were killed and more than 110 injured in an explosion on Tuesday morning at the Jamia Zuberia madressah in Peshawar’s Dir Colony. According to Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Mohammad Asim, four of the deceased were students between the ages of 20 to 25. “The blast took place in the madressah during a Quran class. Someone took …