PESHAWAR: The energy and power department has failed to execute a federal government-funded Rs2 billion project for the establishment of the Institute of Petroleum Technology in Karak district even two years after its approval. The centre has repeatedly asked the province to buy the land and appoint the project director, but to no avail, officials told Dawn. They said the …

ISLAMABAD: Rights activists have criticised an amendment to the Right of Access to Information Act that has been moved as a private member’s bill in the Senate. They say the amendment would limit the scope of the right to information law by excluding Parliament from the definition of public bodies, which are bound to provide information to citizens. According to …

ISLAMABAD: Names of 5,807 individuals were struck off the travel blacklist after consultation with relevant agencies and departments, the interior ministry announced on Saturday. The decision came about after Interior Minister retired Brig Ijaz Ahmad Shah took notice of the problems being faced by citizens whose names remained on the blacklist for a long time and directed the Immigration and …

ISLAMABAD: After failed negotiations with the federal government, during which they stayed in the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) for six hours and allegedly even faced abusive language, protesting lady health workers (LHW) announced on Saturday that they will enter Parliament House during the parliamentary session tomorrow (Monday). Meanwhile, the NHS ministry has argued that the federal government has …

KARACHI: Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Religious Affairs and chairman Pakistan Ulema Council Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Saturday said that ulema from different schools of thought and representatives of other religions were striving to promote religious harmony in the country along with fighting sectarianism. For this purpose, a common religious platform named Interfaith Harmony Council Pakistan was being …

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday arrested former managing director (MD) of Pakistan Interna­t­ional Air­lines (PIA) and a senior off­i­cer on charges of illegal app­ointment of a Pa­k­­istani American to a sen­­ior position at the nat­ional flag carrier at a huge salary package in violation of human resource department rules, according to officials. The FIA’s Corporate Cri­me Circle, …

A massive fire erupted in Lahore’s Hafeez Centre on Sunday morning, with flames engulfing four of the centre’s floors as firefighters tried to put out the blaze. A number of officials reached the site, including Lahore Commissioner Zulfiqar Ghuman, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mudassir Riaz and Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh. Eyewitnesses said the fire started on the second …

Why should we support or pull down the Indian Americans running for US Congress or Senate?   By:  Mike Ghouse Why should we support or pull down the Indian Americans running for US Congress or Senate?   The answer is simple, almost all Indian Americans have families back in our motherland, and we must support and elect candidates who subscribe …

Two months after a massive fire at the Poly-America plant in Grand Prairie, the cause remains unknown. The Grand Prairie Fire Department is working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate the Aug. 18 fire. “Due to the fire’s complexity, the Poly-America fire investigation continues and is expected to continue for several weeks,” said Claudia Garibay, …

Two men have been arrested in the July slaying of a 20-year-old man in Grand Prairie. Mikeal Jackson, 20, of Dallas was arrested Thursday and Keinoen Shamur Mondy, 19, of Dallas was taken into custody Aug. 4 in connection with the fatal shooting of William Oliver, police announced Friday. Each man faces a charge of capital murder. Oliver, a Grand …