ISLAMABAD: Despite opposition from the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS), a parliamentary committee on Thursday unanimously passed “Prevention and Control of the Infectious Diseases Bill 2020.” The private member bill, if passed by parliament, will empower institutions and local administrations to take prompt decisions to deal with pandemics rather than waiting for decisions from high-powered committees chaired by the …

ISLAMABAD: Touseef Ali and his family from Bhara Kahu wanted to visit Pakistan Monument but had to return from the entrance on the Srinagar Highway side after they were refused entry. “This gate remains closed due to security reasons for years; please come from the other side,” the visitors were told by a security guard. Like Touseef, every day a …

PESHAWAR: Defence minister Pervez Khattak on Thursday said the federal government had neither contacted the Pakistan Democratic Movement nor intended to reach out to the opposition’s alliance for dialogue to defuse political tensions in the country. Talking to reporters during his visit to the TransPeshawar headquarters, Mr Khattak said the government wouldn’t back off from its commitment to accountability. Accompanied …

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan on Thursday revealed that a special plane would be flown to China in the next couple of days for transportation of the first tranche of Covid-19 vaccine. “It is expected that the first consignment will have around 500,000 doses of vaccine and administration of vaccine will be …

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court regretted on Thursday that unpopular governments were always hesitant and unwilling to hold local government (LG) elections in the country and asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to furnish a comprehensive reply within a week on holding the LG polls. “Local bodies are political nurseries which help develop political leadership for the country,” observed Justice …

LAHORE: Though Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has not met any of the party MPAs expressing their reservation against his governance failure, he once again met two MPAs belonging to the PML-N and PPP telling that his doors are open for the parliamentarians. The PTI is viewing these meetings as a success in the wake of the upcoming Senate elections and …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday expressed confidence that the ruling alliance would have majority in the Senate after the forthcoming elections of the upper house of parliament. “We will have a sizeable majority in the Senate in the next election,” the prime minister said during a meeting with his spokespersons. Adviser to the PM on Parliamentary Affairs Dr …

ISLAMABAD: The country’s two major opposition parties have lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan for announcing Rs500 million development funds for each lawmaker just weeks before Senate elections and called it a “political bribe”. The leaders of the Pak­istan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) termed the announcement yet another U-turn by the prime minister, recalling that while …

Early efforts to boost registrations among Dallas’ Black and Hispanic communities have yet to produce more equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine, new data obtained by shows. Six out of every 10 city residents who have enrolled for the shot with the Dallas County health department through Jan. 24 were white, according to data obtained Thursday. That’s twice the rate of …

The rapid creation of a vaccine to snuff out coronavirus is a medical miracle. Thank you, scientists! The handoff to government to take charge of injections is the opposite of a medical miracle. No thanks to you, politicians. It’s not like you didn’t know this was coming. It’s one thing when they mess with your property taxes. That’s tails on …