LONDON: In a public video message, former prime minister and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif accused elements in the country’s security establishment of threatening Maryam Nawaz. “First you broke open the Karachi hotel room door where Maryam was staying, and now you are threatening her, that if she does not stop she will be smashed,” Mr Sharif said, in a …

ISLAMABAD: The District Health Office on Thursday asked all hospitals to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and ensure observance of precautionary measures in the wake of rising number of Covid-19 cases. In a letter to state-run and private hospitals of Islamabad, District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia asked their managements to observe strict compliance of SOPs. “It is …

LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan on Thursday questioned Federal Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh being in the office as unelected member of the cabinet despite losing Senate election. “In truly democratic countries people voluntarily resign from the public offices if [they are] not elected,” the chief justice observed and added the establishment of the democracy …

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday fined a petitioner Rs10,000 over repeated non-appearance of his lawyer in a case seeking the disqualification of Prime Minister Imran Khan from holding any public office on multiple grounds. A bench consisting of Justice Lal Jan Khattak and Justice Syed M Attique Shah took exception to the failure of the counsel for Inamullah …

ISLAMABAD: To boost the Digital Pakistan initiative, the government has decided to accord major concessions to the IT & Telecom sector by granting it the status of ‘industry’, with reduced taxes and duties, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Amin-ul-Haque said on Thursday. Various heavy taxes on the telecom sector will be reduced gradually, Mr Haque said at …

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The spectre of a fresh wave of Covid-19 loomed over the country on Thursday as the number of people reported to have contracted the potentially fatal disease in a day topped the figure of 2,000 after a gap of about a month, with half of those infected belonging to Punjab. The country’s most populous province seemed to be in …

Organisers and supporters of the Aurat March Karachi are calling for an apology after a video from the March 8 demonstration was doctored to falsely show participants raising blasphemous slogans and widely shared online. “The Aurat March faces severe backlash every year. Our videos and posters are targeted and manipulated, spreading misinformation and maligning the March. This year, one of our videos …

Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey is once again talking about running for governor of Texas. The Dallas Buyers Club star had previously walked back speculation that he would run for governor in 2022, but in a Crime Stoppers episode of Houston’s The Balanced Voice podcast that was posted Wednesday, he said running is “a true consideration.” “I’m looking into, now again, what is my leadership role?” …

AUSTIN — House Speaker Dade Phelan is the first state GOP leader to outline a way to pay for electricity generators to be weatherproofed so Texas can avoid a repeat of last month’s prolonged blackouts. House leaders soon will introduce a bill to tap the state’s “rainy day” dollars to create a loan fund to stimulate weatherization projects, Phelan told …

Dallas police are asking for the public’s help finding a missing man they say may be a danger to himself or others. Otis Stewart, 28, was last seen on foot about 12:15 p.m. Thursday in the 2300 block of St. Francis Avenue, near Ferguson Road in Far East Dallas. Stewart is described as a Black man who is 5-10 and …