The resignation of one of India’s most prominent intellectuals and a fierce government critic from a top university has sparked student protests and worries about freedom of speech in the world’s biggest democracy. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a respected scholar on political theory and constitutional law, had long been dismayed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, firing off stinging editorials and …

ISLAMABAD: The government is set to launch 4G broadband services in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir and an announcement to this effect is expected to be made on March 23. Sources in the ministry of information technology said the government had decided to open up “digital roads” in GB and AJK and the auction proceeds for new spectrum would …

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peo­ples Party (PPP), which has announced its plan to hold a public meeting in Rawalpindi on April 4 to mark the 42nd death anniversary of its founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, has not yet invited to it other component parties of the Pakis­tan Democratic Movement (PDM) tho­ugh the party is still part of the opposition alliance. If the …

ISLAMABAD: Robbers, burglars and thieves looted cash and valuables worth millions of rupees from 11 different places of capital, police said. In the first incident six armed men entered a house of Mohammad Sajad in I-8/2 and made off with cash and valuables worth Rs1.4million, they said. In a similar incident, armed robbers looted cash and gold ornaments from the …

RAWALPINDI: In an effort to curb the spike of coronavirus cases in Pakistan, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Saturday notified a fresh list of countries categorised into A, B and C after emergence of South African and Brazilian strain of virus and imposed a complete ban on travel from 12 countries. The travel restrictions and a ban on inbound …

ISLAMABAD: Majority of markets in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad remained open on Saturday despite a ban imposed by the local administrations on commercial activities except essential services on the weekends.Rawalpindi Traders Association President Sharjeel Mir told Dawn that after a meeting with the local administration, the traders decided to open shops on Sunday and close them on Friday and …

ISLAMABAD: Senior journalist and former chairman Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Absar Alam has challenged a summon issued to him by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) over his recent tweets and social media posts. Mr Alam in some of his recent tweets criticised the establishment for interfering in politics. The FIA summoned him on a complaint filed by a …

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Secretariat has refused to provide ballots of the recently-held election for the chairman of the upper house to the legal team of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) but seems to have conceded to the jurisdiction of the court to intervene. The PPP’s legal team, which also has three former Senate chairmen among its members, comprises Farooq H. Naek, …

LAHORE: A sessions court on Saturday allowed one-time adjournment to the counsel for singer Meesha Shafi with a last warning to present her two witnesses for cross-examination in a defamation suit filed by fellow actor-cum-singer Ali Zafar. The witnesses namely Leena Ghani and Farhan Ali were supposed to appear before the court as summoned on the last hearing. However, Shafi’s …

KARACHI: Centre has informed the Sindh government that it needs the services of the Karachi police chief — Additional Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon — for an assignment in the federal government, according to sources privy to this development and official communication seen by Dawn. “Services of Mr Ghulam Nabi Memon (PSP/BS-21) are required by the Establishment Division for assignment in …