ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday again sought a detailed report from the Ministry of Climate Change and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in a case filed against the import of rare animals. The court observed that the ministry and the FBR could not satisfy the court and asked them to again submit a report till the …

ISLAMABAD: The central committee of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Monday finally gave its consent to the longstanding demand of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to launch a countrywide agitation against the government. Announcing the decisions taken during the meeting of party heads of the component parties of the alliance, Maulana Fazl, who is also the PDM …

ISLAMABAD: A recent risk of increased human-wildlife conflict in Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) due to repeated violations by residents of the area, particularly students, has emerged. This was highlighted by Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) Chairperson Rina Saeed Khan recently. The IWMB has placed clear markings and signs denoting “Ecologically Sensitive Area” with a clear warning that anyone found …

KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided to reduce MDCAT passing marks from 65 per cent set by the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) to 50pc for students seeking admission to MBBS and 40pc for BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) students. The government would also make a law for setting up the Sindh Medical and Dental Council next year if matters could …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday urged the world community to release Afghanistan’s frozen assets, remain engaged with the new Afghan administration and provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance to prevent a possible “economic collapse”. The prime minister made the appeal to the international community when outgoing Japanese Ambassador Kuninori Matsuda paid a farewell visit to the Prime Minister House. …

ISLAMABAD: After a gap of almost one month, the government on Monday again decided to cut general sales tax and customs duty by half and abolish two per cent additional customs duty on edible oil to reduce its price by Rs45-50 per kg and introduce a major targeted subsidy programme in a couple of days. “We have decided to reduce …

ISLAMABAD: As many as 141 patients of dengue fever surfaced in the federal capital on Monday as the district health officer claimed that a downward trend in cases had been observed during the last two days. Islamabad reported 152 and 147 cases on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, while 141 were recorded on Monday, District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia said. …

ISLAMABAD: The Intelligence Bureau’s (IB) housing society has challenged a probe being conducted by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) into allegations of tax evasion, illegal expansion and commercialisation. Chief Justice Athar Minallah of the Islamabad High Court took up on Monday a petition filed by the Intelligence Bureau Employees Cooperative Housing Society (IBECHS) challenging a call-up notice issued to the …

LAHORE: Iran has urged Pakistan to remove it from category C of its Covid-19-related travel restrictions, as the ban is not only affecting the flight operations but also bilateral trade between the two countries. “Pakistan has retained Iran in category C in terms of coronavirus restrictions, which is adversely affecting flight operations and bilateral trade between the two countries,” Iranian …

LAHORE: The Usman Buzdar administration in Punjab has reluctantly restored the local governments (LGs) in the province to comply with a Supreme Court order, subject to the outcome of its petitions seeking a review of the judgement. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Punjab government had dissolved the local bodies constituted under the Punjab Local Government Act (PLGA) 2013 in May 2019 soon …