Arab states boycotting Qatar could resume travel and trade links with Doha within a week under a United States-backed deal, but restoring diplomatic ties requires more time as parties work to rebuild trust, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) official said on Thursday. Gulf powerhouse Saudi Arabia announced the breakthrough in ending a bitter dispute at a summit on Tuesday, with its foreign …

The US Congress certified on Thursday that Democrat Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris have won the 2020 presidential election, but the certification followed a mob attack on the Capitol building that resulted in the deaths of four people. The invasion also forced lawmakers to abandon the premises and they returned only after Washington’s Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed a curfew …

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday directed its scrutiny committee auditing accounts of three major political parties — the PTI, PML-N and PPP — to meet thrice a week to complete the process at the earliest. Informed sources told Dawn that the commission, which met here with Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja in the …

ISLAMABAD: The Central Selection Board (CSB) on Wednesday recommended promotion of officers of various cadres and ministries in BS-20 and BS-21, including those belonging to top spy agencies Inter-Services Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau. A meeting of the CSB, headed by Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) chairman retired Capt Zahid Saeed, considered the promotion of officers of the ministries of defence, …

KARACHI: While the members of Balochistan’s Shia Hazara community refused to bury the bodies of the miners killed in a brutal attack in Mach demanding visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan, sit-ins in Karachi continued for the fourth consecutive day and organisers further expanded them to other parts of the city. The demonstrators called for immediate action from the federal …

MUZAFFARABAD: Over a dozen schoolteachers and two police personnel were injured on Wednesday after riot police used batons and tear gas shells to disperse a big procession of male tutors, accusing them of violating an “understanding” with the administration. Around 68 teachers, including some pensioners, had been taken into custody for “rioting in a sensitive area,” Deputy Commissioner Abdul Hameed …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Wednesday changed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Aamir Zulfiqar Khan and appointed Qazi Jamilur Rehman in his place. As per the notification: “Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan, an Officer of BS-21 of Police Service of Pakistan, presently posted as Inspector General, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police, under the Interior Division is transferred and directed to report …

ISLAMBAD: The BNP Group project, One Constitution Avenue, has been de-sealed after the developer deposited Rs1.7 billion with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on account of first installment of Rs17.5 billion. The CDA’s building control directorate de-sealed the building on Wednesday, Dawn has learnt. A letter issued by an official of Estate Management Wing of CDA on Wednesday stated: “With reference to …

• Appeals for burial of slain miners • Balochistan CM, two federal cabinet members’ talks with protesters yield no result ISLAMABAD/QUETTA: Amid escalating criticism in the country and on the advice of several senior cabinet members, Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to visit Quetta “soon” to express solidarity with the members of the Shia Hazara community, who have been …

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Wednesday presided over a meeting of senior members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and then met Prime Minister Imran Khan to discuss the plan for convening the session of the lower house of parliament in the next few days. According to an official handout, the speaker informed the premier that he had …