WASHINGTON: The United States said on Monday Pakistan should hold an independent investigation into the claims of election irregularities through its legal system. The US State Department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller, responding to a question about the demand for an independent probe, stated, “I don’t know what body are they proposing to conduct an independent investigation would be.” He added, “Right …

Indian security forces fired tear gas on Tuesday to stop thousands of farmers demanding minimum crop prices from marching on the capital New Delhi after talks with the government failed. Local broadcasters showed thick clouds of tear gas fired to disperse protesters near Ambala, about 200 kilometres north of the capital, with police also dropping canisters from the air by …

BEIJING: Twenty-five-year-old Chinese office worker Tufei says her boyfriend has everything she could ask for in a romantic partner: he’s kind, empathetic, and sometimes they talk for hours. Except he isn’t real. Her “boyfriend” is a chatbot on an app called “Glow”, an artificial intelligence platform created by Shanghai start-up MiniMax that is part of a blossoming industry in China …

ISLAMABAD: After the Election Commission of Pakistan notified the victory of PML-N candidate Tariq Fazal Chaudhry from NA-47, his opponent Shuaib Shaheen, a PTI-backed candidate, moved the Islamabad High Court against the ECP notification, citing ‘mala fide’ intent. The plea is likely to be heard today, whereas another PTI-backed candidate Ali Bukhari from NA-48 is also likely to approach the …

ISLAMABAD: After almost 35 years of its construction, the Saudi government is expected to provide funds for the renovation of Faisal Mosque in the federal capital, which has not seen any major repair work over the past three decades. This was revealed as caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ijaz visited the mosque along with Saudi envoy Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki, Capital Development …

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has expressed concerns over frivolous complaints filed against judges to “damage” their reputation. The remarks were made on Monday by judges who were part of a five-member bench, headed by Justice Aminud Din Khan, which had taken up the federal government’s intra-court appeal (ICA) challenging the 2023 decision in Afiya Shehrbano Zia case. “We should take care of complaints filed …

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court, which resumes the case proceedings in the 2023 Jaranwala tragedy today, has been urged to direct the one-man commission of Dr Shoaib Suddle — appointed in 2019 to implement its 2014 order in a minority rights case — to conduct inquiry and assign culpabilities to groups and individuals involved in the gruesome arson attacks on churches and properties …

QUETTA / GWADAR: Vari­ous political parties continued to hold rallies and sit-ins in several parts of the province on Monday against alleged rigging in elections, causing traffic suspension between Balochistan and other provinces. An alliance of four parties representing Baloch, Pashtoon and Hazara nationalists gave a call for a shutter down strike in the province for Tuesday (today) and made …

ISLAMABAD: Follo­wing days of severe criticism over the delay in the announcement of poll results, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has defended itself, saying a litany of security and logistical challenges impeded the process. For four days since Feb 8, mum was the word from the commission as people waited for the final consolidated results. There were also claims …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday summoned caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on February 19 over the failure to recover allegedly missing Baloch students. The directive was issued as IHC’s Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani resumed hearing a petition regarding the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances. The commission was established in 2011 …