KARACHI: The Pakis­tan Tele­communication Authority (PTA) has conceded that the Ministry of Interior had issued instru­c­tions to suspend mobile phone services on Feb 8, the polling day. In its reply submitted before a Sindh High Court (SHC) bench on Tuesday, the authority asserted that it was bound to follow the directions on the interior ministry and was merely the implementing agency. Separately, …

QUETTA: A shutter-down strike was observed in Quetta city on Tuesday in protest against the raid on the residence of Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai. The strike call, initiated by PkMAP leaders, received a robust response from the business community in Quetta, prompting the closure of business establishments throughout the day. All shops, markets, shopping plazas, and business …

ISLAMABAD: After successful elections of the National Assembly speaker, deputy speaker and the prime minister, the PPP and the PML-N — the two major partners in the eight-party ruling alliance — are now busy finalising their strategy for the upcoming presidential election. In this connection, a delegation comprising representatives of both parties met the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leaders in Islamabad late …

RAWALPINDI: Under the Nighaban Ramazan package of the Punjab government, free food bags were home delivered to 1,200 houses in Rawalpindi division on Tuesday on a trial basis. The programme would formally be launched on the second day of the holy month of Ramazan in all districts during which dry rations would be provided to registered households by March 15. …

ISLAMABAD: The PML-N has become the largest political party in the National Assembly, with the number of its MNAs surging by 16 to 123 following the distribution of reserved seats — denied to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) — among three political parties. The PML-N initially won a total of 75 general seats and was joined by nine independents. With the allocation …

ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Tuesday visited Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where he met the incarcerated PTI’s founding chairman Imran Khan and discussed with him the formation of provincial cabinet. While talking to Dawn, spokesperson for the former prime minister Raoof Hasan said, “Mr Gandapur met incarcerated leader Imran Khan and during the meeting, along with other …

The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that the trial under the 1979 judgment that sent former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the gallows did not meet the requirements of a “fair trial and due process”. Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, a nine-judge bench announced its much-anticipated opinion on the long-pending presidential reference to answer whe­ther it can revisit …

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has picked his new cabinet comprising 15 ministers and five advisers. A summary regarding the appointment of the provincial cabinet — a copy of which is available with Dawn.com — was sent to KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali today. The summary was subsequently approved and the appointment of the ministers was notified. Cabinet members …

Selena Gomez admitted that she feels safe with her beau Benny Blanco. In conversation with Rolling Stone, the Calm Down singer opened up about her love life, revealing she is ‘happy with everything’ ahead of the release of her fourth studio album. She said, “Without getting into too much detail, I think it’s just really important to meet someone that respects you.” The …

Camila Cabello spoke out on romance rumours with Drake after the pair were spotted on a steamy getaway. In a teaser video from her upcoming appearance on Call Her Daddy podcast, the Fifth Harmony alum opened up about going jet skiing with the rapper in Turks and Caicos in December. “You were on a vacation… with Drake,” said host Alex Cooper …