India has begun withdrawing military personnel operating surveillance aircraft in the Maldives after the new pro-China president ordered them to leave, local media reported Tuesday. The Mihaaru newspaper reported that 25 Indian troops deployed in the southernmost atoll of Addu had left the archipelago ahead of March 10, the official start of the withdrawal agreed by both sides. President Mohamed Muizzu came …

Donald Trump has pledged to free people jailed for taking part in the 2021 attack on the US Capitol as one of his first actions if reelected, calling them “hostages.” The rioters — egged on by the then-president and fuelled by his false claims of voter fraud — stormed the seat of US democracy on January 6, 2021, in a bid to …

India on Tuesday rejected Chinese objections to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s weekend visit to Arunachal Pradesh, saying the northeastern border state has always been “an integral and inalienable part of India”. The Indian foreign ministry’s comments came a day after Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Beijing was firmly opposed to Modi’s activities in the disputed region and has …

LAHORE: The Pak­istan Tehreek-i-Insaf has decided to form a shadow cabinet in Punjab to monitor the provincial government’s performance in each administrative department. Party’s senior leader Mian Aslam Iqbal, in hiding since the May 9 violent protest, says the party has decided to form a shadow cabinet to scrutinise the performance of the ‘stolen-mandate government’ in Punjab. Tweeting from his X handle, …

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Monday stopped police and other law-enforcement agencies from arresting former MNA and National Democratic Movement chairman Mohsin Dawar until March 21 over any of the cases registered against him. A notice was also issued by a bench consisting of Justice Syed Arshid Ali and Justice Wiqar Ahmad to the provincial government seeking its report …

ISLAMABAD: The Senate of Pakistan passed a total of 43 bills during the parliamentary year that concluded on Monday (March 11), says a report released by the Senate Secretariat. According to the ‘Comprehensive Annual Report on the Completion of Parliamentary Year 2023-24’, there are 56 bills pending before various house committees “due to technical reasons”. The data provided in the …

ISLAMABAD: A mix of young and experienced players were sworn in on Monday as President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath of office to 19 members of the federal cabinet. There are a couple of surprises in the allocation of portfolios, as four-time finance czar Ishaq Dar is named foreign minister, while banker and former HBL chief Muhammad Aurangzeb has been picked to lead the government’s …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan on Monday alleged that violation of human rights was at its peak in Pakistan, announcing that police would be summoned in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). He also claimed that Bushra Bibi, wife of PTI’s founding chairman Imran Khan, was confined to a small room in Banigala. He termed the president’s election …

Nine people were killed and two others injured when a three-storey building collapsed on top of another in Multan following a gas cylinder explosion, officials said. District Emergency Officer Dr Kaleemullah told Dawn.com that the bodies and injured were rescued from the rubble following a five-hour operation in which 70 rescue personnel participated. He added that five individuals of a family were …

ISLAMABAD: The Senate will remain dysfunctional for at least three weeks, as 52 lawmakers — over half the strength of the upper house of parliament — retired on Monday night. The term of a senator is six years, but half of them retire every three years and elections are held to fill the vacancies. These elections normally take place days …