ISLAMABAD: At least 377 election petitions challenging the outcomes of as many National and Provincial Assembly constituencies have been filed in 23 election tribunals appointed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), according to the post-election observation by the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen). According to Section 140 of the Elections Act, 2017, the ECP appointed 17 tribunals — …

A man was killed by a mob over alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in the Madyan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district on Thursday night, police said. Eight people were injured in the unrest, according to Swat District Police Officer (DPO) Dr Zahidullah Khan. He said the police had moved the suspect of the alleged desecration incident to the …

PESHAWAR: National and provincial lawmakers from Khyber Pakhtun­khwa continued to forcibly enter grid stations and turn on power supply on Thursday even as the utility company warned such actions could seriously damage the transmission infrastructure. The provincial home and tribal affairs department has also directed district administrations to ens­ure no unscheduled loadshedding is carried out. This is the latest development in the row bet­ween …

ISLAMABAD: The purported differences bet­ween the PML-N and PPP on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year stood dissolved on Thursday after PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to assure him of his party’s support for the crucial finance bill. Sources told Dawn that the differences have fizzled out, with both sides agreeing to support each other and cooperate on …

ISLAMABAD: Refusing to suspend the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) May 29 pronouncement, the Supreme Court on Thursday sought the formation of a five-judge larger bench to settle the controversy over whether the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) or the high court should appoint tribunals to decide electoral disputes. The order was issued by a two-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of …

QUETTA: Unknown armed men kidnapped at least 10 people, including a customs officer, from Shaban, a picnic point on the outskirts of the provincial capital, on Thursday. According to officials, a large number of people went to the Shaban area for picnic the other day, during which a group of armed men encircled the mountains and started checking the national …

QUETTA: Unknown armed men kidnapped at least 10 people, including a customs officer, from Shaban, a picnic point on the outskirts of the provincial capital, on Thursday. According to officials, a large number of people went to the Shaban area for picnic the other day, during which a group of armed men encircled the mountains and started checking the national …

ISLAMABAD: The opening day of budget debate in the National Assembly saw a bitter war of words being waged, as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle accused each other of colluding with the military establishment and intelligence agencies to gain power. Meanwhile in the Senate, opposition leaders decried the heavy taxes proposed in the upcoming budget, warning that they could lead …

LONDON / KARACHI: After months of speculation, a glimpse of ‘Awaam Pakistan’ — the new party on the block — appeared on the country’s political horizon on Thursday. The video posted on the X account of Awaam Pakistan was shared with the tagline ‘Awaam Pakistan: Badlein ge nizam’ (People of Pakistan: We will change the system). It featured a string of despondent citizens …

The Punjab government on Friday imposed Section 144 across the province in light of “the prevailing law and order situation”, thereby banning protests and public gatherings. The imposition of Section 144 across Punjab comes as PTI plans to carry out nationwide protests today demanding the release of incarcerated leader Imran Khan. According to an order issued by the Home Department, which Dawn.com has seen, …