LAHORE: The Punjab government has requested the interior ministry to shut down social media apps on internet from Muharram 6 to 11 to control the dissemination of hate material and misinformation in a bid to avoid sectarian violence. Sources close to the development said the provincial government had decided to go beyond the routine measures of internet suspension and mobile …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Expressway project which has already missed two deadlines has received a new deadline, as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chief Muhammad Ali Randhawa asked the department concerned to wrap up the project by Aug 14 instead of Sept 30. The CDA chairman visited the project site and asked the contractor to complete the ongoing work by Aug …

RAWALPINDI: A three-day spell of torrential rainfall from July 5 may cause flash floods in local nullahs and streams of Islamabad and Rawalpindi among other areas of the country, the Meteorological Department said on Thursday. The heavy rainfall may cause urban flooding in Rawalpindi besides other cities of Punjab while also causing landslides at vulnerable points in the hilly areas …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday sought replies from the superintendent of Adiala Jail, Punjab home secretary and secretary of defence on a petition filed by former prime minister Imran Khan against meddling of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the jail administration. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard the petition and, after a preliminary hearing, issued notices to the three government …

KARACHI: A 60-year-old woman traveling in a car was shot dead while her 19-year-old daughter critically wounded in suspicious circumstances on National Highway near Gulshan-i-Hadeed on Thursday evening. The police claimed that the family was caught in the crossfire between police and fleeing suspects during an ‘encounter’ and they were shot by the suspects. However, the relatives disputed this version …

QUETTA: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday emphasised the need to counter terrorism by defeating its narrative and underscored the importance of restoring peace and political stability in Balochistan through grassroots political processes. Mr Bhutto-Zardari made these remarks during a meeting at the Chief Minister Secretariat after he arrived in Quetta on a two-day visit. The meeting was attended by …

PPP lawmaker Marvi Faseeh submitted on Thursday a resolution to the Sindh Assembly Secretariat condemning derogatory remarks made about women by motivational speaker Sahil Adeem on a recent SAMAA TV show. Adeem had stated that 95 per cent of women in the country were ‘jahil’ (ignorant) on the SAMAA TV show Mukalma, which was hosted by controversial screen writer Khalil ur Rehman Qamar and Ayesha …

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the Lahore High Court’s June 12 notification of constituting eight election tribunals in Punjab as well as the LHC’s determination that its chief justice has the final say in the appointment of tribunals to settle poll disputes. Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, a five-judge Supreme Court bench suspended the notification …

KARACHI: Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the spiritual leader of the Bohra community, arrived in the metropolis on Thursday evening. Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and other high-ranking officers, along with a large number of Bohra community members, received him at the airport’s old terminal. According to a press release, Syedna will deliver a series of sermons in Karachi …

ISLAMABAD: The official machinery appeared to have formalised a split among the protesting pet­ro­leum dealers, inducing some of them with hints for higher commission on sales of petroleum products to pass on the impact of turnover tax to consumers. Meanwhile, oil marketing companies (OMCs) have called for a 60 per cent increase in their profit margins. Abdul Sami Khan, chairman of …