Pakistan News World

Pakistan has refused to ratify the “tough conditions” placed by the European Union (EU) including the abolition of death penalty for the extension of new Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status for 2024 due to “legal and political implications” Islamabad has decided to expedite engagement with the EU to seek some waiver regarding the ratification of new protocols. The GSP is an entrenched trade and development policy instrument, which is in place since 1971. Pakistan is a major recipient of the GSP+ scheme for the last seven years. There is zero duty on several products under this status which is set to expire on December 31, 2023. Under the current GSP+ system, the EU continues monitoring the progress made by the beneficiary countries towards the implementation of 27 international conventions. Since the beneficiary countries will have to re-apply for the scheme’s extension, their record of compliance is given due consideration. Sources told The Express Tribune tha...

Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration has given permission to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold public gathering at Parade Ground here for one day only (July 2nd 2022) subject to some conditions. According to a No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by ICT administration on Thursday the PTI President Central Secretariat Ali Nawaz Awan had submitted an undertaking with regard to the terms and condition to be followed by him as well as the organizers of the public gathering. Awan had written a letter to Islamabad administration on June 29, 2022 seeking permission to hold public meeting in the Federal capital upon the required terms and conditions. The NOC says "The gathering should not block the Islamabad Expressway at any cost owing to any reason whatsoever, since this is a main artery of the city including providing access to airport and north bound as well as west bound motorways" "The gathering shall end at 1200 midnight (night between 2nd & 3rd...

Convener Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui called on head of MQM Rehabilitation Movement Dr Farooq Sattar at his residence in PIB Colony in Karachi on Thursday According to sources, the two political leaders discussed in detail the strategy for the by-elections in NA-245, the upcoming local body elections and current political situation in the country. Former CPLC (Citizens-Police Liaison Committee) chief Ahmed Chennai was also present on the occasion. via Original Source

The federal government, once again, jacked up the price of petroleum products on Thursday for the next fortnight, putting an additional burden of nearly Rs15-18 per litre on the masses. The Finance Division, in its notification, said that in view of the fluctuations in petroleum prices in the international market and exchange rate variation, the government has decided to partially apply a petroleum levy, and revise the existing prices of petroleum products “as agreed with the development partners.” The new prices will be effective from July 1, 2022. With the fresh hike, the price of petrol will be Rs248.74/litre, diesel will be Rs276.54/litre, kerosene oil will be sold for Rs230.26/litre, and the price of light diesel oil will be Rs226.15/litre. The coalition govt, since coming to power in April, has raised the price of petrol by Rs84. It had first raised the petrol price by Rs30 on May 26, followed by another increase of Rs30 on June 2. And on June 15, it hiked the price by anot...

Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has reinstated Pakistan’s membership. FIFA announced that it would lift all restrictions imposed and restore the membership of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF). PFF Normalisation Committee Chairman Haroon Malik said that the hard work of the committee and the prayers of the football family has finally paid off. “The Bureau of the FIFA Council decided on June 29, 2022 to lift the suspension that was imposed on the PFF in April 2021 due to undue third-party interference,” the statement issued by the association read. It added that the decision was taken after FIFA received confirmation that the normalisation committee of the PFF had regained full control of the PFF’s premises and was in a position to manage its finances. The PFF was also informed that any undue interference in its affairs or action that could hinder the fulfilment of the mandate of the normalisation committee might lead to the PFF being suspended again...

Britain will provide another 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion) of military support to Ukraine, the British government said on Wednesday, as NATO branded Russia the biggest "direct threat" to Western security. The funding will go towards boosting Ukraine's defence capabilities, including air defence systems, uncrewed aerial vehicles, new electronic warfare equipment and thousands of pieces of equipment for Ukrainian soldiers. "UK weapons, equipment and training are transforming Ukraine's defences against this onslaught. And we will continue to stand squarely behind the Ukrainian people to ensure Putin fails in Ukraine," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement. The latest funding comes after Britain said in May it would provide an additional 1.3 billion pounds in military support and aid to Ukraine, and takes the UK's total military and economic support to 3.8 billion pounds this year. Ukrainian troops have also started training in Britain aft...

Minister of the State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar called for an easing of Western sanctions against Afghanistan under the Taliban government, saying the basic functioning of the Afghan economy must not be endangered. The Taliban takeover last year prompted foreign governments, led by the United States, to cut development and security aid, and the strict enforcement of sanctions has debilitated the country's banking sector. In an interview with Germany's Welt newspaper published on Thursday, Khar said isolating Afghanistan economically was pushing the country into economic collapse. "If the country remains locked out of international banking and its foreign assets remain frozen, then that is what will happen. We must not promote famine," she added. The minister said the Western troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, in which Germany was also involved, had serious repercussions because it was not preceded by a negotiated solution, calling on Germany to play ...

The domestic prices of diesel and petrol are likely to hike by Rs16.89 and Rs4.55 per litre, respectively, in the next fortnight, The News reported Thursday. However, the petroleum levy (PL) and General Sales Tax (GST) will remain excluded from this price hike. The price of diesel will witness a massive increase from July 1, 2022, if the government charges Rs10/litre on account of PL on diesel and petrol along with the GST. The ex-depot price of petrol has been worked out at Rs238.44 for the next fortnight compared to Rs233.89/litre for the current fortnight, an increase of Rs4.55/litre. If Rs10 PL and 17% GST are added, the petrol price will rise to around Rs290/litre from July 1, 2022. The ex-depot price of diesel has been calculated at Rs280.20/litre for the next fortnight against Rs263.31/litre in the current fortnight, which translates into an increase of Rs16.89/litre. If Rs10 PL and 17% GST is included, the price of diesel may go up to Rs340/litre for the local consumers. ...

Pakistan has reported two deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases has surged to 1,535,785. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,395 on Thursday. According to the latest figures by the National Institute of Health (NIH), at least 641 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 across the country in the past 24 hours. Pakistan has conducted 18,813 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 641 persons were tested positive for the disease. The COVID Positivity Ratio was recorded at 3.41 percent. via Original Source

 Federal Minister for Energy Engineer Khurram Dastgir on Wednesday said the loadshedding would be reduced significantly till July 20 as the government was striving to provide uninterrupted electricity to the masses. The minister while explaining the electricity generating plan, said that the refilling of 1100 megawatt nuclear power plant was in progress which would be completed soon to add electricity in the national grid. He said the government would import coal from Afghanistan in the coming days to ensure low-cost power generation and save its precious foreign Currency reserves. He held responsible, the previous government of PTI, over energy crises as they delayed in purchasing LNG and coal from international market to tackle the energy crisis. He expressed confidence that in the upcoming few months, there would be massive decreased in the prices of petroleum, gas, electricity and other utility products to provide relief to the masses. via Original Source

 One person was killed and 15 other were wounded in collision between a passenger coach and trailer near Rahim Yar Khan on Wednesday night According to details, the accident occurred at the Multan Motorway near Rahim Yar Khan where a passenger coach going to Punjab from Sukkur collided with a trailer due to over-speeding, killing one person on the spot and injuring 15 other. Police and rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the dead and injured to hospital. According to rescue sources, the death toll may rise further as most of the injured were in critical condition.   via Original Source

Indian police arrested two men Tuesday after they beheaded a Hindu tailor on camera over his support online for a former ruling party official whose remarks about the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) sparked global protests. Authorities in the western city of Udaipur shut down the internet and restricted gatherings after the gory video of the attack was posted online drawing huge numbers of viewers. Nupur Sharma, a spokeswoman for India's ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) until her sacking this month, sparked a furore in the Islamic world when she commented on the relationship between the prophet (PBUH) and his youngest wife on a TV show. The remarks sparked widespread protests in India and abroad with Muslims demanding she be severely punished, and the row has since sparked violence in Udaipur. "Both the accused in the killing have been arrested and we will ensure strict punishment and speedy justice," Ashok Gehlot, chief minister in the state of Rajasthan, whe...

The federal government Wednesday decided to "fully activate” the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) in light of the rising coronavirus cases across the country. A statement from PM Office said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired an NCOC meeting, where he expressed concerns over the rising COVID-19 cases and issued directives to revive Pakistan’s coronavirus response forum. The premier ordered district and provincial authorities to strictly implement protective measures and take other steps to keep the deadly virus at bay. The NCOC stopped functioning at the end of March after running operations for two years and leading Pakistan's response to COVID-19, while all its roles were handed over to the National Institute of Health (NIH). In a press conference after the decision, Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel said that the public will have to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) till the coronavirus is prevalent.  “We are mulling over strategies for relig...

The Sindh High Court on Wednesday extended the stay on a local court's orders to exhume deceased televangelist and PTI MNA Aamir Liaquat Hussain's body for an autopsy till July 19. The SHC had suspended orders of the judicial magistrate (East), who approved a petition seeking the autopsy of the deceased anchorperson, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his residence earlier this month. Hussain's former wife, Syeda Bushra Iqbal — who is on the frontline in pursuing her children's case against the exhumation — said while speaking to media on the occasion that she doesn't know who is behind the demand for exhumation. "Humanity has faded away from us, unfortunately," Bushra said while telling journalists that her lawyer will address the questions on Hussain's third wife Dania Malik. Hussain's sudden demise came weeks after some indecent videos of him had gone viral. It is being widely believed that Dania — who filed for nullifica...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday said it would look at the Punjab chief minister election and see if the Supreme Court's interpretation on Article 63-A could apply in the present circumstances as it resumed hearing the pleas of PTI, PML-Q and Punjab Asse­mbly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi against Hamza Shehbaz's elevation to the role. A five-member bench comprising Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan, Justice Shahid Jamil Khan, Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry, Justice Sajid Mahmood Sethi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh is hearing the case. Hamza was elected as the Punjab CM on April 16, during a provincial assembly session that was marred by violence. He received a total of 197 votes — 11 more than the required 186 — including from 25 dissident PTI MPAs that were crucial for his victory. On May 20, those lawmakers were de-seated by the ECP for defecting. Since then, a series of petitions have challenged Hamza's election as the chief minister. All of them were, however, cl...

The US dollar was seen losing ground against the rupee in interbank trading on Wednesday morning as it fell by more than Re1, with analysts linking the development to optimism surrounding the expected release of loan tranches by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). According to the Forex Association of Pakistan (FAP), the greenback depreciated Rs1.45 against the previous day's close of Rs206 to reach Rs204.55 around 11am. The FAP's closing rate of the last session shows a difference of 87 paisa from that of the State Bank of Pakistan, recorded at Rs206.87. Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan General Secretary Zafar Paracha attributed the international currency's fall to the possibility of the IMF releasing two combined tranches of around $1.85 billion instead of the initially expected single tranche of around $1bn. On Tuesday, Pakistan received the Memorandum of Economic and Fiscal Policies (MEFP) from the IMF for the combined seventh and eighth reviews of it...

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa Tuesday said that the Kartarpur corridor was the practical manifestation of Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to religious freedom and harmony. His comments came during a meeting with the British Sikh soldiers' delegation, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. During the meeting, General Bajwa said that Pakistan respects all religions and recognises the need for the promotion of religious tourism in the country. The British Sikh soldiers' delegation lauded the Pakistan Army's efforts in bringing peace and normalcy to tribal districts. The delegation — comprising 12 members who visited the General Headquarters (GHQ) — was headed by Deputy Commander Field Army UK Major General Celia J Harvey. The delegation visited Lahore where it witnessed a flag-lowering ceremony at the Wagah border. It also visited Lahore Fort, Allama Iqbal Mausoleum, and the Badshahi Mosque. During their stay, the Britis...

The marathon session of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) postponed further deliberations with an understanding to reconvene after the commission’s rules committee comes out with a clear appointment criteria. The commission met on Tuesday to consider elevation of seven judges to the Sindh High Court. The five-hour session, held in a conducive environment, was presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial through a video link from his residence. Senior puisine judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa participated from Spain. Attorney General for Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf could not attend as he was reportedly unwell while Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah was in attendance in his capacity as the provincial law minister. The next JCP meeting is expected to be held in the first or second week of August since some commission members had to proceed for Haj and the rules committee would have met by then. The candidates selected to be elevated as additional judges of the SHC...

Pakistan has received the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the seventh and eighth reviews, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail confirmed Tuesday morning. This is a critical development signalling that the two sides have reached an agreement. The draft MEFP is a prerequisite to pave the way towards striking a staff-level agreement. Early this morning, the Government of Pakistan has received an MEFP from the IMF for combined 7th and 8th reviews. — Miftah Ismail (@MiftahIsmail) June 28, 2022 Now that Pakistan has received this document, it will be analysed and scrutinised for three days by the country's economic team. The finance minister and State Bank of Pakistan governor will then sign it if no major problem is found. The staff-level agreement will then be presented before the IMF’s Executive Board next month for approval, after which the tranche will be released. The MEFP may be considered as the crux of decis...

Pakistan has reported two deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases has surged to 1,534,603. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,392 on Tuesday. According to the latest figures by the National Institute of Health (NIH), at least 333 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 across the country in the past 24 hours. Pakistan has conducted 13,759 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 333 persons were tested positive for the disease. The COVID Positivity Ratio was recorded at 2.42 percent. via Original Source

PM Shehbaz is addressing members National Assembly   via Original Source

PML-N senior leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar is expected to return to Pakistan any time next month in July. According to the sources, Dar is likely to visit Pakistan in the second week of July. They further stated that Dar will first take oath as a Senator after which he will take charge as the finance minister. The post is currently being held by Miftah Ismail. In January, Dar was reinstated to the Senate by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). "In pursuant to the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan dated December 21, 2021 in Civil Appeal No.352 of 2018 [...] the Election Commission of Pakistan hereby recalls the notification dated June 29, 2018 and the notification of even number dated March 9, 2018, to the extent of Mohammad Ishaq Dar, as returned candidate, is hereby restored," an official notification had read. In 2018, the ECP withdrew a notification of former finance minister Ishaq Dar's election as a senator. The notification was with...

Vladimir Putin will visit two small former Soviet states in central Asia this week, Russian state television reported on Sunday, in what would be the Russian leader's first known trip abroad since ordering the invasion of Ukraine. Russia's February 24 invasion has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and led to severe financial sanctions from the West, which Putin says are a reason to build stronger trade ties with other powers such as China, India, and Iran. Pavel Zarubin, the Kremlin correspondent of the Rossiya 1 state television station, said Putin would visit Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and then meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo for talks in Moscow. In Dushanbe, Putin will meet Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon, a close Russian ally and the longest-serving ruler of a former Soviet state. In Ashgabat, he will attend a summit of Caspian nations including the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkmenistan, Zarubin said. Putin also plans to vis...

Following the failure of the PTI government to take the necessary action to resolve the issue of including escalated costs in true-up tariffs, Korean investors have filed a claim with the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) against the government of Pakistan, seeking $94 million (Rs19.6 billion) in compensation. The Korean investors claimed that the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) failed to evacuate electricity from the 147-megawatt Patrind Hydropower project for at least six months after the project's COD, as well as the cost of constructing a point from which the electricity was to be delivered to the national grid, according to a top official of the power division. According to the official, the power division, under Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir, smelt a rate and decided to fix the racket of unscrupulous officials of NTDC, CPPA, and power division who were responsible for not evacuating electricity from the project on time and rai...

Bad news for power consumers, an increase of Rs7.90 per unit was approved. The increase is in line with the May monthly fuel adjustment. A public hearing was held at NEPRA headquarters regarding the May monthly fuel charges adjustment of Discus. The public hearing was presided over by NEPRA Chairman Mr. Engineer Tauseef H. Farooqi. NEPRA members, Engineer Rafiq Ahmed Sheikh and Engineer Maqsood Anwar Khan were also present in the hearing. According to the NEPRA statement, CPPAG had submitted an application for an increase of Rs. 7, 96 paise per unit in the case of FCA. CA customers were charged Rs 3.99 per unit for 1 month only. Already overburdened by inflation, increased oil prices, food items, Pakistanis were in for a shock when the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Monday decided to increase the power tariff by Rs7.9 per unit. According to the regulatory authority, the hike in tariff has been made under fuel adjustment for the month of May. This decis...

Pakistan has reported two deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases has surged to 1,534,270. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,390 on Monday. According to the latest figures by the National Institute of Health (NIH), at least 382 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 across the country in the past 24 hours. Pakistan has conducted 13,412 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 382 persons were tested positive for the disease. The COVID Positivity Ratio was recorded at 2.85 percent. via Original Source

Explosions rocked a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv Sunday morning as G7 leaders gathered in Germany to discuss their backing of Ukraine against Russia's invasion, with a crucial Nato meeting set to follow in days. The first attack on the capital in nearly three weeks was intended to “intimidate Ukrainians... at the approach of the Nato summit”, the city's mayor Vitali Klitschko said. “Some of the inhabitants have been evacuated. Two wounded people have been hospitalised,” Klitschko said after visiting the apartment building that was hit, adding people remained “under the rubble”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is expected to address both the G7 and Nato gatherings, said cities as far away as Lviv, near the Polish border, had been struck by a wave of attacks on Saturday. “This confirms... that air defence systems — the modern systems which our partners have — should not be on (their current) sites or in storage, but in Ukraine,” he said in his daily address...

Iran's indirect talks with the United States on reviving the 2015 nuclear pact will resume soon, the Iranian foreign minister said on Saturday amid a push by the European Union's top diplomat to break a months-long impasse in the negotiations. "We are prepared to resume talks in the coming days. What is important for Iran is to fully receive the economic benefits of the 2015 accord," Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said, adding that he had held a "long but positive meeting" with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. The pact appeared close to being revived in March when the EU - which is coordinating negotiations - invited foreign ministers representing the accord's parties to Vienna to finalise an agreement after 11 months of indirect talks between Tehran and President Joe Biden's administration. But the talks have since been bogged down, chiefly over Tehran's insistence that Washington remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says Pakistan is working closely with international organizations to address the challenges stemming from illicit drugs. In a message on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, being observed today (Sunday), he said Pakistan is a signatory to all global conventions and protocols related to prevention of drug abuse and illicit trafficking. The Prime Minister said easy availability of synthetic drugs pose dangers to the general public, especially the youth, which make up more than sixty percent of Pakistan's population. He said we must work collectively to protect young people from the risks of drug abuse and safeguard their health and wellbeing. The Prime Minister said preventing drug use before it begins is the most cost-effective, common-sense approach to promote safe and healthy communities. President Dr Arif Alvi, in his message on International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, has stressed...

Monkeypox is not yet a global health emergency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has ruled , although WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was deeply concerned about the outbreak. "I am deeply concerned about the monkeypox outbreak, this is clearly an evolving health threat that my colleagues and I in the WHO Secretariat are following extremely closely," Tedros said in a statement issued on Saturday. WHO said in a separate statement that although there were some differing views within the committee, they ultimately agreed by consensus that at this stage the outbreak is not a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The "global emergency" label currently only applies to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing efforts to eradicate polio, and the UN agency has stepped back from applying it to the monkeypox outbreak after advice from a meeting of international experts. There have been more than 3,200 confirmed cases of monkeypox...

US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law his country’s first gun-control bill in decades that seeks to prevent people with criminal records and mental problems from acquiring firearms. The bill — now known as the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act 2022 — passed the House of Representatives on Friday evening by 234 to 193 votes. The US Senate passed the bill late Thursday by a 65-33-vote and sent it to the House. As promised by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House acted swiftly and sent it to the president on Friday evening for signing it into law. President Biden also acted promptly and put his signature on the bill early Saturday morning before leaving on a week-long trip to Europe. “God willing, it’s going to save a lot of lives,” said the president after signing the bill. He recalled that the last time Congress passed meaningful gun safety laws was almost 30 years ago and he attended that event as well. He mentioned major school and public shootings that killed hundreds of A...

Voting is underway today (Sunday) for the first phase of local government elections in 14 districts from four divisions of Sindh. The polling began at 8am and will continue until 5pm without any pause. The 14 districts of Sindh include Larkana, Kambar-Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Naushehro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharparkar. Elections in the rest of the districts of Sindh will be held on July 24. At least 21,298 candidates are in the field against 6,277 seats of 101 town committees, 23 municipal committees, 14 districts councils, four municipal corporations, eleven town municipal corporations and 887 union councils and union committees. The election commission has established 9,023 polling stations, including 1,895 for women, to facilitate over 11 million registered voters. According to a spokesperson of the Election Commission of Pakistan, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja is monitori...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate Dr Afia Siddiqui’s family in securing a visa for the United States so they could visit the country and see her. Dr Aafia, a Pakistani neuroscientist jailed in the US, was indicted by a New York federal district court in September 2008 on charges of attempted murder and assault, stemming from an incident during an interview with the US authorities in Ghazni, Afghanistan — charges that she denied. After 18 months in detention, she was tried and convicted in early 2010 and sentenced to 86 years in prison. She has since been imprisoned in the US. In today’s order, the IHC noted that the Foreign Office (FO) submitted a report to the court stating that the Pakistan Consul General visited the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) where Dr Afia is currently detained. “…but it appears she now believes that her family is no longer alive, and the Warden of FMC states that Dr Afia could not be forced to ...

A local court in the port city on Saturday directed the provincial health secretary to conduct Dua Zahra’s ossification test again as her case required further investigation. It may be noted that an ossification test has already been carried out on Zahra as per SHC's order which revealed that the girl is between 16 to 17 years of age, with a confirmation by radiologist Dr Saba Jamil. Zahra had made headlines across the country after she had mysteriously disappeared from Karachi in April but later declared that she had run away from her home to marry 21-year-old Zaheer Ahmed. In today’s hearing, the police submitted a challan and requested the case be classified as “C Class” in light of no evidence being found. Police typically request the court to have a first information report (FIR) listed as “C Class” in matters when a criminal case is filed due to a mistake of fact or if the offence complained about is civil in nature. But the petitioner’s lawyer Jibran Nasir protested, ...

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Saturday granted interim bail to KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in different cases pertaining to vandalism during the party’s May 25 long march toward Islamabad The KP chief minister approached the district and sessions court of judge Kamran Basharat Mufi through his counsel Intezar Panjotha. Subsequently, the Islamabad court granted pre-arrest to Mahmood Khan in three FIRs till July 7 and also directed him to submit surety bonds worth Rs5,000 each. It is to be noted that several PTI leaders including former prime minister Imran Khan, Asad Umar, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry and others had been booked by police in various FIRs related to Azadi March. Earlier, the district and sessions court in Islamabad granted Friday pre-arrest bail to former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in 15 cases related to vandalism during long march. PTI Chairman appeared before the district and sessions court of ...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday asked PTI lawmakers to approach National Assembly (NA) speaker against their eviction from parliament lodges. Capital Development Authority (CDA) on June 2 and June 3 served notices on Shaukat Ali Bhatti and Amir Sultan asking them to vacate the Parliament Lodges. However, the PTI MNAs approached IHC seeking restoration of their allotments. After the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan through vote of no confidence, PTI members resigned in protest. Though PTI members submitted their resignations to the NA speaker, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has not de-notified as yet which kept their status as MNA intact. PTI MNAs Amir Sultan and Shaukat Ali Bhatti belong to Jhang and Hafizabad and were residing in Parliament Lodges as members of National Assembly. The petitioners have accused CDA’s employees of forcibly evicting them and throwing out their households and taken over possession forcefully from the accommodation. Th...

Pakistan has reported one death in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases has surged to 1,533,482. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,386 on Saturday. According to the latest figures by the National Institute of Health (NIH), at least 435 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 across the country in the past 24 hours. Pakistan has conducted 13,644 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 435 persons were tested positive for the disease. The COVID Positivity Ratio was recorded at 3.19 percent. via Original Source

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday attended Pakistan Navy passing out parade at the Naval Academy in Karachi. According to details, PM Shehbaz inspected the guard of honor and addressed the passing out parade at the naval academy. Earlier, the prime minister landed in the port city Saturday morning where Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah welcomed him at the airport. Prime Minister Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that the nation is proud of its armed forces for making the country’s defence impregnable and playing a key role in the fight against terrorism. He was addressing the passing out parade of 117th Midshipman and 25th Short Service Commission course at Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi. The Prime Minister said Pakistan Navy has even more important role to play in the present age of ever growing blue economy, marine security and strategic defence. He said arming Pakistan Navy with latest technology for safeguarding maritime borders of the country is a...

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was granted bail in 10 vandalism cases on Friday linked to the party's 'Azadi March' by an Islamabad district and sessions court. The court heard the former premier’s bail plea in 15 cases of vandalism. PTI leaders Asad Umar, Ali Nawaz Awan and Dr Babar Awan also appeared before the court. The sessions court judge granted interim bail to Imran till July 6 and ordered him to submit a bond of Rs 5,000 in each case. The judge summoned police for the next hearing and asked the officials to bring the records. Imran obtained interim bail in cases registered in Aabpara Police Station, I-9, Kohsar, Karachi Company, Golra, Tarnol, Bhara Kahu Police Station, Sihala Police Station, Koral Police Station and Lohi Bhair and others. A total of 15 cases were registered against him in 11 police stations.  Earlier this month, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) granted the ex-premier transitory, protective bail for three weeks in cases registe...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced Friday that the coalition government plans to impose a 10% super tax on large-scale industries, and that “tough decisions” have been taken to protect the economy on budget 2022-23. Addressing the nation, after a meeting with his economic team, the premier said that the coalition government has taken some “tough decisions” regarding the federal budget for the next fiscal year 2022-23. “I want to brief the people about those decisions and the actual [economic] situation of the country,” he said, highlighting the two major reasons behind these decisions. “Our first motive is to provide relief to the masses and to reduce the burden of inflation on the people and facilitate them,” he elaborated. “Our second motive is to protect the country from going bankrupt," he said, adding that it has been devastated due to the "incompetency and corruption" of the previous Imran Khan-led government. The decisions taken now will save the countr...