ISLAMABAD: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested four terrorists belonging to banned outfits, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al-Qaeda, during multiple operations in Punjab. According to the details from the CTD spokesperson, the department conducted an operation on the hideouts of terrorists in several districts of Punjab including Multan Rawalpindi and Sargodha and arrested four terrorists. During the operation, the forces …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported one death in the last 24 hours by the COVID-19 as the number of confirmed positive cases in the country surged to 1,580,409. The nationwide deaths from the virus jumped to 30,655 on Saturday. According to the latest figures by the National Institute of Health (NIH), at least 67 people were tested positive for Covid-19 across the …

LAHORE: After Asif Zardari’s proposal that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif should initiate ‘unconditional’ talks with the opposition party Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday formed a three-member body to persuade allies in the government to start the process with the Imran-led party. According to a PPP statement, Senator Yousuf Raza Gillani, Federal Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed …

KARACHI: The condition of the 17-year-old ailing elephant at the Karachi Zoo, Noor Jehan, a has worsened after she fell into a pond inside. According to zoo officials, the animal reportedly fell into a cemented pond inside her cage at 7:30am on Thursday and was stuck there for hours after which a crane along with ropes and belts was used …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday that the United Arab Emirates has confirmed its commitment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for its bilateral financial support of one billion U.S. dollars to Pakistan, bringing the country one-step closer to securing a deal with the lender. “UAE authorities have confirmed to IMF for their bilateral support of US …

ISLAMABAD: A three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday directed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to release 21 billion rupees immediately to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for elections in Punjab. The apex court issued the order after the federal government’s failure to release the required funds despite court direction. The bench asked the SBP …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government announced a five-day holiday on the occasion of Eidul Fitr for government organisations, semi-government organisations, banks, and educational institutions. Eidul Fitr holidays were approved on the recommendation oddf the Cabinet Division, according to which the holidays would run from April 21 to April 25 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday). The interior ministry would issue a …

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan on Wednesday formed an eight-member larger bench of the Supreme Court (SC) to take up three petitions challenging a bill seeking to curtail the powers of the chief justice on Thursday morning. The bill, titled the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, is aimed at depriving the office of the CJP of powers to …

ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to submit a report to the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) explaining how the identity of a whistle-blower, who had reported large scale tax-evasion/fraud by a private limited company, was leaked to his employer and consequently he had to face threats by the tax-evading company. He further directed FBR …

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) High Court on Tuesday disqualified Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan from holding any public office after he was found guilty of contempt of court. A full bench announced the verdict in a contempt notice taken after he criticised the stay orders issued by the court at a public …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday asked China to expedite the process for implementation of the first phase of $10 billion Mainline-1 (ML-1) the 1,872km railway track along with associated facilities from Karachi to Peshawar and $2bn Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) as agreed between the leadership of the two nations in November. Pakistan “requested strong support of National Development and Reforms Commission …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) in collaboration with Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration and Municipal Corporation Islamabad (MCI) planned to organise a shopping festival in the federal capital starting from 21st Ramazan to Chand Raat. Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President ICCI said that the festival will be organised in F-7 and F-10 markets in collaboration with ICT …

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad police said that they were fully-equipped and shall provide end-to-end foolproof and world class security to New Zealand Cricket Team during their forthcoming visit. Dr Akbar Nasir Khan said Islamabad Capital Territory police had provided the highest level of security during the visit of the English cricket team and PSL 8 flawlessly in 2022-23. “ICTP shall be playing …

ISLAMABAD: Total inflows through Roshan Digital Account (RDA) from overseas Pakistanis surpassed the $6 billion mark in the first week of April, figures released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reveal. Cumulative inflows of RDA deposit reached $6.005 billion as of April 7, 2023. “Roshan Digital Account has reached a new milestone as the total inflows have crossed $6 …

PESHAWAR: Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology and Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), a leading Chinese research varsity, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop partnership in various mutually agreed fields of science and technology. The MoU was inked by Prof Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid, Rector GIK Institute and Dr Li Ziwei, Vice Dean (Deputy Director) of …

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a 30-point code of conduct for international observers and media persons, providing guidelines for conduct, impartiality, and security during the observation and reporting of the country’s electoral process, and aims to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections. According to the code of conduct, individuals or groups who observe and report on the …

ISLAMABAD: More than 2,800 Sikh pilgrims from India reached Lahore via Wagah border to attend the annual Baisakhi festival starting from today. According to details, Sikh pilgrims from India will participate in the main event at Gurdwara Panja Sahib Hasan Abdal on April 14. During the visit, pilgrims will visit Dera Sahib, Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib. The …

HYDERABAD: The civil society and Sindhi Adabi Sangat Sindh staged separate protest demonstrations and sit-ins at Press Club and Naseem Nagar Chowk in Qasimabad against the brutal murder of Ajmal Sawand in Kashmore-Kandhkot district. Sindhi Adabi Sangat’s Secretary Taj Joyo led the protest demonstrations outside the Hyderabad press club to condemn the brutal murder of professor Shaheed Ajmal Sawand, Assistant …

LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has served warning notices for improvement to 950 eateries and penalized dozens of food points with Rs2 million cumulative fines during a province-wide inspection operation. On the directions of the Punjab government, the provincial food regulatory body has been working day and night with full dedication to ensure the availability of healthy, safe and …

KARACHI: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) l took a major decision regarding the flight operation of Turbat airport and decided to close airport for night flight operations for next five months.   The Aviation regulator has informed all the airlines by issuing a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen). As per the NOTAM, from April to August 25, flight operations will be closed …

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) strongly condemned the reference filed against the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial before the Supreme Judicial Council, saying it is yet another attempt to subvert the Constitution.   The Bar has taken serious exception to the resolution passed by the National Assembly on 06.04.2023 against the Supreme Court’s decision in …

RAHIM YAR KHAN: An alleged gangster was killed while his six accomplices and a policeman were injured after Punjab police launched a ‘grand operation’ against robbers and kidnappers in the katcha area of the Indus near the Sindh border.   Punjab Inspector Gene¬ral of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar at a presser at the DPO office here said an intelligence-based …

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf launched a white paper on to mark the first year of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) a multi-party coalition that ousted Imran Khan-led government via a no-trust vote in April last year in power and underlined how the ruling coalition had “devastated” economy and “contravened” the Constitution. The document spans six chapters and passes a scathing …

PESHAWAR: Political parties on both sides of the aisle have voiced their opposition to a possible military operation to root out militancy. The top civil and military leadership reaffirmed their commitment to thwart terrorism threats and vowed to relaunch the National Action Plan (NAP) within 15 days to crush militants reportedly coming in from Afghanistan.   The decisions were made …

ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi has returned the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023 for reconsideration to the Parliament as per the provisions of the Article 75 of the Constitution, stating that the Bill prima-facie travels beyond the competence of the Parliament and can be assailed as a colourable legislation. The President said that he thought it fit and proper …

LAHORE: Pakistan’s veteran Aleem Dar was presented a guard of honour by players of Bangladesh and Ireland players after he officiated in his final Test match as an ICC Elite Panel umpire. Videos shared on social media show the players of the both teams lined up to pay honour to Mr Dar who exited from the elite panel after 19 …

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board has unveiled the seven-member commentary panel for the five T20 Internationals and as many One-Day Internationals to be played between Pakistan and New Zealand from 14 April till 7 May. Bazid Khan, Grant Elliot, Kyle Mills (T20Is), Lisa Sthalekar (ODIs), Mark Butcher (ODIs), Sikander Bakht and Urooj Mumtaz will call action across the 10 limited …

ISLAMABAD:  Sudhir Naik, former Indian opener, kicked the bucket in Mumbai after he was suffering from a not so severe illness. On March 24, he was shifter to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Mumbai when his health deteriorated in his house. He played 85 first-class games and scored 4376 runs at an average of 35.29, including a …

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has shared a slew of photos to its Twitter handle, showing the Team Green participating in the drills to boost up their capacity as it eyes to win home series. The social media post has amped up excitement of cricket lovers who are eagerly waiting to watch skipper Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi in …

ISLAMABAD: Days after Elon Musk replaced the classic Bird logo of Twitter in a surprise move with the “Doge” meme, the microblogging site has now reinstated the blue bird. Earlier this week, the world’s second richest person flipped Twitter’s logo to Shiba Inu dog, the Dogecoin cryptocurrency logo, leaving the users astonished who woke up to a different logo of …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top intelligence agency has successfully arrested the founder and leader of the terrorist organization Baloch National Army (BNA), the military said on Friday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan army, said in a statement that the intelligence agency apprehended the high-value target named Gulzar Imam alias Shambay, a hardcore militant involved in activities …

KARACHI: After conducting sweeping operations all over the country, the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) claims to have recovered a large amount of drugs and arrested six suspects from different cities. A person travelling from Islamabad airport was apprehended after 49 heroine-filled capsules were recovered from his stomach. The suspect is a resident of Sargodha. According to a ANF spokesperson, officials recovered …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is observing 11th anniversary of Gayari tragedy to pay tribute to Pakistan Army officers and soldiers, and civilians who were martyred in a fatal avalanche in the Siachen region, described as “highest” battlefield between Pakistan and India. On April 7, 2012, an avalanche hit a military camp in the Gayari burying 129 soldiers and 11 civilians under the …

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a code of conduct for the upcoming Punjab elections in consultation with political parties. The code of conduct aimed to ensure a fair and peaceful electoral process in the province. According to the code of conduct, political parties were prohibited from speaking against the judiciary and the forces of Pakistan. Any form …

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb refuted rumors about the withdrawal of nomination papers by the ruling parties’ candidates for the election of Punjab Assembly. “No such decision has been taken by the leadership [of the parties to the ruling alliance],” she said while terming such reports “false” as well as “propaganda”. Marriyum said the parties in the …

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday ahead of the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting. The premier and Army Chief exchanged views on matters related to the NSC the highest forum to discuss issues of national importance. Sources said Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Naveed Anjum has …

A Four Paws team successfully operated on the elephant Noor Jehan at the Karachi Zoo on Wednesday. They also did her blood tests, X-rays and ultrasound, diagnosing her with haematoma. A press statement issued by the organisation said that with the support of the zoo caretakers, they used ropes and a crane to get Noor Jehan in the right position, …

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial has warned of constituting a judicial commission in case the joint investigation team (JIT) failed to satisfy the top court in probe regarding murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif. The chief justice made the remarks when a five-judge larger bench heard the suo motu case. He said everyone linked to the …

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is holding a consultative meeting today on the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision regarding the elections in Punjab.   The electoral watchdog will review the verdict given by the three-member bench of the Supreme Court in the meeting, which is to be held at 11 am today [Wednesday].   The ECP lawyers will give …

ISLAMABAD, April: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, has been playing a vital role in strengthening and modernizing infrastructure in Pakistan, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said.   CPEC projects have pushed forward the socio-economic development in Pakistan, the minister said when meeting with heads of Chinese …