ISLAMABAD, July 2(ABC): The federal government has notified an increase of 15 per cent and 5 per cent in salaries and pensions, respectively, of all government employees with effect from July 1, after merging five ad hoc allowances since 2016 into the basic pay scales. A notification issued by the finance ministry on Friday said that the raise took its …

ISLAMABAD, July 2(ABC): Former Senate chairman and senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Raza Rabbani took strong exception on Friday to “the superior judiciary, as interference in the internal proceedings” of parliament and provincial assemblies. In a statement, Rabbani said that the country’s ruling elite had rendered parliament redundant and reduced the provincial assemblies to mere rubber stamps. He warned …

LAHORE, July 2(ABC): Pakistan Railways announced three special Eid trains to facilitate the extra passengers travelling home to celebrate Eidul Azha. According to the PR schedule issued on Friday, the first Eid special train will operate on July 8 from Quetta to Peshawar via Lahore. The second Eid special train will operate between Karachi and Lahore on the same day. …

KARACHI, July 2(ABC): A court in Karachi has rejected plea of Dua Zehra’s father, Mehdi Ali Kazmi to change the investigation officer of the case. According to details, the Judicial Magistrate court Karachi east dismissed Mehdi Ali Kazmi’s plea to change the investigation officer saying the C class report of the IO has not been accepted yet. The court said …

LAHORE, July 2(ABC): The fresh increase in the petroleum products prices by the government has been challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday. The petition, filed by Advocate Azhar Siddique said that federal government increased prices of petroleum products without approval of federal cabinet. The petitioner pleaded with the court to reject the order on the hike.

WEB DESK, July 2(ABC): With the continuous rise in the prices of petroleum products, the country has witnessed a decline in the consumption of fuel during the last month, reported. In a bid to strike a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the incumbent government has removed fuel subsidies and jacked up the fuel prices for a third time in 36 days. …

KARACHI, July 2(ABC): Farooq Sattar, a former senior member of the MQM, has emerged as the front runner for a joint candidate in the NA-45 by-poll in Karachi as the TLP factor has forced all the factions of the party to rethink their strategy,  reported on Saturday. An MQM-P leader told the publication that the MQM-P, Sattar-led MQM Rehabilitation Committee, …

KARACHI, July 2(ABC): The first spell of monsoon rains is likely to hit Karachi from today evening, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast on Saturday. The port city is likely to receive heavy showers coupled with gusty winds on July 3 and 4, said the Met Office, adding that strong winds at around the speed of 81 kilometres per hour may …

MULTAN, July 2(ABC): Amid claims of “interference” in the upcoming by-polls in Punjab, the PTI has approached the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit “evidence of by-poll engineering” and lodge a complaint against the rival PML-N candidate. According to report, PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, whose son is contesting on a PP-217 seat from Multan, on Friday reached the …

ISLAMABAD, July 1(ABC): 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 …

KARACHI: Timely action by the Pakistan Customs on Friday averted the threat of halting exports of Pakistani products to Australia. The customs officials, on a tip-off, raided the Pakistan International Containers Terminal in Karachi and recovered a large quantity of ice drug disguised as salt. Sources privy to the development told that the consignment was due to ship to Australia, adding …

ISLAMABAD, July 1(ABC): Air Marshal Muhammad Zahid Mahmood, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force addressed the NDU course participants at Nur Khan Auditorium, Air Headquarters Islamabad on Friday. Addressing the audience, Vice Chief of the Air Staff appreciated the quality the armed forces always remained poised to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation. “The …

KARACHI, July 1(ABC): Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah Friday warned of taking “tough measures” if the COVID-19 situation continues to worsen in the province, especially in the port city, reported. A meeting of the Provincial Coronavirus Taskforce was held today due to the high positivity ratio as concerns of a sixth wave grow further. Briefing the participants, secretary health Sindh …

ISLAMABAD, 01 July (ABC): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday received permission from the Islamabad district magistrate’s office to hold a rally in the federal capital on July 2. According to a notification from the office, the former ruling party was given “permission to use the venue” of Parade ground by “concerned quarters”. The notification was also sent to the chief …

ISLAMABAD, 01 Jul (ABC): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Friday that a special committee, comprising representatives from the ministries and media organizations concerned, had been formed to finalize the Journalist and Media Professionals Protection (Amendment) Bill 2022. She informed the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist’s (Dastoor) delegation, which was called on her, about the committee and …

ISLAMABAD, Jul 1 (ABC): Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik on Friday said the government was committed to exploiting indigenous hydrocarbon resources for achieving self-reliance in the energy sector. Addressing a news conference here, he said a plan was being worked out to provide incentives to both local and foreign exploration and production (E&P) companies to step up …

ISLAMABAD, July 1(ABC): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar said on Friday that neither did they accept Hamza Shahbaz as the Chief Minister of Punjab yesterday nor do they accept him today. Talking to media after Supreme Court verdict on Punjab CM election on Friday, he said that he was happy that the PTI had fought this battle for the …

LAHORE, July 1(ABC): Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PMLQ) leader and Punjab Assembly speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Friday while expressing satisfaction over Supreme Court’s verdict on the Punjab Chief Minister election said that what we wanted has been accepted by the court. Talking to the media, Elahi said that a fair decision has been taken today , what we …

LAHORE, July 1(ABC): Punjab Chief Hamza Shahbaz on Friday while reacting to the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Punjab chief minister election said that during the by-elections on July 17, whichever party the public chose should be given the province’s charge. Talking to the media after the Supreme Court decision, the Punjab Chief Minister said that Punjab has suffered a …

ISLAMABAD, Jul 1 (ABC): Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel is personally supervising efforts to ensure effective measures for controlling the spread of coronavirus in the country. In a statement issued by the Health Ministry Spokesman Sajid Hussain Shah, the minister said the NCOC meets on a daily basis to deal with the situation emerging out of spread of Covid-19. …

ISLAMABAD, July 1(ABC): The US Mission in Pakistan has expanded its interview waiver eligibility for Pakistani citizens renewing B1/B2 tourist and business visas at the US Embassy in Islamabad and the US Consulate General in Karachi, the mission said in a press release on Friday. Pakistani citizens who are 45 and older with valid or expired B1/B2 visas within the …

ISLAMABAD, Jul 1 (ABC): As the holy Eid ul-Azha is drawing near, majority cattle markets elsewhere in the country including the capital city are brimming with eye-catching heavyweight and unique name sacrificial animals, welcoming buyers in huge numbers. Citizens of all ages are seen to be visiting different localities for buying sacrificial animals and the traders from far flung areas …

LAHORE, July 1(ABC): Rain in different parts of country on late Thursday night and wee hours of Friday turned the weather pleasant. Rain brought much needed relief from the hot and humid weather conditions for the people. In Karachi, rain was reported in areas around Shahra-e-Faisal, Rashid Minhas Road, Quaidabad, Malir, Bin Qasim, Landhi, Korangi and other localities. In Lahore, …

ISLAMABAD, July 1(ABC): PML-N senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Thursday announced the coalition government is forming a commission to probe the wrong decisions taken by former prime minister Imran Khan which led to massive losses in the petroleum sector. Addressing a press conference flanked by Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Abbasi said: “Commission will be formed to examine the …

ISLAMABAD: Telecom operators on Thursday warned to shut down mobile and internet services in Pakistan due to nationwide power outages. The National Information Technology Board (NIBT), taking to its official Twitter handle, reported that the telecom operators have said that the interruption is causing issues and hindrances in their operations.  

LAHORE, June 30(ABC): Amid worst ongoing prolonged load shedding in the country, the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has declared four constituencies of the provincial capital load-shedding free ahead of by-elections. According to sources, uninterrupted power supply to four constituencies in the provincial capital Lahore is being ensured by the LESCO ahead of the by-elections. Sources said that LESCO has …

ISLAMABAD, June 30(ABC): With power shortfall surging to 7,674 megawatts, people are dealing with hours-long loadshedding in the urban and rural areas across the country. According to sources, the total demand for electricity in the country is 29,900MW and the total power generation in the country is 22,226MW while 5,625MW electricity is being generated from water, 1,327MW from government thermal …

ISLAMABAD, June 30 (ABC): The Ministry of National Health Services Regulations & Coordination (MoNHSR&C) considers its ‘human resource’ as its biggest strength. Employee centered approach is embedded in the fundamentals of Ministry’s working philosophy, the inspirational thoughts were shared by honourable Minister, MoNHSR&C Mr. Abdul Qadir Patel during the ‘Regularization Letters Distribution Ceremony’ of 26 employees of Federal Directorate of …

Pakistan’s strategic location and growing middle class make it to qualify for an economic hub Pakistani American Community a ‘connective tissue’ between Pakistan and US Pak-US partnership contributed towards making world safer HOUSTON, June 30 (ABC): Ambassador Masood Khan has urged US investors and Pakistani diaspora to take Pakistan as the emerging market and to invest their excess capacity for …

KARACHI, June 30 (ABC): The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has applied a cut on the pension of its retired employees, sources said on Wednesday. According to sources, the retired additional directors of executive group 7 have faced a cut in their pensions and the decision was taken by the board of directors of the CAA. “Director-General CAA Khaqan Murtaza suggested …

LAHORE, June 30(ABC): Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz Sharif has reiterated his commitment to save people from various contagious diseases including corona, dengue and congo through effective policies. Chairing a meeting in Lahore on Wednesday, he expressed dismay over the failure to provide correct data regarding anti dengue measures. He directed the Chief Secretary to present performance of every districts …

KARACHI, June 30(ABC): With the Met office’s forecast of  heavy monsoon rainfall across the country from July 1 to 5, Karachi a day earlier received light rain which turned the weather pleasant Thursday morning in the port city, reported. The areas that received rain overnight included Saddar, I I Chundrigar Road, Old city areas, North Karachi, Super Highway, Defence and …

ISLAMABAD, June 30(ABC): In the wake of the surge in COVID cases in the country, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has strictly warned airlines against not adhering to face mask instructions during domestic flights. The recent warning issued by the CAA comes after the government decided to “fully activate” the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). According to CAA, it has …

SARGODHA, June 29(ABC): Six members of a family were killed and one injured in a Rickshaw-van collision on Khushab road in Sargodha. According to the details, Falak Shair (48) along with Mumtaz Hakim (55), Ghulam Shabbir (47), Mazhar Hayyat (45), Foji Mumtaz (55), Khawaja Muhammad Yasin and Muhammad Abdullah (55) was on his way to Sargodha on Motorcycle Rikshaw. Near …

KARACHI, June 29(ABC): Sindh High Court on Wednesday extended its earlier restraining order against the exhumation and postmortem of former TV host and Member National Assembly (MNA) Aamir Liaquat’s body. The two-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar, heard the plea and extended a stay order on the postmortem of the late politician till July 19. Meanwhile, the petitioner …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday has raised the issue of blocking the Twitter accounts of Pakistani embassies in India with Twitter. In a statement on Twitter, PTA stated that Twitter was contacted to restore the Pakistan embassies and other notable figures in its country blocked by India. “PTA urges Twitter to reconsider its biased suppression of …

WEB DESK, June 29(ABC): The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced Wednesday that the Zil-Hajj moon has not been sighted in Pakistan, adding that Eid ul Adha in Pakistan will be observed on July 10 (Sunday). Chairman Maulana Syed Abdul Khabir Azad announced the decision following a meeting of the committee, held in Karachi after Maghrib prayers to sight the crescent moon. …

Lahore, June 29 (ABC): The Executive Committee of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry has strongly condemned the Indian cruelty against the Muslims. The LCCI Executive Committee in a meeting, presided by the President Mian Nauman Kabir, also passed a resolution saying that the Muslims across the world cannot tolerate Islamophobic comments. LCCI President Mian Nauman Kabir, Senior Vice …

RAWALPINDI, June 29(ABC): Awami Muslim League Pakistan (AMLP) leader Sheikh Rashid on Wednesday said that further inflation in July can increase political crisis in the country. Taking to Twitter, former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said that Pakistan has still not received any verdict of International Monetary Fund (IMF) on sending aid to Pakistan and Pakistan is also not out from …

ISLAMABAD, June 29 (ABC): Another powerful earthquake has jolted Islamabad and its surroundings on Wednesday. The epicenter of the earthquake was 130 km beneath the Koh-e-Hindukush Mountains as per the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, Islamabad. The earthquake was measured at 4.5 on the Richter Scale and its depth was reported 130 kilometres underground. Pertinent to note that a 4.3 magnitude …