The Supreme Court has conditionally suspended its earlier verdict that declared the trial of civilians in military courts null and void. The court announced its decision with a 5-1 majority. Justice Musarrat Hilali opposed the majority decision. The SC ruled that the military courts will not pronounce final decisions on the trials underway. It allowed the military courts to proceed …

The Supreme Court has decided to hear all the cases related to the duration of disqualification together. It has also sought written responses from the election commission, the attorney general for Pakistan and all provincial advocates general on constitutional and legal points. In the judgment in the Mir Badshah Qaisrani case, the court declared that the pendency in this case …

The government of Punjab has imposed a ban on the slaughter of useful female animals across the province.  According to State Radio, the decision was taken during a meeting presided over by Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi in the provincial capital on Tuesday. Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said that the provincial government will set up animal disease-free zones …

In a significant move to regulate and improve public transportation, the Punjab provincial cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, has approved notable amendments to the Motor Vehicles Rules of 1969. This decision, taken during the cabinet’s 34th meeting, marks a pivotal step in legally recognizing motorcycle rickshaws, commonly known as Qingqi rickshaws, as a legitimate mode of transport. The …

After more than 11 years, a nine-member larger bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa has started hearing the presidential reference filed in April 2011 against the death sentence awarded to former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The CJP dictated the verdict of today’s hearing and adjourned the case hearing till January 2024. …

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sought the details of PTI’s intra-party election from the PTI. The DG Law says that until the commission is satisfied, the election symbol cannot be issued. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that if the party does not get the bat symbol, it will constitute a violation of fundamental rights. Petitioner Akbar …

At least 25 army personnel were martyred and several others injured in two separate terrorist attacks in Dera Ismail Khan in the wee hours of Tuesday. At around 3am on Tuesday, six terrorists attacked a police station in the Daraban area of Dera Ismail Khan, however, their attempt to enter the premises was foiled. The terrorists then rammed a vehicle …

Pakistan on Monday categorically rejected the judgement announced by the Supreme Court of India on the status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Pakistan, in a statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and later in a press conference by Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, made it clear that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally-recognized dispute, which remains …

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has announced that it is in the process of implementing the ‘Cycling as an Alternative Transport’ project. According to the civic authority, over 146 KM of dedicated cycling lanes will be developed all over the federal capital under this project. It aims to reduce carbon footprint and traffic congestion through this project. CDA further stated …

Fashion designer and social media activist Khadijah Shah has been arrested by Quetta police on charges of murder and attempted murder. On the other hand, her detention order was withdrawn by the Punjab government on Monday, adding a new twist to the case. Quetta police arrested Khadijah on Monday afternoon, and the anti-terrorism court granted her two-day transit remand to …

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan talking to the media clarified in the air that PTI will not boycott the upcoming general elections. He said the Peshawar High Court (PHC) has stopped the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from taking final action on the intra-party elections. “If the case was not filed in the High Court, the Election Commission …

This day commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. President Dr Arif Alvi reaffirmed Pakistan’s dedication to upholding citizens’ rights as outlined in the country’s Constitution, the UDHR, and other international agreements. In a message on the occasion, President Alvi said the Constitution guarantees fundamental rights …

Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) Saturday released its National Corruption Perception Survey 2023 which shows the judiciary among the top three most corrupt institutions in Pakistan. Police are the most corrupt, followed by tendering and contracting and judiciary. Education and Health departments have been evaluated as the 4th and 5th most corrupt institutions. Local Government, Land Administration and Customs, Excise and …

KHUZDAR: A police official was martyred while two others sustained injuries after their vehicle was hit by a magnetic improvised explosive device (IED) in Khuzdar, Balochistan on Sunday. According to the police, Counter Terrorism Department’s (CTD) Station House Officer Mohammad Murad embraced martyrdom in the blast after his car was targeted on the Sultan Ibrahim road. The police added that …

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that he does not have any political rivals as “neither any player nor anyone else” can compete with him in politics. Addressing the party’s rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district on Sunday, the PPP chief took a veiled jibe at his political opponents, saying that they are contesting elections for their …

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir has left for the United States (US) on his maiden official visit since his assuming office in November last year, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Sunday. In a brief statement, the military’s media wing said the army chief is scheduled to meet senior military and other government …

Imran Khan’s petition was submitted by his lawyers Salman Akram Raja and Barrister Samir Khosa. The petition has made the federal government, the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Adiala Jail superintendent parties. Imran Khan argues in the petition that the ECP started proceedings for contempt of the commission illegally. The ECP did not have the authority to try someone …

A six-member bench, led by Justice Tariq Masood, will hold the hearing on December 13, marking a crucial development. The bench includes Justice Aminuddin, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, along with Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Irfan Saadat. Convening a larger bench suggests the complexity and significance of issues surrounding civilian trials in military courts. It emphasizes …

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Saturday reserved the verdict in Sarah Inam’s murder case which will be announced on December 14. Sessions Judge Nasir Javaid Rana will announce the decision. Sarah, a 37-year-old economist, was murdered with dumbbells by her husband Shahnawaz Amir, who is the son of journalist Ayaz Amir, in Islamabad’s Chak Shahzad area …

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Nawaz Sharif on Saturday renewed the call for holding those accountable who ousted him when he was the prime minister. “The country was thriving from 2013 to 2017 and the economy was better, however, good people were thrown out and Pakistan was handed to clumsy people,” said the PML-N supremo while addressing the party’s …

Veteran politician and senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan has claimed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the caretaker government are trying to ensure Nawaz Sharif wins a two-thirds majority in next year’s general elections. “The way things are going, they are trying to give Mian Sahib a two-thirds majority. The election commission, the administration and the caretakers [are in …

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued notice to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on a petition filed by its founding member Akbar S Babar challenging the party’s intra-party polls. The PTI recently held intra-party polls after which Babar, along with other party members, filed a petition, against “rigged/fraudulent PTI intra-party elections” requesting the country’s top electoral authority to …

In a fresh blow to the former ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) another wicket downed as former finance minister Shaukat Tarin parted ways with Imran Khan-led party on Friday. The former finance czar confirmed giving up his party membership and resignation from his seat in the Senate as well, in conversation with media. Tarin said that he is also bidding …

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has renewed his demand to hold accountable those elements behind his ouster from power in 2017 and responsible for Pakistan’s “destruction”. He said this while addressing the party’s parliamentary board meeting flanked by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, Vice President Maryam Nawaz and other leaders in Lahore on Friday. …

LAHORE: An accountability court of Lahore on Friday acquitted Adviser to Prime Minister Ahad Cheema in assets beyond means reference. Accountability Court Judge Malik Ali Zulqarnain Awan announced the reserved verdict.  The court, accepting Cheema’s appeal, acquitted him in assets beyond means reference. The NAB court, in its previous hearing, had reserved its judgement on Cheema’s appeal. Earlier, the National …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said Thursday it will first ascertain facts before issuing a comment on a report that claims that Afghanistan’s acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani possessed a Pakistani passport until recently. In her weekly press briefing, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: “I have seen the report on the use of a Pakistani passport by the Afghan minister. …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday decided to hear PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s appeal against his conviction in the Al-Azizia reference on merit. This means that the court will be hearing the actual substance of the case which includes the charge, the defense, the weight of evidence, etc., as opposed to matters of procedure or jurisdiction. Analysts said it …

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday that he was the only politician in the country whose “hands were clean”. “There is no politician in any other political party whose hands are clean. Their politics [revolve around] filling their pockets. I am the only politician who has been doing politics since the age of 19, since 2007 […] I …

Ahead of the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8, former prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to disqualify him for five years. On August 8, the ECP had disqualified Imran for five years following his conviction in the Toshakhana case for concealing …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday sought a report from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and other relevant authorities on how an audio of an alleged conversation between Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and her lawyer, Latif Khosa, was leaked online. The court’s directives, which also called for reports from the Pakistan Telecommunication …

The PPP on Wednesday responded to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s recent reservations about holding elections during what he described as a worsening security situation by suggesting that opposition to polls stemmed from a “fear of the public’s verdict”. PPP Secretary Information Faisal Kareem Kundi’s statement follows the JUI-F chief’s recent statement on the feasibility of holding elections amid a …

LAHORE: Caretaker government officials are refusing to disclose any information to back up their oft-repeated claim that Afghan nationals were involved in 14 out of 24 suicide bombings in Pakistan this year. On October 3, the interim interior minister Sarfraz Bugti revealed in a televised press conference that from January till October there have been 24 suicide bombings in Pakistan. …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday turned down former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s plea to withdraw his appeal challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict on his disqualification in the Toshakhana case. The former prime minister had filed an appeal against the electoral body’s verdict on October 28, 2022, and later sought withdrawal on January 18, …

LAHORE: In a major political development, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) have decided to enter into seat adjustment ahead of the general elections slated to be held on February 8 next year. The breakthrough comes as PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday visited the residence of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in Lahore after a gap …

Pakistan on Wednesday called on the international community to take cognizance of increasing Islamophobia, hate speech, and hate crimes against Muslims in India on the 31st anniversary of the demolition of the Babri mosque. “Today is a sad reminder of the demolition of the historic ‘Babri Masjid’ in India. On this day, 31 years ago, a mob of Hindu zealots …

Human rights lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, Tuesday said Dr Aafia Siddiqui a Pakistani neuroscientist jailed in the United States for over a decadehas been sexually assaulted at least twice during her incarceration, in addition to the ill-treatment she was meted out at Bagram jail in Afghanistan. Smith, who represents Dr Aafia, said his client has been abused and tortured more …

The Punjab caretaker government has approved a multi-fold hike in the learner driving licence fee, which will come into effect from January 1, 2024. The approval came during the 33rd meeting of the provincial cabinet, chaired by caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Lahore on Tuesday. After the cabinet’s approval, the fee for the learner’s driving licence has been increased …

Balochistan caretaker Minister for Information Jan Achakzai on Tuesday said the provincial government had “safely handed over” Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen, who was arrested in Chaman a day earlier, to Dera Ismail Khan police. Pashteen was taken into custody by Levies and police personnel from the Gudhamo area on disputed claims of firing by his party and …

The Finance Division on Tuesday said it has released Rs17.4 billion to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the upcoming general elections slated to be held on February 8, 2024. The amount was in addition to the Rs10bn released in July 2023, the Finance Ministry said, highlighting that the latest disbursement brought the total funds released for polls to …

ISLAMABAD: The European Union (EU) has communicated to the government that due to a lack of time, it will not be able to send a full election observation mission, as it did in the 2018 polls, and will also be unable to provide recommendations after the conclusion of February 8 elections, it was learned on Monday. The Election Commission of …