Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan Ahmed Jawad Rabi’i said hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have lost their lives due to Israel’s brutal attacks including 3,718 children and 1,929 women. The envoy expressed gratitude and extended his appreciation for Pakistan and its media’s unwavering support for Palestine during these challenging times. He emphasized that people’s support not only showcases the strong bond …

The Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced the construction of model shelter homes to assist families who were severely affected by monsoon floods across the country.According to reliable sources, the organization has recently completed a comprehensive survey of flood-affected areas to facilitate the construction of these shelters. Sources stated that a total of 5,000 model shelter homes will be constructed …

A crackdown against illegal immigrants has been underway and 55 persons detained, quoting a police official. “District East Police has detained 55 persons including three criminals,” SSP East Irfan Bahadar has said. All arrested persons will be dispatched to the holding points except the detained criminals, SSP added. The first convoy of illegal immigrants left Haji Camp holding point in Karachi for …

A sessions court in Islamabad sent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser to jail on judicial remand in an alleged corruption case. Asad Qaiser was produced before Judicial Magistrate Qudratullah where police sought judicial remand for the PTI leader. Station House Officer of the Bani Gala Police Station, Ashfaq Warraich, requested the court to grant judicial remand to allow ACE …

The Lahore Zoo will remain shut for a period of three months due to renovation and upgrade work.Last month, caretaker CM Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, green-lit the upgrade of Lahore Zoo and Safari Park. As part of the upgrade, which will cost around Rs. 5 billion, the Lahore Zoo will introduce new animals such as Panda, Hippopotamus, Rhinoceros, African pigeon, Black …

Nine Islamist militants attacked an air force training base in the central Pakistani area of Mianwali on Saturday damaging three “non-operational” aircraft, the military said, adding that all assailants had been killed by security forces. Three militants were killed before they entered the base while the others had been cornered before the clearance operation began, the military said in a …

Former prime minister and PTI chairman on Friday approached the Supreme Court (SC), seeking bail in missing cipher case. The PTI chairman filed a bail plea through his counsel Salman Safdar. The petition maintained that the cipher case is just another example of the ‘politically motivated cases’ targeting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman. The PTI chairman contended that the bail application has …

The federal government has announced a public holiday on the occasion of Iqbal Day, November 9. In a notification issued earlier today, the Cabinet Division announced that a public holiday will be observed on Allama Iqbal Day throughout the country. The announcement has put all the speculations regarding the holiday on the occasion of Iqbal Day to rest. It should …

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has taken the decision to terminate the employment of a whistleblower who had previously raised concerns about irregularities within the department. This marks the second instance in less than three years where an officer at DRAP has been dismissed following allegations of corruption and irregularities within the organization. According to an official notification …

The Supreme Court on Friday declared February 8, 2024, as the date for holding general elections across the country after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) submitted a notification in the Supreme Court pertaining to the polls date. A three-member bench of the apex court heard multiple pleas seeking elections within the 90-day time period after the dissolution of the …

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has told the Supreme Court that general elections in the country will be held on February 11, 2024. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah heard pleas moved by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the PTI, Munir Ahmad and Ibadur Rehman …

The government of Punjab has made it mandatory for all school students as well as the staff to wear face-masks for a period of at least 30 days. The decision was taken in an hours-long meeting of the Punjab cabinet, chaired by caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi. During the meeting, it was decided to impose a smog emergency in the …

Pakistan’s northwestern border crossing was flooded with thousands of people looking to cross into Afghanistan on Thursday, a day after the government’s deadline expired for undocumented foreigners to leave or face expulsion. Pakistani authorities had begun rounding up undocumented foreigners, most of them Afghans, hours before Wednesday’s deadline. More than a million Afghans could have to leave or face arrest …

More than 165,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan in the month since Islamabad issued an ultimatum to 1.7 million people to leave or face arrest and deportation, officials said Thursday. The majority rushed to the border in the past several days as the November 1 deadline approached and police began to open up dozens of holding centers to detain arrested Afghans. …

The Senate on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes and a ground assault have taken thousands of Palestinian lives, including those of children and women, with no indication of a halt in hostilities. The resolution, presented by Senator Ishaq Dar, was approved during an emergency session on Gaza, occurring amid an …

Authorities on Wednesday launched a crackdown on illegal immigrants across the country as the deadline for undocumented foreigners expired a day earlier, while thousands of illegal Afghan migrants have voluntarily returned to Afghanistan. Undocumented foreigners in different parts of the country including Karachi, Rawalpindi and others are being detained and moved to holding centres before being repatriated to their respective …

More than 100,000 undocumented Afghan nationals have returned voluntary to Afghanistan through the northwestern Torkham border crossing in the last two weeks, a Pakistani government official said on Wednesday. Deputy Commissioner Abdul Nasir Khan said the Afghan nationals had traveled from across Pakistan to the border crossing. Pakistan’s deadline to expel all undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of Afghan …

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday appointed Barrister Ali Zafar as its new parliamentary leader in the Senate. A circular was also issued by the Senate secretariat in this connection, nominating Ali Zafar as PTI’s new parliamentary leader in the upper house. The development came after PTI chief had approved Zafar’s appointment as the parliamentary leader in the upper house of …

Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Wednesday urged Pakistan to give undocumented Afghans in the country more time to leave as pressure mounts at border posts swarmed by thousands of returnees fleeing the threat of deportation. The Pakistani government has given 1.7 million Afghans living illegally in the country until November 1 (today) to leave voluntarily or be forcibly removed. More than …

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa called the fact-finding committee and its subsequent report on the Faizabad dharna case an eyewash and remarked that the committee was illegal. He also asked who was the real mastermind of the 2017 dharna. All the parties are withdrawing their appeals against the Supreme Court verdict, so the committee’s TORs are akin …

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Wednesday removed the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) political party of former president and chief of Army staff Pervez Musharraf from the list of political parties. The Election Commission has issued a notification in this regard. It is pertinent to note that former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf passed away in February this year …

Fly Jinnah, Pakistan’s low-cost carrier, celebrates its first anniversary, honoring a year of extraordinary service and remarkable accomplishments. Over the course of the past 12 months, Fly Jinnah has firmly established itself as a preferred airline for travelers, operating a network of domestic flights and connecting major cities across Pakistan, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Quetta. Since its inaugural …

ISLAMABAD: Responding to the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) concerns in connection with the level-playing field for all political parties, caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Tuesday clarified that equal opportunities would be provided to all political parties and every party had full right to participate in the elections. A day earlier, PPP senior leader Syed Khurshid …

A special court formed under the Official Secrets Act on Tuesday commenced the trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The duo was indicted in the cipher case on October 23 despite filing a petition under CrPC 265-D to stop the indictment after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked them for violating the secret …

The Supreme Court has barred all accountability courts from pronouncing final verdicts in all cases. The apex court issued the directions that the final verdicts should not be pronounced on trials in any case till the next hearing. It also rejected lawyer Farooq H Naek’s request for suspending the order nullifying the NAB law amendments. After the detailed decision of …

An elite Kenyan police unit went on trial Tuesday on charges of wrongful death in the killing of an outspoken Pakistani journalist in Nairobi a year ago. The case was jointly filed by the journalist’s widow and two Kenyan journalists’ unions. Arshad Sharif was killed Oct. 23, 2022, when the car he was in with another Pakistani man sped up …

More than 10,000 Afghans living in Pakistan rushed to the borders on Tuesday, just hours before a deadline for 1.7 million people to leave Pakistan voluntarily or face arrest and deportation. The Pakistan government has said it would begin arresting undocumented Afghans and taking them to new holding centers from Wednesday, from where they will be processed and forcibly returned …

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) to immediately de-seal Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed’s Lal Haveli residence in Rawalpindi. The Rawalpindi bench of Lahore High Court (LHC), chaired by Justice Mirza Waqas Rauf, heard the former interior minister’s appeal, urging the court to issue an order for de-sealing Lal Haveli’s …

Examining legislation by keeping interests of the legislators in mind is an insult to parliament and democracy. Judiciary can review legislation when it conflicts with fundamental rights. This has been written by the Supreme Court’s Justice Mansoor Ali Shah in his 27-page dissenting note against the court’s majority verdict in the NAB amendments case. On September 15, the Supreme Court …

Pakistan has failed to combat rising impunity for crimes against journalists despite legislation for their safety, according to Freedom Network’s Annual Impunity 2023 report released on Sunday. The report titled “One step forward, two steps back Pakistan legislates on the safety of journalists, but still fails to protect them” was launched ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for …

President Dr Arif Alvi has expressed his confidence in the incumbent caretaker government as well as the military leadership to lead the country towards economic progress, The News reported on Sunday. The president said that the interim government and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, with the help of joint ventures, were trying to bring foreign investment …

ISLAMABAD: The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) in Pakistan has opened a renminbi (RMB) clearing bank, facilitating both Pakistani and Chinese businesses and financial institutions to settle cross-border transactions and meet the financing needs of the two countries. The grand opening ceremony, held in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Friday, was attended by officials, experts and businessmen from …

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has said the recently signed accords between Pakistan and China would open up new opportunities of employment and economic development for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan. The prime minister stated this during his meeting with GB Chief Minister Gulbar Khan at the PM House on Friday. They discussed a memorandum of understanding signed with China …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday declined bail to detained former prime minister Imran Khan in a case in which he has been indicted on charges of leaking state secrets, observing that he apparently committed the offence, which might carry the death penalty or up to 14 years of imprisonment. The court also rejected another petition filed by the …

ISLAMABAD: A student of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) was allegedly abducted and six others were injured during a clash between two groups inside the premises of the university on Thursday night. As per sources, the students belonging to two different ethnic groups carrying sticks attacked another group of students who were taking a Quran class inside the university’s mosque. A renowned …

In a significant development, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Friday green-lighted a hefty sum of Rs8 billion for the purchase and repatriation of two Airbus A320 aircraft, which have been grounded in Jakarta since September 2021. The ECC meeting chaired by Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar approved bridge financing through the Civil Aviation Authority’s resources for Pakistan …

As the general elections draw closer in the country, former ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) decided to make contact with other political parties from next week. According to a statement, the decision was made during a meeting of a sub-committee of the PTI core committee held on Saturday. The development came two days after the PTI top brass met Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam …

Punjab caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir on Friday revealed that approximately 33,000 people were identified through mapping as illegal residents lacking proper legal documentation and were now slated for deportation. The provincial minister’s statement coincides with the government’s approaching October 31 deadline for illegal residents to depart from Pakistan. Earlier this month, the government gave an ultimatum to all undocumented …

In a small town some two hours away from Lahore, Yasmin Bibi proudly welcomed us to her shop in Renala Khurd right outside her home. The business owner was accompanied by her husband, Asif, who she says has supported her throughout her career. This is not how it has always been. With few options available, she started her retail business …

Preston University Islamabad organized full-day activities to show solidarity with the Kashmiri People. Multiple activities were carried out and different departments participated in these activities. Professor Dr. Aurangzeb (Management Sciences Department) briefed the audience about the historical background of the Kashmir issue and also discussed human rights violations. Professor Dr. Mumtaz Fatima Jafari (Dept. Psychology) focused on the rights of …