KATHMANDU, May 29 (ABC): A passenger plane with 22 people on board went missing in Nepal on Sunday, the operating airline and officials said, as poor weather hampered a search operation. Nepal’s air industry has boomed in recent years, carrying goods and people between hard-to-reach areas as well as foreign trekkers and climbers. But it has a poor safety record. …

ISLAMABAD, May 29(ABC): After removing subsidies from petroleum products, the government is likely to increase the system gas tariff by 40-50% in its continued bid to revive the $6 billion International Monetary (IMF) programme, expecting the revenue requirement determination for the fiscal year 2022-23 by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) in June,  reported Sunday, citing a senior energy …

ISLAMABAD, May 28(ABC): Pakistan is likely to get $2.5 billion from China after both sides reached an agreement on economic package. According to sources privy with the development, foreign exchange reserves will increase while pressure of foreign debt payments will reduced after Chinese funds are received. Sources further said that government is also in talks with China for economic package …

ISLAMABAD, May 28(ABC): The federal government has scrapped the import ban on certain items, other than cat and dog foods, the Ministry of  Commerce clarified Saturday. The government had on May 19 imposed a ban on the import of non-essential luxury items under an “emergency economic plan” to “save the country precious foreign exchange”. The move was widely hailed but …

ISLAMABAD, May 28(ABC): Government and its coalition partners have agreed on name of Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar as new Chairman of National Accountability Bureau (NAB). According to sources privy with the development, the name of former Supreme Court judge came under discussion during meeting of Prime Minister Imran Khan and former president Asif Ali Zardari. Sources further said that Government …

LAHORE, May 28(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s counsel Saturday argued that the Rs16 billion money laundering case was “politically motivated” and “based on mala fide intentions” because the PTI government wanted to imprison his client. The arguments came during the hearing of the money laundering case at the special court (Central-I) where the prime minister and his son Punjab Chief …

ISLAMABAD, May28(ABC): Following the decision to increase the prices of petroleum products by Rs30 a day ago in a bid to revive the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) programme for Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that the government will include a Rs28 billion package in the upcoming budget to provide relief to the masses. Addressing the nation, the …

ISLAMABAD 27 May (ABC): Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Shareef and Opposition leader Raja Riaz held meeting on Firday to made consultation on new Nab chairman at PM house. Fawad Hassan Fawad, Qamar Zaman, Bashir Mamon and Irfan Qadir Sheikh were the names present for NAB chairman. According to source both leaders agreed to consult with their allied parties to finalize …

PESHAWAR, May 27(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan Friday rebutted rumours of his party striking a deal with the establishment and said that he ended the “Azadi March” to avoid bloodshed. In a surprise move on Thursday morning, Khan gave a six-day ultimatum to the government to announce the election date, warning to return with three million people after chaos gripped …

ISLAMABAD, May 27(ABC): Government will be increasing electricity prices by Rs. 7 to meet the demands on International Monetary Fund (IMF). According to sources privy to the matter, the hike of Rs. 7 in electricity prices would include an increase in basic tariff and fuel adjustment charges. The hike in power tariff will be applicable from July 1. Moreover, the …

SKARDU, May 27(ABC): Renowned Pakistani mountaineer Ali Raza Sadpara passed away in the wee hours of Friday at the age of 55, reported. Ali Raza Sadpara had suffered critical injuries after falling from a mountain during a routine climbing practice near his village in Skardu. He met an accident while pre-expedition preparation of his K-2 summer expedition and got severe …

ISLAMABAD, May 27(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will announce a relief package for the poor in an address to the nation today (Friday), reported. Sources privy to the matter said that the premier will take the nation into confidence over the prevailing economic situation of the country and shed light on the government’s decision to remove subsidies on petroleum products. …

KARACHI, May 27(ABC): The US dollar on Friday plummeted by Rs3 against the Pakistani currency, sliding down to Rs199 in the interbank market. The downslide in the dollar’s value occurred after the government decided to remove petroleum subsidies in line with the conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The subsidy removal meant the government imposed a major hike in …

ISLAMABAD, May 26(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday ruled out the notion of receiving “dictation” from PTI Chairman Imran Khan and stressed that the National Assembly would make decisions regarding the date of the next general elections. Although the prime minister said he “refuses to be dictated” during his hard-hitting speech in the NA, he did not rule out holding …

ISLAMABAD, May 26(ABC): The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday disposed of the federal government’s contempt of court plea against PTI Chairman Imran Khan over his violation of the apex court’s orders during PTI’s ‘Azadi March’. The government had filed the plea this morning after the PTI openly defied the SC’s directives, announcing to hold a rally at D-Chowk in …

ISLAMABAD, May 26(ABC): The federal government on Thursday filed a contempt of court plea against PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Supreme Court (SC) over violation of the apex court’s orders during PTI’s ‘Azadi March’. The move came after the PTI openly defied the SC’s directives, announcing to hold a rally at D-Chowk in Islamabad’s prohibited Red Zone. The SC …

KABUL, May 26 (ABC): The death toll from four bombs that ripped through minibuses and a mosque in Afghanistan has risen to at least 16, officials said Thursday, with some of the attacks claimed by the Islamic State group. While the number of bombings has dropped across the country since the Taliban seized power last August, several deadly attacks rocked …

DOHA, May 26(ABC): The International Monetary Fund (IMF) late Wednesday delayed the revival of the stalled $6-billion programme under the External Financing Facility (EFF) for Pakistan. The revival was expected to bring stability to the financial markets, the fast-weakening Pakistani rupee, and the depleting foreign exchange reserves, as the government had pinned hopes on the programme’s resumption. Pakistan failed to …

ISLAMABAD, May 26(ABC): After a packed day of political drama and violence across Pakistan, PTI chairman Imran Khan gave Thursday morning a six-day ultimatum to the PML-N government to dissolve the assemblies and announce an election, indicating an end to the party’s much-touted ‘Azadi March’. The PTI chairman was off to Bani Gala after addressing the participants of the ‘Azadi …

ISLAMABAD, May 25(ABC): Tension gripped parts of the country, as police clashed with PTI workers after authorities tried to block them from proceedings towards the capital, where former prime minister Imran Khan plans to hold a large political rally. Khan — leading a large caravan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — is expected to reach Islamabad soon, as the PTI is adamant about …

KAROT, May 25(ABC): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday urged the people to reject the politics of sit-ins and immorality which had inflicted huge economic loss to the national economy in the past as well. The prime minister, addressing the engineers and workers at the under-construction Karot Hydropower project here, said the memories of the 2014-sit (by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) …

NEW DELHI, May 25(ABC): An Indian court Wednesday sentenced Kashmiri freedom fighter, Yasin Malik, to life imprisonment in a terror funding case, the country’s media reported. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had sought the death penalty for the Kashmiri leader and chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), but the court awarded him two life imprisonments. The NIA …

ISLAMABAD, May 25(ABC): After several hours of political drama and chaos across Pakistan in the wake of PTI’s much-anticipated ‘Azadi March’, the federal government and PTI have both refuted claims of striking an agreement. Following the directions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the two sides engaged in dialogue; however, no breakthrough was reported between the two. The talks between …

LAHORE, May 25(ABC): Political tensions are at an all-time high in Pakistan with all eyes on Islamabad as the city braces itself for the arrival of PTI workers and leaders heading towards the federal capital for the party’s Azadi March despite the government’s instructions not to. So far, the day has been filled with political drama. Lahore turned into a …

ISLAMABAD, May 25(ABC): The Supreme Court directed on Wednesday the authorities concerned to provide an alternative venue for the PTI to hold a rally. The directive came during a hearing of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association’s (IHCBA) plea against the government’s decision to block roads to stop PTI’s ‘Azadi March’ taking place today (Wednesday) in the federal capital. A …

President Xi Jinping met via video link with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday in Beijing. President Xi welcomed Bachelet to China. He expounded on major issues regarding China’s human rights development in the context of China’s history and culture, and reaffirmed the principled position of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government …