ISLAMABAD, Nov 16(ABC): Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday unveiled the facts behind a rare and priceless watch-set gift, containing pen and cufflinks embodied with 12.24 karat diamonds, which was handed over to former prime minister Imran Khan by the Saudi Crown Prince but the PTI chairman sold it out in a ‘criminal way’ without …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 16(ABC): Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called upon the sane segments of society to play their role in promoting tolerance in the country as well as in the world. In his message on International Tolerance Day, being observed today, he said growing trends of intolerance not only pose dangerous threats to peace and harmony in society, but …

RAWALPINDI, Nov 16(ABC): Awami Muslim League Pakistan (AMLP) leader Sheikh Rashid slammed the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government and said that it has failed to deliver. Taking to Twitter, the former Interior minister went on to say that the economy is devastated while the government is not serious about it. He added that a chaos has been created on a very …

CAPE CANAVERAL, Nov 16(ABC): NASA’s towering next-generation moon rocket blasted off from Florida early on Wednesday on its debut flight, a crewless voyage inaugurating the U.S. space agency’s Artemis exploration program 50 years after the final Apollo moon mission. The 32-story Space Launch System (SLS) rocket surged off the launch pad from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral at …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 16(ABC): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday said that he did not deliberately disobey the court’s order as he wasn’t aware of it. Imran Khan has submitted his reply to the Supreme Court (SC) in the contempt of court case on Wednesday, which was submitted with the signatures of PTI Chairman. In his response Imran Khan …

LONDON, Nov 16(ABC): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz hit out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan after the ToshaKhana gifts controversy. Taking to Twitter, Maryam Nawaz has asked PTI Chairman Imran Khan to come clean on the issue of watch which was gifted by the Saudi crown prince to him. PML-N leader said, “Don’t talk around, show …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 16(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan requested the Supreme Court to end the contempt of court proceedings related to the events of May 25, 2022, which transpired during the party’s first long march. The former prime minister’s lawyer Salman Akram Raja submitted a 23-page reply to the Supreme Court. The court had sought an explanation from the PTI chief …

LAKKI MARWAT, Nov 16(ABC):  At least six policemen — including an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) — were martyred when two terrorists on a motorcycle opened fire on their mobile during routine patrolling, officials confirmed Wednesday. The incident took place within the parameters of the Dadiwala Police Station when the cops were conducting a routine patrol near a fair in the city, a …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 16(ABC): PTI Wednesday announced to take legal action against Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor in the Emirates after he revealed buying Toshakana gifts given to ex-prime minister Imran Khan by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. Zahoor has claimed that Farah Gogi and Shahzad Akbar sold the expensive Graff wristwatch — worth at least Rs2 billion — to him, and he …

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI, Nov 16(ABC): Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said the PML-N had no favourite name for the army chief’s appointment, reported, as the date for incumbent Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s retirement nears. Speaking with journalists outside the parliament, the defence minister — when asked about the reports of a deadlock between PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and …

RAWALPINDI, Nov 16(ABC): Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Syed Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari Wednesday formally begged pardon from a high court for the medical report he had submitted to justify his non-appearance in the last hearing of petitions against the PTI’s sit-in protest. The case was heard by Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench with Justice Mirza Waqas Rauf in the …

Nov 15(ABC): Bykea, the local ride-hailing tech startup, seems to have capitulated to the competition and has added a bidding feature in its app as it seeks to offer “competitive fares” to its customers. The bidding functionality that allows customers to determine fare before commencing the ride, had been originally introduced in Pakistan by another ride-sharing application, inDrive, to espouse …

Nov 15(ABC): When Cesar stood up for the first time in years with the help of a robotic exoskeleton, the quadriplegic former French soldier said what he noticed most was being able to look people in the eye. The exoskeleton has recently become available to help ex-soldiers learn how to stand and walk again at Les Invalides hospital in Paris. …

Nov 15(ABC): A Paris-based startup has developed a genetically engineered plant with enhanced natural purifying properties that can clean the environment better than 30 air purifiers. Not only the plant can add colour to the room, but it can also clean the air and create healthier surroundings. Neoplants, the company that made the modified plant, chose a pothos plant and its root …

Nov 15(ABC): Twitter Blue will probably “come back end of next week”, billionaire owner Elon Musk said in a tweet on Saturday. Twitter on Friday paused its recently announced $8 blue check subscription service on Friday as fake accounts mushroomed. The coveted blue check mark was previously reserved for verified accounts of politicians, famous personalities, journalists and other public figures. But a …

Nov 15(ABC): Instant messaging app WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature for its users called companion mode by enabling it for some beta testers, WaBetaInfo reported. The new feature will allow users to link their existing WhatsApp account to an Android tablet. This feature is being released for mobile phones on Android beta. The screenshot here shows that the users can easily link …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 15(ABC): Pakistan will write to the United Arab Emirates this week in a bid to initiate a process to sign an inter-governmental agreement (IGA), seeking a government-to-government deal to import 1.5 million tonnes of petrol per annum,  reported on Tuesday. Under a five to eight-year deal, Pakistan will import 1.5 million tonnes of Motor Spirit (Mogas) which makes …

Nov 15(ABC): The former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif said that he wants to return to Pakistan immediately, adding that the consultation over it was underway. He said that the people in Pakistan were facing financial problems not political while reiterating that the general elections in the country will be held at the …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 15(ABC): The Foreign Office on Monday welcomed the special Anti-Terrorism Court’s (ATC) judgment in a case relating to the terrorist attack on Chinese engineers working on the Dasu hydropower project last year. On Friday, the ATC handed down death sentence on 13 counts to each of the two men in Dasu Hydro Power Project (DHPP) terrorist attack case. The court also imposed Rs40 …

Nov 15(ABC): Leaders from the world’s 20 largest economies arrive on the Indonesian island Bali on Monday for a post-pandemic reunion chilled by Sino-US rivalry and overshadowed by a superpower sit-down between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping. With people worldwide feeling the bite of stratospheric food and fuel prices, Ukraine mired in conflict and the threat of nuclear war casting …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 15(ABC): Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Monday held a preparatory meeting on his visit upcoming to Afghanistan with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar. Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Finance Tariq Bajwa and senior officers from Finance Division and Foreign Office attended the meeting, said a press …

KENYA, NAIROBI, Nov 15(ABC):The US administration has cancelled a training contract worth $400,000 with the AmmoDump Kwenia Shooting Range in Magadi where noted journalist Arshad Sharif was killed, it has now emerged.   Sources said that AmmoDump had signed a training contract with the United States Department of State for arranging anti-terrorism and anti-drugs training at the shooting site.   …

KARACHI, Nov 15(ABC): Pakistanis are unlikely to receive any relief in the form of a reduction in the prices of petroleum products in the next fortnightly review, The News learnt Monday. According to people in the oil industry and government sector, it was unlikely that the next review of petroleum prices would provide any relief to the consumers, as international prices of crude and petroleum …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 15(ABC): In recognition of the effective measures taken by Pakistan against money laundering and terror financing, the United Kingdom has officially removed the country from its list of “High Risk Third Countries” on Monday. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced the “good news” while sharing a letter of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on his twitter handle.

ISLAMABAD, Nov 15(ABC): In a bid to avoid conflicts and politics over the appointment of the army chief, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Monday suggested that the legislation introduced during PTI’s government to extend the tenure of the army chief should be abolished. In an interview with a private TV channel, Sanaullah said that the legislation will keep disturbing every …

Nov 15(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Monday criticised PTI Chairman Imran Khan for harming Pakistan’s foreign relations to pursue “his own petty politics”. The premier’s comments came as a reaction to PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s interview to Financial Times in which he expressed his wish to mend ties with the United States. The prime minister, taking to Twitter wrote that Khan’s interview …

NAIROBI, Nov 15(ABC): A leading crime reporter in Kenya said Khurram Ahmad took an unusual route on the night Arshad Sharif was killed in the Toyota Land Cruiser he was driving. Journalist Nyaboga Kiage has been reporting for this publication for the last two weeks and he has been involved in the investigation from the first day. He told in a TV interview …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 14 (ABC):Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Monday that the PTI Chairman Imran Khan after playing havoc with the national interests had now given up foreign conspiracy narrative. In her reaction to Imran Khan’s interview with the Financial Times, she said, “Imran Khan could not be pardoned after  retracting from his narrative and he will …

MELBOURNE, Nov 12(ABC):  A confident England will look to deny Pakistan a fairytale finish in Sunday’s T20 World Cup final and become the first nation to hold both global white-ball trophies — if Melbourne’s fickle weather permits. Heavy rain could disrupt the Melbourne Cricket Ground showdown and even see the teams crowned joint champions if unable to complete a match …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 12(ABC): The Director General (DG) Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Mohsin Butt on Saturday said that the Kenyan police refused to produce one of the four officers of the General Service Unit before Pakistani investigators who was among those who shot at Journalist Arshad Sharif. In an interview with the U.S. news agency, DG FIA said the three shooters …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 12 (ABC): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Saturday that PTI Chairman Imran Khan compromised national interests for personal political gains. In a statement, she said Imran Khan who was a foreign agent made mockery of himself, the country and the nation. The minister said now all the antics of Imran Khan had been exposed, …

Nov 12(ABC): Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday reiterated that he wanted the next army chief to be appointed on merit as he questioned the ability of the decision-makers to value merit. Addressing the gathered crowd of supporters in Lala Musa and Jhang via video link from his mansion in Zaman Town, Lahore, Imran …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 12(ABC): Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will appoint a new Army Chief on merit. Talking to a private television channel, he said the Army Chief’s appointment will be made on a professional basis and following the procedure as prescribed in the Constitution. Ahsan Iqbal said PTI Chairman Imran Khan is …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 12(ABC): The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday asked Pakistan to meet the targets before the talks and also demanded to increase tax collection. Sources privy to the matter said that the talks date between Pakistan and the international lender watchdog has been changed, and the talks with the IMF will not be able to beign from the …

RAWALPINDI, Nov 12(ABC): Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah clarified on Saturday that he was “completely fine” after a photograph of him in a hospital went viral late last night. Various social media users shared a photograph of him lying on a hospital bed wearing a hospital gown and an oxygen mask. In an audio message posted on his official Twitter handle, …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 12(ABC): President Dr Arif Alvi Saturday revealed that he tried to find out a way for early elections via negotiations between the coalition government and the PTI in a bid to defuse soaring tensions between the two sides, “but all efforts failed.” President Alvi, while talking to journalists at Punjab Governor House in Lahore, stressed the need for early …

Nov 12(ABC): Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Saturday postponed his trip to Pakistan. Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, in a brief statement issued in this regard, confirmed that the visit is being rescheduled. “The new dates will be mutually finalised by the two sides,” she said. The crown prince …

LAHORE, Nov 12(ABC): Ahead of his retirement toward the end of this month, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the Lahore Garrison on Saturday where he was received by Corps Commander Lieutenant General Salman Fayyaz Ghani, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. According to the ISPR, General Bajwa laid a floral wreath on the Martyrs’ …

ISLAMABAD, Nov 12(ABC): Islamabad’s sessions court Saturday, while hearing the case of inciting mutiny within institutions, fixed November 22 as the date to indict PTI leader Shahbaz Gill and ARY News’ Ammad Yousuf and provided them with copies of the police challan. Gill and Yousuf have been facing sedition charges for inciting mutiny within the Pakistan Army following the former’s remarks …

LONDON/NAIROBI, Nov 12(ABC): A post-mortem report, handed over to slain journalist Arshad Sharif’s family as well as Kenyan authorities, mentions torture signs were noticed on the victim’s body when he was autopsied in PIMS, it has been learnt. It can be confirmed that Sharif’s post-mortem report has now been handed over to his mother in Islamabad and also shared with …