NEW DELHI, Aug 23(ABC): The Indian Air Force said on Tuesday the government had sacked three officers for “accidentally” firing a missile into Pakistan in March, an incident that the two nuclear-armed rivals handled calmly as there were no casualties. The BrahMos missile — a nuclear-capable, land-attack cruise missile jointly developed by Russia and India — was fired on March …

KARACHI, Aug 23(ABC): Pakistan is likely to receive a $1.17 billion loan tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) within six days after the Executive Board’s approval, State Bank of Pakistan Acting Governor Murtaza Syed told. The executive board of the Washington-based lender is scheduled to meet on August 29 (Monday); accordingly, analysts expect the Fund to give its final …

LONDON, Aug 23(ABC): The European Union has approved a grant of €350,000 (nearly Rs76 million) to provide crucial humanitarian assistance to families affected by severe flooding, which has wreaked havoc across many parts of Pakistan. In a statement, the EU said the aid will focus on addressing the urgent needs of those most affected in some of the hardest-hit districts …

  ISLAMABAD, Aug 23(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reached Doha for a two day official visit to Qatar on the invitation of Amir of state of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. This is the Prime Minister’s first visit to Qatar after assuming the office. The Prime Minister is accompanied by a high level delegation including key members …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 23(ABC): A larger bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued on Tuesday a show-cause notice to PTI Chairman Imran Khan after taking up contempt of court proceedings against him for threatening Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry during a public rally. The bench comprised Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Babar Sattar and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb. The court …

KARACHI, Aug 23(ABC): The Pakistani rupee continued to lose ground against the US dollar during Tuesday’s intraday trade in the interbank market as the country faces a currency shortage. The local unit was trading at 217.70 after losing 1.05 against the greenback following a currency crunch, which according to analysts is taking place due to the new rules imposed by …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 23(ABC): A district and sessions judge granted on Tuesday the Islamabad police a two-day remand of YouTuber and anchorperson Jameel Farooqui — who was arrested from Karachi a day earlier. Farooqui, according to the Islamabad police, was arrested for levelling false allegations against the law enforcement agency (LEA) pertaining to the alleged torture of senior PTI leader Shahbaz …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 23(ABC): The federal government Monday promulgated an ordinance to slap an additional Rs36 billion tax on cigarettes, Rs2 billion on tobacco processing, and reduced levies on transport vehicles — to fetch an additional Rs38 billion in taxes. The prices of cigarettes of tier-1 brands may go up by Rs20 to Rs30 per packet, while for tier-2 brands the …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 23(ABC): Islamabad Police raided incarcerated PTI leader Shahbaz Gill’s room in Parliament Lodges late Monday and it recovered weapons, satellite phone, and foreign currency,  reported. According to details available with the media house, the raid was carried out under the supervision of a senior superintendent of police (SSP) and Gill accompanied them there with police officials in handcuffs. A …

WASHINGTON, Aug 23(ABC): The United States declined on Monday to comment on terrorism-related charges against PTI Chairman Imran Khan, saying it does not side with a political party. In a press conference, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the country was “of course” aware of the reports about the charges. But he said this is a matter of …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 22(ABC): In order to help ease Pakistan’s funding crunch and consequent risk of default, Qatar is expected to give Islamabad funds worth $2 billion in bilateral support, Bloomberg reported Monday. Ahead of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) board meeting scheduled to be held on August 29, Pakistan has secured financing worth $4 billion from friendly countries — which …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 22 (ABC):Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif  Monday directed for expediting the pace of rescue and relief activities in the flood-affected areas and the immediate shifting of the people trapped in flood-hit areas. He reviewed the flood situation in Balochistan province triggered by recent rainfall. The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Abdul Qaddus Bizenjo, Minister for …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 22(ABC): The Islamabad High Court on Monday granted PTI chief Imran Khan protective bail till Thursday (August 25) in a terrorism case registered against him for “threatening” a female judge and senior police officers at a public rally. The ex-prime minister was booked on Sunday under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (punishment for acts of terrorism) regarding …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 22(ABC): Islamabad High Court on Monday decided to constitute a larger bench to hear the contempt of court proceedings against Imran Khan for hurling threats at a female additional sessions judge of the federal capital. In his public rallies in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the former prime minister warned the Additional Sessions Judge Zeba – who granted PTI leader …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 22 (ABC): A judicial magistrate of Islamabad on Monday granted the police a two-day physical remand of PTI leader Shahbaz Gill while rejecting the request of his lawyers for judicial remand in the sedition case. The court also granted permission to Gill for meeting his family and legal team. Shahbaz Gill was produced before the court of Judicial …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 22 (ABC): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Monday that film and drama could play an important role in improving Pakistan’s global image. Talking to a delegation of Pakistan Film Producers Association led by its Chairman Sheikh Amjad Rashid which met her here, she said improving the story, quality and  technology of films was part …

RAWALPINDI, Aug 22 (ABC): The Pakistan Army troops were continuously assisting civil administration in flood-hit areas of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab. The Army troops were busy in rescue and relief activities, shifting people to safer places, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release said here on Monday. Army medical doctors and paramedic teams were treating flood victims whereas the …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 22(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday while taking strict notice of public complaints about inflated electricity bills, directed the authorities concerned to submit an urgent report and recommendations on the matter. The prime minister, chairing an urgent meeting to discuss the complaints on the inflated electricity bills, resolved not to sit idle until the public complaints were …

QUETTA, Aug 22(ABC): The provincial government on Monday announced to close schools in Balochistan as incessant rains continue to cause destruction, killing nine more people across the province. The total rain death toll in Balochistan has now climbed to 225 after the recent deaths. A notification issued by the Balochistan education department stated that all government and private educational institutes …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 22(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan has secured transit bail for three days till August 25 after he filed a pre-arrest bail application in the Islamabad High Court earlier to avoid arrest in a terror case filed against him last (Sunday) night. A first information report (FIR) was registered against former prime minister Khan under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) …

KARACHI, Aug 22(ABC): The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is expected to maintain the benchmark interest rate at 15% in its monetary policy statement (MPS) being announced today (Monday). The central bank is highly likely to maintain the interest rate — it raised the rate by 125 basis points in its last meeting in July to 15%, the highest since November 2008 …

KARACHI, Aug 22(ABC): PTI has retained the NA-245 seat of Karachi on Sunday in the by-poll held for the election of the constituency’s new lawmaker after the seat fell vacant following the death of Aamir Liaquat Hussain, who was elected on a PTI ticket in 2018. The polling process started at 8am and continued till 5pm today (Sunday). However, the …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 21(ABC): The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has imposed a ban with immediate effect on the live telecast of speeches of former prime minister Imran Khan after he threatened state institutions and government officials with serious consequences, Geo News reported Sunday. Imran Khan’s addresses are in open violation of the PEMRA rules, according to the PEMRA notification issued in …

KARACHI, Aug 21(ABC): Voting is underway for the NA-245 by-poll in Karachi, with 15 candidates contesting for the National Assembly seat that fell vacant after the death of Aamir Liaquat Hussain, who was elected on a PTI ticket in 2018. The polling process started at 8am and will continue till 5pm today (Sunday). Aamir Liaquat beat Dr Farooq Sattar in …

  QUETTA, Aug 21(ABC): Torrential rains and flash floods continue to play havoc in Balochistan amid the fourth spell of monsoon, with eight more people killed in rain-related incidents on Saturday, taking the provincial death toll to 215 since June 1. According to NDMA, the rains have inflicted major life, property and livestock losses. While Balochistan was the most-affected region, …

Aug 20(ABC):Google has asked its users to update their browsers after it fixed 27 security vulnerabilities, reported. The company is urging users to update browsers immediately because it has found 11 more security vulnerabilities in Google Chrome. In its recent blog post, Google announced the details of the latest update saying that the new Chrome version 104.0.5112.102/101 was for Windows and …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 20(ABC): PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday proposed names from coalition parties as well as his own party for a panel to probe the entire Shahbaz Gill episode that has stirred up a storm in the country since his arrest last week. In a statement on Twitter, Fawad proposed that a committee be formed comprising Federal …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 20(ABC): Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Narcotics Control Attaullah Tarar on Saturday warned the PTI and Punjab government that “all of you” will be arrested if a single PML-N worker is sent behind bars. Tarar alleged that the Punjab government — a coalition of the PML-Q and PTI — has booked PML-N workers and MPAs as retribution …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 20(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan has said that the UK-based publication The Guardian took his statement on the attack on controversial author Salman Rushdie “out of context”. According to the publication, Khan had condemned the attack on “The Satanic Verses” author and described it as “terrible and sad” during an interview. The Guardian quoted him as saying that the anger of Muslims …

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will depart on a four country trip on Monday to strengthen Pakistan’s engagement with Europe and share its perspective on regional and global issues. The foreign minister will visit Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway from August 22 to 26 at the invitation of his counterparts. These countries are part of the foreign minister’s first visit to Europe since assuming office. …

RAWALPINDI, Aug 20(ABC):  Chief of Army Staff General (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa Saturday directed Commander Balochistan Corps Lieutenant General Asif Ghafoor to ensure complete support to the Balochistan government. The army chief’s directions, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), came during a call with the commander Balochistan corps. Gen Bajwa got an update on the flood situation in the …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 20(ABC): Federal Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan on Friday said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s aide Shahbaz Gill was “not subjected to abuse of any kind” during his detention and that he is “just faking it”. Gill has been in police custody since August 9 when the Islamabad police arrested him in a sedition case after he …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 (ABC): Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Dr Miftah Ismail on Saturday said the goods stuck at the ports would be gradually released with penalty surcharge. “To meet with our international obligations, the government has issued an SRO to reverse the ban on imports of luxury items. The goods stuck at the ports will gradually be released …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 20(ABC): A terrorist commander along with his accomplice was killed in an intense fire exchange during an intelligence based operation (IBO) conducted in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan tribal district. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday said during the IBO, an intense fire exchange took place between the army troops and terrorists.The terrorist commander killed …

LAHORE, Aug 20 (ABC): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday immediately suspended fixed sales tax collection through the electricity bills and directed for formulation of new mechanism in this regard. The prime minister also directed for an inquiry over the levy of increased sales tax ratio on shopkeepers/retailers, in the electricity bills other than the agreed one. The prime …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 19 (ABC): A delegation of students from Harvard University, United States Friday called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here and discussed matters related to Pakistan. Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Marriyum Aurangzeb, SAPMs Ahad Cheema, Syed Fahad Hussain, Jahanzeb Khan, Coordinators to PM Bilal Azhar Kiyani, Rana Ihsan Afzal, Chairman HEC and officials from the concerned departments were also …

ISLAMABAD, Aug 19(ABC): Former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Friday said present economic issues could be resolved through political consensus across the board. This he said while meeting the National Assembly Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani, who had called on the PML(N) supremo here in the United Kingdom, said a press release. Former finance minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar was …

ISLAMABAD, August 19(ABC): Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supremo Imran Khan on Friday announced nationwide rallies to show solidarity with his chief of staff, Shahbaz Gill, after the Islamabad Police barred him from meeting Gill at PIMS hospital. Talking to the media outside PIMS Hospital, PTI Chairman said that despite the court order the police blocked their way, …

ISLAMABAD, August 19(ABC): Issuing notices to former prime minister Imran Khan and ex-planning & information ministers Asad Umer and Fawad Chaudhry for using “intemperate, unparliamentary language and passing contemptous remarks” against the top polls body, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday summoned the PTI leaders on August 30 at 10am. On behalf of the Election Commission Secretary Omar …

QUETTA, Aug 19 (ABC): Almost 70 percent of Balochistan is left in lurch as relief efforts made in the wake of devastating rains have done little to alleviate the sufferings of those waiting for immediate assistance. “Out of 34 districts, 26 districts of Balochistan province are worst affected by the monsoon rains and flooding,” Director General Naseer Ahmed Nasar said …