ISLAMABAD, July 27(ABC): The federal government Wednesday warned of imposing governor’s rule in Punjab after the Supreme Court removed Hamza Shahbaz as the chief minister and instated Imran Khan-backed Pervez Elahi to the top office. “The summary to impose governor’s rule is being drafted, and I — personally — have started work on it,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told a …

KARACHI, July 27(ABC): The Pakistani rupee Wednesday plunged to a new low against the US dollar, which continued to strengthen for the ninth straight session during intraday trade in the interbank market. The local unit is trading at Rs237 in the interbank market, up from Rs232.93 a day earlier, as it shed Rs4.07. The rupee has been one of the …

ISLAMABAD, July 27(ABC): Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has said that there is no risk of Pakistan defaulting anymore and policymakers are well aware of it. The statement came during a conversation with Islamabad-based policy think-tank Tabadlab CEO Mosharraf Zaidi. As the pressure on the government increases with the local currency sinking against the dollar amid political instability, the finance minister …

LAHORE, July 27(ABC): Pakistan has reported four deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases has surged to ,551,871. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,474 on Wednesday. According to the latest figures by the National Institute of Health (NIH), at least 620 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 across …

LAHORE, July 27(ABC): Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while reacting to the Supreme Court of Pakistan verdict to strike down Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling on Punjab chief minister’s election by declaring ‘illegal’ said that verdict has made a mockery of Pakistan Taking to Twitter, he penned that “salute the three …

LAHORE, July 27(ABC): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz on Tuesday shared his views after the Supreme Court overturned the ruling of the Deputy Speaker, saying this is not a defeat but it is his party’s first step towards victory. Hamza  took to Twitter and wrote that the principle of neutrality has been killed …

LAHORE, July 27(ABC): Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Farhatullah Babar suggested the parliamentarian and Pakistan Democractic Movement (PDM)  leadership to limit the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s power. Taking to Twitter, Babar wrote, “Parliamentarians/PDM, if you care about restoring the balance of powers then read Art 191 and act decisively. Or stop grumbling. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has retweeted …

LAHORE, July 27(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday while reacting to the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s verdict to strike down Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling on the Punjab chief minister’s election by declaring ‘illegal’ said that the apex court hurt people’s expectations for justice. Taking to Twitter, Shehbaz penned that the constitution has assigned state powers to parliament, …

ISLAMABAD, July 27(ABC):PTI-backed candidate Pervez Elahi took oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab in the wee hours of Wednesday at the Aiwan-e-Sadar after the Supreme Court announced a verdict against the ruling of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammed Mazari. The top court declared Mazari’s ruling in the Punjab chief minister’s election “illegal” and ruled that PTI’s candidate Elahi …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): Following the verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, declaring the ruling of the Punjab Assembly’s deputy speaker “illegal” and instating Pervez Elahi as the new chief minister of Punjab, PTI Chairperson Imran Khan called his supporters to take to the streets and celebrate today (Wednesday). The court’s short order declared Elahi as the duly elected chief …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): The coalition government Tuesday strongly responded to the Supreme Court’s verdict to place Pervez Elahi as Punjab’s chief minister, removing Hamza Shahbaz from the province’s top office. The Supreme Court declared Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling in the Punjab Chief Minister’s election “illegal” and ruled that PTI’s candidate Pervez Elahi will be the new CM of …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): Following the verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to instate PTI’s candidate Pervez Elahi as the chief minister of Punjab, the party’s senior vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that “today, the Constitution’s rule has been accepted and the Pakistani people’s mandate has been respected”. “On July 17, the people of Pakistan accepted Imran Khan’s narrative …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): A three-member bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling in the Punjab Chief Minister election and ruled that the Pervez Elahi is the chief minister of the province. Earlier Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial had said that the judgement would be issued at 5:45pm and later it …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): President Arif Alvi on Tuesday said that it is not a bad idea to appoint the next chief of army staff before the time fixed for appointment — November. The statement came during an interaction with journalists in response to a question. The president was asked what he thinks of the suggestion that the new army chief …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): Senior most Judge of the Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa has written a letter to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), seeking postponement of its meeting scheduled on July 28, 2022, for the appointment of Sindh and Lahore high courts judges to the apex court, a matter that “requires utmost care and due deliberation as it …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) will now announce the verdict in the Punjab chief minister’s election case at 7:30pm — after the top judge previously said that the judgement would be issued at 5:45pm. The proceedings went on for three days — Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday — as lawyers from all the parties presented their arguments. Pervez Elahi, …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday resumed hearing the case of the Punjab chief minister’s election — where Hamza Shahbaz defeated Pervez Elahi — for the third day. Elahi, who had been defeated on July 22 after 10 PML-Q votes were rejected by Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Dost Mazari, had challenged the ruling in the SC. The …

WEB DESK, July 26(ABC): As record temperatures hit much of the UK on Tuesday, tech giants Google and Oracle suffered outages as cooling systems failed at London data centres. Data centres are large highly secure buildings that hold banks of computers and are the powerhouses behind many online services. But the concentrated computing power generates heat so powerful that cooling …

WEB DESK, July 26(ABC): Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a device that uses a natural protein to create electricity from moisture in the air, a new technology they say could have significant implications for the future of renewable energy, climate change and in the future of medicine. As reported today in Nature, the laboratories of electrical engineer …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said Pakistan’s current economic situation cannot afford any new political crisis. Speaking to news persons outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad, the Minister said the incumbent federal government is taking the economy out of crisis and towards stability. He said Imran Khan and his party leaders repeatedly gave statements …

KARACHI, July 26(ABC): The rupee lost ground for the seventh consecutive session on Monday, closing at an all-time high of 229.88 against the US dollar in the interbank market as negative sentiment arising from Pakistan’s political front persisted. However, on a slightly positive note, the rupee regained some ground after having slipped to 232 in intraday trading. According to data …

WEB DESK, July 26(ABC): Pakistan logged 371 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours amid a slight countrywide drop in the positivity ratio, the National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH) data showed Tuesday morning. As per the latest stats, the new infections were detected after diagnostic testing on 13,439 samples by the national COVID regulating body. After the …

WEB DESK, July 26(ABC): Following the ruling coalition’s decision to boycott Supreme Court’s hearing on the Punjab chief minister’s election after the apex court rejected the plea to form a full bench, PTI reacted strongly and berated the ruling alliance for its decision, reported. Earlier, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said if the SC doesn’t form a full court, “we …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): Following the Supreme Court’s decision to continue the hearing on the Punjab chief minister’s election with the current three-member bench, the ruling coalition has decided to boycott the hearing scheduled to be held tomorrow, the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) leadership announced. The Supreme Court of Pakistan Monday rejected the petition seeking the formation of a full bench for hearing the case …

QUETTA, Jul 25(ABC): Balochistan Government’s Spokesperson Farah Azeem Shah on Monday said about 102 people had so far lost their lives due to the torrential rains and flash floods in the province. The dead included 39 men, 30 women and 33 children, while the rains had damaged 580 kilometers of roads, 11 bridges and five dams, besides perishing 706 cattleheads, …

KARACHI, July 25(ABC): The downward slide of the Pakistani rupee (PKR) continues as the currency has lost 58.49 paisa in the interbank market against the US dollar despite the government’s assurances of market stability in the coming days. According to the data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the rupee closed at 229.88, losing 0.66%. As per the …

ISLAMABAD, July 25(ABC): PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto has reiterated that the coalition government only has one demand: the formation of a full bench to hear the case related to the Punjab CM’s election. Coalition government was addressing a press conference in federal capital ahead of hearing by the apex court on Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s petition challenging the Punjab Assembly deputy …

RAWALPINDI, July 25(ABC): The 249th Corps Commanders’ Conference on Monday reaffirmed resolve of the Armed Forces to extend complete support to civil administration in rescue and rehabilitation activities. The Corps Commander Conference held at GHQ was presided over by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release said. The Forum took …

ISLAMABAD, July 25(ABC): Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) on Monday rejected coalition parties’ request to form a full court bench related to the recently held Punjab chief minister’s re-election case, saying that the court will have to hear more arguments before it takes a decision in this regard. Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial said that the court needs …

ISLAMABAD, July 25(ABC): Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial during a hearing in the Supreme Court against the ruling of the deputy speaker Punjab Assembly over the election of Chief Minister, remarked on Monday that one who garnered more votes is not holding the post of CM, while the one who secured less votes is retaining the slot …

ISLAMABAD, July 25(ABC): PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said Monday that “bench-fixing” is a crime similar to “match-fixing” and suo motu notice should be taken over it as she criticised a “specific” anti-PML-N bench being constituted for one-sided decisions. Maryam, in a joint press conference alongside the coalition government leaders, including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl …

ISLAMABAD, July 25(ABC): As the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) Monday resumed the hearing for the case of the Punjab chief minister’s election, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial said that the court needs more legal clarification regarding the formation of a full bench to issue a verdict on the case. The CJP also said that he was unsure …

ISLAMABAD, July 25(ABC): The entry of all political leaders to the Supreme Court has been banned for the hearing on the case related to the election of the Punjab chief minister. Strict security arrangements are in place in and around the apex court ahead of the hearing on Pervez Elahi’s plea against Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari’s ruling …

KARACHI, July 25(ABC): Four people were killed and many others injured in Karachi on Sunday when the second spell of torrential monsoon rains wreaked havoc in the port city, flooding residential and commercial areas, killing and injuring people, damaging properties and disrupting the power and telecommunication system. A teenage boy, identified as Zia, was electrocuted in the Liaquatabad area. He …

ISLAMABAD, , July 25(ABC): After several weeks of fluctuating stats, the COVID-19 positivity rate has reached 3% in Pakistan, with 582 fresh cases reported during the last 24 hours, the National Institute of Health, Islamabad’s (NIH) data showed Monday morning. The new infections were detected after diagnostic testing on 19,389 samples. Moreover, the virus claimed two more lives overnight, pushing …

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, July 25(ABC): A 31-yeard-old Pakistan Army soldier was martyred during an exchange of fire with terrorists in Draban’s general area of Dera Ismail Khan District, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday. According to the military’s media wing, the Pakistan Army troops had effectively engaged the terrorist’s location. However, during intense exchange of fire, 31-year-old Lance …

ISLAMABAD, Jul 24(ABC): Pakistan and China are closing in to deal in Renminbi (RMB) and Pakistani Rupees (PKR) as Pakistan faces financial challenges. Federal Minister for Board of Investment (BOI) Chaudhry Salik Hussain told that the talks between Pakistan and China were ongoing to finalize the matter. “We can soon be dealing in RMB along with the US dollars. Both …

LAHORE, July 24(ABC): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday assured Pakistan’s full support in the fulfillment of the purposes and objectives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), under his stewardship. He hoped that all SCO members would continue to work together for building peace, enhancing international solidarity and cooperation. The prime minister was talking to Secretary General of the …

LAHORE, July 24(ABC): Punjab Assembly speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Sunday while reacting to Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz’s cabinet oath-taking ceremony said that a ‘ship-sized’ cabinet oath is a violation of the Supreme Court’s decision. He said that the Trustee Chief Minister opened the mouth of the treasury of the Punjab government to save his post and one out …

LAHORE, July 24(ABC): Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman on Sunday administered the oath to the newly elected Punjab cabinet after a drama that ended with Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s shock defeat in the contest for the slot as provincial assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari decided not to count the votes of PML-Q lawmakers. The oath-taking ceremony  was held at Governor House which …