ISLAMABAD, May 26(ABC): The National Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to abolish the former government’s election reforms giving expats the right to vote through I-Voting and electronic voting machines (EVMs). The development came during the Parliament meeting convened by President Arif Alvi to deliberate over the current economic situation of the country. The Election Amendment Bill 2022 was introduced …

COLOGNY, May 26(ABC): Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari Thursday appreciated Iran’s steadfast support for the Kashmir cause in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart. A statement issued by the Foreign Office said that the Foreign Minister Bilawal met his Iranian counterpart Dr Hossein Amir Abdollahian on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. During the meeting, Pakistan’s top diplomat reaffirmed Islamabad’s …

LAHORE, May 26(ABC): PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz Thursday berated PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his party for being “responsible” for the martyrdom of a policeman, who laid his life in the line of duty a few days back in Lahore. Maryam was speaking to the press outside of the house of the martyred policeman, identified as Kamal Ahmed. She …

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: Following the conclusion of talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Miftah Ismail Wednesday termed the discussions “useful and constructive”. Sharing details of the parleys with the Fund, where both sides failed to reach a staff-level agreement for the revival of the $6 billion programme due to the government’s reluctance to remove fuel subsidies, Miftah …

KARACHI, May 26(ABC): Pakistan’s rupee hit a record low on Thursday of 202.50 in intraday trading against the US dollar, below the previous close of 201.92, after the failure of talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Pakistan and the IMF have failed to reach a staff-level agreement for the revival of the $6 billion programme as the Fund emphasised …

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 …

LAHORE, May 26(ABC): Pakistan has reported no death in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has risen to 1,530,064. The nationwide tally of fatalities stands at 30,379 on Thursday. According to the latest figures by the National Institute of Health (NIH), at least 76 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 across the country …

ISLAMABAD, May 26(ABC): Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday said that the whole nation has rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan after his call for long march towards Islamabad. She said that the person who was giving ultimatum from yesterday has gone to Bani Gala to sleep. “Elections will only be held whenever government and its …

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 …

ISLAMABAD, May 26(ABC): Pakistan reported its fourth case of polio this year after the Pakistan National Polio Laboratory confirmed that a 13-month-old boy in North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was paralysed by wild polio virus. The child, a resident of Mir Ali, developed paralysis on May 5. This is Mir Ali’s third case of the year. Initial inquiries revealed that the …

LAHORE, May 26(ABC): PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz Wednesday said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan assured the Supreme Court of a peaceful protest but violated its directions. Talking to journalists in Lahore, Maryam said that the SC will see how the “PTI trampled the court’s orders under its feet.” She said that the party had a “safe passage for them …

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 …

ISLAMABAD, May 25 (ABC): All educational institutions of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) would remain close on Thursday amid ongoing circumstances in the country. According to a notification issued by the District Administration Islamabad, the public and private sector schools and colleges would remain closed on May 26. It is to mention here that the matriculation paper of annual exams of …

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) …

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 …

ISLAMABAD, May 25(ABC): Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel held a meeting with Dr. Bahram Einollahi, Minister of Health & Medical Education, Iran on the sidelines of World Health Assembly in Geneva. Minister said Pakistan and Iran enjoy long-standing brotherly relations. Both countries have commonality of views on global public health issues. Enhanced consultation and coordination would be useful, …

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 …

ISLAMABAD, May 25 (ABC): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday ordered to release arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers. The IHC bench headed by CJ Justice Athar Minallah was hearing a plea related to harassing PTI workers by the police ahead of Azadi Long March. At the outset of the hearing, IHC CJ asked why the PTI are being harassed …