ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday sought a report from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and other relevant authorities on how an audio of an alleged conversation between Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and her lawyer, Latif Khosa, was leaked online. The court’s directives, which also called for reports from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority …

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi on Thursday said the law and order situation in the country thus far was not bad enough to hamper polls on February 8 as he stressed the federal cabinet had no “doubt, worry or second thoughts” about holding the upcoming general elections. His statement comes amid concerns raised by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, first over the …

SHANGLA: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday that he was the only politician in the country whose “hands were clean”. “There is no politician in any other political party whose hands are clean. Their politics [revolve around] filling their pockets. I am the only politician who has been doing politics since the age of 19, since 2007 […] …

LAHORE: Ahead of the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8, former prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to disqualify him for five years. On August 8, the ECP had disqualified Imran for five years following his conviction in the Toshakhana case for concealing details of the …

KARACHI: The benchmark index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued its upward momentum on Thursday to cross the 64,000 milestone in yet another record high. According to the PSX website, the KSE-100 index gained 380.55 points at 10:20am to reach 64,298.27, up 0.6 per cent from the previous close of 63,917.72. The benchmark of representative shares, maintaining its bull …

ISLAMABAD: Days after his election as chairman of the PTI in ECP-mandated intra-party elections, Gohar Ali Khan on Wednesday made appointments on key positions of the party, ignoring some key recent appointees. Former senior vice president Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, a member of the PTI’s legal team, and party’s north Punjab president Seemabia Tahir were among those who failed to …

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday approached the Lahore High Court to challenge the appointment of bureaucrats by the caretaker provincial government in Punjab, to act as returning officers (ROs) for the upcoming general elections. Barrister Umair Khan Niazi, additional secretary general of the PTI, filed a writ petition, asking the court to strike down sections 50(1)(b) and 51(1) of …

PESHAWAR: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Thursday backed the interim government’s decision to deport illegal foreigners, saying that they were “seriously affecting Pakistan’s security and economy”. According to a handout issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief passed these remarks during a visit to Peshawar. In November, the caretakers initiated a nationwide campaign to …

GAZA: Israeli troops and Hamas militants were locked in fierce ground combat in Gaza on Wednesday after the Israelis, fighting their way through the devastated Palestinian enclave, reached the heart of the southern city of Khan Younis. Israeli warplanes also bombarded targets in one of the heaviest phases of warfare in the two months since the Hamas-Israel war began. Palestinian …

DUBAI: The on-going COP28 in Dubai, the UAE, a conference dedicated to green and low-carbon practices, has also showcased Chinese brands’ efforts in global environmental conservation. Since the start of the conference, Chinese brands such as Higer and BYD have provided electric shuttle bus services to ferry attendees, with about 50 electric vehicles from South China’s Guangdong Province offering shuttle …