ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday criticised the opposition for not supporting the newly announced counterterrorism operation called Azm-i-Istehkam as the latter demanded that Parliament be taken into confidence before any offensive against militancy was launched. The government on Saturday announced the operation, vowing to unleash the full force of the country’s military, diplomatic, legislative, and socio-economic arsenal to decisively defeat …

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi has said that there is no room for negligence in providing security to foreigners in Pakistan. He made these remarks on Saturday while chairing a meeting at the Ministry of Interior to review security measures for foreigners, especially Chinese citizens. The meeting also evaluated the overall security situation in the country. Mr Naqvi instructed …

ISLAMABAD: Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought reports from sector commanders of Inter-Services Intellige­nce and Military Intelli­g­ence deputed in Rawal­pindi, Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir on a petition seeking the whereabouts of a citizen. Mr Khursheed, a resident of Neelum Valley, went missing on June 7, according to the petition filed by Khaleeqa …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Saturday approved a reinvigorated and re-energised national counter-terrorism campaign, Operation Azm-i-Istehkam, that symbolised the national resolve to eradicate extremism and terrorism from the country. The campaign was launched with the consensus of all stakeholders, including the provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, during a meeting of the Central Apex Committee on the National Action …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said time-tested Pak-China friendship is indispensable for bilateral as well as regional peace and development, expressing great satisfaction over complete political consensus in both countries on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He expressed these views while talking to Minister of International Department of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) Liu Jianchao, who along with a …

ISLAMABAD: The ruling PML-N faced an unprecedented backlash in the National Assembly on Fri­day, with even lawmakers from the treasury benches joining their opposition counterparts as they lashed out at Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb for presenting a ‘tax-loaded and IMF-dictated budget’, while a key ally in the ruling coalition continuing its boycott of the general debate on the budget. The second …

ISLAMABAD: Rare political consensus was shown on Friday at the third meeting of the Pakistan-China Joint Consultative Mechanism (JCM) of Political Parties on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Islamabad as a visiting Chinese minister stressed that internal stability was essential for Pakistan’s development. The cross-party political unity was shown at the CPEC Pakistan-China Political Parties Forum co-chaired by Deputy …

GWADAR: President Asif Ali Zardari has called for enhancing the capacity of the law enforcement agencies (LEAs), posting competent officers in Balochistan, and improving the prosecution mechanism to effectively counter terrorist elements in the province. The president expressed these views while chairing a meeting on the security and law and order situation in Balochistan on Thursday. Interior Minister Moh­sin Naqvi, Chief Minister …

ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Zubair Tiwana drew flak for an increase in taxes and punitive measures for non-filers, as the Senate Standing Committee on Finance deliberated on the Finance Bill 2024 on Thursday. In addition to a proposed raise in taxes on imported electric vehicles, reservations about hikes in other sectors, such as cement, telecom and beverages, were also discussed, and senators observed that abrupt …

ISLAMABAD: The education ministry and Google announced a “strategic collaboration” to improve access to education and support the development of a digital ecosystem for learning, wa ith the agreement also aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children across the country. This was announced by Google for Education and the Ministry of Federal Education on Thursday during an event, according …