ISLAMABAD: Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik on Wednesday announced that the federal cabinet has approved the resumption of new gas connections across the country, ending the ban imposed in 2021. Briefing the media on cabinet decisions along with Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, he said the government had responded to strong public demand by lifting the restriction …

LAHORE: At least 13 people, including five children, died as floods devastated Jalalpur Pirwala, where more than 50 villages have been badly affected by the Chenab and Sutlej rivers. Shops and houses collapsed, thousands of acres of crops were destroyed, and rescue teams struggled to reach stranded populations, authorities said. Relief Commissioner Punjab Nabeel Javed said that due to severe …

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah on Thursday said that the talk of a “hybrid system ” prevalent in the country actually amounted to an admission to the presence of a dictatorship. What had previously only been a term coined by analysts to describe the unique system of governance currently in vogue, is now apparently being worn as a badge …

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Thursday night said that tremors of a 5.9-magnitude earthquake were felt in the twin cities and areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A press release from the PMD said the quake originated at 9:56pm at a depth of 111 kilometres with its epicentre in the Hindu Kush region. It said tremors were felt in Peshawar, …

ISLAMABAD: Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar on Thursday moved the Supreme Court (SC), seeking its intervention to pave the way for the fixation of pending petitions challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment before the full court. The 26th Constitutional Amendment, also known as the Constitutional Package, is legislation that takes away the SC’s suo motu powers, sets the CJP’s term at …

ISLAMABAD: The Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) on Wednesday called the Punjab government’s flood relief efforts a failure, accusing officials of prioritising a media campaign for the chief minister over providing aid amid severe flooding . The remarks were made during a press conference, where leaders of the political alliance criticised the government’s response to a natural disaster affecting numerous districts. “Punjab …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Qatar reaffirmed their commitment to regional peace and stability during a meeting between Pakistan’s top military official, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and Qatari military leadership on his visit to Qatar, the military’s media wing said on Thursday. Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Mirza, — who is in Qatar for the second round of the Higher …

BEIJING: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Qiang reaffirmed on Thursday to work together on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) second phase in a meeting that the former termed “most productive” as business firms inked memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth $4.2 billion. Pakistan and China share a longstanding strategic partnership with ties that span various sectors, including trade, …

ISLAMABAD: PPP and PTI leaders took exception on Tuesday to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur conditionally backing the construction of Kalabagh Dam, pointing out that three provincial assemblies had adopted resolutions opposing the project in the past. Gandapur said a day earlier that projects like the construction of Kalabagh Dam were necessary for the “sake of the future …

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Tuesday said that tremors were felt in Peshawar, Mansehra and Islamabad after another earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan. A press release from the PMD said the 5.4-magnitude earthquake occurred at 5:30pm in southeastern Afghanistan at a depth of 22 kilometres with tremors felt all the way in Peshawar, Mansehra, Islamabad, Abbottabad and Swat. Meanwhile, …