ISLAMABAD: Pakistan ruled out the possibility of sacrificing its relationship with China for the sake of improved relations with the United States, the Foreign Office said on Thursday, stressing that “Pakistan doesn’t believe in zero-sum relationships”. “For us, relations with the United States and relations with China are both important,” Foreign Office spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a weekly …
ISLAMABAD: As the PTI gears up for nationwide protests today (Friday), its founder Imran Khan on Thursday cautioned Chief of the Army Staff Gen Asim Munir that the Shehbaz Sharif-led government was trying to pit the military, PTI and the masses against each other. The former prime minister also accused the interior and foreign ministers of deliberately staying out of …
ISLAMABAD: Section 144 was imposed in Punjab and Islamabad amid the PTI gearing up to hold nationwide protests on Friday. Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure empowers the district administration to issue orders in the public interest that may place a ban on an activity for a specific period of time. PTI leader Asad Qaiser on Sunday said that …
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has notified 39 returned MNAs as PTI lawmakers after the Supreme Court ordered the body to do so in its verdict on the reserved seats case, it emerged on Thursday. The notification for the 39 MNAs was issued on Wednesday. In a unique majority verdict, the Supreme Court on July 12 declared the PTI eligible to receive …
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is due to travel to Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iranian president-elect Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, who won the Islamic Republic’s presidential run-off election earlier this month. Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch announced the trip during her weekly press briefing on Thursday. “At the invitation of the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of the …
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad district and sessions court on Thursday extended the physical remand of PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan and eight others by three days over the suspicion of running alleged “anti-state digital campaigns”. Hasan was arrested on Monday during a raid conducted by the Islamabad police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on PTI’s Central Office in a case under the Prevention of …
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Energy has instructed the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) to finalise the framework for transferring the responsibility of determining petroleum prices to the oil industry. In a letter issued on Wednesday, the ministry directed the Ogra chairman to convene a meeting today (Thursday) to discuss the analysis, implications, and way forward for deregulating petroleum products. …
ISLAMABAD: Appreciating Pakistan’s contribution to counterterrorism, US Ambassador Donald Blome on Wednesday underlined the US commitment to supporting Pakistan in various areas, including countering regional threats, economic collaboration, renewable energy, climate management and education. He made these remarks at an international conference titled ‘Strengthening Pakistan-US Relations’ hosted by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) in collaboration with Beaconhouse National University (BNU) …
LAHORE: Punjab’s senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, who had been keeping a low profile with regard to issuing political statements since the formation of the PML-N government, joined the ranks of party’s top leadership demanding conviction of all May 9 riots culprits, particularly ex-premier Imran Khan after his reported “confessional statement” that he had asked for a “peaceful protest” outside the army headquarters …
NEW YORK: Courts must remain open and vigilant, whenever there is a threat of martial law in Pakistan, Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah said. During an address to the New York City Bar Association on Tuesday, he acknowledged the apex court’s past shortcomings in legitimising unconstitutional acts, and asserted that the court has a sacred obligation to defend the Constitution. …