ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that transforming the outdated system into a modern, digital and effective governance model is among the government’s top priorities as economic development and prosperity are not possible without modernising the system to meet contemporary demands. Presiding over a meeting to evaluate the performance of federal ministries, the prime minister directed officials to …
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has expressed dissatisfaction over the federal government’s failure to submit a report in the case concerning the release, health and repatriation of Dr Aafia Siddiqui. Dr Siddiqui, a neuroscientist, has been imprisoned in the United States since 2008 after being convicted on charges of attempted murder of US personnel in Afghanistan. When the petition …
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has ordered action against officials of several government departments over their negligence, which led to the drowning of over a dozen people in a flooded river last month. On June 27, at least 14 people , including 10 from the same family, died after being swept away in a flash flood …
QUETTA: The nine victims who were abducted and killed in Balochistan after gunmen stopped two passenger buses on a highway, were laid to rest in their native towns on Friday. The attacks occurred on Thursday evening in the Sur-Dakai area, located on the border between the Zhob and Loralai districts, as the buses were travelling from Quetta to Punjab. Security …
ISLAMABAD: A delegation of senior PPP members met the top leadership of JUI-F on Friday, in a bid to garner support for the upcoming Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The PPP delegation, which included Syed Khursheed Shah, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Zahir Shah, visited the residence of JUI-F emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman, where they discussed the political situation. …
ISLAMABAD: Over 270 students gathered in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi this week in preparation to travel to the United States to begin bachelor’s, master’s and PhD programmes at US universities, a statement issued by organisers said. “EducationUSA at the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) hosted these annual pre-departure orientations (PDOs) to prepare students for the educational and cultural …
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday rejected claims by Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval that India had successfully hit all nine identified targets on May 7, calling the remarks “replete with distortions and misrepresentations”. Foreign Office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan, addressing a weekly press briefing, said Doval’s statements reflected “a deliberate attempt to mislead the public” and violated “the norms of …
ISLAMABAD: Stringent criteria set by Capital Development Authority (CDA) for awarding contract of Shaheen Chowk has kept majority of contractors away from the bidding process as the civic body received only one bid on Friday. The lone bid was later rejected by the CDA, and management decided to go for tendering afresh. However, it is yet to be determined whether …
RAWALPINDI: Former prime minister and Central Convener of the Awam Pakistan Party (APP), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, on Friday said that the only solution to the country’s problems is to act in accordance with the Constitution. “We did not follow the Constitution, and it created a mess. The governments failed to deliver. There is no rule of law, and without the …
ISLAMABAD: Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi on Friday informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways that the Punjab government had expressed willingness to finance Rs350 billion for the upgradation and dualisation of railway tracks in the province. Briefing the committee, Mr Abbasi said that during a recent meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Lahore, she showed interest in …