ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said that the government had decided to take all parties in confidence on Operation Azm-i-Istehkam. 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 …

ISLAMABAD: As the Supreme Court on Monday took up the case of reserved seats, Justice Munib Akhtar observed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was “channelising returned candidates of a political party into the category of ‘independents’”. “Are we going to be so blinded by the harsh political realities […] that if the ECP, on its own cascades of …

ISLAMABAD: A key government minister on Sunday admitted on the floor of the National Assembly that the state had failed in the protection of minorities in Pakistan as the lower house of the parliament passed a resolution condemning the recent incidents of mob lynching in various parts of the country with a majority vote amid surprise opposition by the members …

ISLAMABAD: Amid rumours that efforts are going on to bring Maulana Fazlur Rehman into the coalition government, former speaker of National Assembly Asad Qaiser reached the residence of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief in Islamabad and claimed he discussed with him the formation of a political committee to resolve issues with JUI-F. After the meeting with the JUI-F chief, Mr Qaiser informed the media …

ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday approved the deployment of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) at the request of Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, in a decision that raised eyebrows in the region given the recent incidents that had led to three deaths in state capital Muzaffarabad allegedly at the hands of a …

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: Lawma­kers from the treasury and the opposition on Saturday continued to assail the tax-loaded federal budget in the National Assembly, as the PPP, a key partner in the ruling coalition, ended its boycott of the proceedings but only to join the fray, highlighting a number of ‘shortcomings’ in the proposed budget. It was the third consecutive day of the debate on the budget, …

ISLAMABAD: As the Sup­reme Court resumes hearing on Monday (tomorrow) the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) challenge to the Peshawar High Court’s March 14 verdict, the Election Commission of Pakistan on Saturday justified its decision to deny the party reserved seats for women and non-Muslims. In a concise statement furni­shed before the apex court thro­ugh senior counsel Sikan­dar Bashir Mohmand, the ECP argued that …

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 …