LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has approved ‘Punjab Honahar Merit Scholarship Programme,’ and directed the authorities concerned to increase the number of meritorious scholarships from 4,000 to 25,000. Presiding over a meeting of the Punjab Higher Education Department here on Saturday, she said that 100 per cent fee of the students doing BS from government and eight selected private universities …
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed for initiation of proceedings against the power distribution company (Discos) officers and personnel, who were found sending inflated electricity bills to consumers. While chairing a meeting regarding reforms in power sector and solarisation process, the PM ordered the FIA to investigate the matter and directed the power division to suspend all those officials found …
ISLAMABAD: A day after the corps commanders’ conference, the PTI on Saturday said that labelling free speech as “digital terrorism” would be detrimental to both the country and institutions. A PTI spokesperson feared that attempts to criminalise freedom of speech would “open the door to use extra-legal measures against critics”. The spokesperson called upon the institutions to be receptive to criticism …
LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday reserved its verdict on pre-arrest bail petitions of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan in three cases related to the May 9 riots. The prosecution equated last year’s protests to the United States Capitol Hill attacks, while the defence rejected allegations of conspiracy. During the final arguments, Barrister Salman Safdar, Mr Khan’s counsel, stated that his …
LAHORE / ISLAMABAD: Though the government still has to finalise the date for a multiparty moot being summoned to deliberate on the planned ‘Azm-i-Istekham’ operation, another political party — the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) — threw its weight behind the proposed conference. In an announcement on Saturday, PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said his party would participate in the multiparty …
ISLAMABAD: Local and international firms have announced an investment of $5 billion during the next three years in Pakistan’s oil & gas exploration and production (E&P) sector. The announcement was made in a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at PM House on Saturday. A delegation of companies from the oil and gas exploration and production sector informed …
ISLAMABAD: PTI MNA Ali Muhammad Khan put party maverick Sher Afzal Marwat on blast on Saturday after a video surfaced of him seemingly criticising party founder Imran Khan. The PTI MNA, who is known for causing controversies, has previously accused both the US and Saudi Arabia of conspiring to topple the PTI government. The PTI had publicly distanced itself from his remarks …
ISLAMABAD: Former PML-N leaders Miftah Ismail and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday formally launched a new party named Awaam Pakistan, declaring it “open for all” to join. The leaders had long floated the idea of a new political entity to take the country out of perennial crises. Last month, a glimpse of Awaam Pakistan appeared on the country’s political horizon after a …
ISLAMABAD: The PTI has postponed its power show, which was set to be held in Islamabad’s Tarnol at 6pm today, after the district administration cancelled the no-objection certificate issued to the party. Earlier this week, the PTI moved the Islamabad High Court to obtain the NOC from the administration. On Thursday, the IHC disposed of the petition when the state …
TEHRAN: Relative moderate Masoud Pezeshkian urged people on Saturday to stick with him on “the difficult road ahead” after beating a hardline rival to win Iran’s presidential election. Friday’s run-off vote was between Pezeshkian, the sole moderate in the original field of four candidates, and hardline former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old cardiac surgeon, has pledged to promote …