ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Friday dismissed international criticism of the crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) protests as ill-informed, but refrained from directly addressing comments by the European Union’s envoy regarding the arrest of journalist Matiullah Jan and the charges against him. “We have seen some external commentary on recent developments in Pakistan. We believe that much of this commentary …
LAHORE: The PPP, an ally of the ruling PML-N, has opposed the idea of proscribing the PTI and has instead urged the government to take steps for mainstreaming the opposition party after a resolution was submitted with the Punjab Assembly seeking a ban on the PTI. “We are not in favour of banning the PTI or sidelining it. Rather, the …
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday restrained police and other authorities from arresting Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja following his petition alleging harassment and unlawful attempts to arrest him. Mr Raja, appearing in person, claimed that he had no knowledge of any FIR registered against him in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) or Punjab. He …
ISLAMABAD: Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday announced that the European Commission and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have lifted the ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for flights to Europe. The EASA banned the airline from its most lucrative routes in Europe and Britain in June 2020. The move came in the wake of a PIA plane crash in …
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reaffirmed their support for Palestinians’ inalienable right to self-determination, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly called for the observance of November 29 as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. This is the second year that the day was being observed …
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday suspended the two-day physical remand of senior journalist Matiullah Jan in a terrorism and narcotics case that was widely derided as being “bogus” on “trumped up charges” amid demands for his release. Jan was booked in the case on Thursday after reportedly being detained in Islamabad on Wednesday night. His son said …
ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah has said that the “official number” of deaths of PTI workers in the Islamabad protest did not reach double figures, as compared to the various figures coming out from the party. A day of pitched battles between security forces and PTI protesters across the federal capital ended …
KURRAM: The death toll from clashes in Kurram district increased to 90 on Thursday, as a ceasefire agreement failed to prevent hostilities that have been continuing on and off for more than a week. In fresh clashes, 12 persons were killed and 18 others injured as intermittent firing continued in upper and lower parts of the district, officials said. Armed …
ISLAMABAD: Two days after the government used force to disperse thousands of PTI protesters who had descended on the federal capital to demand the release of party founder Imran Khan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed the authorities concerned to establish a dedicated anti-riot force to deal with future protests. The protesters were led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister …
LAHORE: In the wake of allegations and recriminations among party leaders over the ‘failure’ of PTI’s final protest call in Islamabad, the party’s secretary general and the leader of the Sunni Ittehand Council — the party’s main ally in the National Assembly — announced their decision to step down from party office. Salman Akram Raja submitted his resignation to incumbent …