ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the information ministry on a plea challenging the “ban” on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Access to X has been disrupted in many areas of Pakistan since February 17, when former Rawal­pindi commissioner Liaquat Chattha accused the chief election commissioner and chief justice of Pakistan …

RAWALPINDI: The military’s top brass on Tuesday expressed dismay that some segments of polity and social media were “maligning the armed forces” with “unsubstantiated allegations of interference” in the electoral process. The observation was made during the 263rd Corps Commanders’ Conference at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, which was presided over by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir. …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif on Monday took an oath as the country’s 24th prime minister at the President’s House in the federal capital. President Dr Arif Alvi administered the oath to the newly-elected premier in a ceremony which was attended by several dignitaries including Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Asim Munir.  Meanwhile, leaders of the country’s mainstream political parties …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Sunday congratulated Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on his election as prime minister of Pakistan. President Xi Jinping expressed confidence that under the leadership of  Shehbaz and Pakistan’s new government, and the united efforts of all sectors of Pakistan would be able to make new and greater achievements in …

ISLAMABAD: In his maiden speech during a session of the newly elected National Assembly, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday endorsed the PTI’s call for a judicial inquiry into the May 9 riots. He passed these remarks in reference to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s recent call for the formation of a judicial commission to probe the violent protests that erupted across …

KARACHI: It seems that Asif Ali Zardari does not command the same popularity among his allies as he did when first elected president in 2008, with JUI-F opting to abstain from voting in the presidential election, while MQM-P has declared they will present their demands if approached by the PPP for votes. JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while addressing a press …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peo­ples Party leader Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has submitted nomination papers to contest the Senate election and to regain his own seat from Islamabad that fell vacant following his victory as an MNA in the Feb 8 general elections. Mr Gilani will be facing Chaudhry Ilyas Mehrban of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in a one-on-one Senate contest …

BAHAWALPUR: Over 200 PTI activists have been booked in two FIRs registered by local police stations for allegedly opening fire during party’s protest rallies on Saturday, threatening police officials, blocking roads, taking out unlawful rallies under the MPO ordinance and other offences here on Sunday. The FIRs were registered by Saddar and Civil Lines police stations on the complaints of …

QUETTA: The Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) strongly condemned a raid conducted on Sunday by the Quetta administration, which claimed to have recovered a piece of government-owned land “illegally occupied” by the party’s chairman, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the presidential candidate contesting against PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari. The party alleged that the raid was conducted at Mr Achakzai’s residence and …

ISLAMABAD: Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi on Monday withdrew his resolution seeking a ban on all social media platforms after protest and near unanimous disapproval of his initiative. The senator’s resolution to have Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube banned in Pakistan to protect the young generation from their “negative and devastating effects” was on the agenda of the House today. The resolution …