ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will depart for Istanbul tomorrow to attend the Coordination Meeting of Arab-Islamic Foreign Ministers, where the Gaza ceasefire deal will be discussed, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Sunday. “At the invitation of the Turkish foreign minister, the Deputy Prime Minister/ Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will undertake a one-day …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said the government would take steps to ensure effective investigation, justice, and prosecution in cases of crimes against journalists. His remarks came on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. The day, observed on November 2, highlights the need for justice in cases where journalists are attacked or killed. This …

LAHORE: Punjab’s Home Department has extended Section 144 across the province until November 8, banning protests, rallies, sit-ins, and public gatherings due to concerns over terrorism and public order, a statement issued on Sunday said. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in …

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s health has improved after a cardiac issue yesterday, his Awaam Pakistan party said on Sunday. Abbasi complained of pain in his shoulder yesterday morning and was “immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors diagnosed a cardiac issue during examination”, Awaam Pakistan spokesperson Dr Zafar Mirza said in a statement. “The doctors provided …

KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday criticised the Sindh government’s e-challan initiative, calling it a “drama” meant to burden citizens instead of improving the city’s transport and road infrastructure. In June, the Sindh government decided that e-challans for traffic violations would be delivered to vehicle owners’ registered home addresses. Vehicles with unpaid fines would not be allowed to …

PESHAWAR: A Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) official was martyred in Peshawar on Sunday morning, while two others were injured when explosives stored in a police station went off. Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Dr Mian Saeed Ahmad confirmed the casualties of the incident at the CTD police station in a statement. “Preliminary assessment shows that an explosion occurred due to …

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday that India wanted to keep Pakistan busy and engaged on the eastern and western fronts amid tensions with Kabul and New Delhi. Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed early on Friday morning to continue a ceasefire between the two countries following a rapid deterioration of ties and a brief conflict along their shared border …

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that a fisherman from Pakistan was arrested by the Indian Coast Guard and was coerced into carrying out tasks for the neighbouring country’s intelligence agency. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhary, Tarar said that the Indian media was creating a false narrative in the …

GILGIT: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had brought new opportunities to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). “The CPEC has brought new opportunities for livelihood, trade and connectivity to GB. Our collective task is to ensure that these opportunities reach every valley and every village, creating shared prosperity for all,” he said, while speaking at a …

PESHAWAR: Officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan said on Saturday that the Torkham border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been reopened for Afghan refugees returning to their country. Khyber Deputy Commissioner Bilal Rao confirmed that the Torkham border crossing had been reopened earlier today for the resumption of Afghan refugees’ repatriation. Khizer Shah, the spokesman of the Pakistani embassy in Kabul, …