KARACHI: Former PTI leader and ex-federal minister Ali Haider Zaidi on Saturday refuted reports of him “planning a political relaunch”, saying that he had no plans of doing so anytime soon. Zaidi was among the top PTI leadership who quit either the party or politics altogether amid a state crackdown on the party following the May 9, 2023 riots, which …
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: With the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) expressing its inability to hold local government polls in the country’s most populous province until next year, the Punjab Assembly speaker has called for a constitutional amendment to protect the tenure of local bodies and strengthen the LG system across the country. Speaking at a press conference in Lahore on Friday, Speaker …
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has stressed that it does not wish to escalate tensions with Afghanistan and remains hopeful for a “positive outcome” from the next round of talks with the Afghan Taliban regime, scheduled to begin on November 6, the Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Friday at a press briefing. He recalled that the second round of talks between …
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand discussed the strengthening of bilateral trade and cooperation between the two countries, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Friday. In a statement, the FO said Dar received a call the previous evening from Anand. “The two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral trade and investment, including sectors …
PESHAWAR: A 13-member provincial cabinet picked by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took the oath of office on Friday in Peshawar. According to a statement from the KP government, the cabinet’s swearing-in ceremony took place at the Governor’s House in Peshawar. “KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi administered the oath,” the statement said. “Those sworn in as provincial ministers included …
LAHORE: The Punjab government is facing criticism and allegations of data manipulation after climate analysts and social media users accused the Environment Protection & Climate Change Department (EPCCD) of deliberately shutting down air quality monitoring stations in Lahore during peak pollution hours. The controversy erupted when climate and public policy analyst Dawar Hameed Butt posted a series of tweets on …
LAHORE: Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) leadership cadre from South Punjab on Friday announced their disassociation from the proscribed religiopolitical party in the wake of the ban imposed on the group for violence and rioting. The interior ministry notified the ban on the TLP last week, saying that the federal government had “reasonable grounds” to believe the religiopolitical party was connected to …
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Energy (Power Division) on Friday announced the large-scale rollout of smart meters across electricity distribution companies (Discos) in the country, which it described as a “major step” towards improving customer service and operational efficiency. According to the spokesperson of the Power Division, Zafaryab Khan, metering plays a vital role as the key interface between the customer …
KARACHI: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday said PPP remained committed to resolving the political turmoil in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), reflecting on the party’s “reputation for finding solutions.” The PPP chairman’s remarks come amidst the party preparing to move a no-confidence motion against the current AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, after the PPP’s ranks in the 53-member AJK …
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has agreed to resume negotiations with the Afghan Taliban at the request of the host countries, a move that will keep the Pakistani delegation in Istanbul longer than planned. The decision was taken to give the negotiating process another chance, but that Pakistan’s core demand — that Afghan territory must not be used to carry out terrorism against …