ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has met with President Asif Ali Zardari at the President house to discuss proposed constitutional amendments and the prevailing political situation. The meeting on Thursday comes as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) step back from their earlier proposal to establish constitutional courts, Express News reported. Moreover, during a special parliamentary …

DELHI/ISLAMABAD: India’s foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday dismissed media reports of talks between Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Indian Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on resuming cricket ties during the 23rd Shan­ghai Cooperation Organi­sation (SCO) summit. Jaishankar arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for the SCO summit — the first such visit by an Indian foreign minister in …

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday disposed of a petition seeking a declaration that the government’s much-touted ‘Constitutional Package’ cannot be introduced or enacted by parliament after the plea was withdrawn. The Consti­tutional Package comprises legislation proposing a set of constitutional amendments, including the extension of the top judge’s term. Experts fear that the proposed amendments would virtually erode the …

LAHORE/RAWALPINDI: At least 250 violent protesters were arrested in Rawalpindi as police used tear gas to disperse students demonstrating against the alleged rape of a Lahore student. Last week, reports related to the alleged rape of a private college student went viral on social media, prompting the police to arrest a security guard at the college who was allegedly involved …

LAHORE: The PTI’s political committee announced on Wednesday that it would oppose the constitutional amendments and called for nationwide protests on Friday (tomorrow) against the package and party founder Imran Khan’s incarceration. “All regional and local organisations are instructed to hold vigorous but peaceful protests at all district headquarters after Friday prayers. Total agreement not to accept any attempt by …

LAHORE: In a meeting at Jati Umra, the residence of the Sharif family in Lahore, the ruling parties on Wednesday virtually succeeded in winning over Maulana Fazlur Rehman of the JUI-F for their ‘judicial reform package’. However, the parties still require cooperation from the PTI to achieve complete consensus on the constitutional amendments, which have become a bone of contention …

ISLAMABAD: A special committee reviewing proposed constitutional amendments gave more time to PTI on its request to share its own draft, after the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and National Party submitted a joint draft of proposed legislation to the parliamentary panel on Wednesday. The PTI is likely to come up with its own draft of constitutional amendments today (Thursday), chairman …

LAHORE/GUJRAT: The agitation over the alleged rape incident in Lahore also spread to several other cities of Punjab on Wednesday, where students of public as well as private institutes resorted to violence, claiming the life of a security guard in Gujrat district, and ransacking and torching different campuses of the private college at the centre of the issue. The protesters …

ISLAMABAD: Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has highlighted the importance of addressing challenges between neighbours through honest dialogue and cooperation during his speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad. Jaishankar congratulated Pakistan on assuming the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government and assured India’s full cooperation throughout Pakistan’s tenure, according to Express news. Speaking …

ISLAMABAD: PTI founder Imran Khan is not part of the race to become Oxford University’s chancellor. Oxford University has released a list of eligible candidates for the election, including 38 names, but Imran Khan’s name is not among them. The university administration stated that, for the first time, open applications were invited, and the chancellor election committee reviewed all applications …