ISLAMABAD: US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Thursday said Washington hasn’t held “any discussions” with Islamabad about Pakistani national Asif Merchant’s indictment over his alleged involvement in an Iranian plot to assassinate US politicians and government officials. Merchant, 46, sought to recruit people in the United States to carry out the plot in retaliation for the US killing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ …

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that parliam­ent, which is the supreme institution, has converted a rule into a law to stop floor crossing, as envisaged in the Constitution. Speaking at a presser, he said PML-N’s Bilal Azhar Kayani had presented the Elections Act (2nd Amendment) Bill in the National Assembly, whereas Senator Talal Chaudhry moved it in the Senate. …

ISLAMABAD: Former Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take meaningful actions to get its prestige restored. Appearing before a four-member bench of the ECP, headed by Member from Sindh Nisar Ahmed Durrani, in contempt of ECP and Chief Election Commissioner against him and PTI founder Imran Khan, he said respect is drawn …

RAWALPINDI: Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has offered a conditional apology for the widespread protests and violence that occurred on May 9, 2023. He called for the release of CCTV footage to verify the involvement of PTI members in the incidents. “If any PTI members are found guilty of participating in the events of May 9, I …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has appointed Rashid Mahmood Langrial, the Federal Secretary for Energy, as the new chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). The government issued a notification for Langrial’s appointment on Wednesday. A Grade 21 officer, Langrial was previously serving as Secretary of the Power Division. Sources had earlier indicated that the government was finalising the appointment …

GUJRANWALA: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) ex-MNA Aliya Hamza was released from Gujranwala Jail on Wednesday after her release orders were submitted earlier in the day. Hamza departed the jail with her family as her lawyer confirmed her release. The Lahore High Court (LHC) had ordered law enforcement agencies not to arrest Aliyah Hamza, in any new cases without the court’s permission …

ISLAMABAD: The PTI on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court against a law that would bar independent lawmakers from joining a political party after a stipulated period. A bill, titled “Elections (Second Amendment) Act, 2024” proposes changes to the Elections Act 2017 and is apparently aimed at circumventing the Supreme Court’s July 12 ruling, which granted the PTI reserved seats and set …

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution rejecting India’s unilateral revocation of held-Kashmir’s special status, which was approved with consensus, amid opposition from one lawmaker. The Youm-i-Istehsaal-i-Kashmir Day Resolution, tabled by Safron and Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam, demanded that India release Kashmiri political prisoners, provide humanitarian aid, stop the ongoing violations of human rights and sincerely implement …

ISLAMABAD: Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Tuesday informed the National Assembly that new machinery and software would be installed to increase the printing capacity of passports upto 60,000 per day by the end of September. In response to a ‘Calling Attention Notice’ moved by PPP members in the assembly regarding delays in issuance of passports, the minister expressed optimism that the …

RAWALPINDI: Imran Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has called for an end to the ongoing crackdown on his party during a conversation with lawyers at Adiala Jail, citing oppression as a key factor behind the events in Bangladesh. Khan met with six lawyers in the conference room at Adiala Jail for an hour on Tuesday. The delegation included Intizar …