RAWALPINDI: PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Wednesday that party founder Imran Khan had permitted the submission of the party’s demands in writing to the government amid ongoing negotiations to bring down the political temperature. Since Imran’s incarceration last year in several cases, PTI’s relations with the government and the establishment have deteriorated sharply, marked by protests that …
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday stressed the need to honour the International Monetary Fund (IMF) commitments, insisting that the government could not bid farewell to the programme just yet. In July last year, Pakistan and the IMF reached a three-year, $7 billion aid package deal, giving much-needed respite to the cash-strapped nation. Under the programme, the global lender …
ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja held a meeting on Tuesday with a delegation from Starlink to discuss the progress on the licensing of the satellite-based internet service provider. Starlink Services, owned by Elon Musk, is one of the most technologically advanced companies globally among those providing internet via Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. …
ISLAMABAD: As the Afghan embassy expressed concerns over the arbitrary detention of Afghan nationals in Islamabad, the capital administration said the crackdown only targeted undocumented citizens, with 183 Afghan nationals reportedly deported by the authorities during the current month. Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon said those who had valid documents, such as Proof of Registration (PoR), Afghan Citizen Cards …
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday received two requests seeking early hearing for the challenges to the 26th Amendment by the full court comprising all its judges. The first application was filed by Afrasiab Khattak through his counsel Khwaja Ahmad Hosain, which urges the court to order its registrar to fix the petition for hearing before the full court as …
As the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench on Tuesday took up the hearing on the appeals against the decision to try civilians in military courts, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail said that executives cannot play the role of the judiciary. On December 13, the SC’s constitutional bench conditionally allowed military courts to pronounce reserved verdicts of 85 civilians who were still in …
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has voiced concern over the delayed implementation of the e-office module for inter-ministerial communication in the federal government, directing all institutions to ensure its swift adoption, a statement from the PM’s Office said. The e-office infrastructure was introduced in all 40 ministries and divisions of the federal government in June 2022 by the National Information …
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday announced that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had agreed to roll over the payment of $2 billion due by Pakistan this month. Securing external financing has previously been a key condition for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to approve the $7bn bailout deal for Pakistan. Last year, friendly countries such as China, UAE, …
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC), in a detailed judgement on the post-arrest bail petition of former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case, has declared that the accused cannot be prosecuted for failing to deposit a Bulgari jewellery set — gifted by the Saudi crown prince — to the state treasury under the rules. In a 14-page verdict, …
LAHORE: Senior bar leader Senator Hamid Khan on Monday said the lawyers share a unanimous opinion against trials of civilians by military courts. Speaking at a press conference in the auditorium of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, he said that the sentences announced by the military courts in cases related to the May 9 events were unconstitutional. He pointed …