ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday again scrapped the cipher trial proceedings by setting aside the special court’s Dec 14 order sanctioning in-camera hearings. IHC Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb also declared the testimonies of nine witnesses recorded before the special court illegal. The IHC was addressing an appeal challenging Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Mohammad Zulqarnain’s Dec 14 decision, which had sanctioned a …
ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on Thursday that it had successfully concluded the first review of Pakistan’s economic reform programme, backed by the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), paving the way for an immediate disbursement of SDR 528 million, equivalent to approximately $700m. This latest disbursement brings the cumulative total under the arrangement to …
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday accepted the resignation of Supreme Court’s Justice Ijazul Ahsan, who had abruptly opted to leave the top court a day earlier following the departure of his colleague Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi. According to a press release issued by the President House today, Justice Ahsan had resigned under Articles 179 and 206(a) of the Constitution. It added that the …
ISLAMABAD: With the February 8 general election less than a month away, a fresh resolution was submitted to the Senate Secretariat on Friday seeking a three-month delay in the polls. On January 5, a thinly-attended session of the upper house of parliament had become the talk of the town after it adopted a resolution, albeit a non-binding one, seeking the postponement …
BEIJING: China on Thursday successfully launched the world’s most powerful solid propellant rocket. Developed by Chinese commercial aerospace company Orienspace, the medium-lift rocket named Gravity-1(YL-1) successfully sent three Yunyao-1 meteorological satellites into orbit in its maiden flight from waters off the coast of Haiyang City, east China’s Shandong Province at 1:30 p.m. (Beijing Time). The Gravity-1 has a total height …
BEIJING: China’s National Immigration Administration on Thursday announced new measures to facilitate foreigners coming to China for business, study and tourism, including the relaxation of visa application conditions. Foreigners who are in urgent need of doing business, exchanges, investment and other non-diplomatic and non-official activities, but are unable to obtain a visa overseas in time, can apply for a port …
NEW YORK: Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, on Wednesday stressed that countries should not misinterpret and abuse the relevant provisions of the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution to create new tensions in the waters of the Red Sea. Zhang made the remarks while making an explanatory statement after abstaining from voting on a council’s resolution on recent Houthi …
BEIJING: As two responsible major countries, China and Russia should strengthen strategic communication, build more strategic consensuses and carry out more strategic cooperation on the future of mankind and the world, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday. Wang made the remarks in a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during which they exchanged New Year greetings. …
ISLAMABAD: As the February 8 general elections inch closer, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif cleared another hurdle on Wednesday after objection to his candidature from NA-130 (Lahore) was dismissed while incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan’s appeals against the rejection of his nomination papers from two National Assembly seats was upheld. The development comes on the last day to dispose of appeals …
ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi on Wednesday ruled out the postponement of general elections scheduled for Feb 8 on the pretext of law and order situation. “The law and order situation during general elections in 2008 and 2013 was worse than the present situation, but the polls were held,” he told reporters after meeting Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) …