ISLAMABAD: PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Monday that a PML-N delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had visited him and President Asif Ali Zardari, seeking their support for the approval of a 27th Constitutional Amendment. Separately, the PPP also issued a similar statement that quoted Bilawal as saying that the proposal included setting up constitutional courts, restoring executive …

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy expects its first Chinese-designed submarine to enter active service next year, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf told Chinese state media. A deal under which Islamabad will take delivery of eight Hangor-class submarines by 2028 is “progressing smoothly,” Admiral Ashraf told the Global Times in an interview published on Sunday, adding that the successful launch …

TORKHAM: Pakistan on Saturday reopened the Torkham border crossing in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for Afghan refugees returning to their country, ending a nearly two-week closure following deadly clashes between border forces last month. Meanwhile, nearly 10,700 individuals returned through the Chaman border in a single day as authorities expanded the process to the crossing. The repatriation of Afghan families with or without …

KARACHI: Imran Ismail — one of the three ex-PTI leaders who visited the party’s Shah Mahmood Qureshi at a hospital in Lahore on Thursday — insisted on Sunday that the former foreign minister had agreed that the stalemate in Pakistan’s politics must end. Ismail’s claim has come even when Qureshi’s lawyer Rana Mudassar maintained that no political discussion had taken …

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will depart for Istanbul tomorrow to attend the Coordination Meeting of Arab-Islamic Foreign Ministers, where the Gaza ceasefire deal will be discussed, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Sunday. “At the invitation of the Turkish foreign minister, the Deputy Prime Minister/ Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will undertake a one-day …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said the government would take steps to ensure effective investigation, justice, and prosecution in cases of crimes against journalists. His remarks came on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. The day, observed on November 2, highlights the need for justice in cases where journalists are attacked or killed. This …

LAHORE: Punjab’s Home Department has extended Section 144 across the province until November 8, banning protests, rallies, sit-ins, and public gatherings due to concerns over terrorism and public order, a statement issued on Sunday said. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in …

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s health has improved after a cardiac issue yesterday, his Awaam Pakistan party said on Sunday. Abbasi complained of pain in his shoulder yesterday morning and was “immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors diagnosed a cardiac issue during examination”, Awaam Pakistan spokesperson Dr Zafar Mirza said in a statement. “The doctors provided …

KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday criticised the Sindh government’s e-challan initiative, calling it a “drama” meant to burden citizens instead of improving the city’s transport and road infrastructure. In June, the Sindh government decided that e-challans for traffic violations would be delivered to vehicle owners’ registered home addresses. Vehicles with unpaid fines would not be allowed to …

PESHAWAR: A Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) official was martyred in Peshawar on Sunday morning, while two others were injured when explosives stored in a police station went off. Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Dr Mian Saeed Ahmad confirmed the casualties of the incident at the CTD police station in a statement. “Preliminary assessment shows that an explosion occurred due to …