Pakistan

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a notice to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi over code of conduct breach during a public rally in NA-18 Haripur.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi has convened the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) meeting on December 2.

Amid rumours of two new city names being decided for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Thursday that the decision will be made after December 15. PSL confirmed last week that two new franchise teams would be named from among Hyderabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad and Sialkot. The list was finalised after the valuation reports for the two new teams were received by PCB. “The PCB refutes news circulating in the media regarding the finalisation of the two city names for the new HBL PSL franchises. “The PCB would like to clarify that, as per the process, the successful bidders will have the right to choose a team name from any of the city/team names (…) in the manner set forth in the bid documents,” the board said in a statement today. “The PCB is pleased to note and welcomes the growing interest in acquisition of team franchise rights for two new teams for future editions of the HBL PSL.” The board noted that the public advertisement for te...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken strict notice of a controversial speech delivered at a rally in Havelian and has summoned Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and by-election candidate Shahbaz Omar Ayub for violating the Elections Act 2017 and the code of conduct.

The district administration of Haripur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced a three-day school holiday ahead of the upcoming NA-18 by-election.

Acting President Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said that the government was taking all possible measures for a better future for children, including legislation, institutional reforms, and significant steps at the policy level.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday took notice of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s “irresponsible” comments regarding the upcoming by-election for NA-18 in Haripur. Addressing a public gathering in Abbottabad’s Havelian yesterday, Afridi had issued a stern warning to those attempting to manipulate or change the result of the by-election scheduled for November 23 (Sunday). In a press release, the ECP said it had taken notice of the KP CM’s remarks, wherein he “threatened the district administration, police and staff deployed for the election, and incited the public present at the rally and the people in general”. “Not only has the provincial chief executive’s irresponsible behaviour made holding a peaceful by-election in NA-18 Haripur difficult, it has also put the lives of the district administration, police, staff posted on election duties, and the voters in danger.” The electoral watchdog has issued notices to CM Afridi and Shehrnaz Omar Ayub — PTI leader Omar Ayub’s wife...

Railways Minister Muhammad Hanif Abbasi has said that the tree plantation drive launched in collaboration with the Punjab government is a vital step towards developing eco-friendly railways and creating a green, pollution-free Punjab.

Denmark’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Sandra Jensen Landi, has called the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) a major security threat in Central and South Asia, warning that the group continues to receive support from Afghanistan’s de facto authorities.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Thursday that it had approved loans totalling $330 million to Pakistan for the country’s Second Power Transmission Strengthening Project. The ADB press release said the project was one of the government’s “top priority investments to expand the national transmission network and enable the evacuation of low-cost renewable and hydropower to major load centres”. The bank said a new 500 kilovolt transmission line of approximately 290 kilometres would be constructed under the project, in addition to upgrading “critical grid infrastructure” feeding Islamabad and Faisalabad. “These investments will address long-standing constraints in Pakistan’s north–south power corridor, enabling the transfer of up to 3,200 megawatts of clean energy from hydropower plants in the north of the country. This will help reduce reliance on imported fuels, improve energy security, and support Pakistan’s transition to a more affordable and sustainable energy mix,” the ADB said. ADB said that the in...

Participants of the 27th National Security Workshop visited Gwadar, where they were briefed on the strategic importance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), safe operations at Gwadar Port, and the coastal surveillance system.

The Punjab government has announced a significant increase in financial support for the working class, enhancing both marriage and death grants provided to workers and their families.

Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, appeared before the Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday after 11 non-bailable arrest warrants had been issued against her in connection with the November 26 protest.

A Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Thursday withdrew arrest warrants previously issued for Aleema Khan, the sister of PTI founder and former premier Imran Khan, in the November 26 protest case. ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah withdrew the warrants after Aleema appeared before the court and submitted a compliance report. The court directed her to furnish fresh surety bonds worth Rs1 million each, following which the warrants were cancelled. The case pertains to a protest staged by the PTI in November last year and the court has issued arrest warrants for Aleema multiple times over her repeated absence. Aleema has denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that the charges are politically motivated. At a previous hearing, the judge had also directed the relevant authorities to block Aleema’s national identity card (CNIC) and passport, and freeze her bank accounts. During today’s hearing, Aleema moved an application seeking a reversal of the freeze on her bank accounts, including joint accounts associated with the Nati...

The Safe City Authority’s Virtual Center for Child Safety has been actively working to protect children and provide timely assistance, handling over 118,000 child-related cases to date.

The Punjab Home Department has granted permission to Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) to hold a religious, preaching and reformative gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan from November 21 to 23, following recommendations from the district administration.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has praised the officers and personnel of Pakistan’s security forces for their successful counterterrorism operations against Fitna al-Khawarij militants in Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Denmark has pointed to the “serious threat” posed by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Central and South Asia and says that the terror outfit has been receiving “logistical and substantial support from the de facto authorities”. In the capacity of the chair of the Security Council ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, Denmark raised these concerns while briefing a UNSC meeting held in New York on Wednesday. The presence of TTP militants in Afghanistan has long been a point of contention between Islamabad and the Taliban administration. Since the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021, Pakistan has accused the group of sheltering thousands of TTP fighters, who have escalated attacks on Pakistani security forces, particularly in the Khyber Pakhtun­khwa and Balochistan provinces. Denmark’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Sandra Jensen Landi told the UNSC meeting that the TTP, “with its approximately 6,000 fighters, is another serious threat emanating from the region, receiving...

In fresh comments on the military escalation between Pakistan and Indian in May, United States President Donald Trump has said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif phoned him to say that he had “saved millions”, adding that it took the threat of “350 per cent tariffs” to end the conflict. Tensions between India and Pakistan had flared earlier this year when a deadly terror attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir was blamed on Islamabad, which denied the accusations. The two sides traded a series of tit-for-tat blows that ended in the declaration of a ceasefire by Trump in May, who has since repeatedly talked about his role in ending the military escalation between the two countries. Addressing the US-Saudi Investment Forum on Wednesday, the US president said, “I’m good at settling disputes, and I’ve always been — I’ve done very well with that over the years. View this post on Instagram “India, Pakistan — they were going to go at it, nuclear weapons. I said that’s okay, you can go at it, but I’m putting a 350pc t...

• Lender’s Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment proposes 15-point reform plan • Calls for tighter limits on govt’s financial powers • Demands first public annual report of SIFC, concessions granted • Points to opaque tax system, intrusive regulations, weak independent regulators ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its long-awaited Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment (GCDA), has highlighted persistent corruption challenges in Pakistan driven by systemic weaknesses across state institutions and demanded immediate initiation of a 15-point reform agenda to improve transparency, fairness and integrity. The report, publication of which is a precondition for the IMF executive board’s approval of a $1.2 billion disbursement next month, estimates that Pakistan could boost economic growth by about 5 to 6.5 per cent over five years if it implements a package of governance reforms beginning within the next three to six months. The GCDA seeks an end to special treatment for a few in...