Pakistan

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has announced that the provincial government will provide all required resources to comprehensively upgrade the Rescue 1122 system, aiming to strengthen the protection of lives and property across the province.

MQM-P demands judicial inquiry into Gul Plaza tragedy; govt defends probe process

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The PTI on Tuesday again raised concerns about the health of incarcerated party founder Imran Khan, saying it had learned through credible reports that the ex-premier was suffering from an ailment that could cause permanent damage to his eyesight if not treated promptly. In a statement released on the social media platform X, the party demanded that Imran be allowed an “unrestricted meeting” with his family and associates. It also demanded that he be allowed medical treatment at a hospital of his own choice. The statement said the party had learnt through credible media reports that Imran had been diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion in his right eye, “resulting in a dangerous blockage in the retinal vein”. “According to medical experts who reportedly checked him in jail, this is an extremely sensitive and serious medical condition which, if not treated promptly and properly, carries a high risk of permanent damage to his eyesight,” the party said. “Despite this, the jail administration is stubbornly...

Rain continues to lash the plains of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, while intense snowfall in the upper regions has severely disrupted daily life and cut off several mountainous areas.

ISLAMABAD: Accepting the authority of Parliament to legislate on imposing taxes, the Federal Constitution Court (FCC) on Tuesday — in a landmark ruling with far-reaching constitutional and fiscal implications — upheld the vires of the super tax. This means that means Section 4-B and the 4-C of the Income Tax Ordinance (ITO), 2001 will be applicable from the dates these were levied as per the prescribed rates. A three-member bench, headed by FCC Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan and also including Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Syed Arshad Hussain Shah, announced the much-anticipated short order. The short order was announced in the afternoon after a brief hearing in the morning, when the FCC reserved its ruling with an observation that the verdict would be issued today. The detailed judgment will follow later. Senior counsel Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmad Khokhar, who was representing the Revenue Division secretary, said the FCC decided over 2,200 long-pending tax cases concerning Sections 4-B and 4-C of the ITO, ...

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Suspect confesses after staging fake abduction call

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Channar says broken roads, sewage woes ignored despite repeated promises

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The World Bank has called for major reforms in Pakistan’s tax system, urging the government to expand the tax base and explore revenue generation by discouraging pollution, according to its latest South Asia development report.

PESHAWAR: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said that there was no question of a military operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah, insisting that migration was a routine practice in the valley. Asif made these remarks during a press conference in Islamabad, where he was flanked by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan. The press conference came two days after the federal and provincial governments traded barbs over who authorised the evacuation process after hundreds of Tirah residents vacated their homes ahead of planned military action against terrorists. The evacuations, which were carried out in line with a plan agreed upon by all stakeholders — including local elders, the provincial government and the military — seem to have become a bone of contention after the displaced populace found themselves stranded in cold weather under open skies, with mismanagement by the authorities only adding to...

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar on Tuesday urged PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to seek resignations from the Sindh chief minister and the Karachi mayor. A war of words has been ongoing between MQM-P and PPP leaders in the wake of the Gul Plaza inferno, with lawmakers associated with the former party demanding that Karachi be handed over to the Centre. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Sattar termed Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Senior Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab — who he said were close to Bilawal — as his “three naive friends”. “What if a drop scene happens? They are making you sink in a swamp. So we, Karachi’s people, those living in Sindh’s cities, are demanding from you that all three resign,” Sattar said, referring to CM Murad, Memon and Wahab. He remarked that the three leaders had added an enormous “burden” to the PPP’s “ship that could sink it”. “Reduce this burden,” he said, urging Bilawal to demand the r...

IO suspended for framing 15-year-old male domestic worker, freeing suspect

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