Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has taken exception to the raids by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) at private healthcare centres, asking the prime minister to take notice of “aggressive”, “commando-style” searches by tax officials. In a statement, the representative body of healthcare professionals said the “unannounced and aggressive entry of FBR teams into private healthcare facilities — particularly across Punjab — has reached an intolerable level of harassment”. Such measures threaten the very fabric of healthcare delivery in the country, said PMA Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro in a statement. “The PMA highlights that recent raids, which forced the immediate suspension of Outpatient Department (OPD) services, are not merely administrative issues; they constitute a direct interference in patient management and a violation of the sanctity of life-saving institutions,” according to the statement. It said the presence of enforcement officials in clinics “creates an atmosphere o...

NUUK: Greenland’s political parties said they did not want to be under Washington as US President Donald Trump again suggested using force to seize the mineral-rich Danish autonomous territory, raising concern worldwide. The statement came after Trump repeated that Washington was “going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not”. European capitals have been scrambling to come up with a coordinated response after the White House said this week that Trump wanted to buy Greenland and refused to rule out military action. “We don’t want to be Ame­ricans, we don’t want to be Danish, we want to be Gre­en­landers,” the leaders of five parties in Greenland’s parliament said in a joint statement. “The future of Greenland must be decided by Greenlanders.” US president asserts Russia or China may occupy Greenland if America doesn’t They said no other country could meddle in this. “We must decide our country’s future ourselves — without pressure to make a hasty decision, without procrastination, and withou...

• Achakzai calls those violating Constitution ‘security risk’, says Nawaz sidelined for following law • Opposition alliance leaders visit Minar-i-Pakistan; supporters denied entry LAHORE: The Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) has appealed to the people to take to the streets on Feb 8 to oppose “fascism, restore the Constitution, and safeguard the country’s sovereignty”. “Those playing with the Constitution of Pakistan are a security risk,” TTAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai said while speaking to journalists at the Lahore Press Club on Saturday. Mr Achakzai invited people from all walks of life to join the movement for the restoration of the Constitution and to take to the streets on Feb 8, marking the second anniversary of the February 2023 elections. “If we do not come out on the roads to stop fascism, restore the Constitution and the country’s sovereignty on Feb 8, we will all be responsible for Pakistan’s downfall,” he warned. Flanked by TTAP Vice Chairman Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Haqooq-i-Kha...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday announced the formation of a committee, headed by Planning Min­ister Ahsan Iqbal, to review the progress of federal government-sponsored development projects in Khyber Pak­h­tunkhwa. The committee will visit Peshawar and, in coordination with public representatives, review the progress of these schemes. According to the PM Office Media Wing, the premier met political representatives from KP and assured them about timely completion of ongoing Centre-funded development projects in the province. He stated that the federal government was fully aware of the problems faced by the people of KP and taking tangible steps, within its jurisdiction, to ensure sustainable solutions to those issues. A detailed discussion was also held on the overall political situation in the province and the challenges faced by the public. Matters related to public welfare, development projects and governance were discussed as well. ‘Lack of governance’ The participants informed the pri...

HYDERABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday evening rejected allegations of a ‘political-terror nexus’ in KP as he addressed journalists at the Hyderabad Press Club (HPC). The KP CM reached Hyderabad earlier today for a day-long trip to mobilise the public for a nationwide street movement. Speaking at a ‘meet the press’ event, Afridi complained that KP was being meted out “stepmotherly treatment” by institutions that were supposed to strengthen democracy in the country and claimed that the PTI government was “toppled as a result of a London plan”. Afridi said a 15-point agenda was presented before Pakistan and “everyone agreed” that a military operation was not the solution to any problem. “The actual problem is that decisions are always taken in closed rooms,” he said. Afridi further added that if a military operation were launched in KP, the provincial government would be obliged to stand with its people. “I have asked my administration to facilitate all those people, whether they...

Says govt 'fully aware' of problems faced by province

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ISLAMABAD - The government on Saturday decided to pursue an emergency action plan to address the worsening water crisis in the federal capital.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan has reaffirmed that institutional discipline, integrity and strict adherence to procedural rules remain non-negotiable, particularly in matters relating to official conduct and the administration of justice.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar Saturday arrived in Jeddah from Madinah.

KARACHI - The Sindh government on Saturday officially allowed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold a public rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah, Karachi.

ISLAMABAD - The continuous delay in Local Government elections in the federal capital has become an enigma.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Navy on Saturday demonstrated its operational readiness and combat preparedness through a comprehensive exercise in the North Arabian Sea, showcasing both conventional and unmanned capabilities, as per dictates of evolving naval warfare.

ISLAMABAD - For the safety and security, Pakistani nationals were advised to avoid all unnecessary travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran until conditions improve, the Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson said in a press statement on Saturday.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that timely completion of ongoing federal government funded development projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the resolution of public issues were among the top priorities of the incumbent federal government.

Iran’s authorities indicated on Saturday that they could intensify their crackdown on the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years, as the death toll rose to 65 and the Revolutionary Guards blamed the unrest on terrorists, vowing to safeguard the governing system. Major Iranian cities were gripped overnight by new mass rallies denouncing the Islamic Republic, as activists on expressed fear that authorities were intensifying their suppression of the demonstrations under the cover of an internet blackout. The two weeks of protests have posed one of the biggest challenges to the Iranian authorities, although Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed defiance and blamed the United States. Following the movement’s largest protests yet on Thursday, new demonstrations took place late Friday, according to images verified by AFP and other videos published on social media. This was despite an internet shutdown imposed by the authorities, with monitor Netblocks saying early on Saturday that “Iran has no...

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Saturday urged demonstrators protesting the fatal shooting of a motorist by a US immigration agent to stay peaceful, saying that any unlawful actions would play into US President Donald Trump’s hands. Frey, a Democrat, cautioned them as civil liberties and migrant-rights groups prepared nationwide rallies to protest the killing of 37-year-old Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Wednesday. Minnesota and US officials have offered starkly different accounts of the shooting. Twenty-nine people were arrested overnight in Minneapolis as police responded to protests, including a gathering of demonstrators outside a hotel believed to be lodging a visiting contingent of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, city Police Chief Brian O’Hara said. One police officer was injured in the response, O’Hara told a news conference on Saturday. People march during a demonstration against increased immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, January 9,...