Daily News Pakistan

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi has issued non-bailable arrest warrants of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leaders Manzoor Pashteen and Mohsin Javed Dawar in a case related to inflammatory speech and sedition The ATC made major progress in inflammatory speech and sedition case against the PTM leaders Manzoor Pashteen. During the hearing, the anti-terrorism court approved the interim challan against Pashteen and Dawar which declared the PTM leaders as fugitives. Later, the court issued non-bailable arrest warrants against them and ordered the authorities to arrest and produce the accused till March 9. According to the police challan, five more arrests were made against those nominated in the case. The arrested persons included Javed, Tahir, Ibrahim, Naimat and Sarwar over allegedly delivering objectionable remarks against the national institutions. It is pertinent to mention here that the case was registered against PTM’s Ali Wazir and others in the Sohrab Goth police stat

Reacting to Supreme Court’s opinion on presidential reference seeking Senate Elections through open ballot, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Monday said that the SC has endorsed the narrative to end corrupt practices and horse-trading in the Senate polls Taking on the micro-blogging website, Twitter, Fawad Chaudhry said that the court has not accepted complete secrecy of the ballot in the Senate polls.   سپریم کورٹ نے کرپشن کے خاتمے ،ہارس ٹریڈنگ کی حوصلہ شکنی اور اراکین کے لین دین کے معاملات کو ختم کرنے کے مؤقف کو تسلیم کر لیا ہے اور مکمل خفیہ رائے دہی کا اصول نہیں مانا الیکشن کمیشن کو کہا گیا ہے کہ وہ شفاف انتخابات کیلئے اقدامات کرے جس میں Traceable Ballot شامل ہے — Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 1, 2021 The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been asked to ensure transparent elections, he added. The Supreme Court (SC), in its opinion on the presidential reference on open Senate vote has said that Senate elections will be held thro

Amid the international pressure to suspend its nuclear programme, Iran on Sunday dismissed Europe’s offer for an informal meeting on the troubled 2015 deal, saying the time is not "suitable" as Washington has failed to lift sanctions The European Union’s political director earlier this month proposed the informal meeting involving all parties of the Vienna deal, a proposition accepted by US President Joe Biden’s administration. Following Biden’s election, the US, the European parties to the deal -- France, Germany and Britain -- and Tehran have been trying to salvage the accord, which granted Iran international sanctions relief in return for restrictions on its nuclear programme. The accord has been nearing collapse since former president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions as part of a "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran. "Considering the recent positions and actions of the United States and the three Europ

The Federal Board of Revenue has exceeded its target for the first eight months of the current fiscal year (July-February) by fetching Rs2,916 billion against its desired target of Rs2,898 billion, seeing an increase of Rs18 billion As per the provisional collection figures, the FBR collected net revenue of Rs2,916 billion during the Jul-Feb period, which has exceeded the target of Rs2,898 billion. This represents a growth of close 6% compared to the Rs2,750 billion collected during the same period last year. The monthly net collection for February was Rs343 billion against the required target of Rs325 billion, representing an increase of 8% over February 2019 and 106% of the target. The collection figures are likely to improve further when book adjustments are finalised. On the other hand, the gross collections increased from Rs2,823 billion during this period last year to Rs3,068 billion, showing an increase of nearly 9%. The number of refunds disbursed was Rs152 billion compare

As political parties remain engaged in intense campaigning for the Senate polls, the Supreme Court will give its opinion on the presidential reference today about holding the upcoming elections through an open ballot A five-member larger bench of the apex court — headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising justices Mushir Alam, Umar Ata Bandial, Ijazul Ahsan and Yahya Afridi — will announce the reserved opinion in the open court. The court reserved its opinion last week after all the parties had concluded their arguments and after the rebuttal of Attorney-General Khalid Javed. Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed had observed that the court will give its opinion by interpreting the provisions of the Constitution. “We have nothing to do with politics but are going to interpret the Constitution,” the CJP had remarked, according to The News. According to the supplementary cause list, issued by the Supreme Court on Saturday, the five-member larger bench will announce its re

Pakistan has recorded 36 more coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, surging the overall death toll to 12,896 According to the latest statistics of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the COVID-19 has claimed 36 more lives and 1,392 fresh infections were reported. The total count of active cases is 22,098 and the positivity rate stands at 3.63 per cent. In the past 24 hours, as many as 1,094 patients have recovered from the virus in a day and 1,568 patients are still in critical condition. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), with the fresh inclusion of the infections in the country the national tally of cases now currently stands at 581,365. A total of 38,338 tests were conducted across the country during this period. Overall 546,371 people have recovered from the deadly disease so far while 8,990,176 samples have been tested thus far.

Myanmar police fired on protesters on Sunday in the bloodiest day of weeks of demonstrations against a military coup and at least seven people were killed and several wounded, political and medical sources and media said. Myanmar has been in chaos since the army seized power and detained elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership on February 1, alleging fraud in a November election her party won in a landslide. The coup, which brought a halt to tentative steps towards democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule, has drawn hundreds of thousands onto the streets and the condemnation of Western countries. “Myanmar is like a battlefield,” the Buddhist-majority nation’s first Catholic cardinal, Charles Maung Bo, said on Twitter. Police were out in force early and opened fire in different parts of the biggest city of Yangon after stun grenades, tear gas and shots in the air failed to break up crowds. Soldiers also reinforced police. Several wounde

The US House passed an enormous, $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package early on Saturday, hailed by Democrats as a critical step in funneling new funding towards vaccinations, overburdened local governments, and millions of families devastated by the pandemic. Four days after the Covid-19 death toll surpassed 500,000 in the United States, the sprawling measure backed by President Joe Biden and seen as a moral imperative by many now heads to the Senate for consideration next week. “After 12 months of death and despair, the American recovery begins tonight,” congressman Brendan Boyle told the House chamber shortly before lawmakers approved the package on a rare post-midnight vote of 219 to 212. No Republicans voted for the bill. The sharply partisan result comes weeks after Biden’s January 20 inauguration, when he called for unity in the face of a once-in-a-century health crisis. The package cleared the House despite a major setback for Democrats, when a key Senate official rule

Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan has tested positive for coronavirus, it emerged on Sunday. Khan, who was appointed to his position in February 2020, is representing the government in the presidential reference seeking the Supreme Court's opinion on holding Senate elections through open ballot. The top court will announce its opinion on Monday (tomorrow). As per the cause list, notices were issued to the AGP, chief election commissioner, Senate chairman and the speaker of the National Assembly. Additionally, notices were also sent to speakers of the four provincial legislatures, the advocates general of the four provinces, members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and others. Several politicians, including Planning Minister Asad Umar, Industries and Production Minister Hammad Azhar, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, PML-N President Shehba

Political manoeuvring is on the rise for the March 3 Senate elections and after the PPP, PTI has also become active in Karachi. PTI has sprung into action due to the possibility of seat adjustments between PPP and MQM, due to which ally parties were invited to a luncheon on Sunday in honour of PTI chief organizer Saifullah Niazi. The luncheon was attended by Grand Democratic Alliance President Sadruddin Shah Rashdi, Hasnain Mirza, Shehryar Mehr, and others from the alliance. However, no member from MQM showed up, it emerged. MQM has convened an important meeting of the Raabta (Coordination) Committee this evening to consider PPP's proposal for the Senate polls. The party's leadership has directed all its Members of the Provincial Assembly to reach Karachi. The MPAs will be housed at different places in Karachi for three days and will reach the Assembly together to cast their votes on polling day. MQM leaders have thus far expressed the view that a vote for Yousuf Raza Gi

Pakistan's cultural heritage needed to be preserved for the future generations, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Sunday, as he inaugurated Al-Biruni Radius — a tourism project for revival of the country's heritage — in Jhelum. PM Imran Khan, who was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Bazdar, Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry, as well as his aide on overseas Pakistanis, Zulfi Bukhari, also inaugurated the Heritage Trail at the 'Al-Biruni' point of Jhelum's Nandana Qila. Tourism, the premier noted, "provides the most employment" and its promotion would do the same for Pakistan's youth. "Tourism is made successful by the locals," he said, promising to develop the region and put it on the world map. "Cultural heritage needs to be preserved for future generations," the prime minister underscored. "We will make Jhelum's Baghanwala a model village," he vowed. Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI inaugurated

Foreign Office commented on the US report regarding the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi saying that Saudi Arabia has taken measures to bring those responsible for the murder to justice. Foreign Office spokesman said that they have taken note of the public release of the US Administration’s declassified intelligence report, containing its “assessment” on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. We have also noted that the Saudi government termed Jamal Khashoggi’s murder as an “abhorrent crime” and a “flagrant violation of the Kingdom’s laws and values,” the spokesman said. “The Saudi government has further underlined that it took all possible measures within its legal system to ensure that the individuals responsible were properly investigated, convicted and sentenced and that justice was served,” the foreign office said adding that Pakistan recognizes Saudi efforts in this regard and expresses solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The spokesman said that Pakistan underscores

National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser said that the country’s economy has stabilized owing to the prudent policies of the PTI-led government. Addressing a function in Swabi today, Asad Qaiser said that the government’s business-friendly policies were bearing fruit and industries have got momentum in the country. He maintained that the government wanted to make the country an Islamic welfare state. The NA speaker said that Pakistan wanted peace in the entire region besides enhancing good relations with the neighbouring counties. Referring to the Surprise Day being observed today, Asad Qaiser said heroes of the Pakistan Air Force made history on this day by foiling India’s nefarious designs in a befitting manner two years back. Earlier today, Federal finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had addressed a Webinar predicated on the prosperity of Pakistan noted the global economy is to shrink 4.4 per cent in the backdrop of novel coronavirus. The global economy was experiencing an extr

In a drop scene over the murder of ANP Spokesman Asad Khan Achakzai who went missing five months back, the police on Saturday claimed to have arrested a Levies man who allegedly killed Achakzai during a mugging bid. Detailing the entire murder incident, DIG Police Quetta said that a man identified as Israr was involved in murdering Asad Achakzai during a mugging bid. “It was a blind case for us which has been solved finally as we have arrested the culprit involved in it,” he said adding that the accused was a Levies personnel. “We have also recovered the vehicle of the ANP spokesman from his possession,” he said adding that the accused had admitted snatching the vehicle from Asad Achakzai. Narrating the incident which led to the murder, the DIG said that Asad Khan gave a lift to the Levies man, who later killed him on the way and threw his body in a ravine. “The accused killed him five months back,” the top cop said adding that the police started a search for the victim soon after

Coronavirus has claimed 23 more lives in Pakistan in the past 24 hours, surging the overall death toll to 12,860. According to the latest statistics of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the COVID-19 has claimed 23 more lives and 1,176 fresh infections were reported. The total count of active cases is 21,836. In the past 24 hours, as many as 871 patients have recovered from the virus in a day and 1,562 patients are still in critical condition. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), with the fresh inclusion of the infections in the country the national tally of cases now currently stands at 579,973. A total of 38,920 tests were conducted across the country during this period. Overall 545,277 people have recovered from the deadly disease so far while 8,951,838 samples have been tested thus far.

The Counter Terrorism Department has prepared the Red Book comprised of information about hardened terrorists The CTD has prepared the new edition of Red Book after four years comprising details of the most wanted terrorists and those having bounty on their heads announced by the government. The ninth edition of the red book with regard to the terrorists involved in anti-state activities, will be released soon, concerned CTD officials said. According to officials, the CTD has made further additions in this volume of the red book, which also have the names of terrorists affiliated with nationalist parties, BLA, BRA, SRA and other outfits. The red book, having names of the most wanted terrorists as well as saboteurs with head money and other details. The book will be shared with all concerned institutions, officials said. Earlier, the CTD had released the red book on terrorists, four years ago in year 2017. The previous edition was comprised of two parts. In its first volume, the

Sugar is in short supply in most Utility Stores across the country, with consumers forced to pay extra for it from the open market, according to the sources Sources said sugar has disappeared from Utility Stores across the country over the past two days, adding that consumers are forced pay an extra Rs30-35 for it. Utility Store operators have been told by suppliers that sugar will not be available for the next seven days. Sources also said that the Utility Stores Corporation do not have sugar stock available at the moment due to which six tenders to buy sugar have been issued to meet the demand gap. However, only 20,000 metric tonnes of sugar were bought on the last tender, said sources. They further confirmed that it may take one or two weeks for local sugar to be available in stores. The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), on the other hand, will issue sugar tenders on March 2. Even after a deal is signed to import the commodity, it may take up to two weeks for the sugar to

PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz was released after spending 20 months in jail in relation to a money laundering investigation His release orders were issued by the accountability court's duty judge Akmal Khan after the surety bonds deposited by the PML-N leader were verified. The PML-N has prepared well in advance for the party leader's release as 12 different camps have been set up across Lahore to welcome him. Last year on this day, I and Shahid Khaqan were freed from Adiala Jail on the orders of Islamabad HC after facing Imran Khan’s political victimisation. PMLN leaders have been target of Imran’s vendetta but their resolve has grown stronger. Today Hamza Shahbaz wins freedom too. pic.twitter.com/ZQchjDthnT — Ahsan Iqbal (@betterpakistan) February 26, 2021   Arrangements have been made to welcome the PML-N leader from Kot Lakhpat Jail and bring him back to his residence in the form of a rally. PML-N workers carrying drums and showering rose petals danced and celebrated

Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan Saturday has warned Pakistan’s desire for peace should not be taken as weakness and any misadventure will be responded immediately He was addressing a special ceremony organized at the Air Headquarters (AHQ), Islamabad in connection with the second anniversary of the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) Operation Swift Retort. Pakistan is a peaceful country and the world witnessed it when the captured Indian pilot was released. “The armed forces are always ready to defend the country and are aware of their responsibilities.” Mujahid Anwar Khan said, “Pakistan’s armed forces brilliantly defended the motherland under the operation. I salute the PAF pilots for their professional skills. It is pertinent here to mention that the nation is celebrating Surprise Day today to pay tribute to the PAF for downing two Indian fighter jets – one of them piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan Vardaman – on 27th February 2019.

Following the orders of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), action has been taken against officials in NA-75 by poll ‘rigging’ Assistant Commissioner (AC) Daska Asif Hussain has been removed from the post and asked to report S&GAD. SDPO, Ramzan Kambooh and DSP Zulfiqar Virk have been suspended by the Punjab government. The notification in line with the ECP orders has been issued by the Punjab government. The ECP had ordered the removal of Deputy Commissioner, District Police Officer (DPO) and AC Daska over “rigging” during by-poll in NA-75 constituency. The commission had also summoned Punjab Chief Secretary and Inspector General of Police (IGP) on March 4 for an explanation. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered re-polling at all polling stations of NA-75 Sialkot-Daska over rigging on Wednesday. The Election Commission of Pakistan after hearing arguments from PTI, PML-N and RO had reserved the judgment. Riots were reported during the polling day and the

An accountability court (AC), Sukkur on Saturday announced its reserved judgment in the Municipal Corporation Sukkur corruption case As per details, the court awarded seven years jail to Deputy Commissioner Qambar Shahdadkot Javed Ahmed Jagirni along with 11 co-accused in the case. DC Qambar Shahdadkot and other accused were taken into custody after the announcement of the judgment. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Sukkur had filed Rs64.77 million corruption reference against seven officers, including administrators of the Municipal Corporation, Larkana, Deputy Commissioner Qambar Shahdadkot, Javed Jagirani, and others. The NAB had investigated corruption during development works by the Municipal Corporation, Larkana, from 2012 to 2014. One accused named Abdul Qadir Sheikh, who was a contractor lost his life while three other accused struck plea bargain with the NAB.

The government of Punjab has notified withdrawal of all restrictions after decreasing curve of coronavirus cases in the province Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare has notified withdrawal of the restrictions imposed in the province under Punjab Infectious Diseases (Prevention and Control) Ordinance 2020. The restriction of limited working hours for business activities and leisure places has been withdrawn under the notification. Moreover, the condition of 50 percent staff of offices working at homes has also been taken back, according to the notification. “The shrines will also open their doors in the province from March 15,” Secretary Health retired Capt. Muhammad Usman has said in a statement. The Punjab government had ordered all shopping malls, restaurants, shops, and marriage halls to shut by 10 pm amid increasing number of the Covid cases. It had also ordered to close public parks and recreational spots by 6:00 pm. The provincial government had also imposed a ban o

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday has rejected Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif’s plea seeking permission to cast his vote for Senate elections in Lahore The ECP, while rejecting the plea of PML-N Shehbaz Sharif, stated that a vote cannot be cast anywhere other than National Assembly. Other incarcerated members of the National Assembly will also cast their vote in the assembly hall, the ECP said citing sources. The ECP has already issued production orders for the members of the assemblies and the MNAs will be shifted to Parliament Lodges on March 2 for the upcoming Senate polls. The Senate elections will be held on March 3. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has directed all political parties and candidates to halt their campaigns regarding upcoming Senate elections by midnight on Monday (March 1). The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had notified a code of conduct for the upcoming Senate elections. The code of conduct said: The political part

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced discounted fares for domestic flights after the arrival of the spring season to promote tourism and travel facilities The national carrier unveiled discounted fares for flights to Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. The passengers have been offered reduced fares to travel through PIA while carrying 20-kilogram luggage at the price of Rs7,500 for one side, whereas, Rs8,500 will be charged for travelling with 40-kg luggage. According to the PIA spokesperson, the new fares will come into effect immediately. The spokesperson said that the fares have been reduced to facilitate tourists and nationals during the spring season. Earlier in December last year, PIA had introduced special fares to facilitate travellers willing to visit the highest global peaks in Gilgit Baltistan’s Skardu and Gilgit. The national flag carrier had announced that it would now be charging a minimum one-way fare of Rs6,915 from passengers travelling from Islamabad

Indian pilot, Abhinandan Varthaman, who ejected himself after being hit in the airspace of Pakistan in Azad Jammu and Kashmir by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on February 27, 2019, has said that he never felt any difference between Pakistan and India "Found Pakistan and India same while coming down via parachute and never felt any difference," Abhinandan said in his statement surfaced in connection with the 2nd anniversary of Operation Swift Retort. After coming down, the Indian pilot said he was not sure where he was. Sustained severe injuries after my MIG-21 was hit by PAF aircraft and was unable to move after falling on the earth, he said. Soon after realizing that I’m in Pakistan, Abhinandan said he started to ran away after seeing a number of people filled with enthusiasm approaching to catch him, but two Pakistan Army officers came to rescue him and took him to their unit. “I was given first aid and was treated well at the hospital.” Abhinandan said he found Pakis

Two terrorists of a banned outfit have been arrested in injured condition after an exchange of fire with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials in Sukkur The CTD in-charge told the media that a raid was conducted on a tip-off to arrest two terrorists of a banned outfit, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the vicinity of Patni police station of Sukkur. After an exchange of fire, the terrorists were arrested in injured condition by the CTD’s raiding team. They were shifted to a hospital immediately after being arrested, however, they succumbed to wounds during the treatment, said CTD. CTD in-charge Mazhar Shahwani said that the terrorists were identified as Wilayat and Shah Mehmood. Earlier on February 25, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sindh Police had detained at least two alleged Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA) terrorists while leading a raid in Old Sabzi Mandi area. The operation had been carried out in collaboration with Sindh Rangers as well. The CT

The military media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said on Saturday that Pakistan stands for peace but when challenged, shall response with full might In order to pay tribute to valiant Shaheens’ for their brave defence of the motherland while retaliating to Indian air force violation of its sovereign territories on 27th of February, 2019, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is celebrating Surprise Day on Saturday in connection with the second anniversary of Operation Swift Retort. The ISPR director-general said in a statement that February 27 – 2019 is a testament that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will always defend the motherland against all threats with the support of the nation. It added that it is not numbers but the courage and will of a resilient nation that triumphs in the end. The DG ISPR said that Pakistan stands for peace, however, the country shall respond with full might when challenged. 27th Feb, 2019 is testament that Pak AF, with support of the nation, will al

Pakistan has recorded 33 more coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, surging the overall death toll to 12,837, reported on Saturday. According to the latest statistics of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the COVID-19 has claimed 33 more lives and 1,315 fresh infections were reported. The total count of active cases is 21,554. In the past 24 hours, as many as 2,013 patients have recovered from the virus in a day and 1,538 patients are still in critical condition. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), with the fresh inclusion of the infections in the country the national tally of cases now currently stands at 578,797. A total of 39,086 tests were conducted across the country during this period. Overall 544,406 people have recovered from the deadly disease so far while 8,912,918 samples have been tested thus far.

Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Saturday felicitated the entire nation and saluted Pakistan’s armed forces on the second anniversary of the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) Operation Swift Retort. In his tweet, PM Imran Khan said, “I congratulate the entire nation & salute our Armed Forces on the 2nd Anniversary of our response to India’s illegal, reckless military adventure of airstrikes against Pakistan. As a proud & confident nation, we responded with determined resolve at a time & place of our choosing” PM Imran Khan also welcomed the restoration of the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and said that the responsibility for enabling the environment for further progress rests with India. On Thursday, in a major development for peace in the region, Pakistan and India had agreed to strict enforcement of the ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC) and other border sectors. The Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India had contacted and a

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday directed all political parties and candidates to halt their campaigns regarding upcoming Senate elections by midnight on Monday (March 1) According to a notification issued by the ECP, all the Senate election campaigns would come to an end on the midnight of March 1 and March 2, 24 hours before the polling day. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalized all arrangements regarding the Senate elections to be held on 3rd of March. Earlier today, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had notified a code of conduct for the upcoming Senate elections. It had been formulated following consultations with political parties having representation in the National Assembly or provincial assemblies, according to the notification. The code of conduct said: The political parties, candidates, voters and election agents shall not propagate any opinion, or act in any manner prejudicial to the glory of Islam and ideology of Pakis

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued a final list of candidates contesting the Senate elections from the federal capital Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh of the ruling PTI and former premier Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, a joint candidate of the PDM, are vying for a general seat from Islamabad whilst PTI’s Fauzia Arshad and Farzana Kausar are in the run for a reserved seat for women. Polling for the Senate elections will be held on the third of next month. It is pertinent to mention here that there will be no polling for the 11 Senate seats from Punjab as all candidates for seven general and two seats each reserved for women and technocrats have been elected unopposed after disqualification or withdrawal of papers by other contestants. The PTI and PML-N bagged five seats each while one has gone to the PML-Quaid. Sources said that Punjab Assembly speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi played a key role in the seat adjustments for the Senate election. Pervaiz Elahi con

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has released the weekly inflation statistics on Friday noting a 2.41 per cent increase in Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) which collectively computes the prices of essential item basket SPI comprises 51 essential items and the prices are being collected from 50 markets in 17 cities of the country, says PBS. According to the report, 25 amongst the essential items in the SPI basket recorded a jump in their prices, while 21 remained unchanged. It said there was a recorded Rs2.7 surge in the price of electricity unit over the period of past week, which is amongst the 25 items in SPI basket that recorded price increases to add to overall inflationary numbers. Price of poultry jumped Rs5.25; of sugar Rs8; of 20kg wheat flour bag Rs8.13, said the report released today. Other things to concede price jump are pulses, clothing fabrics, eggs, and powdered milk. Separately, prices of tomatoes, onions, jaggery, and firewood have booked a minor decrease in t