Daily News Pakistan

Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak said Sunday that Prime Minister Imran Khan will soon release a relief package for the masses and announce a reduction in petroleum and energy prices. "The prime minister will address the nation shortly and announce Rs10 reduction in petroleum prices, and a Rs5 cut per unit in the electricity rates, along with several other measures," he said while speaking at a public meeting at the Mumraiz area of his hometown of Nowshera. Several members of the opposition's Awami National Party, including Ejaz Khan, Gul Faraz, quit their party and announced joining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the occasion. Pervez Khattak welcomed them into the folds of the party by handing them caps. The defence minister discounted the threat to the PTI government and the prime minster, saying the opposition parties were destined for a crushing defeat and the long march will fail to dislodge the government. He was critical of Pakistan Peoples P...

Pakistan has reported 5 more deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases has surged to 1,509,360. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,178 on Monday. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 856 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Pakistan has conducted 53,625 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 856 persons were tested positive for the disease. The COVID Positivity Ratio was recorded at 2.56 percent.

President Vladimir Putin put Russia's nuclear deterrent on high alert on Sunday in the face of a barrage of Western reprisals for his war on Ukraine, which said it had repelled Russian ground forces attacking its biggest cities. The United States said Putin was escalating the war with "dangerous rhetoric", amid signs that the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two was not producing rapid victories, but instead generating a far-reaching and concerted Western response. Less than four days after it started, the invasion has triggered a Western political, strategic, economic and corporate response unprecedented in its extent and coordination. "With this war on Ukraine, the world will never be the same again," EU's foreign policy chief Josef Borrell wrote in an opinion piece in the Guardian newspaper. He said, "It is now, more than ever, the time for societies and alliances to come together to build our future on trust, justice and fre...

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad on Sunday said that the PTI-led government has "complete trust in its allies" but the joint Opposition has reached a deadlock in their efforts to bring a no-trust motion against the government. The minister, while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday, said that the Ministry of Interior would provide "full security" to the PPP-led long march that started earlier in the day from Karachi. However, he said, that bringing about a revolution is not PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's cup of tea and referenced the result of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman's Nizam-e-Mustafa movement. "Opposition parties are only interested to protect their own vested agendas. Fazl would know what happened to the Nizam-e-Mustafa movement of 1977," he said. The minister said that political parties trying to create chaos in the country will have to eventually face defeat. "The circus which the Opposition w...

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi underscored the “importance of de-escalation” in his conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba as Kyiv battles a Russian invasion. “Foreign Minister Qureshi shared Pakistan’s perspective in detail, reiterating serious concern at the situation, underscoring the importance of de-escalation, and stressing the indispensability of diplomacy,” said the Foreign Office spokesperson about Pakistan’s top diplomat’s telephonic conversation with Ukraine’s Kuleba. According to the spokesperson, Foreign Minister Qureshi informed his Ukrainian counterpart that Prime Minister Imran Khan, during his recent visit to Moscow, “regretted the latest situation between Russia and Ukraine”. He added that the Pakistani premier “had hoped diplomacy could avert a military conflict”. “Conflict was not in anyone’s interest, and that the developing countries were always hit the hardest economically, in case of conflict,” said Qureshi. Islamabad believes th...

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is all set to kick start the anti-government long march today (Sunday) with his address to a rally at Mazar-e-Quaid. The long march — led by the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari — will start from Karachi and reach the capital in 10 days passing through 34 different cities. All the arrangements for the long march have been completed, with PPP banners and flags put up across the city and the PPP workers excited for the venture. Bilawal is expected to arrive at the venue of the rally at around noon. The people willing to participate in the march will gather at Numaish Chowrangi and depart as a convoy. The PPP had announced the long march to protest the inflation, hike in petroleum products prices and other measures taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan-led federal government. Traffic plan Keeping the commencement of Bilawal's long march, Karachi traffic police have worked out an alternate traffic plan to maintain the flow of traffic in the ...

The proverbial war of attrition over the number game in parliament between the government and the opposition seems to be intensifying with each passing day, as both the rival camps are laying claims to have the required strength to defeat each other’s move. Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar, who on Saturday said that the opposition parties had failed to buy members of parliament in an effort to garner support for their no-trust move against the prime minister "… some dealers increased the rate when persons (MPs) did not detach… even the new rate too did not serve the purpose (horse-trading)," the minister wrote on his Twitter handle. Azhar said he heard that 'some dealers' had increased the rate to buy the MPs, who remained steadfast and loyal to their party, from their 'illegitimate income and stolen money’. He mocked the opposition for failing to trap in the MPs saying, "Even the new rate did not work." During a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister S...

PTI's disgruntled leader Jahangir Tareen has sent a message to like-minded lawmakers before embarking on his visit to London for a medical check-up, saying that they must remain "united and in touch. According to sources, Tareen spent a week in a private hospital in Lahore for medical treatment. Furthermore, sources said that the PTI leader would spend a week in London. "I'm going for a medical checkup we must stay united and in touch," said Tareen's told lawmakers who have been sympathetic to him. On the other hand, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif said that Jahangir Tareen's illness is a cause of concern, and asked the nation to pray for a rapid recovery for all who are unwell, especially Jahangir Tareen. Shahbaz Sharif said, "I pray for relief for Jahangir Tareen's family in this difficult time." Earlier, amid reports of increasing links of Opposition parties with the ruling PTI's a...

Expressing concerns over the proposal of PPP and JUI-F, PML-N leader Mohammad Zubair has said that Pervaiz Elahi cannot be the priority of his party for Punjab’s chief minister slot. Two days earlier, the PPP and JUI-F had put up an option to offer Punjab's chief ministership to PTI's close aide PML-Q on the table before PML-N in a bid to move a no-confidence motion successfully against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly. PML-Q had put forth a condition saying that they would stand beside the Opposition in Punjab and Centre for the no-confidence motion if CM Punjab's portfolio is offered to Pervaiz Elahi. Talking on Geo News programme Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada Kay saath, Nawaz Sharif's spokesperson Mohammad Zubair said that, it could not be our priority to hand over the CM seat to Pervaiz Elahi, adding that, “still there are many things that yet to be agreed upon." “Discussing the option of handing over CM Punjab portfolio to Pervaiz Elahi, doesn’...

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said Saturday his party was ready to back PML-N's candidate for the prime minister's slot if the Opposition is able to oust the incumbent government. In a press conference alongside party leaders in the port city, Bilawal said in a democracy, anyone having the majority can decide who becomes the next prime minister. "PML-N clearly has the majority; PPP and other Opposition parties are ready to sacrifice the prime minister's seat for them," the PPP chairman said, stressing the major stakeholder should announce its candidate for the office. "We plan on not repeating the mistakes we did in the past," he added. Bilawal said that his party has decided to launch a "democratic attack" against the government and urged the other Opposition parties to adopt a unified stance of ousting the incumbent PTI-led administration. The PPP chairman ruled out opting for undemocratic tactics to achieve the goal of dismissin...

Pakistan's Ambassador to Ukraine Dr Noel Israel Khokhar says the government is working on safe evacuation of all Pakistan nationals stranded in Ukraine. In a statement, the ambassador confirmed that overall 1,500 Pakistanis, including 500 students, are present in Ukraine who have been asked to move to safe locations. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Embassy in Ukraine, in a tweet, said the airspace of Ukraine is closed while the Embassy is in touch with the Pakistani students, who could not leave earlier according to the advice given to them. The Embassy of Pakistan is fully functional from Ternopil, Ukraine. Contact details of the Embassy are as follows: Email: parepkyiv@gmail.com Cell Nos: +380636965523 +380636968264 +380638282984 +380664944004 @SMQureshiPTI @ForeignOfficePk #Pakistan — Pakistan Embassy Ukraine (@PakinUkraine) February 25, 2022

Ukraine’s army said Friday it was fighting invading Russian forces north of the capital Kyiv, as Moscow pressed on with its advance on the pro-Western country for a second day. Russian forces reached the outskirts of Kyiv on Friday, with the government saying the city was hit by "horrific rocket strikes" in the early hours. "Airborne assault troops of the Ukrainian armed forces are fighting in the areas of the settlements of Dymer and Invankiv," Kyiv’s army said on its Facebook page. Dymer is around 45 kilometres (28 miles) north of Kyiv, while Ivankiv is about 60 kilometres northwest of the Ukrainian capital. The military said it had stopped advancing Russian forces at the Teteriv River, a tributary of the Dnieper River that flows through Kyiv, adding that a bridge over it was destroyed. The army also said it had retaken the Gostomel airfield, with reports that it had been captured by Russian forces the day before. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said ...

Following his day-long visit to Pakistan last week, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates praised Pakistan's innovative command centres, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), for fighting diseases. In his blog, Gates wrote: "Last week I also went to Pakistan, where I visited two of the country’s innovative command centres for fighting diseases, the NEOC for polio eradication and the NCOC for COVID." "The NEOC uses state-of-the-art informational tools developed by Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) to track polio so that no child is ever paralysed by it again," he added. Meanwhile, regarding NCOC, Gates said that the centre has applied resources and lessons learned from the polio programme — including data analysis, vaccine campaign planning, and community engagement— to coordinate Pakistan’s response to COVID. During his visit, Gates attended a meeting of the National Task...

US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price responded to a question related to Prime Minister Imran Khan's Russia visit, stating that "we believe it’s the responsibility of every responsible country around the world to voice concern and to voice objection to what Putin appears to have in mind for Ukraine." Price said this during a press briefing on Wednesday when asked about the Pakistani premier's scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. He said that they have already apprised Islamabad of Washington's position on Russia’s further escalation in Ukraine and "we have briefed them on our efforts to pursue diplomacy over war." Price said that the US views the partnership with a prosperous, democratic Pakistan as critical to its interests. "We certainly hope, when it comes to those shared interests – the aversion of a costly conflict, the aversion of a destabilizing conflict, that every country around the world would make ...

Pakistan wants to establish trading relations with all other countries to lift people out of poverty rather than becoming part of any bloc, Prime Minister Imran Khan said. Ahead of his visit to Moscow, the premier gave an exclusive interview to Russian TV, reiterating that the last thing that Pakistan wants "is the world divided into blocs." The PM will leave for Moscow on a two-day official visit tomorrow. This is the first visit of any Pakistani premier in the last 23 years. During the interview, the premier noted that greater cooperation between the US, China and Russia will benefit everybody much more than the conflict. Underscoring the need for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine issue, PM Imran Khan reiterated that military conflicts do not solve problems. He said: "Pakistan wants to strengthen bilateral relations with Russia," adding that he looks forward to his Moscow visit. "Pakistan is a gas deficient country," he highlighted, stating that...

Following multiple twists and deferrals, a local court in Islamabad has finally reached a decision in the high-profile case pertaining to the murder of Noor Mukadam. The District and Sessions Court judge, Justice Ata Rabbani, reserved the verdict in the case, after petitioner's counsel completed his arguments in the case. The reserved verdict will be announced on February 24. The counsels representing the accused had already presented their final arguments in the last hearing. At the outset of today's hearing, the main accused Zahir Jaffer was presented before court. Advocate Khawar Shah, the counsel representing Noor's father, restated the details and events before the murder as per the CCTV footage submitted in evidence. "The case has solid evidence against the accused, based on DVR, CDR, forensic and DNA reports. All the evidence gathered scientifically has been made part of the case," he said. Maintaining that the prosecution has proved the case agains...

Prime Minister Imran Khan launched Spring Tree Plantation Drive 2022 in Islamabad today (Tuesday) on the occasion of World Scout Day. Following planting 1.4 billion trees under ten billion tree Tsunami program, a target of planting five hundred and forty million trees has been set for the spring tree plantation campaign. Seven hundred and fifty thousand scouts of Pakistan Boy Scouts Association will also participate in this drive to achieve the target.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is all set to exercise political power in Peshawar today (Monday). According to sources, the reparations for workers’ convention have been completed. Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto will address the public gathering. The PPP chief will also hold meetings with Awami National Party (ANP) leaders at Bacha Khan Markaz.

Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday has conducted hearing on senior journalist Mohsin Baig case and issued contempt of court notice to the Director of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cybercrime wing over misusing their powers in every matter. During the proceedings, IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah asked the FIA official to read the lines from which the agency has deduced the defamatory comments on which, the director FIA read the sentence said by Mohsin Baig in which Murad Saeed was defamed. The judge then asked that if someone quotes a book, how can it be termed as obscene. Justice Athar asked when there were four people in the program, why only Mohsin Baig was arrested. Subsequently, the hearing has been adjourned. Earlier in the day, IHC had summoned director of FIA cybercrime wing on immediate basis, stating, “Why should we not register contempt of court case against the FIA? Do they think they are above the law?” Previously, Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday ap...

Pakistan has reported 31 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,501,680. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,040 on Monday. According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 1,360 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Till now 13,454 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 8,030 in Sindh 6,207 in KP, 1,004 in Islamabad, 783 in Azad Kashmir, 373 in Balochistan, and 189 in GB. Furthermore 564,522 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 499,063 in Punjab 214,955 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 133,839 in Islamabad, 42,669 in Azad Kashmir 35,274 in Balochistan and 11,358 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

President Arif Alvi signed two ordinances on Sunday making changes in the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, (PECA) 2016, and the Elections Act, 2017. Both laws were signed by the president after the Cabinet approved them. The changes made in the electronic crimes act have been made under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022. Under the ordinance, the definition of a “person” has been broadened to include any company, association, institution, organisation, authority, or any other. Furthermore, anyone found guilty of attacking a person’s “identity” will now be sentenced to five years instead of three years. The ordinance also states the informant or the complainant shall be “aggrieved person, his authorised representative, or his guardian, where such person is a minor or a member of the public in respect of a public figure or a holder of public office”. Cases falling under PECA will be supervised by a high court and the trial court will have to conclud...

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday said that the Opposition parties’ announcement to present a no-confidence motion was another "attempt at a bargaining chip for a fresh deal". He said that PTI legislators and their allies in parliament would collectively defeat such attempts by the Opposition leaders to evade accountability. The minister, who is also the vice chairman of the ruling PTI, quoted Prime Minister Imran Khan as saying that there is zero possibility for an NRO for the accused politicians. On his twitter handle, the vice-chairman wrote: “Announcement to present no-confidence motion is an attempt at a bargaining chip for a fresh deal. PTI parliamentarians & our allies will collectively defeat their attempts to evade accountability. As PM Imran Khan has consistently stated, the possibility of an NRO is zero.”

Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Khawaja Sohail Mansoor has announced his resignation in favour of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Nisar Khuhro in the Senate elections. Talking to media at the ECP office along with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Nisar Khuhro, Khawaja Sohail Mansoor said: “I am present here in personal capacity. I have old relations with Nisar Khuhro. I will not submit my nomination papers for the Senate seat against him. Nisar Khuhro is a senator for me from today.” He said that if the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) had not decided to field a candidate then there should be no disagreement. “This seat belongs to the PPP and the PPP should get it,” the MQM leader said. Khuhro is a Sindhi politician who is the President of the Pakistan Peoples Party for Sindh. Khuhro is the Advisor of Chief Minister of Sindh on Works & Services and also on Universities & Boards since 2019. with the status of a provincial minister. He i...

The Foreign Office on Friday confirmed that Prime Minister Imran Khan would undertake what is seen as a landmark visit to Russia next week, bringing a turnaround in the relationship between the former two Cold-War rivals. At a weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar told reporters that the prime minister would visit Moscow at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He, however, did not share his exact itinerary, saying such details would be shared at an appropriate time. Official sources, nevertheless, said PM Imran is scheduled to travel to Russia on February 23. This would be the first official bilateral visit by an elected prime minister in 23 years. The last time any Pakistani premier undertook an official visit to the country was when former prime minister Nawaz Sharif visited Moscow in March 1999. In between, former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, president Asif Ali Zardari and prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi did visit Russia ...

Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz attended the wedding ceremony of party MPA Sania Ashiq. The pictures of the ceremony have been surfacing on social media and several party members were spotted including MPA Hina Parvez Butt and Azma Bukhari. In the pictures, Maryam Nawaz could be seen wearing an elegant red long dress and paired it with red heels. She complimented the look by wearing traditional jewellery and a clutch. Maryam completed her look with a bright red lip colour. PML-N leader Maryam congratulated Sania and her husband Abu Bakar. The bride wore an off-white coloured lehnga with long red kameez boasted with golden embroidery. In terms of makeup, Sania opted to go for smokey-eyes with nude lip colour. She completed the look by wearing golden and red coloured jewellery. Meanwhile, the groom wore a black sherwani and teamed it with a red headdress.    

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah claimed Pakistan's economic downturn was the driving force being the rising street crimes in the port city. The CM said this while talking to the media just after proposing Sindh PPP President Nisar Khuhro for the Senate seat that had fallen vacant after the disqualification of PTI leader Faisal Vawda. “Street crime has increased in the city due to economic downturn but being head of provincial government, it is my responsibility to maintain law and order in the province,” said CM Murad. Talking about the law and order, the CM said that he has made some changes in the city’s police and have ordered them to take “drastic measures”. The CM said that the Sindh government has taken the challenge to eradicate street crimes from the metropolis to restore the writ of the government. The minister said that his government — with the support of the people of Karachi — had eliminated terrorism from the metropolis before. Appreciating the efforts of ...

Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Saturday that everyone — from Chief of Army Staff General Qamar (COAS) Javed Bajwa to a common soldier — stands behind Prime Minister Imran Khan. "The citizens of Pakistan stand behind PM Imran Khan as well," the confident information minister said while speaking in Geo News' programme "Naya Pakistan". The federal minister said a person should have the tendency to resolve issues amicably and work along with the institutions. "If soldiers are being martyred in Kargil and the if then PM (Nawaz Sharif) goes to India to expand steel business, who will stand by him?" Chaudhry said when the PML-N was in government, they were unpopular and their ties with the institutions were not good as well. The information minister claimed the Nawaz Sharif-led party had failed to rule Pakistan. "Institutions want to see a person in charge who is loyal to Pakistan," Chaudhry added. The statement...

Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab on Information and Special Initiatives Hasaan Khawar says Qaumi Sehat Card will bring a revolution in health sector. Talking to media in Rawalpindi today (Saturday), he said Sehat Card program will enable people residing in far flung areas to avail quality health facility. Hasaan Khawar said development projects worth 350 billion rupees are being executed in Rawalpindi division. He said four-lane 128 kilometers long Lilla-Jhelum Road will prove to be an economic corridor for local population. He said three dams will also be constructed in Rawalpindi division. The Special Assistant to Chief Minister said government is taking steps to develop tourist destinations other than Murree to curtail public flow there. He said University of Chakwal and Kohsar University are government s initiative in education sector of the Division.

Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan on Saturday said that the opposition has announced different dates for the long march but no one will resign on JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s call. Talking to media persons, Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that at present there are two major issues and that are no-confidence motion opposition s long march towards Islamabad. Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that the sit-in was announced by both Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The opposition only wants to create an atmosphere of uncertainty and increase problems of common man, he added.

President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Mian Shehbaz Sharif had sought support of Jahangir Tareen for no-confidence motion during a secret meeting. According to sources, the meeting between two leaders went on for several hours and Opposition Leader of National Assembly also offered Jahangir Tareen to work with PML-N even after no-confidence motion. On the other hand, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Saturday criticized opposition’s move for no-trust and said that they could not even prove their majority in Senate. Talking to media in Pind Dadan Khan, the minister expressed that no-trust move will face the failure. He said Imran Khan’s voice is powerful and his opinion on Islamophobia and region is heard worldwide

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Saturday criticized opposition’s move for no-trust and said that they could not even prove their majority in Senate. Talking to media in Pind Dadan Khan, the minister expressed that no-trust move will face the failure. He further said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Moscow will be a game changer and it will strengthen Pakistan’s relations with Russia. He said Imran Khan’s voice is powerful and his opinion on Islamophobia and region is heard worldwide. Responding to a question on local bodies elections in Jhelum, he expressed hope that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will clean sweep in the coming local bodies elections.

Pakistan has reported 26 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,498,676. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 29,976 on Saturday. According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 1,983 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Till now 13,430 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 8,020 in Sindh 6,182 in KP, 1,002 in Islamabad, 780 in Azad Kashmir, 373 in Balochistan, and 189 in GB.

Private TV channel Samaa's senior producer Athar Mateen was shot dead in an armed attack on his car in the North Nazimabad area of Karachi Friday morning. The police said Mateen was assassinated at a main thoroughfare in North Nazimabad while he was on his way back home after dropping his children to school. They said that Mateen, who was driving a car registered against AHT-180, tried to foil a robbery bid when he saw armed motorcyclists robbing another citizen by shoving his car into their motorcycle. At this, one of the motorcyclists, who fell on the ground, opened fire at Mateen's car. The assailant fired three shots, but Mateen sustained only one bullet injury which killed him on the spot, the police said. Meanwhile, the assailants crossed the road on foot and fled while snatching another motorcycle. Police suspect the incident to be of resistance during a robbery. However, a final statement will be given after an investigation. According to initial investigations...

National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf has stated that economic security lies at the heart of national security. Dr Moeed was speaking at the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) at an event to discuss the recently unveiled National Security Policy (NSP). The NSP, according to Dr Moeed, is an overall policy document outlining national security policy direction. He noted that the policy prioritised citizen security in order to maintain national security. He went on to say that if the influx of resources was less than the outflow, the security of the average person of the country would be jeopardised. According to the National Security Adviser, the NSP's main goal was to increase the national resource pie and divert attention away from the guns vs. butter debate. He insisted that securing Pakistan's economic security could only be achieved by utilising the country's geo-economic location for trade connectivity and establishing true development ties with other countries...

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Friday hit out at opposition parties, saying "those attempting to bring a no-trust motion against the government do not even have the trust of their families and nation". The minister's remarks come a day after PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz made another statement regarding the opposition's planned no-confidence motion, in which she termed the move was a "risk that should be taken" because Prime Minister Imran Khan was "on his last legs". Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman had also announced last week that the opposition alliance had decided to move a no-confidence motion against the prime minister and would contact the PTI government's allies in the centre for this purpose. In an apparent response to the opposition's repeated warnings to the government, Chaudhry, while addressing a gathering in Pind Dadan Khan today, said opposition members must return the ...

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that letting PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif leave Pakistan was a "major mistake" made by the incumbent government. The prime minister, addressing a rally in Mandi Bahauddin, berated PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif, saying that he had a "weak heart and knew he would not be able to escape if his case (of being a guarantor in Nawaz Sharif's case) is heard". "If Shahbaz Sharif is innocent, then why is he running away from courts?" the prime minister questioned. Turning his guns on PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz, he said the Nawaz's daughter claims she has "tapes" on government officials. "Have you ever heard a politician blackmail (others) via tapes," he asked. In order to counter the Opposition’s efforts to bring a no-trust motion, the prime minister has kicked off his PR campaign today, with the first public rally being held in Mandi Bahauddin. The ruling party had announced to launch...

Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates met Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday during his first-ever visit to Pakistan. Sharing pictures of the meeting on Twitter, Senator Faisal Javed Khan said Gates "greatly appreciated steps [regarding polio eradication] in Pakistan, the National Command and Operation Centre's (NCOC) performance in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic and initiatives such as the Ehsaas programme". Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI 's luncheon in honor of @BillGates Mr. Bill Gates is visiting Pakistan at the special invitation of the Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/zSYNI6ddki — Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) February 17, 2022 Later in the day, PM Imran hosted a luncheon in Gates' honour. The Prime Minister's Office, which shared pictures from the luncheon, added that the Microsoft co-founder was visiting the country on the premier's "special invitation". NCOC visit Earlier in the da...

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz on Thursday has termed the hike in petroleum products prices as shameful. Talking to media outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the PML-N leader said that inflation, lawlessness and terrorism are returning to the country during the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has to be made accountable for every single penny as the list of his crimes is vast, she added. Maryam Nawaz said he (Imran Khan) is the only PM who travels from Bani Gala to PM House on helicopter. The premier has done nothing except misusing government expenses to take revenge from his opponents, she alleged. The PML-N leader revealed that PTI ministers personally attacked her to please their PM. You are not a king of any state that we cannot condemn your acts. If you do something that is not in the interest of the country, you will face criticism, she clarified. Maryam Nawaz further warned that the opposition ...

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday that no nation can prosper without the rule of law because it acts as a bridge between the people and the government of the country. While addressing the high court bar members, the PPP leader said that it was Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who gave Pakistan democracy and the Constitution. Democracy is not possible without law, he added Bilawal continued to say that baseless cases were registered against my parents and told that his mother and father were honorably acquitted by the courts. PPP chairman further said that our party believes in rule of law that is why we played an important role in restoration of judiciary.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) vice President Sherry Rehman said on Wednesday that the petroleum prices in Pakistan have been hiked despite the fact the price declined yesterday in the international market and now it is in interest of country as well as people that government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is sent packing. Senator Sherry Rehman, while reacting on the recent rise in petroleum prices, said that they reject this “petrol bomb”. The PPP leader further said that in the past three years, this government raised the petroleum prices by 65 rupees per liter and they will keep doing this every 15 days till PTI is in government. The senator also said that the PPP will hold a long march against these selected and incompetent leaders and appealed the each and every citizen to join them. It merits mention that the government on Tuesday jacked up the price of petrol by Rs 12.03 per litre with immediate effect. The price of high-speed diesel (HSD) was increased by Rs9.53 per lit...

Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday has reserved its verdict on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda’s plea challenging Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict of disqualifying him for life. During the hearing, Faisal Vawda’s counsel Waseem Sajjad argued that ECP is not court of law, therefore, the high court should annul its judgment. My client didn’t lie in affidavit deliberately. Meanwhile, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked the lawyer about last date of affidavit submission over which, the Waseem Sajjad told that Faisal Vawda had submitted his affidavit on June 11, 2018. The court asked the plaintiff’s counsel to present facts why they are not accepting the decision of ECP. Previously, Faisal Vawda had challenged ECP’s verdict of disqualifying him for life in IHC. The former senator, in his petition, stated that the election commission has no jurisdiction to take disqualification decision. The judgment of ECP has no legal status, he mentioned. Ea...

In Pakistan, 49 more people died of the global epidemic corona virus, taking the total death toll to 29,877. According to the latest data released by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), another 2,465 corona cases were reported across the country in the last 24 hours. The total number of corona cases in the country increased to 1491,423. According to NCOC, 49,553 corona tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours and the rate of positive cases reached 4.97% The number of corona cases in Sindh has gone up to 560,670, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 211,112, Punjab 496,724, Islamabad 133,388, Balochistan 35,133, Azad Kashmir 42,180 and Gilgit-Baltistan 11,250. Punjab has the highest number of deaths due to corona, where 13,390 people have lost their lives while 8,000 people have lost their lives in Sindh, 6,153 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,000 in Islamabad, 1,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 371 in Balochistan and 773 in Azad Kashmir

PML-N Secretary-General Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday has said that the allies of the government will soon realise that there is no other option than to oust the incumbent government. Ahsan Iqbal said that those who can see their political future under Khan’s leadership will cut ties with the PTI-led government. Meanwhile, the parties standing beside the government will "not be forgiven by the people." The PML-N secretary-general said that there would be two options if the no-confidence motion succeeds. ”One of the options is that if the Opposition and PTI candidates fail to win the backing of the Parliament, then the president will be forced to dissolve assemblies,” he said. “The second option would be if another person is chosen for the position of prime minister, that person will act as the interim prime minister who will announce new elections after electoral reforms,” Iqbal added.

Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) on Tuesday has announced the schedule of the party’s long march that is set to take place on February 27. The long march — led by the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari — will start from Karachi and will reach the capital in 10 days passing through 34 different cities. According to the schedule, the long march will start from Karachi’s Mazar-e-Quaid on February 27 and will stay in Sukkur overnight. PPP leader Khurshid Shah will host the convoy in Sukkur, where Bilawal will address the gathering. The marchers' next stop will be Rahim Yar Khan on February 28, while they will reach Multan on March 1, where they will be hosted by the former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani. On March 2, the long march will reach Chichawatni where it will gather 100,000 people. After that, the march will reach Lahore on March 3 where more people will gather to leave for Wazirabad on March 4. The last stop of the march will be Islamabad on March 6.

Pakistan has reported 27 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,488,958. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 29,828 on Tuesday. According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 2,597 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Till now 13,380 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 7,985 in Sindh 6,133 in KP, 999 in Islamabad, 771 in Azad Kashmir, 371 in Balochistan, and 189 in GB.

Iran’s Interior Minister Dr Ahmad Vahidi has arrived in Islamabad today (Monday) for a day-long official visit on the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart. Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed welcomed him upon arrival at the Nur Khan Airbase. During his maiden visit, Ahmad Vahidi will meet Prime Minister Imran Khan, Sheikh Rasheed and other senior officials. Matters relating to Pak-Iran border management and exchange of prisoners will be discussed during the meetings, said the interior ministry in a statement. Sources privy to the matter said that Pakistan will raise the issue of Iran soil being used by terrorists active in Balochistan and involved in attacks on security forces and sensitive installations. Ahmad Vahidi will explain his country’s position on the matter, the sources added. The sources said that Pakistan has taken up the issue of safe havens in Iran and the supply of weapons to the terrorists engaged in Balochistan to disrupt the law and order in the province. Pa...

Supreme Court (SC) on Monday has turned down the petition of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government against holding local government elections’ second phase in the province on new schedule. During the hearing, KP Advocate General told the court that no consultation was made on this issue, therefore, the elections should be postponed. The apex court forwarded the case to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and directed to hold proceedings and conclude the matter. SC has also ordered both the parties to present their stance before the commission. The case has become ineffective after issuance of new schedule, Justice Muzahir Naqvi remarked. Meanwhile, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan said that the court will not set wrong example by suspending the polls. Earlier, ECP had issued a new schedule for second phase of KP LG polls. The Supreme Court suspended the order of the Peshawar High Court to postpone the second phase of local body elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after which the Election Commi...

Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Monday said that Pakistan is facing grave issues because the previous governments did not focus on constructing dams in the country. While addressing a ceremony in Islamabad, the PM said that the electricity prices would not have increased if we had made dams in the past. Hike in electricity prices causes rise in commodity prices, he continued to say. PM said that China has around five thousand major dams whereas Pakistan has only two. Replying to Federal Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi’s comment in which he said that Pakistan Muslim League-Qaid (PML-Q) will respect its alliance with government, therefore, PTI members should not worry”, the PM said that the he himself has trained PTI members so they will stand firm on the party’s stance. The PM continued to say that those who are actually worried are going to their MNA’s funerals. They have now also realized that they should inquire about Ch Shujaat Hussain’s health, he stated. Prime M...

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhary Fawad Hussain has said the opposition parties will once again fail in their designs against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Speaking at a ceremony in Pind Dadan Khan, he said the people of Pakistan will not pardon former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his other family members until they return the plundered amount. He said the Prime Minister has no personal enmity against the opposition parties but he just wants the recovery of amount plundered by them. He pointed out that Pakistan is faced with dire economic situation and inflation because of the acts of past rulers. As regards PPP, the information minister said it has no political support in Punjab, regretting that its Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari wants to do politics now by using the shoulders of JUI (F). He advised Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to do politics on its own strength and take a leaf in this regard from the politics of Benazir Bhutto and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The i...

Pakistan has reported 29 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,486,361. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 29,801 on Monday. According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 2,662 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Till now 13,363 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 7,980 in Sindh 6,130 in KP, 999 in Islamabad, 769 in Azad Kashmir, 371 in Balochistan, and 189 in GB.