Daily News Pakistan

The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was leading in the second phase of the local bodies elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as 22 of its candidates were all set to win the slots of mayor and chairman of the city and tehsil councils. On the other hand, two persons were killed and several others injured in various incidents of poll-related violence. Polling was held for the slots of chairmen and mayors of 65 tehsil councils. According to early results of 50 tehsil councils that were available by late Thursday night, PTI appeared to be leading on a number of seats. However, results of the remaining 15 councils could not be obtained due to communication issues as these areas were mostly far-flung and mountainous. According to unofficial results, the Jamiat Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) candidates were leading in seven and six tehsils, respectively. Similarly, independent candidates were ahead in five of the tehsil councils, followed by three candidates of Paki...

A Turkish prosecutor on Thursday asked an Istanbul court to dismiss a case into the gruesome murder of Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi and transfer it to Saudi Arabia, his Turkish fiancée confirmed. The development comes as Turkey is seeking a thaw in relations with Saudi Arabia, which worsened after the 2018 killing of Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post, inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. “The prosecutor asked, accordingly to the Saudi demand, for the transfer of the file to #SaudiArabia and the finalisation of it in #Turkey,” Hatice Cengiz tweeted after the hearing on Thursday in Istanbul’s main court. “The court will ask the view of Turkish Justice Ministry. #Khashoggi #JusticeForJamal,” she commented. The prosecutor said, according to the private DHA news agency, that the case “has been dragging because the court orders cannot be executed on the grounds that the suspects are foreign nationals”. The next hearing is scheduled for April 7. On October 2, 2018, 59...

The US government has strongly denied any involvement in the no-trust motion, tabled by opposition against Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying the allegations were baseless, a private TV channel reported. The US government reacted strongly as Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday brandished a letter during a power show at D-chowk saying that it contains evidence of a foreign plot hatched against him and the Opposition’s no-trust motion is also a part of this foreign conspiracy to topple his government. On Wednesday, the premier's gist of the "threat letter" was also shared with senior journalists. Meanwhile, PTI leader Faisal Vawda had claimed that a "plot is being hatched to assassinate Prime Minister Imran Khan." A private TV channel qouted the US State Department as saying that '[The US ]categorically rejects any kind of involvement in the no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan'. “Allegations of US involvement in the no-trust motion and ‘threat ...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday dismissed Russia s vows to de-escalate fighting against its neighbour, saying his army was getting ready for further fighting in the east. "We don t believe anyone, not a single beautiful phrase," Zelensky said in a video address to the nation, adding that Russian troops were regrouping to strike the eastern Donbass region. Read more:  China, Russia 'more determined' to boost ties, Beijing says "We will not give anything away. We will fight for every meter of our territory," he added. After another round of peace talks in Istanbul on Tuesday, a Russian negotiator said Moscow would "radically" scale back its attacks around the capital Kyiv and the northern city of Chernigiv. However, shelling continued during the night. On Wednesday, US military officials said Russian forces did begin to pull out of the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power site north of Kyiv. "We think that they are leavin...

Voting for the second phase of Local Government (LG) elections in 18 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is underway. Polling started at 8:00am and will continue till 5:00pm without any break. Elections are being held for the posts of mayor and chairman of tehsil and city councils and different categories of members in the village and neighbourhood councils in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram, Torghar, Upper and Lower Kohistan, Kolai-Palas, Swat, Malakand, Shangla, Lower and Upper Dir, Upper and Lower Chitral, Kurram, Orakzai, and North and South Waziristan districts. Read more:  Local Body Elections, ECP announce date in Balochistan A total of 6,176 polling stations have been set up for the second phase of the local bodies elections in 18 districts of the province out of which 1,609 polling stations have been declared most sensitive. A total of 8.057 million voters will cast their vote in the second phase. More than 54,000 officials have been deployed for the security inclu...

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan's (MQM-P) coordination committee has announced that it has cut a deal with the opposition to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan from his office. MQM-P leader Nasreen Jalil confirmed the development while speaking to the media outside the party's markaz in Karachi's Bahadurabad. "Details of the agreement will be revealed in a press conference" she said. Read more:  Farogh Nasim announces to resigns as Law Minister In that press conference, the party is expected to formally make public its split with the government and announce voting in favour of the no-trust resolution against PM Imran. Meanwhile, MQM-P leaders Farogh Naseem and Aminul Haque resigned earlier today as ministers for law and justice, and information technology and telecom, respectively. As per media reports, Naseem wrote in his resignation letter that he was resigning on directions from MQM-P's convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Haque wrote that while he ...

ISLAMABAD: Federal Law Minister Farogh Nasim on Wednesday confirmed that the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan will shortly receive his resignation, it has been learnt. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader in a statement said that he along with Information Technology (IT) Minister Amin-ul-Haque are resigning from their respective designations. Read more:  PTI Contact Tareen Group ask them to Support the Government decisions A reporter asked him that has MQM-P decided to part ways from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Government on which he replied that MQM-P head Khalid Maqbool Siddique will best answer this question.  

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court (SC) to initiate a probe into a letter brandished by Prime Minister Imran Khan at the PTI's March 27 public gathering in which he claimed that a foreign conspiracy has been hatched to topple his government. In the PTI’s public meeting in Islamabad on Sunday, the premier had pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and waved it at the crowd, claiming it was evidence of an “international conspiracy” being hatched to topple his government. Read More:  PM Imran Khan ready to share 'threat letter' with CJP: Asad Umar However, the opposition believes the premier used the letter as an excuse to woo the government's allies and PTI dissidents in the face of the no-confidence motion against him. According to the media, the petition was filed by SC Advocate Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta. The Federation of Pakistan through the Law and Justice Division secretary has been named as the respondent. The petitioner said that it was an ...

Russia pledged to scale down fighting around Kyiv and a second major city following peace talks on Tuesday that Ukraine s leader said showed "positive" signs, but Western allies made clear their doubts over Moscow s intentions. Details filtering from the talks in Istanbul raised hopes after more than a month of war that has left thousands dead and millions displaced. Read more:  PM Imran Khan ready to share 'threat letter' with CJP: Asad Umar Kyiv s negotiator David Arakhamia said there were "sufficient" conditions for President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to meet in a push to end Europe s worst conflict in decades. On the Russian side, chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky called the talks "meaningful," while the country s deputy defence minister, Alexander Fomin, reported progress on "the neutrality and non-nuclear status" of Ukraine -- two central Russian concerns. Russia, Fomin said, had decided t...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday announced date to hold LB elections in Balochistan. According to details, the LB elections in all districts of Balochistan, except Quetta land Lasbela, will be held on May 29. The schedule for the election has also been annoned. Read more:  IHC bars ECP from taking action against PM Imran The Election Commission of Pakistan said that the date for LB elections in Quetta land Lasbela will be announced later.

Pakistan has reported 2 more deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases has surged to 1,524,549. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,349 on wednesday. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 194persons were tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Read more:  PM Imran Khan 'strictly' directs PTI MNAs to abstain from voting on no-confidence motion Pakistan has conducted 27,492 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 194 persons were tested positive for the disease. The COVID Positivity Ratio was recorded at 0.70 percent.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain and Defence Minister of Pakistan Pervez Khattak on Tuesday contacted the Tareen group and requested them to support the Government decisions. According to details, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Pervez Khattak said to the dissident allies that the party has accepted their requests therefore they should come out in support of the party decisions. Read more:  Joint opposition meets MQM-P leaders On the occasion Aun Chaudhry said that PTI will disclose their further action plans after discussing it within the party.

Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan chaired a meeting on Tuesday in which the political committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was also present to discuss the matters of the current political situation of the country. According to details, the meeting will discuss the number of its allies and how to tackle those standing against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the no-confidence motion. Read more:  Political decisions made after consultations, Ch Shujaat It merits mention here that earlier, Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly (NA) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif tabled a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Lower House of the Parliament. Opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, while tabling the motion, said that he was presenting a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister. The Motion was tabled under Article A-95 of the Constitution, and it had 161 Members as signatories. After the no-...

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Tuesday declined all the allegations of differences in opinion among the Chaudhry family over the latest political updates. He further clarified that all the political decisions have been made after consultations and he is in full support of what has been decided by us. He also said that our family and our party is on the same page. Read more:  Joint opposition meets MQM-P leaders Chaudhry Shujaat said that all the rumors that have spread and those that are being spread are all untrue and those people who want to grasp political gain from these rumors will face disappointment.  

A delegation comprising leaders of joint opposition held a meeting with Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) leaders to win their support ahead of voting for no-confidence against Prime Minister Imran Khan. According to sources, the meeting was held at the Parliament Lodges on late Monday night. Khawaja Safdar, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Ahsan Iqbal from PML-N, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, BNP-M chief Akhtar Mengal and others held consultations with MQM-P leaders Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Aamir Khan, Wasim Akhtar, Aminul Haq. Read more:  FM Qureshi set to embark on China trip today Sources further informed that the situation arising out of the no-confidence motion filed against Prime Minister Imran Khan was discussed during thed meeting. The joint opposition assured MQM-P leaders of immediate fulfilment of their demands. Speking after the meeting, the MQM-P leaders said that they will take their final decision after consultations with Rabita Committee members regarding t...

Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi will leave for an important visit to China today (Tuesday). According to sources, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will hold important meetings with the Chinese officials and other foreign ministers in Beijing during his visit. Sources said that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will also visit Russia after China and his important meetings are also scheduled there. Read more:  MNA Aslam Bhootani likely to part ways with PTI led govt Qureshi’s visit is believed to be crucial in light of the current political crisis in the country and Russia’s war with Ukraine, while Sino-Pak officials will also exchange views on bilateral cooperation.

Ukraine said Monday that at least 5,000 people have died in the "catastrophic" humanitarian crisis gripping pulverized Mariupol, as fighting raged around Kyiv including in a strategic suburb where defenders claim to have driven out Russian invaders. Multiple cities in Ukraine remained under crushing Russian bombardment on the eve of new face-to-face peace negotiations Tuesday in Turkey, as Kyiv -- and its allies in the West -- seek to end the month-long war. Read more:  Abbas slams West's 'double standards' on Ukraine, Palestinians In the besieged southern port of Mariupol at least 5,000 people have already been buried, according to a senior Ukrainian official who said as many as 10,000 may have died -- appearing to confirm the darkest scenarios of devastation in the city. "The burials stopped 10 days ago because of continued shelling," Tetyana Lomakina, a presidential adviser now in charge of humanitarian corridors, told AFP by phone Monday. Russ...

The Spokesperson of the Punjab Government Hasaan Khawar said on Monday that they will fight against the no-confidence motion vigorously. In a statement issued by the Spokesperson, he stated that the Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has been meeting a lot of Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) since the last two weeks. Hasaan Khawar further said that we are in full preparation to stand against the no-trust motion which is submitted by the opposition in the Punjab Assembly. It merits mention here that, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Hamza Shahbaz on Monday said that no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar will be a success. Hamza Shahbaz, in a statement, said that no-trust motion has been submitted against Punjab CM and opposition has finalized strategy to oust Usman Buzdar. Talking about next candidate for CM Punjab slot, Opposition Leader of Punjab Assembly said sending government pac...

Pakistan has reported one death in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has risen to 1,524,086. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,346 on Monday. According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 186 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and opposition leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has started making excuses after eying defeat in no-confidence motion tabled by joint opposition in the National Assembly. In a message on Twitter, Shahbaz Sharif said “When you see power slipping away, you come up with absurd explanations. He who came to power through a London plan sees conspiracy in everything. Make no mistake you have lost because you fooled masses & presided over a corrupt & extremely incompetent government.” Read more:  PML-Q, MQM-P to hold consultative meeting today regarding no-confidence motion On the other hand, PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz while commenting on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) power show in Islamabad said that the number of people was less than the people go to see someone off at the airport.

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas criticised Sunday the West s "double standards" that he said penalised Russia over its invasion of Ukraine while ignoring Israel s "crimes" against the Palestinians. Abbas voiced his frustration to visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a press briefing with reporters at the Palestinian presidential residence in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah. Read more:  Russia signals less ambitious goals in Ukraine war "The current events in Europe have shown blatant double standards," he told Blinken. "Despite the crimes of the Israeli occupation that amounted to ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination... we find no one who is holding Israel responsible for behaving as a state above the law," he said. Blinken held talks with Abbas on the first full day of a trip that includes a meeting with the foreign ministers of Israel and four Arab countries that have normalised relations with the Jewish stat...

As PML-N’s “Mehngai Mukao March” kick-started on Saturday from Lahore's Model Town, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said that the government has "already been ousted" and the Opposition was heading to Islamabad to say "goodbye" to PM Imran Khan. “[Prime Minister] Imran Khan‘s government has gone he is shouting every day. The government has gone we are going to say goodbye to it,” Maryam said. The PML-N leader said that the “people are echoing” the name of party supremo Nawaz Sharif due to the “incompetent government and inflation”. “The government has gone a goodbye is left only. He’s (Imran Khan) is pleading but nothing will happen now,” said the PML-N leader. She added that move to oust PM Imran was taken by the government and not the Opposition. Talking about the government allies who are yet to make a decision, Maryam said that no one will stand with the premier as his own party members were ditching him. “Imran Khan is the nation’s culprit, not Naw...

Russia has signalled it may dial back its war aims to focus on eastern Ukraine after failing to break the nation’s resistance in a month of fighting and attacks on civilians, including up to 300 feared killed in the bombing of a theatre. Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the February invasion to destroy Ukraine’s military and topple pro-Western President Volodymyr Zelensky, bringing the country under Russia’s sway. But Sergei Rudskoi, a senior general, suggested a considerably reduced “main goal” of controlling Donbas, an eastern region already partly held by Russian proxies. His surprise statement came as a Western official reported that a seventh Russian general, Lieutenant General Yakov Rezanstev, had died in Ukraine and that a colonel had been “deliberately” killed by his own demoralised men. Complicating Moscow’s challenges, invasion troops were facing a counteroffensive in Kherson, the only major Ukrainian city under Russian control. Zelenskyy at Doha Forum Ukr...

After remaining closed for more than two and a half years, a key land border crossing between Pakistan and China at Khunjerab is being reopened for trade activities from April 1. Khunjerab Pass was closed in November 2019 to contain the transmission of the coronavirus between the two countries. The pass was temporarily opened in July and September 2020 and again in November 2021, only to facilitate the transportation of the containers loaded with goods that had been stranded in China. During the temporary opening of the border, stranded containers from China were unloaded at Khunjerab Top instead of the port at Sost. A notice issued by the district administration of Kashgar of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region said that according to an agreement signed by China with the government of Pakistan on May 22, 2013, the Khunjerab Pass will be officially upgraded on April 1, 2022. According to officials, Chinese authorities have shared a letter with Pakistan regarding the reopening o...

The federal capital is all set to host a major political power show as the workers of ruling PTI from different parts of the country have started reaching the Parade Ground, where Prime Minister Imran Khan's PTI will stage the "biggest" rally. PTI is all set to stage its "Amr-bel-Maroof" public gathering successfully in Islamabad as the political pressure mounts with the opposition parties also marching towards Islamabad ahead of the vote of no-confidence against PM Imran Khan. The PTI has called their public gathering "Amr-bel-Maroof" in response to the Opposition’s no-trust motion to show support to the prime minister. "Today is a battle for Pakistan [...] and not for PTI, it's a battle for the future of our nation," Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a message issued hours before the gathering. The premier urged the citizens willing to attend the rally to leave their homes early as there would be rush and blockages on the roads. H...

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Mehngai march which started from Karachi, Sindh has entered Punjab on Friday. The participants of JUI-F Mehngai march, who are on their way to Islamabad to participate in the joint opposition protest against PTI-led government, were warmly received by a large number of JUI-F supporters at the Iqbalabad Interchange. Tight security arrangement had been made when the participants reached Rahim Yar Khan. A large number of JUI-F workers also joined the caravan in Rahim Yar Khan. After a short stay in Rahim Yar Khan, the JUI-F  Mehngai  march left for Multan via Motorway. The JUI-F caravan is scheduled to reach Islamabad on March 27.

Supporters of opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) are heading to the federal capital for power show amid heightened political tensions. Caravans of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) from Sindh have entered Punjab and will reach Islamabad after passing through various cities of Punjab, where they will also be greeted and joined by workers of the opposition. Read more:  CJP Bandial says prerogative to form benches always lies with chief justice Meanwhile, supporters of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will leave for Islamabad from Lahore’s Model Town under the leadership of Maryam Nawaz and Hamza Shahbaz. Banners and posters in support of long march can be found in entire Lahore while local leaders of PML-N have been directed to gather supporters and reach Model Town office to join the central caravan lead by Hamza and Maryam. Spokesperson of PML-N, Marriyum Aurangzeb urged people to join the long march and said that nation should stand with opposition i...

Jordan s King Abdullah II hosted leaders from Egypt, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates on Friday for "consultative" talks, state media said. The meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba was "consultative", according to state television. An official source requesting anonymity told AFP that the "consultative brotherly meeting dealt with recent international and regional developments". The source did not elaborate. Read more:  Nato will ‘respond’ if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine A statement from the royal court said others in attendance included Jordan s Crown Prince Hussein and Saudi Minister of State Prince Turki bin Mohammad bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz. The meeting comes just a day before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to travel to Israel, the West Bank, Morocco and Algeria to discuss...

Pakistan has reported 4 more deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases has surged to 1,523,590. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,340 on Saturday. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 189 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Read more:  Corona claims 2 more deaths across the country Pakistan has conducted 30,417 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 189 persons were tested positive for the disease. The COVID Positivity Ratio was recorded at 0.62 percent.

Pakistan Proples Perty (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said that today is a day of victory while he arrived at the Parliament House to discuss the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan. The PPP Chairman, while talking to the media, said that the people of Pakistan will win and the selected will lose today as it can be seen clearly that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has lost the majority, the Chairman added. Read more:  Farrukh condemns infiltration attempt of terrorists in North Waziristan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also said that we have struggled for over three years to get this no-confidence motion registered.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Thursday condemned the infiltration attempt of a group of terrorists in Hassan Khel area of North Waziristan from Afghanistan. In a statement, he prayed to the Almighty to rest the soldiers, who lost lives while foiling the infiltration attempt, in the highest ranks of Jannah. The minister lauded the Pakistan Army for thwarting the infiltration bid. "Those who sacrifice their lives for the defense of motherland are our heroes," he added. Read more:  Islamic State militant killed in Peshawar operation: CTD He said the armed forces were not only ensuring internal security, but also protecting the country s borders.

One wanted terrorist was killed during an exchange of fire with personnel of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and police in Peshawar on Thursday. The CTD said that gunfight broke out when the CTD, police other intelligence agencies carried out a joint operation based on an intelligence tip-off in Armar area of Peshawar. Read more:  Ukraine's Zelensky Asks NATO For Weapons, West Adds Pressure On Russia On seeing the police force, the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on them and in the ensuing shootout, one wanted terrorist identified as Danial was killed and two or three terrorists managed to escape. The CTD said that terrorists were involved in henious crimes including attack on Kocha Rasaldar mosque, targeted killings of policemen, traffic wardens and attack on Jalozai mobile van. The terrorists were also involved in the targeted killing of members of minority society, Satnam Singh and Pastor William Siraj. Heavy contingent of CTD and police have cordoned off the are...

The 770th Urs celebrations of Hazrat Usman Marwandi, known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (RA) concluded on Thursday in Sehwan, district Jamshoro, Sindh. Thousands of devotees from across the country attended the Urs ceremony in Sehwan to pay tributes to of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. The local administration had taken strict security measures to avoid any untoward incident. Read more:  No-Confidence Motion, Joint opposition convenes parliamentary members meeting It is pertinent to mention here that the Urs celebrations took place after two years due to Covid-19 restrictions. The local administration had imposed Section 144 of PPC disallowing entry of any type of vehicles within the city s limits.

President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed a NATO summit Thursday to flood weapons into Ukraine and Western allies responded with new sanctions against Russia, promises of military aid, and discussion of expelling Moscow from the international G20 body. As battles raged across Ukraine, with television footage showing a large Russian warship ablaze at dockside near the southern city of Mariupol, Zelensky addressed the emergency NATO summit and a G7 leaders meeting by video link. Read more:  Fortress Kyiv Holds Breath Ahead Of Feared Russian Assault He said the West should provide "all the weapons we need" to "prevent the deaths of Ukrainians from Russian strikes, from Russian occupation." Kicking off a day of intense diplomacy, US President Joe Biden made clear that the Western alliance was listening. "NATO has never been more united," Biden said. And after Zelensky said there was a "real" chance of Russian President Vladimir Putin resorting to ...

The joint opposition parties have convened a parliamentary members meeting to be held today (Friday) for consultation on no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran. According to sources, the meeting will be held in Parliament House at 10:00am during which a strategy will be chalked out for today’s National Assembly session. Sources further informed that consultations would also be held on expected protests by the joint opposition parties against the government and the Speaker National Assembly during the assembly session. Read more:  PPP assures MQM-P of ‘accepting demands’ to seek support for no-trust move Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari called on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday night in Islamabad for consultation on no-trust motion. According to sources, the joint opposition st...

Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar said on Thursday that he does not believe in politics of accusations nor he has ever done such kind of politics. In a statement, the Chief Minister said that he thinks it is wastage of time to even reply to these baseless accusations of the political opponents. Read more:  ECP serves notice on Bilawal over Malakand rally Usman Buzdar also said that he has faced these accusations before and is ready to stand firm against these blames. The adversaries can keep on leveling accusations but we will keep on serving the nation, he added.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sent a notice to Chairman Pakistan People s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for addressing a public meeting in Malakand on March 23. The district monitoring officer (DMO) Malakand had served the notice to Bilawal Bhutto for addressing the public meeting in violation of the code of conduct for the local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa phase-II. Read more:  About current political situation talks between PPP, MQM-P to be held today The notice added, "It has come to the knowledge through monitoring teams and media that you have participated in a public meeting at Tehsil Dargai District, Malakand as a part of election campaign of PPP candidates for Tehsil, despite issuance of advisory letter on March 22." It said, "You were allowed to participate in election campaign of candidate as per clause 16 (i) of the revised Code of Conduct issued by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)." The clause says, "The parl...

The decisive round of talks between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) will be held in Islamabad today. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah along with his cabinet members will meet the MQM-P leadership in continuation of the series of political meetings between the two parties to review the current political situation, including the no-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Read more:  Nadra: unclear about potential taxpayers’ data status According to sources, progress is likely to be made on the proposed agreement between the PPP and the MQM-P during the meeting. The ongoing talks between the joint opposition and the MQM-P have also raised some new demands and today’s talks would be fruitful. Sources also informed that the senior PPP leaders and legal experts have objected to some of the provisions of the proposed agreement between the PPP and the MQM-P.

Russia on Wednesday said it was expelling US diplomats in retaliation for Washington s step to remove 12 of Moscow s representatives to the UN based in New York. "On March 23, a note with the list of the American diplomats declared persona non grata was handed to the head of the American diplomatic mission who was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," the ministry said in a statement. Read more:  After two years, Aitekaf to resume at Holy Mosques in Saudi Arabia The decision was taken in response to the expulsion by Washington of Russian diplomats at the UN in New York, the source said. "The US side has been given firm notice that any hostile action by the United States against Russia will be met with a resolute and appropriate response," the statement added. A US State Department spokesperson confirmed it had received the list from Moscow. "This is Russia s latest unhelpful and unproductive step in our bilateral relationship. We call on the Rus...

The nation is celebrating the 82nd Pakistan Day with zeal and fervor today (March 23), with the joint armed forces parade going on in full swing in the federal capital to exhibit the country’s military prowess and cultural diversities. President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Naval Chief Admiral Ajmal Khan Niazi, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee General Nadeem Raza and Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak are at the venue attending the parade. Read more:  Change of guards ceremony held at Allama Iqbal's mausoleum The parade includes contingents of the tri-services, paramilitary forces and civil armed forces. One of the important highlights of the parade is the fly-past of the newly inducted J-10C fighter jets. The J-10C aircrafts, equipped with cutting-edge technology, were inducted into the Pakistan Air Force’s squadron earlier this month. The dignitaries participating in the 48th Session of the Council of Foreign Min...

A prestigious change of guards ceremony was held Wednesday at the mausoleum of Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal. A smartly turned out contingent of the Pakistan Air Force assumed ceremonial guard duties with traditional spirit and enthusiasm. Air Vice Marshal Zubair Hassan was chief guest on the occasion. He laid a floral wreath at the grave of Dr Iqbal, and prayed for progress and prosperity of the country on the occasion. He also penned down his impressions in the Visitors’ book. Read more:  Islamabad: Pakistan Day parade continues The nation is celebrating Pakistan Day with a commitment to ensure progress, prosperity and a strong defense of the country. Pakistan Day holds a significant place in the history of the country. Pakistan Day is celebrated each year on March 23 to mark the passage of the Lahore Resolution that led to the creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of South Asia in 1947. The historic resolution, known as the Pakistan Resolution, was approved on March 2...

For the first time in almost two years, no coronavirus-related death was reported in Pakistan in the last 24 hours. The nationwide tally of fatalities from the novel coronavirus stands at 30,333 on Wednesday while the confirmed positive cases in the country has surged to 1,522,862. Read more:  Islamabad: Pakistan Day parade continues According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 443 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Pakistan has conducted 34,476 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 443 persons were tested positive for the disease. The COVID Positivity Ratio was recorded at 1.28 percent.

Filled with mountains of sandbags and weapons at the ready, Kyiv is waiting. On day 27 of Russia s invasion, the advance of troops northwest and east of the Ukrainian capital seems to have stalled and residents are taking advantage of a curfew to catch their breath and prepare. With businesses ordered closed and residents told to stay home, Kyiv is a ghost town, with air sirens and distant sounds of explosions regularly punching through the silence and the golden cupolas of the landmark Saint Sophia Orthodox cathedral shining in spring sun. Read more:  Cause of China jet crash still unknown as hunt for black boxes continues Kyiv mayor and former world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko imposed the curfew from Monday until Wednesday morning, telling civilians to seek cover in bomb shelters if air defence sirens go off. "For people who have been constantly under pressure since the start of the invasion, it s a chance to breathe a little," says Alexis, who taught German befo...

The main parade of Pakistan Day is continues inIslamabad.  

Crash investigators on Tuesday said they do not yet know why a China Eastern jet carrying 132 people plunged from the sky, with recovery teams still scouring a forested mountainside for flight recorders from the pulverised Boeing aircraft. No survivors had been found nearly 36 hours after Monday's crash — the deadliest air disaster in three decades in China, a country that had maintained an enviable air safety record. “With the current information, we are unable to make a clear judgement on the cause of the accident,” Zhu Tao, director of the aviation safety office at China's aviation authority, told reporters late on Tuesday. He said the focus is now on “the search for flight recorders”. Questions have mounted over the cause of the crash, which saw the stricken jet drop 20,000 feet in just over a minute before plunging into rugged terrain in southern China on Monday afternoon. The velocity of the impact left twisted metal and passengers' belongings scattered across ...