LIVE updates: Prisoner van reaches Pakistan Parliament; security deployed

Imran Khan, speaker and deputy speaker risk arrest if vote not held today. Stay tuned for LIVE updates

11:59 PM

Pakistan National Assembly speaker reaches Parliament House

Pakistan National Assembly speaker reaches Parliament House

11:58 PM

Application filed for contempt proceedings against Imran Khan

Application filed for contempt proceedings against Imran Khan

11:58 PM

Opposition demands for voting on the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan

Opposition demands for voting on the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan

11:56 PM

Pakistan airports on high alert

Pakistan airports on high alert

11:54 PM

Supreme Court, Islamabad HC opened, Pak CEC office ordered to open

Supreme Court, Islamabad HC opened, Pak CEC office ordered to open

 

11:52 PM

All officials, ministers barred from leaving Pakistan

All officials, ministers barred from leaving Pakistan

 

11:49 PM

Imran Khan rejects reports claiming dismissal of Gen Bajwa

Prime Minister Imran Khan has dismissed reports claiming that he has removed Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, media reports said. PM Imran Khan, in a conversation with senior journalists, said that he has no plans to make changes to the Defence department, reported GeoNews, citing sources.

 

"There was neither any talk of dismissing the army chief nor was this on the cards," the PM told journalists. "I will do my job as per the law and in line with the Constitution."

 

Imran Khan has held an emergency meeting of the federal cabinet, Samaa TV reported.

11:47 PM

Imran Khan had dismissed COAS Bajwa amid no-confidence motion moved by Opposition: Geo News

 Imran Khan had dismissed COAS Bajwa amid no-confidence motion moved by Opposition: Geo News

11:40 PM

Imran Khan, speaker and deputy speaker risk arrest if vote not held today

Imran Khan, speaker and deputy speaker risk arrest if vote not held today

11:38 PM

Prisoner van reaches Pakistan Parliament

Prisoner van reaches Pakistan Parliament

 

11:29 PM

Pak PM Khan holds emergency meeting of Cabinet; vows not to resign

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan held an emergency meeting of his Cabinet on Saturday night as he vowed not to resign and "fight till the last ball", even though his government is expected to lose a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly.

 

Khan chaired the emergency Cabinet meeting where it was decided that he should not resign, sources said.

 

The emergency Cabinet meeting has taken many by surprise as Khan has little chance of surviving the no confidence motion against him.

 

Later, Khan met with a group of his favourite journalists, who are known for defending him in the talk-shows, and rejected rumours about making any change in the army leadership. The cricketer-turned-politician also announced that he will not resign and fight till the last ball. He said that he was not interfering in the process of implementation of the orders of the Supreme Court to hold a no-confidence vote.

11:14 PM

Chief Justice of Pakistan decided to open Supreme Court's doors at 12 am

11:11 PM

Security deployed outside Pakistan National Assembly ahead of voting on no-confidence motion against Imran

11:08 PM

Rajnath Singh embarks on US visit to cement bilateral ties

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that he will leave New Delhi tonight for a visit to the United States from April 10-15 for the fourth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Washington DC.

 

Rajnath said that this visit to the US will give him an opportunity to hold talks with US leadership on ways to deepen the India-US strategic partnership.

 

"I would be leaving New Delhi tonight for a visit to the United States from April 10 to April 15. I look forward to attending the Fourth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Washington DC. Also, I shall be visiting INDOPACOM headquarters in Hawai, during this visit," Defence Minister said in a tweet.

11:01 PM

Pakistan's Ary channel says Imran Khan risks arrest

Pakistan's Ary channel says Imran Khan risks arrest

 

11:00 PM

Imran Khan reaches Pakistan's national assembly

Imran Khan reaches Pakistan's national assembly

 

11:00 PM

Pakistan National Assembly speaker agrees to trust vote

National Assembly speaker agrees to trust vote

 

10:58 PM

PM Imran Khan chairs special cabinet meeting; "threat letter" to be shared with CJP tonight: Geo News

PM Imran Khan chairs special cabinet meeting; "threat letter" to be shared with CJP tonight 

10:49 PM

Govt spent nearly Rs 100 trn on development, social sector schemes in 8 years

The government has spent around Rs 100 trillion on infrastructure development and social sector programmes over the last eight years, government sources said.

 

Citing an RBI report, sources said that the total developmental expenditure by the central government was a whopping Rs 90,89,233 crore (Rs 90.9 trillion) during 2014-15 to 2021-22.

 

Earlier this month, former finance minister P Chidambaram had pointed out that the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi collected Rs 26.5 trillion from fuel tax collections between 2014-2021 but the total outgo on free food grain, cash allowances to women, PM-KISAN and other cash transfers is no more than Rs 2,25,000 crore which is less than the annual fuel taxes collected by the Centre alone. READ MORE...

10:46 PM

Pakistan's army chief meets Imran Khan

Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa meets Imran Khan

 

10:36 PM

Govt spends nearly Rs 100 trillion on development, social sector schemes in 8 years

The government has spent around Rs 100 lakh crore on infrastructure development and social sector programmes over the last eight years, PTI reported.

 

Citing an RBI report, sources said that the total developmental expenditure by the central government was a whopping Rs 90,89,233 crore (Rs 90.9 lakh crore) during 2014-15 to 2021-22.

 

Earlier this month, former finance minister P Chidambaram had pointed out that the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi collected Rs 26.5 lakh crore from fuel tax collections between 2014-2021 but the total outgo on free food grain, cash allowances to women, PM-KISAN and other cash transfers is no more than Rs 2,25,000 crore which is less than the annual fuel taxes collected by the Centre alone.

10:12 PM

Pakistan PM Khan holds emergency meeting of his Cabinet

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan held an emergency meeting of his Cabinet on Saturday night, even though his government is expected to lose a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly, according to local media reports.

 

Khan summoned the Cabinet meeting at 9.00 PM at the Prime Ministers' House here. Important decisions are expected in the meeting, Geo News reported quoting high-level sources.

 

The meeting, which is being attended by the top ministers, was still underway. The meeting has taken many by surprise as Khan has little chance of surviving the no confidence motion against him. The joint Opposition need 172 members in the 342-member house to oust Prime Minister Khan.

10:05 PM

People in Colombo continue to protest against Sri Lanka govt as country faces economic crisis

9:41 PM

Pakistan LIVE updates: Bilawal Bhutto meets Shehbaz Sharif before the trust vote

Bilawal Bhutto meets Shehbaz Sharif before the trust vote.

9:40 PM

S&P downgrade indicates Russia headed for historic default

The credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's has downgraded its assessment of Russia's ability to repay foreign debt, signalling rising prospects that Moscow will soon default on external loans for the first time in more than a century.

 

S&P Global Ratings issued the downgrade to selective default late Friday after Russia arranged to make foreign bond payments in rubles on Monday when they were due in dollars.

 

It said it didn't expect Russia to be able to convert the rubles into dollars within the 30-day grace period allowed.

 

S&P said in a statement that its decision was based partly on its opinion that sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine are likely to be further increased in the coming weeks, hampering Russia's willingness and technical abilities to honour the terms and conditions of its obligations to foreign debtholders.

9:28 PM

PTI submitted a reference against 20 deviant members to National Assembly Speaker

9:27 PM

Pak Foreign Office upset over Imran govt's move to bring diplomatic cable to Parliament

Conveying their apprehension over Imran Khan government's move to present the contents of the controversial "diplomatic cable" before the Parliament, Pakistan's Foreign Office warned that such a move would undermine the working of the missions abroad and also "damage" country's national interests.

 

The under-fire Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Friday decided to present the contents of the letter in Pakistan Parliament, which Imran Khan claimed contained evidence of a foreign plot seeking a regime change in the country, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

 

Pakistan Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the "original records of the cipher, only available with the government, would be kept in front of Parliament".

9:09 PM

Bilawal Bhutto accuses Imran of seeking military intervention by delaying vote

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has alleged that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was seeking military intervention in the country's political affairs by delaying voting on a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly and to create a constitutional crisis, the media reported.

 

He made these remarks on Saturday during the crucial National Assembly session summoned on Supreme Court's directive to hold voting on the no-trust motion against the premier.

 

Addressing the house, Bilawal said that the NA speaker is committing contempt of court and abrogating the Constitution, Express Tribune reported.

8:58 PM

Pakistan National Assembly Session adjourned till 10 pm

Pakistan National Assembly Session adjourned till 10 pm 

8:47 PM

India's vaccine coverage crosses 185.68 crore doses

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 185.68 crore on Saturday, the Union Health Ministry said.

 

More than 12 lakh (12,55,277) doses were administrated on Saturday till 7 pm, it said. It added that over 2.21 crore (2,21,44,238) doses have been administered to children in the 12-14 years age group so far.

 

Over 2.43 crore (2,43,08,220) precaution doses have been administered to healthcare and frontline workers, and to those above 60 so far, the ministry said. The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night, according to the ministry.