Page 47 - Pakistan

Pakistan passes constitutional amendment bill to dilute power of judiciary

The Senate on Sunday passed the controversial 26th Constitution Amendment Bill, capping Pakistan's Chief Justice tenure for three years, amid opposition from jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party. The upper house of the parliament voted 65-4 to approve the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill with the required two-thirds majority. The government needed the support of 64 members. The bill, approved by the cabinet earlier in the day with the consensus among the ruling coalition partners, was presented in the Senate by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar. "I... wish to introduce a bill further to amend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Constitution 26th Amendment Bill, 2024, Tarar said as he presented the bill in the upper house. "Is it opposed?" asked Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, to which he received no response from the Senate members. The bill included 22 clauses of amendments. The upper house passed the bill clause-wise and all clauses got the ..

Pakistan reports two new polio cases, total tally rises to 39 this year

Pakistan has reported 39 polio cases this year, with two fresh cases of the crippling disease being detected in the Sindh province, authorities said on Sunday. The latest cases were confirmed on Saturday in the Sanghar and Mirpurkhas districts of the province, the Dawn newspaper reported. These come after four cases were reported a day earlier, jolting the country's efforts to eradicate the poliovirus. According to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication in Islamabad, the newest victims are a girl and a boy. These are the first polio cases from Mirpurkhas and Sanghar this year, the report quoted an official as saying. The prevalence of the virus had already been confirmed in the two neighbouring districts following multiple environmental samples testing positive for WPV1 since April, the official added. In ten months of the year, Pakistan has reported 39 cases of poliovirus, of which 20 were reported from Balochistan, 12 from Sindh, five from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an

Key takeaways from Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan | India - Pakistan relation | SCO summit

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recently visited Pakistan for the first time in nearly 9 years to attend the SCO meet.

Imran Khan out of race for Oxford's Chancellor due to criminal background

The Oxford University has announced that former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is not included in the list of candidates to run for the position of the varsity's chancellor, Geo News reported."More than 40 people applied and only 38 were approved. The candidates were only excluded according to the exclusion criteria of the university. 26,000 people have registered to vote in this election. Khan has been disqualified to run in the election over several factors including his conviction and political role", the varsity officials told Geo News.Prominent names in the list of people applying for the post of Chancellor included UK's former Conservative Party leader Lord William Hague; UK's former Labour politician Lord Peter Mandelson; Elish Angiolini, Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Margaret Casely-Hayford and Dominic Grieve but only Khan has been disqualified from the top five well-known figures, Geo news noted.Geo News reported that King's Counsel at UK's leading law .

MP man to chant 'Bharat mata ki jai' for bail after 'Pak zindabad' slogan

The bail conditions require the accused to stand before the tricolour displayed at the station, salute it 21 times, and chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' as part of his routine

IMF urges Pakistan to invest Rs 1.2 trillion a year for climate resilience

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Pakistan to invest one per cent of its GDP annually equivalent to over Rs 1.24 trillion based on current estimates in climate resilience and adaptation reforms to prepare for recurring extreme weather events, particularly floods, a media report said on Thursday. In a special policy advisory, the IMF noted that ongoing reforms under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) including fiscal, labour market, trade, and state-owned enterprise (SOE) reforms could boost Pakistan's growth by 2 per cent over five years while significantly reducing inequality, Dawn newspaper reported. The Fund also highlighted that proactive investment in climate-adaptive infrastructure could reduce the negative growth impact of a natural disaster shock by one-third while ensuring a quicker and more complete recovery. The lender noted that about 1 per cent of GDP investment in adaptation infrastructure would increase Pakistan's climate resilience and buffer climate

Lawrence Bishnoi gang member who gave contract to kill Salman Khan arrested

The accused, Sukha alias Sukhbir Balbir Singh, along with gang members, had planned to execute Bollywood actor Salman Khan's assassination using weapons from Pakistan

Jaishankar flags concerns over terrorism, extremism at SCO meet in Pakistan

In a thinly veiled message to Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said cooperation in areas like trade, energy and connectivity is unlikely to flourish if activities across borders are characterised by terrorism, extremism and separatism. In his address at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Jaishankar also asserted that cooperation must be based on mutual respect and sovereign equality and that it should recognise the territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations. The external affairs minister led the Indian delegation at the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit in Islamabad which was chaired by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Jaishankar said trust was key for cooperation and the SCO member nations can benefit immensely if the grouping moves ahead collectively. He said cooperation must be based on mutual respect and sovereign equality. "It should recognise territorial integrity and sovereignty. It must be buil

Pak PM urges members to strengthen SCO for tackling regional challenges

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday urged SCO member states to strengthen the organisation's framework for tackling multiple regional challenges and forging close cooperation. Sharif's remarks came as he addressed the opening session of the 23rd meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). "From the esteemed platform of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a beacon of multilateralism, I stand in the belief that we possess not only the potential but the will to forge a future that is more prosperous and secure for our people a future inclusive and reflective of shared aspirations of all member states, he said. Prime Minister Shehbaz highlighted: We are at a historic moment of transition where sweeping transformations are reshaping the global, social, political, economic, and security landscape. He reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to regional peace, stability and enhanced connectivity a

Watch: EAM Jaishankar arrives in Pakistan for SCO Summit

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Tuesday to the 2024 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on October 15-16.

SCO Summit 2024: S Jaishankar arrives in Pakistan; first visit in nine yrs

SCO Summit 2024: Islamabad is hosting the 2024 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on October 15-16 to be attended by 900 delegates

Pak PM holds bilateral meetings with SCO leaders, discusses cooperation

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday held separate meetings with leaders of various SCO member states on the sidelines of the summit, exchanging ideas to promote bilateral ties and strengthen the intergovernmental international organisation. Pakistan is hosting the two-day SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit on October 15 and 16. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or dialogue partners. According to official statements, Sharif held separate meetings with Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda, and Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov, discussing ways to further strengthen bilateral relations. During his meeting with Golovchenko, Sharif emphasised the importance of sustained exchanges to unlock the potential for cooperation, particularly in trade, ...

EAM Jaishankar, Pakistan PM Sharif shake hands ahead of 23rd SCO summit

A red carpet was rolled out to welcome the guests, underscoring the importance of the event and the cordial relations between the two nations, as per the statement

SCO Summit 2024: All you need to know about key attendees, agenda and more

SCO Summit in Pakistan: The summit is set to commence in Islamabad on October 15-16, with the aim to address critical issues such as regional security, economic cooperation, and combating terrorism

Imran Khan's party cancels protest in Pakistan ahead of SCO summit

Pakistan's main opposition called off its protest on Tuesday as the 23rd meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation begins here under tight security. The two-day meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in fields of economy, trade, environment and socio-cultural linkages and review the performance of the Organisation. Pakistan assumed the rotating chair of the SCO CHG, the second highest forum within the SCO, for 2023-24 at the previous meeting, held in Bishkek in October 2023. The CHG meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Belarus Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, Kazakhstan Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Tajik Prime Minister Kohir Rasulzoda, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Kyrgyzstan's Chairman of Ministers Cabinet Zhaparov Akylbek, Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, and Indian External Affairs Ministe

How Pak Army 'coerced' five power companies to end contracts prematurely

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office stated that the companies had 'voluntarily agreed' to prioritise national interest over their business concerns

Chinese premier arrives in Pak for SCO meet to bolster CPEC cooperation

Chinese prime minister Li Qiang on Monday arrived for a four-day visit during which he will attend the SCO summit and hold bilateral meetings with Pakistan leaders on several issues, including the strategic China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. This is the first visit by any Chinese premier to Pakistan in 11 years and comes on the back of recent attacks on Chinese nationals working on infrastructure projects in Pakistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received Li along with cabinet ministers at the Nur Khan airbase at Rawalpindi near here. Li and other foreign leaders will attend the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Islamabad to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

EAM Jaishankar to arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday to attend SCO meeting

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to land in Pakistan on Tuesday to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in the first high-level visit from India in years amid continuing strain in ties between the two neighbours. Shortly after he arrives in Islamabad, the external affairs minister is likely to attend a banquet reception hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to welcome the delegates from the SCO member nations, people familiar with the matter said. Both sides have already ruled out any bilateral talks between Jaishankar and his Pakistan counterpart Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the SCO heads of government summit. It will be for the first time in nearly nine years that India's foreign minister will travel to Pakistan, even as the ties between the two neighbours remain frosty over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. It is learnt that Jaishankar will stay in Pakistan for less than 24 hours. Pakistan

Pakistan central bank announces $30 billion foreign debt repayments in FY25

Pakistan's central bank has said the country is scheduled to repay a total of USD 30.35 billion in maturing foreign debt and interest payment in this financial year even as the foreign debt repayments and interest payments are rising every passing year, a media repot said on Monday. The payments over the 12 months from August 2024 to July 2025 include those significant loans which bilateral creditors roll over every year, reported the Express Tribune quoting a JS Global report, which, in turn, cited data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The report showed that Pakistan is to repay maturing foreign debt worth USD 26.48 billion and pay another USD 3.86 billion on account of interest expense in the period. Pakistan's repayments and interest payments are fully secured under the latest USD 7 billion IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) through the loan period of 37 months. In terms of debt-to-GDP ratio, however, the foreign debt has dropped to 20.2 per cent in August 2024 from 27.6 per

Security measures tighten as Pakistan set to host SCO meet from Tuesday

Elaborate security measures are in place as Pakistan on Monday was gearing up to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit starting Tuesday here in Islamabad. Foreign delegations have started to reach Pakistan to attend the mega international event being held under the shadow of increased terror attacks across the country and the continued protests by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party threatening to disrupt the law and order situation. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and prime ministers of China and Russia among others are attending the two-day 23rd SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here to discuss the ongoing cooperation in economy, trade and environment. The CHG meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, environment, socio-cultural linkages and review the performance of the Organisation. The leaders will adopt important organisational decisions to further enha