Page 92 - Pakistan

Did not sign newly 'passed' laws, says Pakistan President Arif Alvi

Pakistan media reported that the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023 were passed and became laws on Sunday after President Arif Alvi signed the bills, but President Alvi said on X that he did not sign the bills as he disagreed with the laws. "As God is my witness, I did not sign Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 & Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 as I disagreed with these laws. I asked my staff to return the bills unsigned within stipulated time to make them ineffective. I confirmed from them many times that whether they have been returned & was assured that they were. However I have found out today that my staff undermined my will and command. As Allah knows all, He will forgive IA. But I ask forgiveness from those who will be affected," Pakistan President Arif Alvi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.The president tweeted that he asked his staff to return the bills unsigned within the stipulated time to make them ...

Over 10,000 evacuated as areas near Pakistan's River Sutlej get flooded

Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that the concerned authorities are monitoring the flood situation as 278000 cusecs of water rushed near Ganda Singh Border, Kasur

Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League urge Prez Alvi to step down

Ministry of Law and Justice said a bill is sent to the president under the Constitution's Article 75 and he has two options - either approve it or return it with objections

16 killed, 11 injured after bus catches fire near Pak's Pindi Bhattian

The bus carrying 35 to 40 passengers was en route from Karachi to Islamabad, Geo News reported citing rescue officials

Pak cops thwart terror plot in Punjab province, arrest 13 terrorists

Pakistan's law enforcement agencies on Saturday claimed to have averted a major terror plot by arresting 13 terrorists, including three ISIS commanders, who were planning to target important installations across the Punjab province. The militants were arrested from Lahore, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Rawalpindi, Chiniot, Kasur and Multan during the last couple of days, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab police said in a statement. "The arrested terrorists had planned to target important installations across the province," it said. With the arrest, law enforcement agencies foiled a "major terror plot" in the Punjab province, it said. The arrested terrorists belong to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Daesh (ISIS), Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and Al-Qaeda. Some 2,360 grams of explosives, one IED bomb, 11 detonators, pistols and bullets and banned literature have been recovered from them, the statement said. Last week, the CTD arrested 21 terrorists in ...

'I feel pity': Nirmal Khanna on Mushaal Malik's induction into Pak cabinet

Yasin Malik was convicted by National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in terror funding cases and sentenced to life imprisonment on May 25, 2022

The Blasphemy ruse: Churches, bibles burned, Christians beaten in Pakistan

It was a dark day for Pakistan when bibles were burned, and churches were set ablaze in Jaranwala on August 16. Watch the video to know how minorities, in the name of blasphemy, are terrorised in Pak

Pakistan police arrest suspects involved in attack on Christian homes

Pakistani police have arrested two prime suspects involved in the unprecedented attacks on 21 churches and nearly three dozen homes of the minority Christian community over blasphemy allegations, Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said. He praised the efforts of the Punjab chief secretary and inspector general of police, saying both of them played a key role in ensuring the arrests of the key suspects. An enraged mob ransacked and torched 21 churches and 35 homes of Christians on Wednesday over blasphemy allegations in Jaranwala town of Faisalabad district, 130 km from Punjab's provincial capital Lahore. "Major breakthrough in the Jaranwala Incident both main accused now in CTD Custody. Appreciation for Chief Secretary Punjab and IG Punjab for their relentless efforts...," Naqvi posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday. In a separate post on Friday, he wrote that mosques across Pakistan's Punjab province will have Friday sermons ...

Pakistan caretaker PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar's 18-member cabinet takes oath

16 federal ministers took oath while the interim prime minister has also appointed three advisers

Imprisoned Imran Khan says ready for 1,000 yrs in jail if necessary: Report

Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday said he was ready to endure imprisonment even for 1,000 years and continue to stay incarcerated for his country, according to a media report. Khan, 70, was sentenced to three years in jail by a sessions court on August 5 for hiding proceeds from the sale of state gifts (Toshakhana). He is currently incarcerated in Attock Jail in Punjab province. A division bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, will take up the hearing next Tuesday (August 22).

Pak to seek friendship with all and enmity with none: Caretaker FM Jilani

Pakistan's newly appointed caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani has said he would pursue close relationships with all major powers including the US and China, seek better ties with India and further enhance cooperation with the Gulf region. Soon after taking oath as the caretaker foreign minister on Thursday, the 68-year-old veteran diplomat said he would continue to follow a foreign policy evolved through national consensus. Jilani, who served as foreign secretary and Pakistan's ambassador to the US, said there was a national consensus that Pakistan must have a good relationship with the US while maintaining close ties with China. We are clear that Pakistan will not enter into any bloc politics, he told the Express Tribune newspaper. Pakistan has been treading carefully amid intensified US-China rivalry and, at times, has been forced to make difficult choices. Islamabad twice skipped the US President's Democracy Summit in what was seen as a clear effort not to antagonise

Pakistan appoints Yasin Malik's wife as special advisor to caretaker PM

Pakistan has appointed Mushaal Hussain Malik, wife of the jailed Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, as a special advisor to the country's newly appointed caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar. Her name was included in the five Special Advisor to Prime Minister (SAPM) list unveiled late on Thursday night after President Arif Alvi administered an oath to the 19-member caretaker Cabinet at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the presidential house. Mushaal, a Pakistani national married to Malik, was appointed special advisor to the caretaker Prime Minister Kakar on human rights and women empowerment. A special advisor has a lower status than a junior minister but provides assistance to the prime minister on key relevant issues. Among other four special advisors, Jawad Sohrab Malilk has been appointed SAPM for overseas Pakistanis, vice admiral (retired) Iftikhar Rao as an advisor on maritime affairs, TV anchor and writer Wasih Shah on tourism, and Syeda Arifa Zehra as an advisor on federal educat

Pak police form special unit for security of minorities, religious places

Amid increasing attacks on religious minorities in Pakistan, the Islamabad Police on Thursday constituted a 70-member special unit for the "protection of minority places of worship and communities" in the national capital. "Seventy jawans (policemen) have been posted in the Minority Protection Unit'," the Islamabad Police said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. It said all district police officers will be responsible for the protection of minority places of worship and communities in their areas. The unit, established as per the recommendations of the National Minorities Commission, will perform its duties under the supervision of SSP operations. "Liaison with minority committees will be strengthened at each divisional level, the police added. It further stated that the unit policemen have also been selected from the recent recruitment for the Minority Protection Unit. The move comes a day after an enraged mob ransacked and torched 21 churches and several houses of Christ

Churches vandalised in Pak's Punjab province over blasphemy allegations

Following the allegations of blasphemy, the mob vandalised and destroyed a Church in Punjab province's Faisalabad district

Pakistan hikes petrol, diesel prices for a second time in a month

The price of petrol would be raised by 17.50 Pakistani rupees to 290.45 rupees ($0.9991) per litre effective Aug. 16, the ministry said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter

Pak's top election body asks interim govts to provide with assistance

Pakistan's top election body on Tuesday asked the federal and provincial interim governments to provide it with every assistance in holding the upcoming general elections in accordance with the law. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a set of guidelines as it was preparing to organize the polls following the dissolution of the national and provincial assemblies. It has become imperative that the election commission shall take all necessary steps under the Constitution and prevalent law for the smooth conduct of general elections, it stated. It instructed the interim governments to ensure compliance with all notifications, directives and provisions of Section 230 of the election law, which pertains to the functions of a caretaker government. The ECP further asked the caretaker governments not to post or transfer any public official after the issuance of this notification under the federal and provincial governments without the commission's prior approval in writing. I

Pakistan anti-graft court allows questioning of deputy at Imran's party

An anti-graft tribunal in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday allowed authorities to interrogate the president of former premier Imran Khan's political party in a corruption probe, prosecutors and a defence lawyer said. The latest development comes a day after the National Accountability Bureau arrested Pervez Elahi in the garrison city of Rawalpindi after his one-month detention expired. Elahi was detained under a law that allows the government to arrest any suspect to ensure law and order in the country. Elahi is the president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI. Khan, who is imprisoned, is the chairman. Khan was arrested on August 6 after a court sentenced him to three years for corruption in a move that analysts say could halt his future in politics, for now. The court ruled that Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 but remains the country's leading opposition figure, had concealed assets after selling state gifts. Khan denies the charge. Tuesday

Who is Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan

Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar was named caretaker Prime Minister by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Opposition leader Raja Riaz on August 12

We came to power through constitutional means: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif

Shehbaz Sharif had come to power in April last year after the then-opposition ousted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan from office through a no-confidence vote

China engineers attacked in Pakistan, two militants killed: Report

No injuries were reported within the convoy, China's Global Times said, citing unidentified "Chinese personnel" in Gwadar