Page 95 - Pakistan

PTI to challenge ex-PM Imran's 3-year sentence in Toshakhana case: Qureshi

The sentencing and arrest of Imran Khan in the Toshakhana corruption case is "politically motivated", his close aide and former Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Saturday, asserting that the party will challenge the verdict and use all legal means to defend the ex-prime minister. Khan, 70, was arrested from his Zaman Park home in Lahore on Saturday shortly after an Islamabad trial court found him guilty of corrupt practices in the Toshakhana case and sentenced him to three years in prison.

How'll you crush PTI when its vote bank is increasing, Imran asked Pak govt

A day before his arrest, Pakistan's ousted prime minister Imran Khan claimed that his party would sweep the next elections as the vindictive actions taken against him and his supporters by the Shehbaz Sharif-led government, backed by the military establishment, were only increasing his party's vote bank. The 70-year-old embattled former premier was arrested on Saturday from his Lahore's Zaman Park residence after the Islamabad trial court sentenced him in absentia to three years in prison in a corruption case over the sale of expensive state gifts when he was in power. The move could disqualify him from politics. "The military establishment and the government have a fear that the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) would sweep the polls. The May 9 incidents (attack on army installations) were an excuse as they (the military and the government) had already planned to crush my party," Khan said in his address to the nation on YouTube on Friday night. "How will you crush the party when its

Pakistan's inflation touches 29.8% amid rise in food, energy prices

Out of these commodities, the price of milk, sugar, and firewood went up; wheat flour and vegetable ghee decreased; whereas prices of long cloth, and electricity remained unchanged

Pak court sentences Imran Khan to three years in prison in Toshakhana case

A court in Pakistan on Saturday sentenced Imran Khan to three years in prison in a corruption case in which the embattled former prime minister is accused of profiting from selling expensive state gifts when he was in power. Additional Judge Humayun Dilawar of the Islamabad-based district and sessions judge also imposed Rs100,000 fine on Khan, adding that he would be kept in jail for another six months if failed to pay the fine. Khan, 70, was convicted in the Toshakhana case which was filed last year on the complaint of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) which had earlier disqualified him in the same case. The verdict came a day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) set aside a session court's verdict to uphold the maintainability of the Toshakhana case for criminal proceedings against Khan. The Toshakhana issue over the sale of state gifts received by the former cricketer-turned-politician became a major issue in national politics after the ECP disqualified Khan on October 2

Pak imposed PKR 215 bn additional taxes to meet IMF condition: Ishaq Dar

Although Pakistan was able to secure the IMF deal just in time, the conditions imposed by the body are turning out to be tedious to implement

Hockey ACT: Pakistan coach elated after team's 1-1 draw vs defending champs

Pakistan head coach Muhammad Saqlain on Friday said his young side has surprised everyone by holding defending champions South Korea to 1-1 draw in their second match of the Asian Champions Trophy here. However, he rued that playing back-to-back matches was a bit tedious task for his unit. Pakistan is coming off a 1-3 defeat against Malaysia on Thursday and remains winless in the opening two meetings, managing just a point. "We have surprised everyone today. If you look at the side we have, most of the players do not have the experience of playing more than two or three international games. So, international exposure is very important here," he said after the draw. "It was a very beautiful tie. Korea is the fittest side in the world. We played back-to-back matches, which is quite tough, considering we have a very young team." "We played according to our stature and we again missed many chances. Our luck is not favouring us either. I hope to get some time with this team, maybe one

Pak SC dismisses former PM Imran Khan's plea against Toshakhana trial

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday dismissed Imran Khan's plea against trial proceedings in a corruption case in which the former premier is accused of concealing details of the gifts he retained from the state repository, as he withdrew the case. While dismissing the plea in the Toshakhana case, the apex court observed that the application seeking the transfer of the case to another court was underway in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The court expressed the hope that the trial and the IHC will make decisions as per the law. The Supreme Court observed that the said decision would not affect other pleas filed by Khan, 70. Khan is accused of misusing his 2018 to 2022 premiership to buy and sell gifts in state possession that were received during visits abroad and worth more than Rs 140 million (USD 635,000). On Wednesday, the apex court turned down Khan's request to stay the trial in the Toshakhana case being heard at an Islamabad sessions court. However, it had also granted relief

Hockey: Asian Champions Trophy schedule, IND vs PAK timing, live telecast

In the Asian Champions Trophy, the India vs Pakistan match will take place on August 9 at 8:30 PM IST.

ACT Hockey 2023 MAL vs PAK: Ashari's twin strike hand Malaysia 3-1 win

Firhan Ashari struck twice as Malaysia defeated Pakistan 3-1 in the second game of the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy Hockey at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here on Thursday. For Malaysia, Ashari scored in the 28th and 29th minutes, while Shello Silverius found the net in the 44th minute. Pakistan's lone goal was scored by Abdul Rehman in the 55th minute. The opening quarter happened to be an engaging one, as both the sides came up with a decent number of scoring chances, including a penalty corner each, but failed to convert. In the following quarter, the match once again witnessed some decent scoring chances from both the teams, including an unsuccessful penalty corner conversion from Malaysia. However, Malaysia struck on consecutive occasions just two minutes before half-time. Ashari scored a quick brace in an acrobatic fashion through field strikes to put his side in the driver's seat as the teams headed into the half-way break. After the restart, Pakistan continued t

Pakistan Cabinet approves signing of security pact with US: Report

Pakistan's Cabinet has quietly approved the signing of a new security pact with the US, a move that indicates a fresh start in bilateral defence cooperation after years of wilderness in ties and may open avenues for Islamabad to get military hardware from Washington, a media report said on Thursday. The Cabinet, through a circulation summary, gave its seal of approval to the signing of the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement, known as the CIS-MOA, between Pakistan and the US, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. However, there was no official announcement from either side about the signing of the agreement. According to the report, Federal Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb was approached but did not respond. The development comes days after Pakistan and the US agreed to further enhance their bilateral relations, including in the defence field, at a meeting between US Central Command (Centcom) chief General Michael Erik Kurilla and ...

Neeraj Chopra's phone call leaves Pakistan javelin thrower Yasir elated

: Muhammad Yasir, the young Pakistani javelin thrower, is ecstatic after receiving a phone call from Neeraj Chopra, India's Olympic gold winner, congratulating him on winning a bronze medal in the Asian Athletics Championships. Yasir achieved the feat with a throw of 79.93 meters during the event in Bangkok last month. It was a pleasant surprise when he (Neeraj Chopra) called me up and appreciated my performance after I won the bronze medal in the javelin event recently. He wished me best of luck for future events, Yasir told Geo TV. While India took home 27 medals including six gold and 12 silver from the Asian meet, Pakistan's only medal came through Yasir. Pakistan's top javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem didn't take part in the championships due to a long-standing injury problem. Yasir said he closely follows Chopra's performances and his training routines. The only difference between Pakistani and Indian athletes is that they have the opportunity to train with foreign coaches on

Hockey Asian Champions Trophy: Pakistan captain Bhutta motivates young team

Unfazed by the responsibility of leading the team in the Asian Champions Trophy, Pakistan captain Umar Bhutta said on Wednesday that he was geared up to motivate the team to do well in the important tournament. Bhutta is the senior-most player in this young Pakistan side, and he said his task would be to ensure optimum performance from his players. "Of course, there is an extra responsibility as a skipper. Since the team is quite young, I have a job to get the team together and motivate it. So, hopefully, I can make them perform to their fullest and motivate them to put their everything for this event as well as for the Asian Games," Bhutta told PTI. Having failed to qualify for the FIH World Cup earlier this year, Pakistan will see the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games as an opportunity to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024. However, Bhutta said the enormity of the target has not added any extra dollop of pressure on the Pakistan players. "I don't think so (that there is any extra .

Pakistan PM Sharif invites Turkey to join China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday invited Turkey to join the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), turning it into a trilateral arrangement so that all three friendly nations could benefit from its potential. Sharif made the remarks at the launch ceremony of a fourth MILGEM class corvette warship PNS Tariq, which was inducted into the Pakistan Navy fleet at a ceremony at the Karachi Shipyard. Initiated in 2018, the MILGEM project envisaged the construction of four corvettes for the Pakistan Navy - two in Pakistan and two in Turkey. Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz was also present at the ceremony. Renewing his last year's invitation to Turkey to join the CPEC, Shehbaz said turning the multi-billion dollar infrastructure project into a trilateral arrangement would bring regional prosperity and empower people through the best facilities, including education and health. I think all three nations can benefit from the potential of the CPEC which has be

Death toll at 63 in suicide blast at JUI-F political convention in Pakistan

The death toll from the powerful blast triggered by an Islamic State suicide bomber at a convention of a hardline Islamist party in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has risen sharply to 63, authorities said on Wednesday. The attack took place on Sunday when more than 400 members of the conservative Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, known for its links to hardline political Islam, had gathered for a meeting under a large tent in the town of Khar, which borders Afghanistan. The banned terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, which injured over 120 people in Khar, the capital of the Bajaur tribal district. According to Dr Liaqat Ali of the District Headquarters Hospital, 43 bodies were brought to the hospital after the blast, and so far, a total of 63 people have died in the Bajaur blast, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. Ali added that one severely injured person died at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar, whil

Pak rice exporters having a field day as India bans non-basmati rice export

Rice exporters of Pakistan are having a field day due to the Indian government's ban on the export of non-basmati white rice to the international market. On July 20, the Indian government banned exports of non-basmati white rice to boost domestic supply and keep retail prices under check during the upcoming festive season. Non-basmati white rice constitutes about 25 per cent of total rice exported from the country. Pakistan Rice Exporters Association Chairman Chela Ram Kewlani said that the ban on non-Basmati white rice export by India has led to an increase in the export orders of Pakistani firms. There is a big demand for Pakistani rice in the global market after India placed restrictions on the export of non-basmati rice. International buyers are now turning towards Pakistani exporters, Kewlani told PTI on Wednesday. This year, Pakistan is expected to export rice worth over USD 3 billion dollars, he said, adding that the price of basmati rice has risen by 100 dollars per ...

Ready to hold talks with India on all outstanding issues: Pak PM Sharif

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday offered talks with India to address all serious and outstanding issues as he said "war is not an option" for both countries as they fight poverty and unemployment. Sharif made the remarks while addressing the inaugural session of the Pakistan Minerals Summit here. The meeting, organised under the slogan of 'Dust to Development', aimed at bringing foreign investment to the cash-strapped country. "We are prepared to talk with everyone, even with our neighbour, provided that the neighbour is serious to talk serious matters on the table because war is no more an option," the prime minister said, in an apparent reference to India. Prime Minister Sharif's comments came amid continued strain in ties between India and Pakistan on a number of issues including Islamabad's continued support to cross-border terrorism and the Kashmir issue. India has also asserted that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and will" always be part of the country. Prime ..

China will always stand firmly with Pakistan: Xi hails role of CPEC

President Xi Jinping has sought to project an upbeat picture of the impact of the CPEC projects in Pakistan, saying the China-funded venture is a vivid testament to their "ironclad friendship" and vowed to stand firmly with its all-weather ally. China will continue to work with Pakistan to take their strategic ties to new heights, Xi said as the two countries celebrated the 10th anniversary of the launch of the ambitious CPEC infrastructure projects in Islamabad, a day after a major suicide bombing took place in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In his congratulatory message to the 'Decade of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor' (CPEC) celebrations event held in Islamabad on Monday, Xi said the USD 60 billion CPEC infrastructure programme is an "important pioneering project" of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is opposed by India as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied ...

China to work with Pakistan to build CPEC into 'exemplary project': Xi

Stressing that China and Pak will continue to improve overall planning, Xi said no matter how the international landscape may change, China will always stand firmly with Pakistan.

Pak's KSE-100 gains over 900 points; crosses 48K-point mark after 2 years

The Pakistan Stock Exchange's benchmark KSE-100 index saw a significant upsurge on Monday as it closed after breaching the 48,000-point mark for the first time in almost two years after it gained more than 900 points during trading hours. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) also capped off a stable day for Pakistan's cash-strapped economy by maintaining the status quo and keeping its key policy rate unchanged at 22 per cent. According to a Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) spokesperson, the KSE-100 index recorded an increase of 1010.93 points around mid-day from the previous close of 47,076.99 points. The market eventually closed 957.60 points, or 2.03 per cent, up at 48,034.59 points. He said the KSE-100 index had crossed the 48,000 level after 24 months as the last time it breached the mark was in August 2021. Meanwhile, in a press conference on Monday, SBP Governor Jameel Ahmed said the decision to maintain the policy rate was taken after reviewing inflation and external ...

Pakistan terror attack: Bombing kills more than 40, over 200 injured

A suicide bomber detonated explosives at a political rally in Pakistan, killing at least 44 people and wounding nearly 200. Watch the video to know more about the incident.