Punjab govt announces closure of all educational institutes on Friday

LAHORE: The Punjab government announced the closure of all private and public schools, colleges and universities across the province today.  According to a notification on Thursday, the government also imposed Section 144 in the province for the next two days — October 18 and 19. The notification said that all kinds of protests and rallies will be banned in the province.  The government’s decision to impose Section 144 was made to maintain law and order and protect of human lives and property, said the notification.  The development comes after the ongoing protests…

SSC, HSSC: New grading system aiming to promote fairness introduced

ISLAMABAD: The Inter Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC) on Wednesday introduced a new grading system for matric and intermediate examinations — a move towards modernising the education system of the country.  The new system aims to promote fairness, transparency, and accuracy in student evaluation. The Sindh government was the first to adopt the new grading system and later the federal government and the governments of Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan notified new grading policy. Sharing the details of key features of the new grading system, the IBCC said that it will…

SCO, other matters on agenda as Chinese PM to reach Pakistan tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Pakistan for four days, starting October 14 (tomorrow).During his stay here, Qiang will attend conference of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and discuss a range of topics of mutual interest with Pakistan on its sidelines. The Foreign Office said PM Li would be accompanied by ministers and senior officials including those from the ministries of foreign affairs and commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and the China International Development Cooperation Agency. “PM Shehbaz and Premier Li will lead their respective delegations to…

New cases lodged against Imran Khan, CM Gandapur after D-Chowk protest

After the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a protest at D-Chowk in Islamabad on October 4, five new cases were brought against Imran Khan, the party’s founder on Monday. Besides Imran, several other party leaders have been implicated in these new cases related to the protest last week. Those facing fresh charges include Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and former Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid, who face two cases each. On October 3, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had warned the Imran-founded party against launching an “onslaught on Islamabad”. He…

Dr Mahrang Baloch makes it to TIME’s 100 most influential people list

Dr Mahrang Baloch, a human rights activist and leader of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has been featured among Time magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People 2024’ list for “advocating peacefully for Baloch rights”. The list, which includes leaders, innovators, advocates and artists, recognise many of today’s most influential leaders “who are not waiting long in life to make an impact,” the magazine said on Wednesday. Mahrang was selected for “advocating peacefully” for Baloch rights and leading the December 2023 march to Islamabad, where hundreds of women sought “justice for their husbands, sons, and…

PPP ‘agrees so far’ on constitutional court formation amid calls for judicial package

QUETTA: Amid concerns of the opposition over the ‘controversial’ constitutional package, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that his party has assented to the ruling PML-N’s proposal for establishing a federal constitutional court as yet. “We have no issue if anyone of the top two judges sits in the constitutional court,” he said while speaking at a Balochistan High Court (BHC) Bar’s session in Quetta on Tuesday. Bilawal, the former foreign minister, elucidated that his struggle was for the constitutional amendment and not for the incumbent chief justice, Qazi Faez…

‘Global threat’: Quad nations urge Afghan Taliban govt to dismantle terror groups

NEW YORK: A ministerial meeting of the Quadrilateral Group — Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia — expressed deep concern over security challenges related to terrorism in Afghanistan, urging the Afghan interim government to dismantle all terror groups “equally and non- discriminatory”. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since the Taliban government returned to power in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021, mostly in the northwestern border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but also in southwestern Balochistan, which abuts Afghanistan and Iran. According to data from the Pak Institute for Peace Studies…

Verdict on Punjab election tribunals’ case to be announced on Monday

ISLAMABAD: A five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa will announce its reserved verdict on the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) appeal in Punjab election tribunals case on September 30 (Monday). The bench had reserved the verdict on the Punjab election tribunals’ case earlier this week. Alongside CJP Isa, the bench includes Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi. The top court had also ordered the top electoral authority to make the tribunals functional for hearing…

Pakistan fulfils all conditions for IMF deal’s approval: PM Shehbaz

discuss Pakistan’s loan By APP & Web Desk September 25, 2024 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday confirmed that Pakistan is in the final stages of securing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after agreeing to all of its stringent conditions after he attended the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) earlier on the same day. “There is an IMF board meeting tomorrow. We have fulfilled all their conditions which were very strict,” the prime minister told reporters following the inaugural session of the UNGA in…

PM Shehbaz arrives in US to attend 79th UNGA session

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached New York on Monday on a five-day official visit to the United States during which he will attend the UN General Assembly (UNGA)’s 79th session. He will address the UNGA session on September 27 (Friday). At the UNGA, he will highlight Pakistan’s perspective on a multitude of international and regional matters, including the Kashmir dispute and the Palestine issue. The premier will reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment to multilateralism and support for the role of the United Nations in fostering global peace, security and prosperity. On…