Category: Pakistan

As part of precautionary measures, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday constituted a high-level committee to deal with any potential emergency situation during the upcoming monsoon season. Chairing a meeting regarding national preparedness for the monsoon in Islamabad, the prime minister directed all relevant institutions to remain on high alert. He also instructed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to assist all provincial governments and related institutions regarding the monsoon, Radio Pakistan reported. The premier said advisory to the people living in affected areas regarding any expected situation in emergency due to…

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced on Sunday that virtual negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are progressing positively, with an extended fund facility worth $6-8 billion expected to be agreed upon in July 2024. Addressing a news conference here, he said: “Our goal is to ensure this is the final IMF programme,” underscoring the importance of macroeconomic stability to prevent severe economic damage. Commenting on a recent resolution in the US House of Representative regarding elections in Pakistan, Aurangzeb clarified that it was unrelated to the IMF programme.…

LAHORE: The controversial Punjab Defamation Law, 2024, Saturday was challenged in the Lahore High Court after acting Governor Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan signed the bill. Earlier today, sources told Geo News that the bill received a final nod from the acting governor in the absence of Punjab Governor Sardar Salim Khan, who is currently on leave. The petitions challenging the law have been filed by journalist Jaffar Ahmad Yar and a citizen Raja Riaz. In the pleas filed by the two individuals, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the governor, and the…

RAWALPINDI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday raided Bahria Town’s office in Rawalpindi to “search for records of Al-Qadir Trust University”. The anti-corruption watchdog’s team conducted the raid to “search for records of Al-Qadir Trust University” at Bahria Town’s Rawalpindi office, sources told Geo News. It also emerged that the Punjab police and elite force’s teams were also present in the raid. It is noteworthy to mention here that Al-Qadir Trust University links to a high-profile case leading to the incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s £190 million National…

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Sunday allowed the police to interrogate Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail for a period of three days in May 9 violence related cases. As per details, the police implicated the senior PTI leader in eight more cases in connection with the May 9 mayhem. Qureshi, the former foreign minister, is currently imprisoned in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail in multiple cases. In addition to this, a special court established under the Official Secrets Act had handed Qureshi 10…

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held a telephone conversation with his Irish counterpart Simon Harris. During the phone call, PM Shehbaz commended Irland’s recent decision to recognise the state of Palestine amid the ongoing Israeli aggression. Ireland, Spain, and Norway have announced to formally recognise the Palestinian state next week, a move that drew fury from Israel. The premier said Ireland’s decision would send a message of hope and solidarity to the innocent Palestinians, who were suffering Israel’s brutal atrocities. “It would also go a long way in…

Amid the strong protest by the opposition, the PML-N-led government on Monday managed to bulldoze the controversial Defamation Bill 2024 in the Punjab Assembly. According to treasury benches, the bill is aimed at stopping fake news, while media bodies termed it “draconian” in its current form. Brushing aside the media bodies’ request to differ the proposed bill, Punjab’s Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Mian Shuja-ur-Rehman tabled the bill in the House. Earlier in the day, representatives of the media bodies met Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari and requested her…

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will take up the suo motu notice against Senator Faisal Vawda on Friday after he verbally attacked the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges in a presser. A three-member bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan will conduct the hearing. Vawda on Wednesday blasted the IHC judges over their letter alleging meddling by spy agencies in judicial affairs, saying that targeting of institutions should stop. Following his remarks, the top court took suo motu…