Pakistan

Punjab sets up 'smog war room' to tackle hazardous air pollution

But Wednesday's index score for Lahore fell short of last week's unprecedented score of 1900, which had exceeded recommended levels by more than 120 times, prompting closure of primary schools

Officials to waive or reduce interest due from taxpayers

Under the Income Tax Act Section 220 (2A), if a taxpayer fails to pay the tax amount specified in any demand notice, he/she is liable to pay interest at 1 per cent per month for the period of delay

India's power emissions must peak by 2026 to align with Paris pact

The world's third-biggest emitter needs $12.4 trillion in investment to reach net zero ahead of its official target of 2070, BNEF said in its New Energy Outlook for India

Pakistan: Brother, sister die after falling into open manhole in Karachi

Two young siblings, a boy and his sister have died after they allegedly fell into an uncovered manhole in the Punjabi city of Liaquatpur, ARY News reported on Wednesday.According to the news report, the incident happened in Shams Colony of Liaquatpur city area, where Muqaddas (8) and Rehman (10) were playing outside their house and accidentally slipped into a manhole.Rescue personnel arrived at the scene after receiving information and collected the victims' bodies.The victim's family said that despite numerous complaints being made to the authorities concerned about the manhole, none of them were taken seriously, according to ARY News.A similar tragedy took place in Karachi's Malir district earlier this month when a child fell into an open manhole and drowned.The tragic accident happened in Memon Goth, where a two-and-a-half-year-old boy perished after falling into a sewer. The deceased was his only son, his father Abdur Rehman said.According to a cousin of the bereaving family, the .

Imran Khan to be presented at Police Lines Headquarters in H11 in Islamabad

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will be presented at New Police Guest House, Police Lines Headquarters in H11/1 instead of the F8 Court Complex, Islamabad and Judicial Complex G 11/4

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Shehbaz govt to table Pak SC bill in joint session of parliament today

The bill was aimed at curtailing the powers of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) -- including the suo motu and the formation of benches

PTI leader Imran Khan to present white paper against Pak govt's performance

According to sources, Khan will via a video link address, issue a white paper on the country's economic situation

Toshakhana case: Lahore High Court to hear Imran Khan's plea on April 12

A Pakistani court on Saturday fixed April 12 as the date for the much-awaited hearing on the Toshakhana corruption case against ousted prime minister Imran Khan. A five-member bench of the Lahore High Court headed by Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan will hear the plea, according to the Dawn newspaper. The petition, filed through Senator Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, pleads that the cognisance and exercise of jurisdiction by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) based on an alleged incorrect statement of assets and the subsequent disqualification was unlawful and contrary to the Constitution, the report said. The court will resume the hearing on April 12 and allow both parties in the ongoing case to present their arguments, it said.

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IMF deal well on track, assures Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar

Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday assured a jittery nation that the much-delayed ninth review of the USD 7 billion IMF programme was well on track, a day after he cancelled his visit to Washington for the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank. Cash-strapped Pakistan and the IMF have failed to reach a staff-level agreement on the much-needed USD 1.1 billion bailout package aimed at preventing the country from going bankrupt. The funds are part of a USD 6.5 billion bailout package the IMF approved in 2019, which analysts say is critical if Pakistan is to avoid defaulting on external debt obligations. The only hitch for the IMF deal to go through was the confirmation of a USD 1 billion commitment from a friendly country, Dar said in his address to the nation. In the past two weeks, one of our friendly countries has again given them (the IMF) the confirmation [of its commitment to help Pakistan] with USD 2 billion. We are now only awaiting the confirmation of a USD

Comparison should be done with someone better: SP chief Akhilesh reacts

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday took a jibe at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his remarks on how India was faring better than Pakistan, saying comparison should always be done with someone better. In a tweet in Hindi, Yadav said, "Reference: UP chief minister is talking about being better than Pakistan. The golden rule of comparison: Comparison should always be done with someone who is better than you." On Friday, Adityanath said while India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership was providing free ration to over 80 crore people, the people in the neighbouring country were struggling to get two meals a day. "All Indians are getting benefits of development schemes without any discrimination. The nation is scaling new heights of prosperity. Efforts are being made to create the best security environment in the nation," he said. Without naming anyone, Adityanath added that some people wanted India to become like Pakistan.

Pak President Alvi returns to Parl Bill curtailing chief justice's powers

Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Saturday returned to Parliament for reconsideration a bill aimed at clipping the powers of the chief justice, citing that the proposed legislation is beyond the jurisdiction of the legislative body and can be assailed as a "colourable legislation". Pakistan is witnessing a rift between the judiciary and the government after a three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Uma Ata Bandial on Tuesday fixed May 14 as the new date for elections to the Punjab Assembly and quashed the Election Commission's decision to extend the date of the poll from April 10 to October 8. The apex court's verdict was criticised by the coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, which has refused to accept it. The government also is keen to curb the suo moto (on its own) powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Bandial. The Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023 was approved

Pakistan issues 2,856 visas to Sikh pilgrims for Baisakhi from April 9-18

During the visit, the pilgrims would go to Dera Sahib, Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib. They would enter Pakistan on April 9 and return to India on April 18

Dangerous ruling buffoons, making a mockery of Pakistan: Imran Khan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday expressed his concern about the government's actions, stating that they are making a mockery of Pakistan abroad."The dangerous ruling buffoons don't realise the damage they are doing to Pak's image abroad by sham FIRs & absurd sedition charges against a former PM for using terms 'Dirty Harry' & 'psycopath'! They are making a mockery of Pakistan," tweeted Khan.He also warned that foreign investors may be getting a troubling message after the Pakistani government's decision to not accept the Supreme Court's decision in the Punjab polls delay case."Also, what msg is being sent to foreign investors when govt itself is not accepting SC decisions? Investors need security of contracts & that means faith in judicial system. What confidence can they have when govt itself casting aside SC orders? This happens in a banana republic," he tweeted.Khan's comments came after the federal government

Pak needs to pay $77.5 bn in debt; risk of default 'real': US think tank

Pakistan needs to repay a whopping USD 77.5 billion in external debt from April 2023 to June 2026 and the cash-strapped country may face "disruptive effects if it ultimately defaults, a prominent US think tank has warned. The analysis published on Thursday by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) warned that amid skyrocketing inflation, political conflicts, and rising terrorism, Pakistan is facing the risk of a default due to its massive external debt obligations, the Geo News reported on Friday. Pakistan, currently tackling a major economic crisis, is grappling with high external debt, a weak local currency and dwindling foreign exchange reserves. The USIP report called the USD 77.5 billion that Pakistan needs to repay in external debt from April 2023 to June 2026 a hefty amount for a USD 350 billion economy. It stated that if Pakistan ultimately defaults, there will be a cascade of disruptive effects. In the next three years, the debt-struck country has to make major ...

Pak Army Chief's personal data breach prompts formal inquiry by Parliament

A powerful panel of Pakistan's Parliament has sought a criminal investigation against officials of a government agency who allegedly accessed the personal information of Army chief General Asim Munir and his family, a media report said on Friday. According to the Dawn newspaper, two Pakistani journalists claimed in a vlog earlier this week that in October 2022, personal data and travel records of Gen. Munir's family were allegedly accessed by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) officers in a bid to stop his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff. NADRA also confirmed the news of the personal information of the Army chief's family being accessed and stolen. At a Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) meeting on Thursday, chaired by Member of the National Assembly Noor Alam Khan, expressed serious concerns over media reports about the breach, the report said. Khan said that those involved in the data theft should be behind bars, adding that Military Intelligen

Pakistan has replied to India on Indus Water Treaty review: Foreign Office

Pakistan has responded to a letter by India asking to start negotiations for the review of the Indus Water Treaty, the Foreign Office said on Wednesday. India earlier this year for the first time issued a notice to Pakistan, seeking a review and modification of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), in view of Islamabad's "intransigence" to comply with the dispute redressal mechanism of the pact that was signed more than six decades ago for matters relating to cross-border rivers. "I can confirm that Pakistan has responded to the Indian letter on the Indus Water Treaty. Pakistan remains committed to the implementation of the Treaty in good faith and to ensure its water security," Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at the weekly briefing. "I would not like to add to media speculation. As I have said, we have responded to India. I have nothing further to add," she said when asked about the details of the Pakistani response. The India Water Treaty (IWT) signed in 1960 throug

Pak's election commission announces Punjab poll on May 14 as directed by SC

Pakistan's election watchdog on Wednesday announced that it will hold the polls in the politically crucial Punjab province on May 14 as directed by the Supreme Court a day earlier. A three-member bench of the apex court led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday fixed May 14 as the new date for elections to the Punjab Assembly, as it quashed the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to extend the polls date from April 10 to October 8. As per the schedule announced by the election commission on Wednesday, polling for elections in Punjab will be held on May 14. The last date for filing an appeal against the decision of the Returning Officer regarding the nomination papers will be April 10. "The ECP hereby recalls its notification of even number dated March 22, 2023 and in partial modification to this commission's notification of March 8, 2023 hereby revises the following stages of the election programme for the conduct of general elections to the provincial assembly o

BSF apprehendes Pakistani national trying to enter India via Gujarat

The Border Security Force has apprehended a Pakistani national trying to enter India through the border along Gujarat's Banaskantha district, the BSF said on Wednesday. BSF troopers observed a Pakistani national crossing the international border on Tuesday. They nabbed him as soon as he climbed down the gate near the Border Out Post (BOP) Nadeshwari in Banaskantha district, the BSF said. The man, identified as Daya Ram, a resident of Nagarparkar in Pakistan, was seen negotiating a fence gate by climbing over it to enter the Indian side of the fence, the BSF Gujarat Frontier said in a release. "He was immediately apprehended as soon as he climbed down the gate near BOP Nadeshwari in Banaskantha District," it said.