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ISLAMABAD: The Election Commi­ssion of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday took up for hearing yet another case pertaining to the PTI’s intra-party elections, but without sharing the details of the objections against it with the party. When a five-member full bench of the ECP headed by Chief Election Commi­ssioner Sikandar Sultan Raja took up the matter, ECP Director Gene­ral (Political Finance) Masood Akhtar noted that PTI had conducted intra-party elections afresh after Supreme Court and ECP directives in this regard, but the objections to the polls needed to be clarified. In response to this assertion, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan maintained they would respond to any objections raised by the political finance wing of the commission but informed the bench that details of the objections had not been shared with the party. Subsequently, the ECP bench issued directions for the provision of details of the objections to the PTI and asked the party to submit its response to the same, ...

Journalist Munizae Jahangir on Tuesday rejected allegations that people protesting in support of Gaza were manhandled by staff of the 5th Asma Jahangir Conference and termed than an “outrageous lie”. The 5th Asma Jahangir Conference, titled ‘People’s Mandate: Safeguarding Civil Rights in South Asia’, took place in Lahore over the weekend. A pro-Palestine protester had interrupted and chanted slogans during the German ambassador’s speech on civil rights at the conference on Saturday. Just moments after the ambassador began his speech, the protester could be heard saying, “Excuse me, Mr ambassador. I am shocked by the audacity that you are here to talk about civil rights while your country is brutally abusing the people speaking for the rights of the Palestinians.” The Progressive Students Collective (PSC) said its members had “exposed the hypocrisy of German ambassador” and also lashed out at the conference organisers, saying they had “forcefully silenced the voices o...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that the release of the final $1.1 billion tranche by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the stand-by arrangement (SBA) would bring more economic stability. On Monday, the Fund had approved the immediate disbursement of approximately $1.1bn to Pakistan. Its executive board met in Washington and completed the second review under the SBA, bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to about $3 billion. All board members favoured releasing the last installment except India, which abstained. “The completion of the second and final review ref­lects the authorities’ stronger policy efforts under the SBA, which have supported the stabilisation of the economy and the ret­urn of modest growth,” the IMF said in a statement. “To move Pakistan from stabilisation to a strong and sustainable recovery the authorities need to continue their policy and reform efforts, including strict adherence to fiscal targets,” the statement a...

Fire destroyed exam papers collected from 23 Bannu Education Board examination centres http://dlvr.it/T6CYds

Alleges that PTI changed its tune only when met with silence http://dlvr.it/T6CBY5

Shehbaz thanks Mohammed bin Salman for sending high-level Saudi delegation to Pakistan http://dlvr.it/T6Bw8y

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday came out in open support of the PTI’s democratic and constitutional rights to hold protests and rallies. The JUI-F and the PTI had reached a consensus in the aftermath of February’s elections and announced that the elections were rigged. The parties have since touched base on protesting against the government, but the JUI-F has not been included in a six-party opposition alliance against the incumbent government. The JUI-F was a spearhead and major part of the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government that came to power after ousting the PTI regime through a no-confidence vote. Supporters of the PTI took out rallies across Karachi on Friday to protest the incarceration of party founder Imran Khan, and demanded that the judiciary take notice of the “highhandedness” of the authorities for denying the party its constitutional right to protest whenever it announced to take to the streets. In the National ...

Benchmark KSE-100 rises 403 points, up by 0.35% from last week's close http://dlvr.it/T68x5t

Court observes no manner has been prescribed under the relevant laws http://dlvr.it/T68c2d

Shehbaz reiterated his invitation to Crown Prince Mohammed to undertake an official visit to Pakistan http://dlvr.it/T68bp7

Pundits believe appeals to engage with powers that be stem from belief that no one else holds keys to PTI's salvation http://dlvr.it/T68Lcd

LOWER DIR: Reacting to the ‘derogatory’ remarks against the party chief Aimal Wali Khan by some Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf activists during a workers’ convention in Qaziabad Balambat, Pakhtun Students’ Federation (PSF) leaders on Saturday demanded of the PTI leadership to apologise and rein in its workers. Speaking at a news conference at the Timergara Press Club, PSF district president Mohammad Azeem, senior vice-president Ziaullah, village council chairman Malak Saifullah and others flayed the PTI activists for using ‘abusive’ language against the leaderships of ANP, PPP and JUI-F. They alleged PTI had created hatred and its activists used uncivilised language against political rivals. They said ‘derogatory’ remarks by some PTI activists had sparked anger among workers of ANP, PPP and JUI-F. The PSF leaders said their party had announced to support the JI candidate in the Balambat tehsil council chairman by-election, and all the opposition parties were backing him. ...

Premier will meet Emir Kuwait, MD IMF and other world leaders on sidelines http://dlvr.it/T66xQr

QUETTA: The striking transporters, who had suspended operations on the Quetta-Taftan and other routes for the last one week, demanding the cancellation of new SOPs and the removal of newly established checkpoints following the tragic incident in Noshki, have threatened to block all national highways linking Balochistan with other provinces if their demands are not met within the next 48 hours. The provincial government had taken serious notice of the Noshki incident, in which nine people from Punjab province were gunned down by unknown armed men after being kidnapped from a Taftan-bound passenger bus. These victims were en route to European countries via Iran and Iraq. In response, the government decided to reassess its security plan to ensure safe travel on national highways. As part of the revised security plan, the provincial government decided to reinstate security checkpoints on the Quetta-Taftan, Quetta-Karachi, coastal highway, and other routes. Demand cancella...

Differences within party intensify over PAC top slot http://dlvr.it/T66hf9

QUETTA: A terrorist was killed and another injured in a gun battle with security forces in Harnai district of northern Balochistan on Saturday, the military’s media wing said in a statement. The heavy exchange of fire occurred between security forces and terrorists belonging to a banned outfit on the Harnai-Sanjavi road. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement that the terrorists attempted to stop passenger vehicles travelling on Sanjavi Road in Harnai. Security forces promptly responded and effectively engaged the terrorists. “The timely response by the security forces thwarted the nefarious intent of the terrorists, saving innocent lives,” ISPR said, adding that a sanitisation operation is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area. Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts of sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan, the ISPR said. Published in Dawn, April...

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb accompanying premier on two-day visit http://dlvr.it/T65x1J

• Opposition leaders accuse interior minister of ‘perpetuating political victimisation’ • Speaker expels official from gallery; admonishes bureaucrats for ‘not taking parliament seriously’ ISLAMABAD: Opposition PTI members on Friday launched a scathing attack on Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, accusing him of perpetuating political victimisation, after the minister made a long-awaited appearance in the National Assembly. First, it was PTI’s Jamshed Dasti who lambasted Mr Naqvi for the alleged abuse of power and targeting of rivals. Then, Opposition Leader Omar Ayub denounced “the constant witch-hunting of PTI leaders and activists by the Punjab and Islamabad police on the directives of Mr Naqvi, when he was the caretaker chief minister of Punjab and now when he has assumed the charge of interior minister”. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar also accused the police of disrupting the party’s founding day event in Islamabad on Thursday and demanded an action against those who even...

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has clubbed a set of ten petitions and applications seeking the court’s intervention in response to allegations of “intelligence agencies’ meddling in judicial affairs”, which were highlighted following a March 25 letter by six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges. Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the bench includes Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Musarrat Hilali, and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan. They will resume the case on April 30, initiated on a suo motu. Justice Yahya Afridi has already recused himself from the bench and will no longer participate. One of the applications concerns impleadment as a party in the hearing, moved by six members of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), seeking an inquiry commission to probe the allegations levelled in the high court judge’s letter. Constitutional petitions by the Lahore High Court Bar Association also requested the appointm...

• Farmers advised to secure harvests, citizens asked to avoid unnecessary travel • Rain, falling prices put wheat crop in Punjab at risk ISLAMABAD / LAHORE: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued a nationwide alert on Friday, cautioning against severe weather conditions expec­ted to persist until April 29. The forecast predicts rain, storms, and hail, potentially leading to flash floods and landslides across the country. “Hailstorms can damage crops and infrastructure. People should avoid unnecessary travel and crossing rivers and canals. Repair mud houses and ensure water drainage,” the NDMA said, urging citizens to stay away from electric poles and trees in case of lightning. It advised farmers to plan their harvest, especially wheat, according to the weather. The warning comes at a time when crops are ready to be harvested, especially the wheat crop. Prolonged spells of rain have already delayed wheat harvest in the Potohar region. Farmers in ...

Lawmaker emphasises the need for mutual respect and collective action http://dlvr.it/T64BVl

Pentagon says US delivered 427,300 weapons to Afghan military, of which 300,000 were left behind during withdrawal http://dlvr.it/T63vqX

ویب ڈیسک: امریکی محکمہ خارجہ کے نائب ترجمان ویدانت پٹیل نے پریس بریفنگ کے دوران گفتگو کرتے ہوئے کہا ہے کہ پاکستان سے رشتہ مضبوط ہے اور اسے مزید مضبوط بنانے کی کوشش کریں گے۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ مزید پڑھیں The post پاکستان سے رشتہ مزید مضبوط بنانے کی کوشش کریں گے، ویدانت پٹیل appeared first on Mashriq TV. http://dlvr.it/T622Tt

ویب ڈیسک: آئِ سی سی ٹی 20 ورلڈ کپ کی ٹرافی پاکستان پہنچ گئی۔ دورہ پاکستان پر آئی ٹی 20 ورلڈ کپ ٹرافی کی رونمائی مختلف مقامات پر کی جائیگی۔ یاد رہے کہ آئی سی سی ٹی 20 ورلڈ کپ مزید پڑھیں The post آئِی سی سی ٹی 20 ورلڈ کپ کی ٹرافی پاکستان پہنچ گئی appeared first on Mashriq TV. http://dlvr.it/T622GH

ویب ڈیسک: ضلع اپر کرم پاک افغان سرحد کے قریب متہ سنگر کے علاقے میں دہشتگردوں کی موجودگی کی اطلاع پر ایف سی کی جانب سے کارروائی کی گئی۔ چھاپہ مار کارروائی کے دوران دہشتگردوں کی فائرنگ سے دو ایف مزید پڑھیں The post پاراچنار، دہشتگردوں کی فائرنگ سے ایف سی اہلکاروں سمیت 3افراد جاں بحق appeared first on Mashriq TV. http://dlvr.it/T6224X

Balochistan Assembly Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai was reinstated on Thursday after the Supreme Court annulled the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) orders to suspend him. The ECP’s order of re-polling at 12 polling stations in Balochistan’s PB-51 (Chaman) constituency was also declared null and void. Achakzai was removed from his position following the ECP decision earlier this month to suspend his election notification and order re-election in 12 polling stations within PB-51. The directive for the re-election came after a challenge to his victory by three contenders: Muhammad Asghar Ach­akzai of the Awami Natio­nal Party (ANP), Abasin Achakzai and Muham­m­­ad Sadiq, all of whom were defeated in the general ele­­ction for the PB-51 seat. Achakzai, a PML-N member, challenged the decision in the apex court and a three-member bench headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan conducted the hearing on the matter today. With the consent of PB-51’s candidates, the court sent the m...

LONDON: MQM sup­remo Altaf Hussain appe­ared in a UK High Court on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a two-day hearing in his appeal against the MQM-P in a case related to London properties. The court heard arguments from both sides and reserved its verdict, which is expected this week. Last year, the MQM-P had triumphed over Mr Hussain when the court said that seven London properties valued at about GBP10 million were the possession of the MQM-P. The MQM-P, represented by Information Technology Minister Aminul Haque, was declared to be the beneficiaries of the trusts and therefore of the properties. The trial pivoted on the ownership of these properties and saw Mr Hussain battle it out with party factions and ex-loyalists over who was the party’s true leader and therefore a beneficiary of seven assets. The MQM had split into two factions: MQM-Lon­don and MQM-Pakistan, in August 2016, after a Mr Hussain’s spe­ech triggered violence in Karachi. In March last year, the judg...

QUETTA: Two workers died after inhaling poisonous gas while working deep inside a coal mine in Duki district of Balochistan on Wednesday. Levies officials said a group of miners were operating hundreds of feet below the ground when lethal methane gas accumulated in the mine located in the Duki coalfield. Two of the miners fell unconscious after inhaling the poisonous gas while others succeeded in getting out of the mine. Soon after receiving information about the incident, other mineworkers rushed to the site and launched a rescue operation. They succeeded in reaching the trapped miners, but found them dead. “The bodies were shifted to the district hospital where doctors confirmed their death,” the officials said, adding that the bodies were later handed over to their families. They were identified as Abdul Bari and Lali Khan. Hundreds of miners lose their lives every year due to the presence of methane gas in almost all coalfields in in Balochistan. Last month, 12 wo...

• Federal govt sees it as ‘internal matter’, unlikely to furnish own stance on judges’ letter • Premier legal body yet to work out proposals sought by apex court • SCBA says consultative meeting to be held on May 8 ISLAMABAD: Disquiet is gro­wing within the ranks of the Su­­p­reme Court Bar Association (SCBA) over the indecision on its response to a letter, written by six judges of the Islamabad High Court, alleging meddling in judicial affairs by intelligence agencies. A similar reluctance is evident on the part of the government, which may not furnish any reply or suggestion to the Supreme Court, since it believes that it is an institutional matter and should be decided by the institution itself. The SCBA has been hesitant in charting a course to ensure the independence of judiciary, as required by the Supreme Court, which is seized with a suo motu case against the backdrop of the March 25 letter written by the six IHC judges. In its April 3 order, the apex court had ...

• Pharma firm’s CEO, three others to face punitive action • GSK disputes ruling, announces intention to challenge judgement • Verdict surprises pharmaceutical industry; drug lawyer says punitive actions could lead to ‘toning down’ of drug laws ISLAMABAD: Considered to be one of the first cases in the history of Pakistan, the Rawalpindi Drug Court has awarded imprisonment and heavy fines to the CEO and other employees of a pharmaceutical company in a case involving a medicine that was found to be ‘substandard’. The company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which is considered one of the most credible and well-reputed companies in Pakistan and across the globe, has denied any wrongdoing in the matter and announced its intention to challenge the judgement before the appellate forum. According to the judgement seen by Dawn, the complaint was filed by the Provincial Inspector of Drugs Tehsil Hasan Abdal. He stated that in 2018, another drug inspector, Uzma Khalid, took a sample of tablet S...

Justice Babar Sattar should come clean about charges against him, says former minister http://dlvr.it/T5yyz5

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Apex Committee on Monday decided to increase the powers of the counter-terrorism department to address the issue of extortion and gave the green light for necessary amendments to the law for the purpose. The committee met here with Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur in the chair. The other participants included Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-Gen Hassan Azhar Hayat, provincial chief secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, police chief Akhtar Hayat Khan and other senior officials, according to an official statement. It added that the forum declared extortion and drug peddling the “areas of most pressing concern for the province” and decided to set up a task force comprising all law-enforcement agencies and increase the powers of the CTD to address the issue. Observes extortion, illegal forex trade, smuggling fuelling militancy The committee agreed in principle to legislate in that respect, according to the statement. It also reiterated its re...

ISLAMABAD: Low voter turnout, procedural irregularities and restrictions on independent obse­r­vation in two provincial constituencies in Punjab overshadowed the improved results management and lower numbers of ballots excluded from the count during April 21 elections in 22 national and provincial assembly constituencies, the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) said in its report, released on Tuesday. Polling station establishment, voter identification, and counting at polling stations were observed to have been largely compliant with law and procedures. However, instances of omissions in ballot iss­uance requirements by Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) were reported from around 14 per cent of the observed polling stations. While polling agents and accre­dited observers generally had acc­ess to voting and counting process, security officials or presiding offi­cers barred Fafen observers from observing the election process at 19 polling stations in PP-36 Wazi­r­abad and PP-2...

• Pakistan receives $9.8bn in July-March, against annual target of $17.4bn • Low inflows mainly due to adverse global environment, poor credit rating ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan received only about $9.8 billion in foreign loans and grants in the first nine months (July-March) of the current fiscal year, far behind the annual target of $17.4bn, amid major slippages in raising international financial support. The disbursements app­e­ared to be slowing down as the country rec­eived less than $204 million in foreign loans in March compared to $318m in February, acc­ording to official data. The Ministry of Econ­o­mic Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said the government could materialise about $6.899bn in foreign economic assista­nce (FEA) in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, almost 39pc of the annual budget target, amid limited borro­wing avenues in the wake of poor credit rating and adverse conditions in the global financial markets des­pite the support of the Interna­tional...

(LEFT) Iranian President Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi arrives at Mazar-i-Quaid with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Governor Kamran Tessori during his visit to Karachi; after he met Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz in Lahore, on Tuesday.—PPI / AFP • Iranian president visits Lahore, Karachi; says ‘no power on Earth’ can hurt Pak-Iran ties • Says Israel will be ‘annihilated’ if it attacks Iran, lauds Islamabad’s stance against Tel Aviv • US warns Pakistan to keep ‘sanctions’ in mind amid trade talks with Iran KARACHI / LAHORE: Tehran is ready to exchange its prowess in industry, science, and technology with Pakistan, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said after visiting Lahore and Karachi on Tuesday amid strict security during his three-day trip to the country. Speaking at a ceremony at the Chief Minister House in Karachi, he said Iran made strides in these fields despite “unfavourable conditions” and was ready to exchange this knowledge with Islamabad. “I am here with a message...

A police constable was martyred in an attack on a checkpost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Battagram district on Tuesday. The KP police said Constable Amjad Hussain was martyred by firing from unknown miscreants while performing his duty at a checkpost in Kas Pul. A first information report of the incident was registered at the Counter-Terrorism Department police station in Upper Kohistan on the complaint of checkpost in-charge Mohammad Arif under Section 302 (intentional murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 6 (terrorism) and 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Arif said that he had gone to the bathroom when he heard the gunshots and as he rushed out, he saw a motorcycle and a car speeding towards the Thakot area. He said that when he came down to the police checkpoint, Constable Hussain was lying in a pool of blood, adding that other police personnel had also reached the checkpoint. Arif said the body was moved to the Distric...

Former premier's sister was booked after holding a prayer gathering for Imran http://dlvr.it/T5w1qt

ISLAMABAD: Just a day after by-elections held across the country, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders alleged that intelligence and security agencies had played a role in rigging the polls. Saying that April 21 will be remembered as a “black day” in the history of Pakistan, the party urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to withhold the notifications of results and announced a series of protests, starting from Friday. “[The] day of election is considered an accountability day, and people cast their votes with great zeal. However, on April 21, open and blatant violations of law were observed. The magnitude of the rigging and violation of law has never been observed in the history of Pakistan. Gates of polling stations were closed, and at some polling stations, more votes were polled than the total registered votes,” PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan told a press conference. Accompanied by Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, Central Information Sec...