Tag: Top News

  • SIFC ditches CM Gandapur and he’s not happy about it

    SIFC ditches CM Gandapur and he’s not happy about it

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has strongly criticised the federal government for not inviting KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to the upcoming apex committee session of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif summoned the SIFC’s session at 11:45 am on May 25. KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was not invited to the meeting.

    Chief Ministers of all other provinces have been invited to the SIFC meeting except Gandapur.

    KP government’s spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif condemned the federal government, saying that the “Form 47 government of Shehbaz Sharif” showed bias towards the province.

    Earlier this month, CM Gandapur had come down hard on the federal government, warning of a strong reaction if the Centre failed to give an exact timeframe for resolving the province’s core issues.

  • Maulana urges PTI to revamp anti-government campaign

    Maulana urges PTI to revamp anti-government campaign

    Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam – Fazal (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that he will join the opposition alliance only when the fresh movement against the government starts on a new platform. The development came during a consultative meeting between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and JUI-F members on Wednesday.

    As per the report of The Express Tribune, Maulana demanded support from the PTI, specifically from its founding chairman and former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, for his party.

    The JUI-F chief also demanded from PTI during Wednesday’s meeting that PTI form a committee with the authority to negotiate for the protest movement.

    Maulana has also asked the PTI delegation to discuss the “authorised” committee with Imran Khan and present the names of the committee members.

    However, a PTI insider told The Express Tribune that the party delegation will meet Maulana Fazlur Rehman again next week to discuss further about re-launching the protest movement against the government.

  • Governor Punjab urges provincial government to review defamation bill 2024  

    Governor Punjab urges provincial government to review defamation bill 2024  

    Punjab Governor Sardar Salim Khan has called on the provincial government on Thursday to review the controversial Defamation Bill 2024 that the Punjab Assembly approved recently.

    While talking on the Geo News programme Capital Talk, the Governor said that the recently approved bill is not the final word and the provincial government needs to reconsider it.

    He also urged the Punjab government to remove objectionable clauses from the bill.

    Khan stated that he is ready to sit with all stakeholders to solve the issues regarding the bill, as it has sparked a storm in the entire country.

    On Monday, the Punjab Assembly passed the Punjab Defamation Bill 2024 amid a strong and noisy protest by the opposition after it was tabled by Punjab’s Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Mian Shuja-ur-Rehman despite media bodies’ requests to defer the legislation.

    As per the constitution, the governor can send this bill back to the Punjab Assembly for reconsideration, and if the provincial government approves it again, it becomes law after a specific period of time, even if the governor doesn’t approve it.

  • UAE allocates $10 billion to expand investment in Pakistan

    UAE allocates $10 billion to expand investment in Pakistan

    The Prime Minister’s office announced on Thursday that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has allocated $10 billion to expand investment in Pakistan as the financially challenged country seeks foreign aid to maintain economic stability.

    The development came after yesterday’s meeting between UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and PM Shehbaz Sharif in Abu Dhabi, during the Pakistani Premier’s day-long visit to the UAE.

    The decision has been taken “to strengthen the Pakistani economy, support it, and enhance cooperation between the two countries”, UAE’s WAM news agency reported.

    In a statement, the government said: “President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, made a commitment of investing US $10 billion in multiple sectors in Pakistan.”

    The government led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is actively seeking investment from brotherly countries to deal with inflation and enhance the country’s financial stability.

  • CDA demolishes PTI central secretariat in Islamabad over ‘violation’

    CDA demolishes PTI central secretariat in Islamabad over ‘violation’

    The Capital Development Authority (CDA) in a Thursday late-night raid demolished a portion of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Central Secretariat in Islamabad over a “violation of building rules”.

    According to CDA, an anti-encroachment operation was launched around 11:30 PM last night and lasted around an hour.

    The CDA stated illegal construction was incorporated into the building and an additional floor was also constructed on the plot in violation of the building rules.

    As the operation was underway last night, PTI leadership called upon its workers to immediately arrive at the location, stating that the government’s actions were “illegal”.

    The CDA claimed it had sent reminders to the party previously, however, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan shot down the claims and said that they did not receive any orders from the CDA.

    PTI leadership strongly condemned the actions by the CDA and even drew parallels to the onslaught taking place in Gaza by Israel.

  • Prisoner allegedly raped by jail inmates in Adiala

    Prisoner allegedly raped by jail inmates in Adiala

    A prisoner in Adiala jail has allegedly been gang-raped by fellow inmates, Geo’s Shabbir Ahmad Dar has reported.

    The victim told the police that he was gang raped on May 18 at 11 o’clock in the night when two inmates forced themselves upon him together.

    The police says a case has been registered at the Sadar Baruni police station on the complaint of the victim.

  • PM Shehbaz arrives in UAE on important visit

    PM Shehbaz arrives in UAE on important visit

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has reached the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a one-day-long visit to hold discussions with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan regarding the shared interests of both countries.

    The vice president and Chairman of the Presidential Court of the UAE, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, received PM Shehbaz at the airport. Multiple individuals, including Pakistani Ambassador to the UAE Faisal Niaz Tirmizi and UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obaid, were also present at the airport.

    This is Shehbaz Sharif’s first visit to the UAE after becoming prime minister of the country. Top federal ministers, including Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar, and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, are accompanying Shehbaz on his visit

  • New schedule announced for Matric and Inter Exams in Karachi

    New schedule announced for Matric and Inter Exams in Karachi

    The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) on Wednesday announced the new schedule for the matric and inter exams, previously postponed due to the ongoing heatwave.

    Today, the examination board released a notification including the revised exam schedule.

    The remaining exams of Class 10 will resume on May 28 as per the schedule.

    BIEK’s Chairman Professor Nasim Ahmed Memon on Wednesday said that the exams of inter classes are scheduled to take place from June 1.

    “Intermediate exams will be held from June 1 as it is not possible to conduct them from May 28,” said the chairman.

    Memon said that the Board has sought permission from the education minister to extend the exams for four days. He added that 21 higher secondary schools were set up as a centre for the exams.

    The chairman said that the Inter exams were to be held in the centres in the morning while matric exams were scheduled for the evening.
    Speaking about the matric exams, the chairman said that they were postponed due to hot weather. “Postponed papers will be taken from May 28 in the same centres,” he added.

    The BIEK chairman said that it was not possible to hold matric and intermediate exams in the same centres at the same time.

    The BSEK had postponed the remaining papers of the secondary classes which were supposed to be held between May 21-27, in light of heatwave in Sindh.

  • Fears of possible Congo fever spread before Eid ul Azha

    Fears of possible Congo fever spread before Eid ul Azha

    The National Institute of Health (NIH) has issued an alert about the possible spread of the Congo virus ahead of Eid ul Azha, in part due to the close proximity of sacrificial animals on Eid.

    101 cases of the Congo virus were reported across the country in the past year, reports Samaa News.

    NIH has alerted concerned departments to be on high alert and take necessary precautions.

    The advisory states that increased contact between people and sacrificial animals may facilitate the spread of the Congo virus.

    “People should wear light-colored clothes so that ticks on clothes can be easily detected,” the advisory stresses.

  • IMF says bijli aur gas mazeed mehngi karu

    IMF says bijli aur gas mazeed mehngi karu

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has told the Pakistani authorities of its plan to release the next bailout package under specific conditions which Pakistan would have to fulfil like increasing revenue and curtailing government expenditure.

    “The government will have to hike electricity and gas tariffs in coming July and August 2024 to strike a deal with the IMF,” Geo news reported.

    If approved, the fresh bailout package through climate finance would range from $6 to $8 billion.

    The government would also have to present an aligned budget and secure its approval from the parliament.

    The IMF has asked the government to raise the power tariff by jacking up fuel price adjustments and quarterly tariff adjustments. The tariff on gas will also be increased.

    On solar net metering, the government has decided to hire a Chinese consultant and others to study it independently because the net metering system is reportedly causing harm to distribution grids.