ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary committees have approved a revised draft of a bill proposing sweeping changes to the Constitution on Sunday, setting the stage for a contentious vote in the Senate amid fierce opposition from critics who warned that the amendments could undermine judicial independence and democratic principles.
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Coalition govt tables bill to set up constitutional court, reshape top military command
ISLAMABAD: The coalition government pressed forward Saturday with a controversial overhaul of the nation’s constitution, introducing legislation in the Senate to establish a specialised constitutional court, revamp judicial appointments and bolster military powers — moves that critics decried as an attempt to concentrate authority in the executive and armed forces while eroding provincial autonomy and judicial independence.
Pakistan, Afghan Taliban talks collapse in Istanbul, though ceasefire still holds
ISLAMABAD: Negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan aimed at curbing cross-border terrorism have broken down without agreement, plunging the fragile dialogue into an indefinite hiatus, Pakistan’s defence minister said on Friday, even as a tenuous ceasefire along their shared border holds for now.
PPP backs limited military reforms, rejects curbs on provincial powers in 27th Amendment
ISLAMABAD: As the government pushes forward with a contentious proposal to amend the Constitution, the Pakistan Peoples Party, a key ally in the ruling coalition, signaled conditional support on Friday for limited changes to the powers of the armed forces while rejecting other elements that could undermine provincial rights.
Pakistan, Afghan Taliban hold new round of talks to shore up fragile border truce
ISLAMABAD: Diplomats from Pakistan and Afghanistan gathered in Turkey on Wednesday ahead of a third round of talks set to open Thursday, seeking to curb cross-border terrorism and reinforce a shaky ceasefire that has held since last month’s deadly clashes along their shared frontier.
Pakistan to table 27th constitutional amendment amid fears over rollback of provincial powers
ISLAMABAD: Deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said on Tuesday that the government would soon introduce a long-discussed constitutional amendment in Parliament, seeking to quell opposition concerns that the measure could erode provincial autonomy hard-won under a landmark 2010 reform.
Trump says Pakistan among nations testing nuclear arms, claim not independently verified
ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump said Pakistan has been testing nuclear weapons, listing it with Russia, China and North Korea as countries he said are advancing their arsenals while the United States holds to a decades-old moratorium.
Minister Asif accuses India of fuelling terrorism to keep Islamabad engaged on two fronts
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accused India on Saturday of trying to entangle his country in conflicts on its eastern and western borders by stoking terrorism in the region, even as Islamabad works to solidify a fragile ceasefire with Afghanistan. “If there is a need for evidence, then we have it, about what involvement India has in terrorism [in Pakistan] and how it wants to keep us busy on two fronts: the eastern and western,” the minister, Khawaja Asif told a private television channel.
Fragile new truce with Taliban hinges on Kabul’s action against militants
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday portrayed a fragile new truce with the Afghan Taliban as a hard-won step toward peace along their volatile border, but one laden with stern conditions and deep scepticism, as Islamabad demanded verifiable action against militants using Afghan soil to stage attacks inside its soil.
Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to extend fragile border truce
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan reached a tentative accord early on Friday to extend a ceasefire along their volatile border, a breakthrough engineered by Turkish and Qatari mediators after days of deadlock in negotiations.