A constitutional crisis is looming over the country’s general election date, as President Alvi and the election commission disagree on who has the power to decide it. The president has suggested Nov. 6 as the date, citing a provision that requires him to appoint a date within 90 days of dissolving the parliament. However, the election commission claims that it is in charge of setting the date and running the polls, and that it requires more time to redraw the constituencies, based on a new census. The president’s letter has caused confusion and increased the uncertainty over the country’s democratic transition.
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Debt crisis, IMF pressure force caretakers to raise gas prices
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Caretaker government said on Friday it will increase gas prices for all consumers, a move that could add to the economic hardship of millions of people and stoke inflation that’s already near 30 percent.
PM Kakar seeks IMF nod for power bill relief amid protests
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said Thursday his government was working on options to tackle the issue of inflated power bills without deviating from its agreements with multilateral institutions, amid widespread protests and public anger over the soaring electricity tariffs.
Minister Ahktar says IMF deal leaves Pakistan with no room to ease electricity bills
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Interim Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar warned on Wednesday that the country’s economic situation was worse than expected and the caretaker government had no room to provide subsidies as it faced rising inflation and public anger over soaring electricity bills.
Court suspends Khan’s gifts conviction, but remains in jail over cipher case
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and opposition leader Imran Khan won a reprieve from a three-year prison sentence on Tuesday, when the Islamabad High Court suspended his conviction in a corruption case involving state gifts.
Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan in October, says brother
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been living in self-exile in London since 2019, plans to return to Pakistan in October to lead his party’s election campaign, his younger brother and fellow ex-premier Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday.
Who will decide when Pakistan votes?
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s president and its election commission are at odds over who has the authority to set the date for the next general elections, adding to the uncertainty over the timing of the polls that are due in November.
Supreme Court slams trial court for flaws in Imran Khan’s conviction
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday said it would wait for a lower court’s ruling on a plea to suspend the three-year jail sentence of former prime minister Imran Khan, who was convicted in a corruption case earlier this month.
Anwarul Haq Kakar sworn in as caretaker prime minister
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Anwarul Haq Kakar, a former senator and founder of a party close to the military, was sworn in as the country’s caretaker prime minister on Monday, tasked with overseeing a neutral interim government until the next general elections.
Balochistan Senator Anwaarul Haq Kakar appointed as interim PM ahead of polls
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday appointed a senator from the southwestern province of Balochistan as the caretaker prime minister to oversee the upcoming general elections, the presidency said.