ISLAMABAD: The Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss global and regional security dynamics and counterterrorism cooperation, the Pakistani military said on Sunday.
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Doctors examine jailed ex-PM Khan in prison as opposition sit-in over his health enters third day
ISLAMABAD: A team of specialist doctors was carrying out a medical examination of former Prime Minister Imran Khan inside Adiala jail on Sunday, private Geo television reported, as a sit-in by the main opposition alliance over concerns about his health stretched into a third day.
India vs Pakistan: The rivalry that cricket refuses to let die
In the end, it took the full machinery of international cricket’s diplomacy – late-night talks in Lahore, interventions from the ICC, quiet words from friendly nations – to ensure that the fixture everyone knew had to happen actually would. For a few fraught days this month, the T20 World Cup’s marquee clash between India and Pakistan teetered on the edge of cancellation, another casualty of the region’s tangled politics. That it survived, to be played on Sunday evening at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium, says something profound about the strange, stubborn power of this particular contest. It does not merely sustain cricket; in many ways, it defines it.
India’s Murder-for-Hire Scheme
Few moments in recent diplomacy have laid bare the contradictions of America’s foreign policy quite like the guilty plea of Nikhil Gupta. The guilty plea entered by Gupta in a Manhattan federal courtroom last Friday marks a grim milestone in what US and Canadian officials have described as a brazen effort by elements within the Indian government to silence Sikh separatists abroad. Gupta, a 54-year-old Indian national, admitted to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and money laundering conspiracy, acknowledging his role in a failed scheme to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US citizen whose crime, in the eyes of his would-be killers, was advocating for Sikh independence. This case isn’t just a courtroom drama; it’s a window into how Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s India is testing the limits of its partnerships with the West, pursuing dissidents across borders in ways that smack of old-school authoritarianism and, in many cases, state-sponsored terrorism.
Jailed ex-PM Khan seeks bail, suspension of 17-year jail term on medical grounds
ISLAMABAD: Lawyers for jailed former prime minister Imran Khan petitioned the Islamabad High Court on Saturday to suspend his 17-year prison sentence in a corruption case and secure his release on bail, citing severe deterioration in his health, including significant vision loss in his right eye, according to court documents and a statement from his party.
IMF talks with Pakistan on power tariff revamp as inflation risks loom
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund is in talks with Pakistani officials over a proposed revamp of electricity tariffs that could stoke inflation even as it aims to relieve pressure on the nation’s industries, the fund said, stressing that any changes must shield middle- and lower-income households from the brunt of the burden.
PM Sharif launches Rs38bln Ramadan cash relief for deserving families
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif unveiled a Rs38 billion relief package on Saturday to support deserving families during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, with funds to be disbursed digitally across the country’s provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Jailed Imran Khan allowed 20-minute call with sons after court order
ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan spoke to his sons by phone for about 20 minutes and was “extremely happy to hear their voices,” his sister said on Saturday, days after a court ordered authorities to let him contact his children amid reports of severe vision loss in one eye.
Opposition extends sit-in over jailed ex-PM Khan’s health as govt pledges specialist eye care
ISLAMABAD: Opposition lawmakers extended a sit-in protest into a second day on Saturday, demanding jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan be shifted to a specialist hospital amid concerns over his deteriorating eyesight, as the government pledged further medical checks by eye experts.
Security forces kill two militants after IED attack kills worker in Gilgit-Baltistan
ISLAMABAD: A civilian worker with Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organisation was killed and three others, including an army major, were wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in the remote Tangir valley of Diamer district on Thursday, military officials said, adding that two militants were later killed in a gunfight.