ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Wednesday turned down a request from the chief minister of Balochistan province to postpone local government elections in the restive capital of Quetta, dismissing the plea as “devoid of force” and ordering the vote to proceed as scheduled on Dec. 28 despite warnings about deteriorating security and harsh winter weather.
Politics
PTI plans national conference amid growing rift with government, military
ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced Wednesday that it would convene a “national conference” later this month to unveil a “national agenda” aimed at addressing the country’s deepening political and economic instability, a move that underscores the widening rift between the PTI and the ruling coalition amid accusations of anti-state rhetoric.
Govt weighs shifting Imran Khan to remote prison as political feud hits ‘point of no return’
ISLAMABAD: The authorities are weighing a transfer of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan from Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, possibly to an isolated facility in Balochistan, though not confirmed, as politicians traded sharp barbs on Wednesday over the fate of Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, with a top government official declaring that confrontations had reached a “point of no return”.
PML-N lawmakers in Punjab pass resolution to ban Imran Khan and PTI, calling them ‘tool of enemy state’
LAHORE: The provincial Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution calling for a ban on former prime minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, labeling them “anti-state” and accusing Khan of acting as a “tool of the enemy state” amid escalating tensions between the opposition and the ruling coalition.
Islamabad High Court allows petition questioning judge’s law degree to proceed
ISLAMABAD The Islamabad High Court ruled Tuesday that a petition challenging the legitimacy of a sitting judge’s law degree is maintainable, ordering the judge to respond within three days and clearing the way for a potentially explosive judicial inquiry into whether he lawfully holds office.
KP police seek Rs4.2bn monthly hazard allowance as militant attacks surge
PESHAWAR: Police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the northwestern province bordering Afghanistan, have asked the provincial government to approve a special monthly allowance for all officers, a package costing about Rs4.2 billion, saying the force is facing sharply rising militant attacks and growing security demands.
Imran Khan’s sister leads sit-in outside Adiala Jail as officials block court-ordered visit
RAWALPINDI: A sit-in protest led by Aleema Khan, the sister of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, stretched into Tuesday evening outside Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, after she was again barred from meeting her brother despite a court order permitting such visits.
Field Marshal Munir takes on new unified command role, warns Afghanistan and India
RAWALPINDI: Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan’s most senior military officer, formally took charge as the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces on Monday, a move that consolidates command over the army, navy and air force under a single leader for the first time and signals a major restructuring of the nation’s defence apparatus.
As political tensions mount, ministers raise threat of treason charges against Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD: In a sharp escalation of political tensions, the military and government officials have accused Imran Khan, the imprisoned founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, of posing a national security threat through his anti-army rhetoric, prompting warnings of possible treason charges and drawing defiant responses from his supporters.
PTI lawmakers rally behind Imran Khan, warning his exclusion threatens democracy
ISLAMABAD: As political tensions in the country reached a boiling point following a scathing military press conference aimed at former Prime Minister Imran Khan, lawmakers from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party gathered on Monday to declare that sidelining their imprisoned leader would only erode the nation’s fragile political framework.