ISLAMABAD: An international observer group has concluded that Pakistan’s 2024 general elections were undermined by conditions that limited fundamental political rights, particularly affecting one major party’s ability to compete fairly, and by a nationwide shutdown of cellular services on election day that eroded transparency and efficiency in tallying results.
Politics
Rift between ruling allies deepens as PPP lawmakers stage walkout over flood aid remarks
ISLAMABAD: Tensions within the fragile governing coalition boiled over on Tuesday when lawmakers from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) walked out of the National Assembly to protest comments by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, a leader of the dominant Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), escalating a dispute over flood relief and water rights that has exposed deepening provincial divides.
Pakistan test-fires new 750km-range Fatah-4 cruise missile
ISLAMABAD: The military on Tuesday announced the successful test-firing of a new cruise missile, the Fatah-4, with a range of 750 kilometers, marking what officials described as a significant advancement in the country’s conventional arsenal amid heightened regional tensions.
Pakistan weighs sending troops to Gaza under Trump peace plan, deputy PM says
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that the country’s leaders would decide whether to dispatch troops to a special peacekeeping force in Gaza as part of President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which has gained backing from eight Muslim nations and calls for Palestinian law enforcement to handle internal security.
Blast, gunfight leave 10 dead, 32 injured in Quetta; attackers killed
QUETTA: An apparent suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near the headquarters of Frontier Corps in this provincial capital on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring 32 others in an attack that triggered a fierce shootout with militants, officials said.
Punjab CM revives row with PPP over shelved Cholistan canals project
FAISALABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday revived a simmering dispute over a halted irrigation project in the Cholistan desert, accusing her party’s coalition partner, the Pakistan Peoples Party, of meddling in provincial affairs while insisting that the water in question rightfully belongs to Punjab.
PM Sharif backs Trump’s Gaza peace blueprint
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif threw his support behind President Donald Trump’s ambitious 20-point blueprint to halt Israel’s war in Gaza on Monday, hailing the American leader’s role in rallying Muslim nations toward a potential ceasefire amid a mounting death toll that has surpassed 65,000 since October 2023.
Clashes erupt in Azad Kashmir as protesters demand end to elite perks
MUZAFFARABAD: A man was killed, and more than a dozen people were wounded, including a police officer, on Monday as rival groups clashed during a regionwide strike in this divided Himalayan territory, where protesters demanded the abolition of elite privileges and an end to reserved legislative seats for refugees from occupied Kashmir.
Record ninth Asia Cup for India overshadowed by trophy row with PCB chief
LAHORE: India edged arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in a final-over thriller to claim a record-extending ninth Asia Cup title on Sunday, but the victory turned farcical when the winners boycotted the trophy presentation by Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi.
UN clash escalates as Pakistan labels India a ‘regional bully’ in response to ‘Terroristan’ Jab
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan accused India of being a “regional bully” during a heated exchange at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, responding to an Indian diplomat who branded Pakistan as “Terroristan” and accused it of harboring terrorism.