Pakistan balances ties with Saudi Arabia and UAE as Yemen rift deepens Gulf tensions

ISLAMABAD: As rivalries between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intensified over Yemen, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, held a telephone conversation on Tuesday with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, to address the “current regional situation and recent developments,” the Foreign Office said.

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Olympic javelin champion Nadeem wins Global Breakthrough Athlete Award in Dubai

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem was honoured with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Sports Award in the Global Breakthrough Athlete category on Monday at the World Sports Summit in Dubai, capping a year of triumphs for the athlete who shattered records at the Paris Games.

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KP chief minister Afridi lodges protest over ‘hostile’ Punjab visit

ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province lodged a formal protest on Monday against what he described as hostile treatment during a recent visit to Punjab province, accusing officials there of intimidation, protocol violations and a coordinated smear campaign that he said threatened the fragile bonds of the country’s federation.

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Pakistan voices alarm over rising persecution of minorities in India

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Monday voiced deep concern over what it described as the persecution of minorities in India, citing recent vandalism against Christmas celebrations and a pattern of violence targeting Muslims, and called on the international community to intervene to protect vulnerable groups.

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Imran Khan and wife appeal 17-year Toshakhana convictions in Islamabad High Court

ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan, the imprisoned founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the country’s former prime minister, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, filed separate appeals on Monday in the Islamabad High Court challenging their convictions in a high-profile corruption case involving state gifts, known as Toshakhana 2.

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Convicted ex–spy chief Faiz Hameed appeals 14-year court-martial sentence

ISLAMABAD: The former head of the country’s powerful intelligence agency has appealed his conviction and 14-year prison sentence handed down by a military court this month, his lawyer said, marking the latest turn in a case that has exposed rare fissures within the country’s military establishment.

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Rights lawyer asks judicial council to probe IHC judge over son’s release after fatal hit-and-run

ISLAMABAD: A human rights lawyer has lodged a formal complaint with the country’s top judicial oversight body accusing a high court judge of misusing his office to secure the release of his son after a fatal hit-and-run accident that killed two young women, according to documents reviewed by a local newspaper.

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