ISLAMABAD: Opposition leaders in Pakistan signalled conditional openness to dialogue with the government on Wednesday, a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif renewed his invitation for talks, though the main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, continued to reject negotiations outright.
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As Christians celebrate Christmas, Pakistan reaffirms a promise of equality
ISLAMABAD: As Christians around the world marked Christmas on Thursday, Pakistan’s top leaders extended greetings to the country’s Christian minority, emphasising their integral role in national life and invoking the founding principles of religious freedom and equality laid out by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the nation’s founder.
Pakistan approves pilot power auction to foster competition, ends public procurement
ISLAMABAD: The government has greenlighted a pilot auction for 800 megawatts of electricity under a competitive trading model, a move aimed at injecting market forces into the power sector while scrapping future state-led procurement of generation capacity.
Exiled former aide to jailed Imran Khan is assaulted at his home in Britain
ISLAMABAD: Mirza Shahzad Akbar, a former special assistant to ex-prime minister Imran Khan, was assaulted at his home in Cambridge on Wednesday morning, sustaining fractures to his nose and jaw in what his political allies described as a brutal attack amid escalating threats against critics of Pakistan’s powerful establishment.
UN expert warns Bushra Bibi faces life-threatening conditions in Adiala Jail
ISLAMABAD: A United Nations expert warned on Wednesday that the wife of former prime minister, Imran Khan, was being held in detention conditions that could gravely endanger her physical and mental health, calling on the authorities to intervene immediately to safeguard her well-being.
Pakistan Super League receives 12 bids for two new franchises
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board said Wednesday it had received an “exceptional and encouraging” response to its tender for two new franchises in the Pakistan Super League, with 12 parties submitting bids by the extended deadline.
Military leadership says ‘malicious interests, political or otherwise’, will not be tolerated
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military leadership on Wednesday issued a stern warning against efforts to undermine national unity, explicitly rejecting links between terrorism, crime and political interests, amid escalating tensions with former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party.
UAE’s Sheikh Mohamed due in Pakistan for first official presidential visit
ISLAMABAD: The president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on Friday for an official visit aimed at deepening the already robust ties between the two nations, Pakistan’s Foreign Office announced on Wednesday.
Four children wounded in militant quadcopter attack in northwest Pakistan – report
ISLAMABAD: At least four children were wounded on Wednesday in a quadcopter attack in the restive Gondalabad area of Kurram district, according to official sources cited by the newspaper Dawn, marking the latest in a string of drone strikes by militants that have increasingly targeted civilian areas.
FM Aurangzeb flags growth shortfall as population pressures mount
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economy is stabilising after years of turmoil, but a 2.7 percent growth rate in the last fiscal year falls short of what’s needed to keep pace with a burgeoning population, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said.