PPL denies building offshore island, says project prepares marshy drilling site

KARACHI: Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL) on Thursday rejected as misleading a report that it was reclaiming land from the sea to build an artificial island for oil and gas exploration, saying its project in a marshy area near Sujawal involved only preparations for safe drilling in difficult tidal terrain.

Read more

PTI accuses govt of rigging ahead of NA-129 by-poll

LAHORE: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Thursday accused the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government of systematically rigging the coming by-election in the National Assembly constituency NA-129, alleging a pattern of administrative interference that includes the removal of campaign materials, the appointment of polling officials linked to the PML-N candidate and the relocation of dozens of polling stations to remote areas.

Read more

Pakistan inks MoU to sell JF-17 Block III fighter at Dubai Airshow

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan secured a memorandum of understanding with an undisclosed friendly nation for the sale of its advanced JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter jet at the Dubai Airshow, in a deal the military described as a milestone that underscored growing international confidence in the country’s aviation industry.

Read more

Judicial Commission to convene on Dec. 2 for first session under amended framework

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan, the body responsible for appointments to the superior judiciary, will convene on Dec. 2 for its first meeting since the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment and the creation of the new Federal Constitutional Court, with a heavy agenda that includes filling a Supreme Court vacancy and naming new chief justices for two provincial high courts.

Read more

Supreme Court refuses to entertain Islamabad High Court judges’ petition against 27th Amendment

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court registry has declined to accept a constitutional petition drafted by four Islamabad High Court judges challenging the validity of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, informing them that the matter now falls exclusively within the jurisdiction of the newly created Federal Constitutional Court, officials said on Thursday.

Read more

ADB approves $330 million to modernise Pakistan grid, lift hydropower transmission

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday approved loans totalling $330 million for the Second Power Transmission Strengthening Project, which the bank described as one of the government’s top priority investments to expand the national transmission network and evacuate low-cost renewable and hydropower to major load centres.

Read more

Security forces kill 30 militants in series of operations in restive northwest

ISLAMABAD: The military said on Thursday that security forces had killed 30 militants in a series of intelligence-led operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this week, the latest in an escalating campaign against a resurgent Pakistani Taliban that has plunged the country’s border regions into renewed violence.

Read more