National

ISLAMABAD: A team from Britain's Scotland Yard (London Metropolitan Police) arrived in Islamabad on Saturday in relation to the investigation of the murder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Imran Farooq. Islamabad had requested that a team visit Pakistan and assist in an ongoing investigation into the murder case as under way in Pakistan. The team is also expected to be taken to meet suspects who are in custody of Pakistani authorities. The team is scheduled to start its investigation from Monday and will carry out its operations under high security. Earlier this week, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had said that the accused said to be linked to the murder of Dr Farooq would be brought to Islamabad where Britis...

June 28, 2015 at 1:59 pm | News Desk

Welcome to the June 2015 edition of Economic Affairs magazine. This edition, as you will note, comprises of more articles than usual, covering a wide variety of topics, domestic and global. This month, our cover story features the intricate operations devised by India's external intelligence agency, Research And Analysis Wing (RAW). Some well-documented proof points in the direction that RAW is quite actively involved in meddling in matters on Pakistani soil. This elaborate network set up by RAW involves structures which are present not only in Pakistan but also in Afghanistan, operating through multi-tiered organizations. The purpose is clear: create terror within Pakistan, a premise which is well-documented b...

June 28, 2015 at 1:07 pm | News Desk

Pakistan's prime minister called for emergency measures as the death toll from a heatwave in southern Sindh province topped 450. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said it had received orders from Nawaz Sharif to undertake immediate response measures. The army has also been deployed to set up heat stroke centres and assist the NDMA, it added. Many of the victims are elderly people from low income families. Health officials say many deaths have been in the largest city, Karachi, which has experienced temperatures as high as 45C (113F) in recent days. Hundreds of patients suffering from the effects of the heatwave are being treated at government hospitals, provincial health secretary Saeed Mangnejo said. The demand for el...

June 23, 2015 at 3:11 pm | News Desk

UNITED NATIONS: Reaffirming its commitment to eliminate all terrorists “without distinction,” top Pakistani diplomat Maleeha Lodhi warned of a forceful response to any attempt to destabilise parts of Pakistan or to attack its territorial integrity. “Let me be clear: we will be relentless in rooting out terrorism, whosoever its sponsors, external or internal,” Ambassador Lodhi told the UN Security Council on Monday. “Any effort to destabilise parts of our country or to attack its territorial integrity will be responded to forcefully,” the Pakistan envoy said in a debate on the situation in Afghanistan. Acknowledging that terrorism remained a common challenge, she told the 15-member council that Pakistan had condemned the recen...

June 23, 2015 at 2:12 pm | News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Rights activist Asma Jahangir argued in the Supreme Court on Thursday that since an amendment to the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) 1952 through the Act 2 of 2015 and Ordinance 1 of 2015 giving retrospective effect to the trials before military courts were passed subsequent to the 21st Amendment by a simple majority, the PAA was not protected under Article 8 of the Constitution which declared laws to be void if inconsistent with or in derogation of fundamental rights. A 17-judge full court headed by Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk had taken up petitions challenging the appointment procedure of superior court judges under the 18th Amendment and the establishment of military courts under the 21st Amendment to try hardened terrorists. Ju...

June 19, 2015 at 1:14 pm | News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari’s speech was the main topic of discussion in both houses of parliament on Wednesday. But contrary to the advice of the ruling PML-N or even fellow opposition members from the PTI, PPP legislators seemed to put their weight behind their leader as they continued to assail the military leadership and warned them against targeting the party. The PPP lawmakers in the National Assembly, one after the other, hit out at the military’s top brass for “violating their constitutional duty”. On one occasion, a lawmaker went so far in his remarks that the speaker had to expunge them from the parliamentary record. Know more: PPP leaders back Zardari's military remarks, decide to field Bilawal for NA...

June 18, 2015 at 9:21 am | News Desk

The day I hit the keyboard with an intention to comment on the remonstration staged by Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT), Pakistan played cricket series deciding ODI and got comprehensively beaten by Sri Lanka. I doubt if anyone, even a fervent cricketer, followed the match. The entire nation was held hostage to political stage show alongside the parliament telecast live in real time. We may be forgiven for missing out on the cricket match but can we defend ourselves on ignoring catastrophic issue of much greater national implications such as internally displaced persons (IDPs) bearing the inclement weather conditions under open sky besides lacking all the necessities they deserve as the citizens of Pakistan. Ne...

September 18, 2014 at 2:35 am | News Desk